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352
Joined
3/15/2019
Location
US
RONJ OSE
7/11/2019 3:25pm
7/11/2019 3:25pm
Edited Date/Time
7/19/2019 6:45pm
So guys I am having some issues with a pain in the ass customer, basically I am younger mid 30 and my father runs a construction/ landscaping company. I am an executive in the company and found a older lady who needed a retaining wall build In her side yard
We go out and meet and from our first conversation I knew she was going to be a pain in the ass
We start construction on the wall get our trench dig out and get ready for the first course, she has a wing wall to the left of the wall and we are making a 90 turn from the existing wall to our wall. One problem there’s a 4 inch drain pipe from a gutter I ask her if I can run it under the wall and have it discharge out the front of the wall, she says no. So I’m like fuck it build the wall we place a perforated drain pipe behind the wall.
We finish the wall and leave the gutter pipe on the corner as she instructed.
2 days later I get a text at 730 saying the following “you need to get over here and fix this immediately”
Picture attached.
So I go check it out and sure enough the dam gutter pipe is full of water and putting a huge amount to water into the wall
I recommend to trench across the wall drop a drain box in near her driveway and be done with this job
I then get her asking what type of pipe what box why my price is so high and blah blah
She asks for my price and I fucked up and said 350 when I told her in person 315
She responded “awesome your price keeps going up I love it”
I respond saying yes my time is worth money and this is the price.
Then she asks for a warranty on the wall( for if it falls over)
I then say there is no warranty you have voided it placing unnecessary load in the wall risking the structural integrity of the wall.
She says what? Everyone has a warranty on there wall I then repeat what I said before
Then this form her-Hello? The whole purpose of this wall was because we were having erosion problems. I was aware that putting up a wall and backing it up with dirt would cause pressure but you told me that the pipe you installed would redirect the water. I think it is time I spoke to your dad. Pls give me his number.
Like wtf I’m a big boy and I half own this company.
I then say yes you are placing an additional load by adding additional water to the wall drainage system after being directed not to and given 2 solutions. Then I said my father is a sub contractor on the job so everything will go through me.
My mom also a part owner came out 2 times to see the project and talked to the lady
She then says-Little did I know how much of your dad's guidance you would need in doing this project. If you decide not to give me your dad's phone number then I will just have to come to your house one evening to speak directly with him. I do have your address. ( at this point she doesn’t have my address or my parents)
So I appreciate the business but our contract has come to an end please do not contact me again
Here is my fathers number-.have a blessed day.
She says- yep I found his number by.
Then she calls 6 times.
How do you guys think I should have Handel it and what I should do now( I don’t want our reputation trashed even though this is the only problem we have ever had)
Thanks and sorry for the long drawn out post.
P.s I was very tempted to tell her to go fuck get self may times
We go out and meet and from our first conversation I knew she was going to be a pain in the ass
We start construction on the wall get our trench dig out and get ready for the first course, she has a wing wall to the left of the wall and we are making a 90 turn from the existing wall to our wall. One problem there’s a 4 inch drain pipe from a gutter I ask her if I can run it under the wall and have it discharge out the front of the wall, she says no. So I’m like fuck it build the wall we place a perforated drain pipe behind the wall.
We finish the wall and leave the gutter pipe on the corner as she instructed.
2 days later I get a text at 730 saying the following “you need to get over here and fix this immediately”
Picture attached.
So I go check it out and sure enough the dam gutter pipe is full of water and putting a huge amount to water into the wall
I recommend to trench across the wall drop a drain box in near her driveway and be done with this job
I then get her asking what type of pipe what box why my price is so high and blah blah
She asks for my price and I fucked up and said 350 when I told her in person 315
She responded “awesome your price keeps going up I love it”
I respond saying yes my time is worth money and this is the price.
Then she asks for a warranty on the wall( for if it falls over)
I then say there is no warranty you have voided it placing unnecessary load in the wall risking the structural integrity of the wall.
She says what? Everyone has a warranty on there wall I then repeat what I said before
Then this form her-Hello? The whole purpose of this wall was because we were having erosion problems. I was aware that putting up a wall and backing it up with dirt would cause pressure but you told me that the pipe you installed would redirect the water. I think it is time I spoke to your dad. Pls give me his number.
Like wtf I’m a big boy and I half own this company.
I then say yes you are placing an additional load by adding additional water to the wall drainage system after being directed not to and given 2 solutions. Then I said my father is a sub contractor on the job so everything will go through me.
My mom also a part owner came out 2 times to see the project and talked to the lady
She then says-Little did I know how much of your dad's guidance you would need in doing this project. If you decide not to give me your dad's phone number then I will just have to come to your house one evening to speak directly with him. I do have your address. ( at this point she doesn’t have my address or my parents)
So I appreciate the business but our contract has come to an end please do not contact me again
Here is my fathers number-.have a blessed day.
She says- yep I found his number by.
Then she calls 6 times.
How do you guys think I should have Handel it and what I should do now( I don’t want our reputation trashed even though this is the only problem we have ever had)
Thanks and sorry for the long drawn out post.
