[Paul Simpson]

Quoted for a 3 bed house back in January, customer agreed to go ahead but then cancelled a day or two before because her mother was ill.
She re-booked for a few weeks later and again the day before she cancels saying her husband has flu and doesn't want anyone around him. Left it with her to get in contact with me when shes ready.
This week I get a call from her while on a job saying shes finally ready to get the work done, some 5 months later, she says she can appreciate that the price may have gone up a bit, so I tell her I will dig out the paperwork when I get home and give her a call.
Three bedroom house, 750 sq ft + stairs I'd quoted after various discounts £152 which seemed very reasonable. One of the discounts I'd given was 10% seasonal so I thought it only fair that I added that back on for the messing around and length of time that had passed.
I ring her back and explain the price difference and she shouts to her husband the new price, I hear him mumbling something and she repeats what he said, "my husband says the job is there at the original price to be done, if you don't want it we'll find someone else to do it".
A bit taken aback I just said fair enough and hung up but its been grating on me since. 
Am I right to add on an extra charge considering the time that has pass?
I have work on for next week but not totally booked and I'm wondering if I should ring back and agree at the original price or should I stick to my guns. 

[stains-away]

Depends how badly you need the work, I wouldn't let somebody have it at the original price after cancelling twice and leaving it for so long, and I would of stuck more than the 10% back on it.

The trouble is that a lot of potential customers either have no idea about how being self employed works or just dont care.

The other thing being that they arent going to be repweat customers by the sounds of it, their just out for the cheapest prce they can get, you could book it in at the old price and when your due to do the job they could call you back and cancel again because they have changed their minds, decided to try and get it cheaper elsewhere, the cats got flu, the goldfish are wet etc, feck em I say 

[Glynn]

Ring her back & tell her you will split the difference of the extra between you both.

[Steve Chapman]

Just send them a bill for the two cancellations, 

That normally gets them on the phone again, then tell them you will waive the fee if they book the job at the current price.

I always feel one of the rules of running a business is that you state the price not the customer ! - Bartering is ok but not when they've already cost you money and let you down.

stick to yer guns.


regards
steve

[PaulKing]

book more work in next week
then the day before( if you have a better job)  ring her to cancell the job at that price!
if you don't get the work, do the job, then it's a win win situation.

[Doug Holloway]

Hi Guys

I have a two cancellations and your out policy, so unless it's a very exceptional set of circumstances I would'nt want them anyway.

Cheers

Doug

[*paul_moss]

All true, but dont cutoff yer nose to spite your face.
If you need the work keep the same quote price but this time just take a deposit off her, she wont cancel yer then 

[stevegunn]

2 strikes and they are out that's my philosophy too I wouldn't go back a third time.

[Mark Stanley]

I agree with Doug & Steve.

Regards
Mark

[David_Annable]

Hi

I would tell them to shove it.

On second thoughts you know where they live & do you have petrol can in the garage?

Dave

[Mike Osbourne]

I agree with dave, in the time you have wasted you could have found a better 'customer'.

Drop them and move on. Better still, agree the old price and don't turn up, when they call say you have flu and will get back to them.

[Paul Simpson]

General consensus seems to be to stick to my guns. Hopefully they'll decide to go ahead and I can start sodding them about, that would be satisfying.
As you can tell this really p***ed me off and its been grating on me for a few days, guess I'm gonna have to learn to brush these things off easier, but some of the comments have been great.

Not quite the petrol can idea as Dave suggested but I already had one thought taking me back to my teenage years of taking some eggs to their windows before I remembered I was a responsible father of 36 years old.
Also liked Andy's comment about their next excuse "the cats got flu, the goldfish are wet etc, feck em I say"  Very funny

Thanks for the replies

[Derek]

Why not just say that "you prefer not to do any business with them"  that way you can get a message over politely but assertively

[Ian Gourlay]

With all the competition out there the customer has asked you to do the job Three Times.

This has happened to me from time time but when you get there eventually you usually find customer is one of the nicest customers you could work for.

The customer may have done you a favour , If you had gone ahead and cleaned in a House full of Flu you may have caught it and been of work.

Flu can be hard to shake off and a relapse or another member of the house catching it is very common.

Had one Old couple who canceled 18months ago due to becoming a Stroke victim but they still remembered me and phoned when they felt able to cope.

When I trained in Customer Service Thousand of years ago we were Taught Customer is King Customer is always Right   Without Customers we would not be here.

Today that attitude has died.

Ryan Air that's tough .

 Travel Lodge you booked a room, tough we overbook just in case someone cancels but we have no room at the inn for you tonight.

Have you never canceled appointment yourself recently due to illness my wife missed two dental appointments was she struck off No did we pay penalty charge no.


You just do not know what is going to happen from day to day That's life/

[The Great One]

Hi

I have to agree with Ian here.

I would not do anything ' Unprofessional'.

In fact I feel I would take the high road here, go in at the original price, do your usual professional job, be extra polite and  'kill them with kindness'.

I recently did  job for a lady (2nd one for her) 20 miles away. Did the entire flat and then noticed threadbare patches...

Recognized immediately she had a moth problem, as I was talking to her about it a larve was trying to burrow back in!

Told I had a product to kill them and break the egg cycle, but I charged her no extra, I could of doubled my cost?

The reason, to remain professioanl for her, a gesture of goodwill and so she will think of me and recommend me in the future, it only took an extra 15 minutes anyway.

Phone back, say, yep no problem, when do you want me in? Do a good job, smile and say have a nice day. You will feel great, satisfied customer & maybe repeat business...

Regards

Martin

[homenclean]

I would think along the lines that £152.00 in my pocket is better than the guy down the road.

I never go in for seasonal gimmicks because this is exactly the situation you find yourself in.

Was it really worth losing a £152 for the sake of just over £15.00, in my opinion not really. Some would say it is a morral issue, but i bet there have been alot of  business fail on morral grounds.

John

[david_m]

Hi all

I would go with Ian on this.
After all we are in the service sector and good service is always about listening to the coustomer, and sometime bending over backwards
just to please them and keep them happy.
I know it can be diffecult to keep smileing at times and just say thats no problem even when it is a problem.
The way i look at this type of thing is you have spent money on advertiseing to get the coustomer, she has rang you 3 times now so she knows your phone no and has it wrote down somewere in here phone book. So hopefully next time when she needs something done she will ring you when they need something done.
Beside its not the end of the world if a coustomer desides to change a booking date  it would be worse if they had of cancelled all togeather.

  Davy

[Mike Osbourne]

Well I disagree. Firstly they are not a customer. They are people who have palmed you off twice, and crucially didn't call you for five months.

I would have made my excuses when they rang after five months and focussed on finding good Clients.

I'm am all for listening to customers, going the extra mile etc one thing I don't believe in is a scarcity mentality. There are plenty of good, well paying Clients, but you have to find them.

A poor gambler chases the loss instaed of walking away.

Even more costly is what it does to your self esteem which will later reflect in your earnings.   

[Ian Rochester]

I tend to think that if there is an argument over price, then there will surely be an argument over the finished clean, they will expect their old carpets to look like new and if not, they will not pay you the full price.

You will be on a no win situation, you really don't need customers like this, move on and forget about them.

When I do a job, I look forward to going to someones house, having a light hearted chat, do the job, come away happy, knowing the customer is satisfied and they have had perceived value for money.

If you go to this job, you will be on your back foot from the start, the atmosphere will be frosty and you will not enjoy the experience.

[Steve Chapman]

in my 20 year experience a difficult customer is always a difficult customer, : you don't need them, find the nice ones

regards
steve