One of my customers is a car salesman

[BIG WOOD]

And an old friend, who isn't as much of a friend as he used to be. For the last several years, any time I get a call from him...it's to schedule a carpet job at his house.

The average price each time is only $125-$175. And EVERY time we schedule it, he's always acting like I'm gonna come down on my price. It's funny for a little bit, then it's annoying when the jewing lasts 10min!@!!

We used to ride dirt bikes back in early 2000, and he got me hired on as a salesman at a good dealership before I got into this business, and his family members all got me to clean their carpet over the years.

And in return, I don't charge him the full price. But he still tries to talk me down, starting as low as $50 jokingly, then getting up to $50 under the price I told him

How would you handle a "friend" (cough, cough) that does this to you?

 

[Desk Jockey]

Does he want a discount or need the discount? If he just wants it, give him referral cards that earn him a "free" cleaning after x amount are returned. Being a center of influence its possible he could get a free or greatly reduced cleaning.

If he needs it, deep discount it but he provides the labor. Teach him to clean while you watch him. You still needs to cover fuel, wear & tear.

 

[hogjowl]

It's not "Jewing" anymore.

It's "Pateling"

 

[Desk Jockey]

You fookin redneck!

Its ok though, I put your name on the protected list. So you should be fine.

 

[Cleanworks]

I have a real estate agent who does the same thing. Last time I did a job for him, he calls me the next day to tell me my prices are too high. Meanwhile, he wants to be invoiced and take his sweet time to pay. I already give him a 20 percent discount. You have to be firm sometimes, or maybe start telling him all your financial woes.

 

[Bob Pruitt]

Friend? I use to have issues with friends and members of my Church etc, wanting a special price. My actual friends know better and Church or Club members are told I'm booked solid and they should call someone else. If they ask me who they should call... I really don't know. On the other hand I have friends I Scuba dive with and because they are actual friends they send me work and it's good work. Attorneys Offices, Accountant Offices very nice homes...their friends etc. I do their homes because they just want a good job. I use their services as well and don't ask for a discount...why would I? I have done barter for some people... I'm the only non-millionaire Client my Accountant has :-) I guess we are calling them Influencers.
That said I am happy to do some work at no charge. Someone at Church lets me know of someone elderly, or going through something, someone I know got divorced and is living like a bum... I clean their carpet...once, terrible illnesses ... these jobs are part of the Karma bank ... or giving back.

 

[hogjowl]

Karma's done now that you told.

 

[BIG WOOD]

Does he want a discount or need the discount? If he just wants it, give him referral cards that earn him a "free" cleaning after x amount are returned. Being a center of influence its possible he could get a free or greatly reduced cleaning.

If he needs it, deep discount it but he provides the labor. Teach him to clean while you watch him. You still needs to cover fuel, wear & tear.

He doesn't need a discount. He was telling me about his new harley, and he's driving a new car, truck or jeep every year. His kids have new dirt bikes all the time, and he keeps up with maintaining his house. I'm not saying he's rich...he's just financially stable.

That's not my point. I have a price to make an honest living, and he thought my services weren't worth it. He thinks I'm not worth $75-$100/hour. And I may not be...but my business is. He can't grasp the fact that in order for my business to stay afloat, it has to make that much per hour on the job.

And I did tell him to find me 5 jobs if he wants a free job. He didn't budge on trying to knock me down, insultingly. I just acted like I was losing service and hung up. It's sad, because we've known each other before I got in this business.

I've never fired a so -called friend/customer. At least I thought we were friends.

So how would you fire a friend/customer?

 

[Jim Nazarian]

Stop dicking around & tell him the price when he first schedules the job, if he doesn't respect your service at least have respect for yourself.

 

[BIG WOOD]

Stop dicking around & tell him the price when he first schedules the job, if he doesn't respect your service at least have respect for yourself.

That's what I tried to do. I kept repeating the same $150price. He acted like he couldn't comprehend. It was pissing me off

 

[Jim Nazarian]

That's what I tried to do. I kept repeating the same $150price. He acted like he couldn't comprehend. It was pissing me off

Tell him....
"insert name" we have reached a point where unfortunately I won't be able to provide my services, please look on Yelp for the highest rated company the matches your needs.

 

[BIG WOOD]

I will. I'll tell ya'll how it goes if an when he calls back. Because I'm gonna try to avoid calling him, hoping that he takes the hint

 

[Desk Jockey]

He doesn't need a discount. He was telling me about his new harley, and he's driving a new car, truck or jeep every year. His kids have new dirt bikes all the time, and he keeps up with maintaining his house. I'm not saying he's rich...he's just financially stable.

