Aren't you the lucky one(s)

[Farmwithjunk]

Someone has to listen to my rant, so why not you guys?


As many of you know, I own a mowing business. We bush hog large acreage for a number of regular clients, along with a few "one timers". MOST of my customers are happy with the job we do and the price we charge.

But on occasion.

I gave a quote last fall to mow 65+ acres of relatively clean ground not far from my home. It's a quickie job that is located such that I can drive a tractor/mower there without involving a truck and trailer. Convenient. So I give 'em a good rate. First thing, they start trying to beat me down on the price. Not happenin'. So I mow it once. They pay (reluctantly). I never hear from them again. Seems they found a low baller who'll do it for essentially gas money. Fine with me, I have plenty to do. OK... Since I quoted the price last fall, fuel prices have gone nuts. Seems "gas money boy" can't do it as cheap anymore. He gives them a NEW price, apparently higher than my old price. They balk. I get a call this morning wanting my services AGAIN, but just as thelast time, they're trying to beat my price down LOWER than last falls rate. At this point I inform them last years price is no longer good. My NEW price is 20% higher. They dropped me, so I feel no obligation to them as an existing customer.

And the words I heard then! I sure can't post what I was called at that point.

So, why is it the more obvious it is that a price change is in order, the more people squawk? Why is it people feel they can do whatever THEY want, but you're obligated to do whatever THEY want?

Rant over! I feel so much better now!

 

[JoeinTX]

Why? This old adage....."the customer is always right".....


One of the worst phrases in the history of Western Civilization. Some people are reasonable, sensible, and fair in dealings. Many "customers" are unreasonable, dishonest, confused, and down right miserable people to have any dealing with.

This applies to all businesses, of course, as well as non-business relationships too but nowhere does it get more abused and misused than when trading a commodity for a service.

I was shocked this past winter when, after doing all I could, I had to call a local plumbing service in to figure out our sewer system. The bill was much more than I ever imagined it would be and I was a little taken aback at first. But, then, after considering how much time they spent working, all the different types of equipment they brought out working on the problem, and all the materials they used.......it was after all reasonable enough considering then their overhead on top of all of this.

I paid without issue and if I have anymore problems I'll be calling the same people back out again in the future.

 

[RobJ]

That's to low, fuel prices have gone up over 25%, plus inflation.

 

[Ford850]

Why? Because of the sense of entitlement so many people have these days.

 

[AlanB]

Yeah, never on the scale of 65 acres, but we have it constantly in the mowing business.

The call goes "my xxxxxxxx neighbor, son, brother, church member, stray dog down the street, has decided to start a mowing business so we are going to switch to him" (usually $5 cheaper)

Then a month or two later they call us back, usually we just raise our price another $5, it is kind of a take it or leave it for us at that point. Yep, we get called all sorts of names at times. Would like to say it just rolls off, but some of it stings.

Just had a lady this year quit us after 15 years mowing. I think it was a son of a co-worker that go round.

Bet she calls us back in about a month when he quits through this lean season.

 

[N80]

I don't see what you did or what they* did as a problem. You're in business to make money, its a customer's job to spend as little as possible of his. When I do a job I want a good price for my services, when I want a job done I want to keep as much of my money as I can.

* The problem came when they cussed you out. Then they showed their true colors. That would rub me the wrong way but would soon be forgotten. In fact, I've been cussed out by 'customers' a number of times. Oddly enough, I usually feel good afterwards because at that point I know for a fact that I will never have to deal with them again. Those types aren't worth any amount of money.

 

[slewisma]

I don't see what you did or what they* did as a problem. You're in business to make money, its a customer's job to spend as little as possible of his. When I do a job I want a good price for my services, when I want a job done I want to keep as much of my money as I can.

* The problem came when they cussed you out. Then they showed their true colors. That would rub me the wrong way but would soon be forgotten. In fact, I've been cussed out by 'customers' a number of times. Oddly enough, I usually feel good afterwards because at that point I know for a fact that I will never have to deal with them again. Those types aren't worth any amount of money.

