Best way to dump a customer?

[The motor guy]

It's not often this happens, but occassionally you run into a customer who's just not realistic in their demands, or they're just completely delusional from societal norms. I had one guy years ago would always call me up every holiday. Christmas Day, Fourth of July, it didn't matter. I almost wanted to say, bro aren't you off? He was self employed too, you would think he would get it. This was probably the only customer I ever just flat out blocked on my phone. It wasn't even worth trying to reason with this guy. Now I understand that's really not the proper way to do it, but he was way out on the edge of my usual work area, so I wasn't really worried about word getting out to another customer. Actually, I came to the realization that almost everyone in that subdivision had a few screws loose for some reason, so I just never went back into that neighborhood. Must have been all the chemical plants nearby. Nowadays man, I see all kinds of companies and people getting called out social networks. I always wondered if this would tank a business or not really. Too bad people don't keep their problems to themselves. Honestly, if I don't want to work with someone I just text them and say i'm no longer interested in doing business with them anymore. Is there a better way to do this? It's just amazing how it only seems to take one or two customers to just ruin your overall moral in general. It's not the work that's the issue, it's just the people in general lol Anyone ever have good professional ways to just go different ways with a customer?

 

[eljefino]

Just crank up your prices for that one guy and blame inflation.

 

[The motor guy]

Just crank up your prices for that one guy and blame inflation.

I don't know, my sanity is worth more than a few dollars. Some people just aren't worth the hassle if you know what I mean.

 

[SC Maintenance]

I like @eljefino 's idea. The problem there of course is that it might get around that your too expensive.

Do you have other customers near this one? You could also tell him that it unfortunately doesn't make sense to service him due to location.

You could just keep it completely professional. Tell him for business reasons you won't be able to take his business anymore and leave it at that.

 

[Miboy]

I would just be honest with them, let them know they need to find someone else.

If they go on and post something about how so and so said to find someone else.
Most normal people would skip that review.

 

[The motor guy]

I would just be honest with them, let them know they need to find someone else.

If they go on and post something about how so and so said to find someone else.
Most normal people would skip that review.

There's nothing wrong with not wanting to do business with someone....I think. Don't restaurants have a sign that says they reserve the right to refuse service to anyone? You aren't someone's slave.

 

[Miboy]

I would just be honest with them, let them know they need to find someone else.

If they go on and post something about how so and so said to find someone else.
Most normalpeople would skip that review.

There's nothing wrong with not wanting to do business with someone....I think. Don't restaurants have a sign that says they reserve the right to refuse service to anyone? You aren't someone's slave.

Nothing wrong in firing a customer, just do it professionally.

 

[SC Maintenance]

There's nothing wrong with not wanting to do business with someone....I think. Don't restaurants have a sign that says they reserve the right to refuse service to anyone? You aren't someone's slave.

Yes, in the service business its normal to turn down business.

Of course in this case you made it sound like they are a long time customer. Are they on a contract or schedule? If this is an at will type arrangement then its easy - simply tell them your too busy currently.

 

[4wheeldog]

It's not often this happens, but occassionally you run into a customer who's just not realistic in their demands, or they're just completely delusional from societal norms. I had one guy years ago would always call me up every holiday. Christmas Day, Fourth of July, it didn't matter. I almost wanted to say, bro aren't you off? He was self employed too, you would think he would get it. This was probably the only customer I ever just flat out blocked on my phone. It wasn't even worth trying to reason with this guy. Now I understand that's really not the proper way to do it, but he was way out on the edge of my usual work area, so I wasn't really worried about word getting out to another customer. Actually, I came to the realization that almost everyone in that subdivision had a few screws loose for some reason, so I just never went back into that neighborhood. Must have been all the chemical plants nearby. Nowadays man, I see all kinds of companies and people getting called out social networks. I always wondered if this would tank a business or not really. Too bad people don't keep their problems to themselves. Honestly, if I don't want to work with someone I just text them and say i'm no longer interested in doing business with them anymore. Is there a better way to do this? It's just amazing how it only seems to take one or two customers to just ruin your overall moral in general. It's not the work that's the issue, it's just the people in general lol Anyone ever have good professional ways to just go different ways with a customer?

