are you one of these customers

[Bjorn]

s]http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=R2a8TRSgzZYs]

 

[Jim Pemberton]

Mr Brevik

For all of the snarky or obscure or gently nasty (if there is such a thing) posts you've made over the years, this one makes up for them all.

Thanks!

I've got one of those "8.50 instead of 19.99" guys down at my counter right now!

 

[Ron Werner]

there are certain industries where people actually do that, ours is one of them.
I like how they made a joke of it by showing it in places where it doesn't happen, as often.
try and do that for gas or groceries! Have to pay in advance for fuel here now.
Pay in advance for fast food, but not sit down food.

 

[Brian R]

That's pretty good.
Any cleaner working for more than a few months can appreciate that.


I love how the guy at the restaurant asks the chef how to do it so they can do it themselves...classic.

 

[Jim Pemberton]

You'd think a carpet cleaner wrote the script.

 

[Walt]

Custy - "Hi, I just got your post card. And you did such a wonderful job last time I'd like to have you come out some time this week. (pause) But last time you charged me 170, but you didn't do the whole home. This time I'd like you to do the whole home for, let's say... I don't know... how does 130 sound?"

Me - "So you want me to do twice as much work for less money?"

"It's better then not working at all isn't it?"

"ummm... well"

"I think I'm being rather fair, I have a coupon for a whole home cleaning for 99 bucks from one of your competitors. I am willing to pay you more because I thought you did such a nice job. But your prices are just too high. And you have to agree that it's better then not working right?"

"Actually, we'd be losing money. So no it wouldn't be better then not working. If you would like to book at regular price, I might be able to fit you in some time next week if you aren't too picky about the time."

"click"

This actually happened a couple of times right after the stock market dumped. There was a program on the local news about negotiating price in a "buyers" market. Hasn't happened in a while. whew.

 

[Brian R]

Yesterday a lady asked me "why are your prices so high" in the midst of telling her from start to finish I mentioned..."We show up at your home..."
She says..."so am I paying you to clean or show up at my home?" Very smart like.

I said.
"Well we have to show up if we are going to clean"

Needles to say I didn't book the job and thank God for that.

priceshoppers are about 5-1 ratio right now...these are the one that can't be convinced and are a pain in the ass anyway. I could have booked them but I didn't want anything to do with them.
I didn't even want to give them to anyone.
I pray for the cleaner who decides to put up with that crap.

 

[Bjorn]

this is how most carpet cleaners treat vendors.

what that truck mount it's just a blower a lawn mower engine and a trash can

 

[Brian R]

Well, yea?

 

[rhyde]

Not me…But I think selling stuff to service people sucks.

OMFG!.... someone made a video collage of the most common pain in the ass custy's/ calls I’ve had. Particularly the “show us how you made it so we can make it” how many times do you guys get calls how can I clean, remove a spot on my own carpet/rugs

 

[Jimmy L]

Vendor.....................

 

[Ron Werner]

An elderly fisherman wrote the following to a catalog company: "Please send me one of those gasoline engines for my boat you show on page 438, and if it's any good, I'll send you a check."

In a short time he received the following reply: "Please send check. If it's any good, we'll send the engine."

 

[joey895]

I had one today. What makes it bad is I think that I'm very reasonably priced, not a high roller by any means. Anyway she asked how much to clean a living room and hallway, I ask about how large the room is and she says very small (of course) so I reply that it would probably just be my minimum charge which is $60, she says if you'll do it for $45 you can come right now. I said no thanks and she sounded all flabbergasted like she just couldn't believe I wouldn't do it. I started explaining why I couldn't do it for that price and she hung up on me about 2 words into it. Truth is I've been saying for at least a year that I was going to raise my min to $75 and I just keep putting it off.

 

[FB7777]

this is how most carpet cleaners treat vendors.

what that truck mount it's just a blower a lawn mower engine and a trash can

actually, the nordic 1 looks more like a clam steamer

 

[rick imby]

Mr Brevik

For all of the snarky or obscure or gently nasty (if there is such a thing) posts you've made over the years, this one makes up for them all.