That's not my point. I have a price to make an honest living, and he thought my services weren't worth it. He thinks I'm not worth $75-$100/hour. And I may not be...but my business is. He can't grasp the fact that in order for my business to stay afloat, it has to make that much per hour on the job.

And I did tell him to find me 5 jobs if he wants a free job. He didn't budge on trying to knock me down, insultingly. I just acted like I was losing service and hung up. It's sad, because we've known each other before I got in this business.

I've never fired a so -called friend/customer. At least I thought we were friends.

So how would you fire a friend/customer?

If he insulted me. Head or gut. His choice.

Fook him up...then apologize. He "used to be" a friend.

 

[BIG WOOD]

I had no problem a couple weeks ago, when one of the owners of a factory tried to do this to me on a $650 job. I held my ground and he backed off.

But when a so called "friend" does this to you on a much smaller job and is stubborn about it...it really surprises me how much of a friend he isn't.

 

[ruff]

........ he's always acting like I'm gonna come down on my price. It's funny for a little bit, then it's annoying when the jewing lasts 10min!@!!

..........

Since I assume it was not used as a term of endearment. Wouldn't it be nice Matt, if you avoided using racial slurs?
It sure would be appreciated.

 

[jcooper]

It's not "Jewing" anymore.
It's "Pateling"

It's true... Every time.

But when a so called "friend" does this to you on a much smaller job and is stubborn about it...it really surprises me how much of a friend he isn't.

I'm sure you have already done this, but... Not much you can do except tell him, I need to make this to do your job. If he thinks it's too much. Simple tell him you can help him.

Or you could get rude and tell him it's 10$ more every time he tries to Patel you..

 

[Nate The Great]

I'd tell him I'm looking into buying a car that his dealership represents.... Then go through all the haggle and I'd be unrealistic in the price I want to pay for the car.... Just to fook with him back.... Some people are just wired to ask for a lower price even after you give them a break/discount in price....

My good friends get they're places cleaned for free, but like @Desk Jockey said, I'd make they work for some of it too... Mostly just pulling hose and raking....

 

[J Scott W]

He is a car salesmen. Dickering on price is at least a habit and probably part of his DNA. You could try telling him directly that carpet clenaing is different than car sales. You are giving him the bottom line price and don't have time to argue back and forth.

Maybe he just wants to spend some time talkiing with you, his friend. Give your friend 10 minutes and play along.

Don' be so tense about business practices that you lose a friend, one who has done you favors in the past, over a few minutes of price discussion.

 

[BIG WOOD]

Since I assume it was not used as a term of endearment. Wouldn't it be nice Matt, if you avoided using racial slurs?
It sure would be appreciated.

Sorry for the misunderstanding, but I meant nothing to it being racial. It's no different than Marty saying Pateling.

 

[ruff]

I am sure you didn't Matt. That's why I brought it to your attention. It is still insulting.

Also, it is a little different as Pateling refers to the owners of Motel 6. If he means all people from India then that's wrong.

You may not realize that there's a cultural difference. People that were not exposed to other cultures many times do not understand. If we take people from India as an example: Their wish to negotiate prices many times is perceived here (US) as "annoying", "stingy" "cheap" "inappropriate", yet that is the norm in their country of origin.

Marty with all his intelligence is not a good example. If you read many of his remarks on this board, you'll find out that he's quite xenophobic. The facts that he uses it all the time ( in jest at times) does not make him less so. The mutual razzing between him and Richard only semi counts, as these two are constantly at each other. It has been suggested here, that they should get a room. So far, they've refused.

 

[Bob Pruitt]

Since I assume it was not used as a term of endearment. Wouldn't it be nice Matt, if you avoided using racial slurs?

I thought it was a religion...not a race... Patel means Inn Keeper in India and I guess you have to take the Patel name to get financing to run a motel in the US or that's what someone told me. It's not just Motel 6, it's all the little junk Motels as well so if you have done any work for them you know what he means...and it's funny! I would hate for this BB to get all politically correct since it seems this is a place for us to learn... laugh and get on each others nerves... :-)

 

[Cleanworks]

It's one thing to tease someone about their ethnic background, if it's done in fun and both parties know it, but it is completely different to use racial/ethnic slurs in general.

 

[ruff]

I thought it was a religion...not a race... Patel means Inn Keeper in India and I guess you have to take the Patel name to get financing to run a motel in the US or that's what someone told me. It's not just Motel 6, it's all the little junk Motels as well so if you have done any work for them you know what he means...and it's funny! I would hate for this BB to get all politically correct since it seems this is a place for us to learn... laugh and get on each others nerves... :-)

Civility, some politeness, common sense and not being ignorant, has its place on this board as well, Mr. Pruitt.
And it has nothing to do with being "politically correct".