Agree. And the rising costs also affect their ability to pay. What has happened to fuel and other prices is not good for the buyer or the seller.

Happy to say I was very friendly and polite when I let my mowing service go. And I won't be calling them back in a month. Buying the BX24 and MMM pretty much committed me to self-service for a whole lot of years.

 

[daTeacha]

Why? Because of the sense of entitlement so many people have these days.

AMEN!
There are simply too many folks who figure the world owes them anything and everything they want simply because they happen to want it.

The idea of working toward a goal over a period of time seems to have gotten lost, replaced by instant gratification and moving on to the next new thing as soon as possible.

 

[RollingsFarms]

Someone has to listen to my rant, so why not you guys?


As many of you know, I own a mowing business. We bush hog large acreage for a number of regular clients, along with a few "one timers". MOST of my customers are happy with the job we do and the price we charge.

But on occasion.

I gave a quote last fall to mow 65+ acres of relatively clean ground not far from my home. It's a quickie job that is located such that I can drive a tractor/mower there without involving a truck and trailer. Convenient. So I give 'em a good rate. First thing, they start trying to beat me down on the price. Not happenin'. So I mow it once. They pay (reluctantly). I never hear from them again. Seems they found a low baller who'll do it for essentially gas money. Fine with me, I have plenty to do. OK... Since I quoted the price last fall, fuel prices have gone nuts. Seems "gas money boy" can't do it as cheap anymore. He gives them a NEW price, apparently higher than my old price. They balk. I get a call this morning wanting my services AGAIN, but just as thelast time, they're trying to beat my price down LOWER than last falls rate. At this point I inform them last years price is no longer good. My NEW price is 20% higher. They dropped me, so I feel no obligation to them as an existing customer.

And the words I heard then! I sure can't post what I was called at that point.

So, why is it the more obvious it is that a price change is in order, the more people squawk? Why is it people feel they can do whatever THEY want, but you're obligated to do whatever THEY want?

Rant over! I feel so much better now!

Good friend of mine owns, well OWNED, a residential/commercial mowing business. they did it all, and did it with high quality work. the machines they used were the best on the market for commercial work, so in turn gave better service to the customer AND to them since they didnt spend every other day in the shop. he was one of the first people to go into the 'yard business' around these parts. for years he made money hand over fist. then as time went on, more and more people thought they could buy any old equipment and get a few people and do the same thing.....at half the price. customers were dropping him like a bad habit due to him being undercut, and then when the work was shoddy at best, or the prices were raised, the list goes on... and those same people came back a runnin' to him. he didn't take ANY of them back, but instead makes his new customers sign a MINIMUM of a one year contract. he doesnt mess with 'one timers'. he recently sold all of his equipment and got out of that part of the business because of fuel costs and maintinance costs. now he does spraying and he is making just as much if not more then he ever was.

I know how you feel and what you had to go through and let me just reassure you that quality of work will 99.999% of the time BEAT a cheap price. not saying your prices were out of this world, but usually when people cut throat substantially, their work doesn't follow up to suit. if i didn't do my own bushogging, and you lived closer, I would deffinatley sign a contract with you to mowe some acerage for me.

 

[Farmwithjunk]

I don't see what you did or what they* did as a problem. You're in business to make money, its a customer's job to spend as little as possible of his. When I do a job I want a good price for my services, when I want a job done I want to keep as much of my money as I can.

* The problem came when they cussed you out. Then they showed their true colors. That would rub me the wrong way but would soon be forgotten. In fact, I've been cussed out by 'customers' a number of times. Oddly enough, I usually feel good afterwards because at that point I know for a fact that I will never have to deal with them again. Those types aren't worth any amount of money.

* The problem came when they tried to browbeat the lowest price they'd recieved (round 1), then unceremoniously dumped me, came back with a sense of entitlement and tried to beat down the lowest price they had (round 2). While they DO have the right to attempt to get the lowest price possible, there's a RIGHT WAY and a WRONG WAY to go about anything. Their insulting method of operation not only washed out any chance of me doing their job for last years price, they effectively eliminated any possibility of me doing it for the updated price, which was apparently the lowest price they had THIS TIME.