Thanks!

I've got one of those "8.50 instead of 19.99" guys down at my counter right now!

Is he trying to buy a Feather Touch Valve that he can get on Ebay? Only he has to have it right now because his wand broke? He has already ordered from ebay so can he just borrow a wand until my parts get here?

I had a Doctor come in my bicycle shop and was looking for a special set of wheels to fit a 20 year old bicycle. I showed him how to adapt his bike, I explained to him how the frame could be made to work. He took at least 45 minutes of my time. Then he said the wheels that I had for 250 he could get on ebay for 200. I said good luck. The last time I went to a Doc I paid 200 for 5 minutes. He came back the next week to buy the wheels. I had sold them in the mean time and explained that they would be 350 to reorder. We only get poetic justice once in a while. I really grinned as he walked out the door.

 

[Mikey P]

lets see if this gets a reaction... :shock:

http://santacruzclean.com/blog/

 

[B&BGaryC]

I've been getting a lot of calls... I can just hear it in their voice. "I'm thinking of a number and it rhymes with twenty dollars."

Haven't been able to convert these dufes to actual customers like I used to. I've been trying hard too.

 

[Mikey P]

The hair cut lady had us out last week.


"I have another house where I have a company that cleans it all for $90, so I know you can clean this one for $150."



Well mam, you have 450 feet of carpet that needs cleaning, you knew our rate is .50 a foot, the comes out to $22

"Mike, I'm getting frustrated, all I can spend is $150 so do the best you can do.."

 

[Brian R]

What did you do?

 

[Mikey P]

bent over.


she is a friend of a good friend of our family.

 

[Brian R]

Sometimes you have to take one for the team.

 

[Jim Pemberton]

"Your friends (and friends of friends) get you when your relatives are done with you"

The sad thing is that this person doesn't think she took advantage of you at all.

 

[Brian R]

Yea, they just expect it.

 

[Mikey P]

Dont ya love the "I really don't see why its such a big deal to move that bed, I do it all the time..."

 

[Ron Werner]

yeah, they don't realize, they move it and it breaks, oh well.
I move it and it breaks, I pay for it.

Also, the ones the beat you down for price are the ones that take more work, or "theirs a little spot over in the corner under the couch that wasn't there before you cleaned."

 

[B&BGaryC]

I can't stand it when they have no concept of what it costs to do business. They think they are doing you a favor by accepting your $65.00 minimum, when in fact you should just raise it to $100 so you can NOT LOSE MONEY every time you do one in hopes that it will generate a larger job somewhere else.

I remember I was in the ace hardware parking lot checking to see if some nuts and bolts were going to be what I needed to mount a live garden hose real on my door and I got a walk up. He started explaining the area, I told him a minimum charge of $65.00 ought to cover it. He started walking away while I was talking.

"Hang on a minute! What sort of price did you think I was going to tell you?"

"I figured twenty bucks would be fair."

"I can't really afford to drive fifty thousand dollars of equipment across town for even sixty five."

He muttered something under his breath as he walked away. He was at the checkout and looked at me right as I walked by the rug doctor display.

"Hey, here ya go! Why don't you put one of these on the tab?"
"No thank you."
"No really..." Turning to the cashier "He's not finished yet, get him one these contraptions..." turning back to the man, "...It's only $29.99, ten dollars for the soap, five dollars for the spot cleaner... Let me see here... You can save a twenty dollars and spend all day doing it yourself! I'll even give you a few pointers before you leave. Just make sure clean it real good so you get your cleaning deposit back."
"No thanks, I'm fine with just these items, you were very helpful sir."

I had a lot of fun doing it. It could have gone really bad if I had let a bad attitude creep in though. In everything I said I made sure not to look offended, or have anything other than a big smile and a cheerful friendly helpful tone in my voice.