For example I don't think calling someone black will necessarily insult an African American (not the few ones I know) but using the N word will and rightly so.

To celebrate your whole month of membership here, and potentially even satisfy your wish to be free of "correctness" and happily relaxed in mutually insulting atmosphere, wouldn't joining the rubber room be in due?

 

[Bob Pruitt]

To celebrate your whole month of membership here, and potentially even satisfy your wish to be free of "correctness" and happily relaxed in mutually insulting atmosphere, wouldn't joining the rubber room be in due?

I guess you're from San Francisco and have some sort of superiority complex since you don't have a problem insulting me and with your condescending "celebrating your whole month of membership here...statement. I understand your point but I don't like the way you did it. Maybe the right thing to do would have been to talk to the person you feel needed speaking to off the public board. I'm only here month and that is what I would do. Anyway I'm going to leave it there and you do what you want.

 

[ruff]

..... I'm from Los Angeles and I don't give a flying fk what you think............

That's good to know. Thanks.

Two questions though:

• What's a "flying fk"?
• And do you not give it because you're from Los Angeles or for other unspecified reasons?

 

[hogjowl]

I hate everybody equally.

 

[BIG WOOD]

You may want be aware that there's a cultural difference. People that were not exposed to other cultures many times do not understand. If we take people from India as an example: Their wish to negotiate prices many times is perceived here (US) as "annoying", "stingy" "cheap" "inappropriate", yet that is the norm in their country of origin.

I totally understand the cultural difference. The "negotiating" prices thing is alright over in their country. But we're not in their country. They're so pushy, thinking that we'll adapt to their thinking, it kinda annoys me. In fact, it might make me on the defense side more, and I'll be more willing to push back.

But back to your concern of it being racially offensive: There's a ton of racially offensive things that are in the spotlight, I try to ignore. In fact, on the funny side of racial offense...just look up the good ol' Mike Tyson Punch Out on the Nintendo back in the 80's. Almost the whole game is so racial, it's hilarious. It picks on the Asians, Middle Eastern Indians, Overweight people, French people, Germans, etc. As a matter of fact, the only race is isn't racial on is the Black people, or African Americans.

 

[Cleanworks]

I negotiate everything. I learned from my 2nd wife who was a hindu from Fiji that everything has a price for the uneducated and there is another price for those who know what they are talking about. There is also another price, it is the one that is so insulting that the vendor will refuse to do business with you. My first wife was from the Philipines, she could also bargain and my 3rd (current) wife is Scottish, and we all know how cheap they are. It's up to you to know when the price is right. Do your homework on what you want to buy, whether it's a house, a car or someones service.

 

[Bob Pruitt]

I negotiate everything. I learned from my 2nd wife who was a hindu from Fiji that everything has a price for the uneducated and there is another price for those who know what they are talking about. There is also another price, it is the one that is so insulting that the vendor will refuse to do business with you. My first wife was from the Philipines, she could also bargain and my 3rd (current) wife is Scottish, and we all know how cheap they are.

LOL! Philipines, Hindu from Fiji, and now your current... Scottish wife who we all know how cheap they are... I must be tired... Thanks, this is funny! So not just the Patels, Jews and Mormons who are cheap... :-) It sounds like everybody is... :-)

 

[ruff]

I totally understand the cultural difference. The "negotiating" prices thing is alright over in their country. But we're not in their country. They're so pushy, thinking that we'll adapt to their thinking, it kinda annoys me. In fact, it might make me on the defense side more, and I'll be more willing to push back.

But back to your concern of it being racially offensive: There's a ton of racially offensive things that are in the spotlight, I try to ignore. In fact, on the funny side of racial offense...just look up the good ol' Mike Tyson Punch Out on the Nintendo back in the 80's. Almost the whole game is so racial, it's hilarious. It picks on the Asians, Middle Eastern Indians, Overweight people, French people, Germans, etc. As a matter of fact, the only race is isn't racial on is the Black people, or African Americans.

Matt,
You do not drop cultural differences when you cross the border.

Take me as an example: Chances are that you can tell by my name that I'm not from here I've been here for 30 years (not long enough to lose my accent though.) I was 31 when I came. My wife is from the mid west. At times she will be insulted by the tone of my voice. I don't intend to insult, she intellectually knows that I don't mean to, yet her being insulted is a gut reaction. The tone of voice does it. Trust me I've been working on changing it (the damn tone) for many years, still happens.

I guess you could say I'm a slow learner, but it is so ingrained and hard to change particularly after a certain age.

There's always a fine line between being funny using racial stereotypes and being offensive. We all (me included) use racial stereotypes and find certain remarks and characteristics to be very funny and at time offensive. I guess it all depends on the circumstances, context, intentions and common sense.