Long story short, their poor negotiating skills killed any chance of getting the job done at a price anywhere near what they are willing to pay.

I've worked with a few of my regular customers who simply couldn't afford to pay "the going rate". They approached me with a little class and dignity. We worked out a deal.

This guy straight up shot himself in BOTH feet.

 

[scesnick]

I know how you feel, There really isn't anyone in my area that does this for a living or even as side work . I cut one guys field three years ago and now I get a few calls a summer to mow just from him telling people I did his.
Well, I had a guy a few weeks ago call me and wanted me to cut a 10-12 acre field. He was pretty insistant on the phone for a quote and I told him I would really have to see the field. He wanted a ball park figure so i gave him one. ($300 depending) Well, you would have thought I asked for his first born child !!!
I am not trying to rip anyone off ( obviously by the price I gave him) I politely reminded him of the price of diesel today and suggested he try to find someone who will do it for a price he is happy with. I highly doubt that field gets cut this year. No one around here has the time and especially at the rate he is willing to pay...

 

[N80]

there's a RIGHT WAY and a WRONG WAY to go about anything.

That is definitely true and as the saying goes its easier to attract flies with honey than vinegar. A little tact and a little respect go a long way in a business deal.

 

[ultrarunner]

Too many customers believe cash is everything... and it isn't.

I'm always working with contractors for projects at the Hospital where I work... Sometimes, I put out a request for proposal and often I by-pass that and go directly to someone I've worked with before.

Once the contract is signed... I do whatever I can to assist the Contractor in getting the job done... staying late, opening early and mostly running interference from the Hospital Staff... many of whom are quick to complain and say... the contractors are getting payed... so they had better work around the our schedule.

Many fail to understand that not treating your contractor right often results in many unforeseen problems...

 

[Solo]

Farmwithjunk

I'm going to go out on a limb here and guess, that the people who got mad at you are more than able to pay for your services. These are probably the same type of people that charge an arm and a leg for services and expect everyone to pay their prices without question.

Solo

 

[Ken]

Not all customers are bad or try to take advantage of your work.
We had a tornado in Feb. that took down a bunch of large trees in the front and back yard. and while the crew was removing the trees a man stopped with a stump grinder and offered to remove the remaining stumps. Told him when the crew was finished he could do his work. next day he returned and worked the day removing the remaining stumps to 6 inches below the soil line. Paid the bill and gave him a chain saw of the type he was carring in his truck. A bonus for good work. Was unable to work in the back yard due to weather so said would return later. A month later again returned and removed the stumps. didn't charge what we concidered the going price was so when he gave us the bill we doubled the amount in thanks for a good job and a person that kept his word in returning.
All customers are not trying to get the cheapest price.
just the ones we hear about.
se'ya ken

 

[Wayne County Hose]

Welcome to the business world. I just had a pretty good customer drop me today. He got impatient with something I had to special order, and of course I never asked for a deposit. He told me cancel the order, so I did. Well his valve came in today. He called me later to apologize and to send him the valve when it comes in. Well you know what, that valve just had a price increase of 25%.

 

[N80]

Welcome to the business world. I just had a pretty good customer drop me today. He got impatient with something I had to special order, and of course I never asked for a deposit. He told me cancel the order, so I did. Well his valve came in today. He called me later to apologize and to send him the valve when it comes in. Well you know what, that valve just had a price increase of 25%.

So he cancelled the order because it was taking too long to come in. He then changed his mind and apologized for canceling the order (which it seems like is his prerogative) and that he'd like to buy it when it arrived. So you get it in and the price goes up 25%?

My question is why did the price go up? Did the wholesaler charge you more for it or did you increase the price because he cancelled an order? If you increased the price punitively I'm not sure who the 'bad' guy is in that scenario.

I hear an awful lot about people in adversarial relationships with their customers. And I'm not claiming that its any different with me, but it seems a bit disturbing. I often have to remind myself that these folks, who are often rude and thoughtless are the people who put bread on my table. Sometimes that helps my attitude, sometimes it doesn't. And in the case of the OP, some folks just aren't worth dealing with. If all of your customer base fits that bill then maybe you (and me) would be better off doing something else. Fortunately most of my customers are good folks who pay me what they owe, get good service from me and we're all happy.

