Couldn't make this up if I tried........

[SMRBAP]

All in one day - all yesterday:

Van 1 / job 1 - Tech cleans the 2nd floor in a vacant home, starts relocating tools to the basement - which has 4-5" of standing water, walls molded etc. Homeowner refuses to sign our claims waiver, gets argumentative, terminates service. Tech is basically kicked out of the house.... forgets the rotovac. Homeowner holds the rotovac hostage unless we agree to not charge him for the work we completed.


Van 3 / job 2 - Husband is drunk, following the tech from room to room, preaching about Obama, Jesus, and unemployment. Tech is playing to his tune entire time, when the guy just snaps, starts screaming about people like him, the white devil holding the black man down...... boxes him in the back most bedroom, and refuses to let him out, becoming increasingly agtitated and agressive. Tech has to force his way out of the residence and terminate job.


Van 2 / job 3 - Tech had a huge (upsells) second job, was running about 15-20 behind, called homeowner, makes proper arrangements. After he is done cleaning her, she refuses to pay..... ($250+ invoice) because we arrived 20 minutes past our intended arrival time.


Van 4 / job 2 - Tech arrives at home, upon walk through realizes he is standing on a water damage. Homeowner states it was this way for 8-9 days due to a water heater. Refuses to sign the waiver, and is adamant she told our scheduling "lady" she did have a flood ...... except we don't have a "lady" in the office.


Van 4 / job 4 - Tech arrives, house smells like all the weed in the county has been grown, processed, and smoked in the residence. There is less carpet without Kool-aid stains than with..... and they tell the tech - if it isn't going to look new when you are done (for the standard service costs), you can just leave now.... we can replace (the 6 rooms) for $450 (not a chance).




Though our tech made it out alive - our rotovac hasn't.

 

[Mikey P]

Did you give them Torrey's number for next time?

 

[Steve Toburen]

Sorry about your pain, Anthony. Been there- done that.

Steve

PS But thank you for sharing. Just when I start getting all warm and fuzzy about going back into business stuff like this makes me remember the "dark side". (Even so, I LOVED my business ... too much.)

 

[Desk Jockey]

Jeez that's nutz.

Call the homeowner and let them know you'll have to call the cops if they won't release the tool. Or just do it for free and get your unit back. Depends on your pain tolerance.

Man that's a lot of crazy for one day!

 

[Steve Lawrence]

What about van 5?

 

[hogjowl]

Please go back into business, IB.

Show us so you won't have to tell us.

 

[Brian H]

Oh boy, I have had days like that too!!!

And I wonder why I am losing my hair....

 

[Zee]

I would definitely go back to get the Rotovac...and if they don't give it, I would just TAKE it. Couple of 250lb 6'8" eastern european shaved heads looking for it, can make a difference in that homeowner's attitude...

Friend of mine wasn't getting paid for a vinyl install in a home...so four of them said guys show up during sunday's family lunch and walked in told the family lunch is over...and proceeded to meticulously pull up all vinyl that was installed...home owner was shocked speechless. Cops didn't even care because the home owner didn't pay the bill..almost saying: you deserve it next time pay your invoice.

 

[packfancjh]

That is one horrible day! I'd give the thieving homeowner a polite call about getting the RV back. If they still won't give it back the Sheriff's Dept would be getting a call.

 

[Shane Deubell]

Thankfully posters like richard are here to bring some comedy relief to some of this stuff

Definitely can be frustrating some days between customers, government, employees. To me the key is standing back and take a deep breath, the worst decisions are always when we are all fired up about something.

 

[Jimmy L]

JHC raise your prices and get out of the ghetto man!

 

[Mikey P]

JHC raise your prices and get out of the ghetto man!

so true..


I almost never have these sort of issues.

 

[Ralph Pastorelli]

Jimmy beat me to it, get out of the hood!

 

[-JB-]

wow.

 

[ruff]

For the nominal monthly fee, Mikey's board will send the "rotovac hostage release team."

Membership has its benefits.

They will send either Fred C. or Fred B. As in different strokes for different folks. (I'd go with Fred.)
If worse come to worse they may add the clients' email address to island boy's e-mailing list, but that's the nuclear option.