We have friends that are a married couple and partners in a Veterinary practice. For years they would each “Fire” 5 clients as a Christmas present to each other. Truth be known there was a lot of overlap between their picks for elimination. But after a decade or so they were much happier with the folks they had coming in the door.
The actual cutting loose was by letter. Just a couple of paragraphs explaining why they found the client difficult with a “Thank you but we are no longer interested in providing you services “.
Only a few ever tried to overturn the decision, never successfully.

 

[The motor guy]

Yes, in the service business its normal to turn down business.

Of course in this case you made it sound like they are a long time customer. Are they on a contract or schedule? If this is an at will type arrangement then its easy - simply tell them your too busy currently.

No contract, it is a long time customer, but they just drive me nuts nowadays and it's time to replace them with someone else is all. In the end I think it will all even out money wise.

 

[Ranger83]

We sold engineering software and provided telephone technical support. Telephone technical support is not telephone training. Everything was logged and we generated monthly reports.

We would tell customers who consumed far above normal resources that “we were no longer a fit” and gave them the names of several competitors. Or customers who were abusive.

If a customer contacted us and bad-mouthed their current provider, it was a virtual certainty they’d be on the phone with someone else next year, badmouthing us. So we usually didn’t pursue that business either.

Finally, we refused to engage in low-bidder business. If someone called just looking for a price, we’d just tell them, “We don’t do low-bidder business.” One would think they’d demand the least service, in fact we found that they were the most demanding. By not doing business with them, we avoided their inevitably bad reviews.

 

[The motor guy]

We have friends that are a married couple and partners in a Veterinary practice. For years they would each “Fire” 5 clients as a Christmas present to each other. Truth be known there was a lot of overlap between their picks for elimination. But after a decade or so they were much happier with the folks they had coming in the door.
The actual cutting loose was by letter. Just a couple of paragraphs explaining why they found the client difficult with a “Thank you but we are no longer interested in providing you services “.
Only a few ever tried to overturn the decision, never successfully.

That's hilarious lol When I got my dog my brothers gf got me into her usual veternarian even though they weren't taking anymore patients. I just rolled my eyes at that one, like really? You had to be one of those people? I could have just called another vet.

 

[JeffKeryk]

In my brother's car repair business, he had a guarantee and rules:

• If you did not like the results you pay only for materials and we never do business again.
• Would not work on certain makes; he would refer.
• Was under no obligation to take on or continue with a customer.

 

[SC Maintenance]

That's hilarious lol When I got my dog my brothers gf got me into her usual veternarian even though they weren't taking anymore patients. I just rolled my eyes at that one, like really? You had to be one of those people? I could have just called another vet.

A good vet is actually quite hard to find. Really. You should thank her.

 

[4wheeldog]

That's hilarious lol When I got my dog my brothers gf got me into her usual veternarian even though they weren't taking anymore patients. I just rolled my eyes at that one, like really? You had to be one of those people? I could have just called another vet.

Depending where you live Vets are in short supply and are in great demand. Getting an inside shot to an established practice can be very beneficial. Especially when your animals are older.

 

[chainblu]

We have friends that are a married couple and partners in a Veterinary practice. For years they would each “Fire” 5 clients...

We've been (understandably) 'fired' by a few dog groomers. Our little guy is the most laid back, chill dog you'd ever know. Until he sees and hears the clippers. Then he turns into Cujo Shih Tzu.

 

[The motor guy]

Depending where you live Vets are in short supply and are in great demand. Getting an inside shot to an established practice can be very beneficial. Especially when your animals are older.

I don't know, we seem to have plenty around here. The local tractor supply gives shots out every other Saturday.

 

[bovine1]

My wife and I owned a rural Veterinary practice for 20 years. It didn't happen a lot but if a person was a continual problem I'd ask them to call someone else.

 

[4wheeldog]

We've been (understandably) 'fired' by a few dog groomers. Our little guy is the most laid back, chill dog you'd ever know. Until he sees and hears the clippers. Then he turns into Cujo Shih Tzu.

In the case of the Vets I referred to it was always the people they found objectionable…,Not the animals. Or I should say…..When the animal was a problem, the owners were the cause of the animal’s issues.

 

[The motor guy]

In the case of the Vets I referred to it was always the people they found objectionable…,Not the animals. Or I should say…..When the animal was a problem, the owners were the cause of the animal’s issues.

Same here. It's not necessarily the work, but usually the people. Some people think the whole world revolves around them and that just drives me crazy.