But in my opinion the saying ought to be 'all is fair in love and war...and business'. As a customer I want to get what I want and for the best price I can find. And in that regard I'm talking about comparable services and quality. Quality is part of what you choose to pay for or not pay for. That's not the issue, I'm talking apple-to-apples. If I want to pay less to get less, well, that's a customer's prerogative too.

I was in my mother-in-laws shoe store many years ago and there was a shrew-like older women who was obviously very wealthy (she looked it and this shoe store is high end) in there giving her heck about prices and trying to get here to come down. Well, my mother-in-law knocks the price down and sells her some shoes. After she left I was a bit amazed. I asked my mother-in-law why she even dealt with that old witch who was too rich to be low balling here like that. My mother-in-law smiled and told me two things: First, the reason she was so rich was that that was how she handled all her affairs, she kept as much of her money as she possibly could and that my M-I-L admired her for it. That didn't make me feel much better about it but then she told me that this lady was probably her very best customer and had stuck with her for years and brought a lot of money into that show store. So she was one of those PITA customers but in the end, she was worth every penny of it. This shoe store is still open after 30 years with Walmarts and Pay-less shoes, etc all around them.

And here is a take home message: Competition can do wonders for us folks who have customers. I know that from first hand experience. When you compete for your customers you're much more likely to keep that smile on your face and a good attitude. Lack of competition makes some of us worse than our worse customers. BTDT.

But the bottom line is that it all boils down to the Golden Rule doesn't it? And in that regard there are customers and 'merchants' who don't get it and never will. The world is full of sorry people on both ends. All the rest if us can do is try to live by example and hope some of them will come around and when they don't, cut our losses and be done with them.

I do business with a lot of people who bring nothing more to the table in regard to the product or the service than anyone else but I still do business with them, sometimes at higher cost, just because they are good, kind, decent people.

 

[Farmwithjunk]

Farmwithjunk

I'm going to go out on a limb here and guess, that the people who got mad at you are more than able to pay for your services. These are probably the same type of people that charge an arm and a leg for services and expect everyone to pay their prices without question.

Solo

She's an attorney with a very successful practice. He's a cardiologist. I wonder how many half priced triple bypass surgeries he's done this week?

 

[Wayne County Hose]

George, it's also my perogative to charge 25% more for the valve. Especially when my competitor wanted double my original price. I spent time on the phone to cancel the order, they did a tracker on the package and attempted to intercept. I received a bill for a restocking fee in the mean time. Most of my bills are faxed. The package was already on the UPS truck and I was told I could just refuse it. I accepted the valve anyway rather than paying the restocking fee, I figured I could probably get rid of it anyway. Now, I have to call and have the restocking fee removed from my account. So, for my time and aggravation, sure, I tack on 25% and am still way cheaper than my competition. Do I feel bad, no, not when people throw temper tantrums over nothing. If this makes me a bad guy, then I guess I am.

 

[Farmwithjunk]

Not all customers are bad or try to take advantage of your work.
We had a tornado in Feb. that took down a bunch of large trees in the front and back yard. and while the crew was removing the trees a man stopped with a stump grinder and offered to remove the remaining stumps. Told him when the crew was finished he could do his work. next day he returned and worked the day removing the remaining stumps to 6 inches below the soil line. Paid the bill and gave him a chain saw of the type he was carring in his truck. A bonus for good work. Was unable to work in the back yard due to weather so said would return later. A month later again returned and removed the stumps. didn't charge what we concidered the going price was so when he gave us the bill we doubled the amount in thanks for a good job and a person that kept his word in returning.
All customers are not trying to get the cheapest price.
just the ones we hear about.
se'ya ken

I agree whole-heartedly. MOST of my customers are appreciative of the fact I give quick service, lower prices than my LEGITIMATE competition, and they get AT LEAST what they pay for.