 

[SMRBAP]

My ads have prices for standard services (which, of all the other competing ads, is only under Chem-Dry pricing ), and restorative services, (which is the highest advertised cost in the major publications of all cleaners in our area, 10-15% higher than Chem Dry).

It's not so much prices as it is demographics/geography. You are less likely to have these problems in areas with middle class and upper class income customers.

The problem lies in distribution. I will pay more (by 20-25%) if I drop the zones I don't want to be in. It's actually less costly to do city-wides, than it is to pick and choose. Magins in print right now as thin as they are - I have no options to select zones - has to go citywide.

I am checking the legalities of some new potential policies to remove the worst of the worst. I track everything, so listing my top zip codes for no-shows, nsf checks, bad cards, etc is just a button click away for me.

I'm thinking about in those zips, requiring a credit card deposit of $50 which is our trip fee. I'm betting this eliminates at least 75% of the dead beat and predetorial customers with one swing.

No deposit to secure your appointment - call another firm. I may make a post about that, see if anyone else has experience in customer selection by general policy.

In other news - my part time office guy actually works for our DA's office as a prosecuting attorney. He handled it - the guy actually delivered it to our door, and had quite a different disposition upon arrival after speaking with my guy - paid his bill in full, and signed the claims waiver...... at least one of those jobs was a victory..........lol.

 

[SMRBAP]

Did you give them Torrey's number for next time?

Lol.... no - Sani-bright (one day Tom is going to acknowledge my pokes and say hi back.... I just know it)

No Mike - there is a company here who is pretty much the bait and switch king of Indy. I happily refer all PITA's to his firm - we are even so kind as to give them their phone number.

I figure it's the perfect marriage of company/customer - each teaching the other a few things

 

[steve_64]

JHC raise your prices and get out of the ghetto man!

ive had very few problems working in the hood. most pay cash and are friendly to this old white guy.

i have more trouble with the uppity folks in the houses they cant afford.

 

[ruff]

Funny how it is always the people whose carpet are trashed that take their magnifying glasses out to check the job once you're done.

Just did a place with a pretty trashed carpet. It looked amazing (almost like new) when I was done. She was all 'distraught' about a small "stain" that turned out to be a pattern in the carpet.
The fact that she could finally see that the actual (original) color of the carpet was light cream, did not seem to register.

Good part- She did not hold any of the carpet cleaning equipment hostage.

 

[SMRBAP]

For the most part Steve - our best customers are the struggling middle class. You diagnose their needs, quote the services, they usually trust your diagnosis and sign up. The more money folks have, the harder it is to seperate it from their wallets.

The only sense I have been able to make about those with less willing to spend more is perception.

Those with less money can find the value in the service - taking care of a large ticket item. Because they listened to you - they actually get that cleaning carpets and correcting stains, is more than squeezing a trigger and stroking the wand.

The (problematic) uppities...... seem to take what you say with a grain of salt, see it as a pitch to rob them, and in the end - don't really care because they have the means to replace it on a moments notice.

Mr. Blue collar - has to take a high interest loan out to do the same and needs that flooring in good shape for as long as possible.

 

[Desk Jockey]

We see just the opposite, those with discretionary income know its going to cost them more because they want "service" and they area willing to pay it as long as they get value for their dollar spent.

Those that really can't afford our services expect miracles because that same money, hurts them more than those with the discretionary income.

When we get a complaint, 9 times out of 10 its for a minimum charge and someone stretching out of their budget.

 

[ruff]

The same as Richard here.
It is always the ones with the totally trashed carpets that expect perfection.

 

[Buck1955]

Wow is right. I used to work for a property manager here in Indy that had rentals in the hoods. There were a couple I just drove on by if I didn't feel safe, I didn't do it even with a 45 on my side.

 

[SMRBAP]

Doc & Ofer - I wasn't including the lower end of my customers in that statement - just considering the middle and high end ones. With the lower end custy's - it's almost a given they'll want base services and complain. We shoot straight, if it's not cleanable, they have option to pass. Otherwise, salvage clean waiver - money due regardless of outcome.

But between the extremely high end and middle - we have WAY stronger up-sells to the middle. Though it may just be Indy - a lot of folks here live on a shoestring budget for an "address" if you will.