P.s I was very tempted to tell her to go fuck get self may times
The customer is not always right. Sometimes they're just jerks and want freebies because they sense your "the customer is always right" feelings. Hell with that. Do what you know is morally correct. If that's not good enough, then walk away with your head held high.
The Shop
After she said no to running the pipe under the wall, did you take the time to explain to her the potential problems it could cause if she left it the way it was and that it would void your warranty? If you did and she agreed to it, then any extra work after said potential problems showed up would be an extra charge.
Had she listened to your professional opinion and rerouted the pipe to avoid the problems, you wouldn't be going back to fix anything.
If you didn't explain anything concerning the pipe being rerouted, the potential problems, voiding the warranty, etc. and simply went about your business, I'm sorry, but the fix is on you/your company.
1) Decline the job and make $0.
2) Take the job, work your ass off and lose hundreds, if not thousands, of dollars in the process.
I’ll sit on my ass and not make a dime before I work my ass off to lose money.
With that said, I would do whatever was needed to make it right, and chalk it up as a lesson learned.
Probably best to do whatever you need to do to make it right. You should have made sure that it was going to work from the start regardless of what she told you to do, that's your job.
The way it’s looking I’m going back for an extra charge to fix it and run a different pipe.
You did your job of informing her of what could happen if she left it the way it was. It could have taken a week, a month, etc. for the problems to appear but in this case it only took 2 days. It's an "I told you so" moment (I wouldn't exactly throw that in her face).
You not saying anything about the warranty is not right. That said, if your workmanship/1 year warranty is written in detail on the contract (as it should) it shouldn't be that big of an issue. After all it's her job to read the contract and ask any and all questions before signing the contract.
Personally, if it was me and the warranty is on the contract I wouldn't fix the problem unless a new work contract is signed. You completed the original job.
If the warranty isn't properly laid out anywhere I'd try to come to some sort of compromise.
Either way it's guaranteed she'll throw a bitch fit. Just let it in one ear and out the other. You'll be better off that way. Don't worry about 1 person trying to tarnish your company. Why? In this case she's already flipping out so no matter what you do to make it right, it will never be right in her eyes. That ship has sailed. She'll tell people they do great work but...and then go off about everything you detailed in your original post.
If your company does great work you'll keep on getting new clients. Stick to your guns and your price is your price.
Next time you run across someone like this be to busy or make the bid 10X higher or both.
Never commit to building something/anything that is not to code or could be a warranty/maintenance issue down the track.
Of course a stormwater pipe discharging behind that wall was gonna be an issue. Your first instinct to extend and discharge in front of the wall was the correct one. As stated above, not doing the job because your weren’t comfortable with it should have been your action. Making $0 is always better than losing money
I’ll say 50/50 her and me as I should have just done it but she said not to after being told not to leave it like so
Pit Row
Just something to think about.
Guess I left that out
If you can get this ship righted, you might be able to turn that into another $6,000 by going the extra mile for her.
I can’t tell you how many small business owners split hairs on something, not even realizing they are killing future sales by holding so firm on a meaningless thing to the point they fracture the customer/client relationship. Not that your situation is meaningless. But in big picture it’s small.
I think the right thing to do here, is the hard thing to do, swallow your pride if you have to and see if you can win her over.
Winning people over is an art form. Mastering it will serve you well as a business owner.
I’ve run a small website business on the side for 20 years. I still have my first client. Every client I have had has been by word of mouth. I have fixed, changed numerous small things over the years for free because I know whatever I would have made will come back 10 fold in the future. One of my clients I even build their stupid end of year board report for. Only takes me a few hours. I do it for free. They have brought me in tens of thousands of dollars in revenue by word of mouth. No way will I send them a bill for a few hundred dollars for small work.
Both are about 250 in labor for my guys that’s my only hold up, I told her pay material and I’ll put it in she said no. I was cool until she said that she needed to speak to my dad and said that “I did not know what I was doing and was incompetent”
That really pissed me off.
I should go fix it and try to make amends but she’s a bitch
My advice to the OP is to show up a little before 5:00 am, beat on her door to let her know you are there, then fire up the mixers, jack hammers, and radio's. Do it every day for a week, and they will be begging you to GTFO.
We were actually at the job one day started at 7 on the dot she comes out screaming at me with her hair rollers in telling me it’s too early
Red Crawford, Esq.
Should've added a 20% "Bitch Tax" right then and there.
My instinct would be to try and get the water to go where it needs to go even if it cost a couple hundred bucks so at least she has nothing to complain about down the road. Get that bitch in the rear view mirror for good and don't give her any ammo to come back at you with. If you leave the drainage funky everyone she shows and complains to is going to say "yeah what a dumb fuck why'd he do it that way ? what an idiot that's not the right way to do it". The details of why will not make it into that conversation, you'll be the bad guy. Anyway that's what my instinct usually is, leave it right even "if".... but I feel for you because I know shit happens and some customers are a lose lose deal, no way you're ever going to look good in their eyes no matter what you do. Don't let it bug you. When that happens I tell myself, "Any person who makes their decision about me based on what that crazy bitch thinks I don't want to work with anyway" Next time I'll bet you'll be checking where those downspouts go a little closer eh ? lol Good luck
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