TGIF

I'm going to share more fun customer things that have been happening of late.

I always tell people after the appointment has been made or even if they just call to inquire to call me with any questions they may have along the way.

This woman took this so literal that I have spoken to her every day at least once for 2 weeks. Her appointment is this coming Monday.
As I write this it is 10:30am. She has already called me twice.

She is paying for this for her daughter and son in law as a Christmas gift.
Her daughter just had a baby. I hear the baby in the background. I know more than I need to know about them. I have done this now for 10 years and I still do not understand the need of people to tell me everything about themselves because we are working on their bathroom. When my plumber was just here, he could see were updating some things in the bathroom and that is all he knew about us. I didn't share my age, where I was from, where my stepdaughter lives etc. These are the things people tell me and way more than I need to know.  I don't understand it and never will.

I send them a document along with their confirmation email of their appointment. The doc explains what they need to do prior to our arrival. I go over this on the phone but this doc goes a bit deeper. I tell them all of that while on the phone. I always say, don't hesitate to call or email me if you have any questions or concerns about what you need to do.  I expect calls. But this woman and her daughter call several times a day and it has become a joke. Very nice people but c'mon this isn't brain surgery people. Every day for the last 2 weeks and most days more than once.

If the doc says we need a door or window within 60 feet to ventilate the fumes from your condo what is confusing about that? Especially when I went into a great deal of detail about this and why on the phone twice.
I get it if they think they don't have a window or door within 60 ft but her question was, "What kind of window or door is needed, Peggy?" Really?
Oh heavens. If you knew the depth to which I go to explain this on the phone with them you too would be rolling your eyes. So they get my explanation on the phone and they get it in the written word in a document.

Rick is semi-retired so he was home this morning. He heard me answering questions and talking to these women. When I hung up I said to no one in particular since I am alone in my office, "and you people are breeding"
Rick was coming up the steps and heard this and said to me, "Is this about the people you were just so nice to?"  I nodded. He said, "Man you are so Sybil when you work." Yes, I am. Look customer service is key.  I will always be nice but my goodness they either are very lonely or not too bright. I have answered all of the same questions many many times. But hey it's job security, right?
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Then last week a man was in town for 3 days working with contractors before he went back to North Carolina. He is selling his home here. He was booked for last Friday. (He booked this 30 days prior) He called me Thursday to see if we could move it to Monday. I said I could see if someone would be willing to switch with him but as of right now Monday was full. He called me back almost immediately after hanging up and asked if we could do this on Saturday because he can't stay now until Monday. I said yes. I figured if Gary didn't want to work on Saturday I'd get Rick to do it so we could make this work for this man.
It was a very small job so it wouldn't be a full day, just a quick couple of hours.

After the job was completed the man gave Gary a credit card which would not go through. Not because it was declined but because the numbers were worn off and it could not read the 3 digit security code. Gary tried to manually put the credit card in and what he thought were the numbers but it was then declined. The customer called the bank but they wouldn't give him the number over the phone it would be mailed to him. Gary called me and asked me what to do. I spoke with the customer and asked him if he had another card. He said no. Check? No. Cash? No.

Now here is what I wanted to say, "you just told me you are driving back to North Carolina as soon as we are off the phone. You have no money and no debit or credit cards and you going to another state on a wing and a prayer?"
But of course, I didn't say that. Instead, I said, "How do you wish to make this work?" He then yelled at me that I was insinuating he didn't have the money?
How did he get that from the questions, "How do you wish to make this work?"
Gary was standing there and thankfully he could not only here this man but he could hear me talking to him. Again I ask, "Patrick how would YOU like to make this work? "  He said I"ll send you a check when home. I took down his N Carolina address just in case it was needed. I told him it was to send him an invoice even though he had one in his hand.

I snail mailed an invoice. I also emailed him an invoice. He ignored it. He sent a picture of his verizon page that said $845 to our company name to be delivered on 11/17/16.  I wrote back that I did not understand what this picture was and could he explain. He ignored it. November 17th came and went.
Rick called him this morning and said he was the owner and blah blah and was sickeningly nice to him. The customer said the picture sent was proof that his bank was sending a check that would be here on the 17th. Rick said, "Today is the 18th"  'Oh' was his response. Rick told him what would transpire should we not have this check by Wednesday.

It will be interesting to see if it ever shows up.
Here is what I think really was the issue. He had no intention of ever paying us. He had other cards and or money or he couldn't have driven home with no gas or money. If he wanted to make it right when asked what he wanted to do, he would have said, When I get home I'll call you with another card. Or I'll mail a check on Saturday. It would have been here by now. So to us, he never intended to pay. You set up a check to be paid a week later than the job? Not right away? That tells me you either never intended to pay or you have no money to pay. 
Then you shouldn't do the job.Either way this was not an accident.
He is selling his house here that is why he had the repairs done in the first place. But he won't be able to sell with a contractors lien on his house now will he?
Small amount or not, it is getting tiring of all these people living in 800K-1million dollar homes who refuse to pay.
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