A bit of advice

[CES]

Customer called me out on Friday afternoon to investigate a fault with his boiler, replaced pump and explained he also needs a couple of bits. Ill get back to him on Monday. He txts me today to ask if I have the parts and the price. I tell him the price and he goes off on one saying how he didn't expect it to be that much and he would be cheaper getting scottish power out (yeah right then). I said "ok, Ill invoice you for the cost of the pump and you can get them to fix it then."
He said he had worked out the prices and that I was charging him £60 an hour to find out what was wrong. I explained my labour price was not what he thought and a Grundfos pump no longer cost £50 inc VAT! I also explained that part of the job is fault investigation and time is money.
He is still txting me now as I type and its really beginning to bug me. Im wondering if I should :
a) Drive to his house, ring the bell and smack him square in the jaw
b) Drive to his house, ring the bell and take a dump on his doorstep
c) Drive to his house, ring the bell and bend him over his coffee table in front of his wife and roger him into submission with my 18" Stillsons
d) Contact my lawyer.

Id be grateful for any advice on how to deal effectively with this arsehole.

 

[ecowarm]

I suggest A B and C and then ring the lawyer

 

[mfgs]

Dont negotiate, the price is the price. Dont deal with it by text message, people are alot braver and its hard to tell exactly what people mean when its just typed words and things can easily get misinterpreted. Either call him and explain it, or call round to his house.

 

[Barry98]

A
A
A
A
AA
AAA
AAAA

then turn stop tap off and fill with rapid setting cement

 

[CES]

I have explained to him over the phone but he now wont take my calls. You're right he is brave over a txt message and it seems to be his preferred method of communication. I just needed to vent as I'm coming across more and more like this everyday, they want the service but aren't willing to pay for it.

 

[Barry98]

get ya sen round fella , park van round corner go knock on door if he dont answer stand outside so he can see you. there faces are a picture when they realise your not going to just leave it.

 

[Rickster123]

Hound the man day and night and make his life a living misery. People like him really pee me off.

 

[Mike Jackson]

Invoice him for work completed so far and take the A hole to small claims court if he doesn't pay.

 

[quality]

Best of popping round and talk face to face, bite ya tounge if ya have to and don't slap him

 

[SimonG]

Go and see him. Take an invoice for work done. Explain your payment terms. Give him your best wishes for getting his boiler repaired. Then thank him saying you look forward to recieving the cheque. Then tell all the heating engineers you know what an rs he is. If he doesn't pay then small claims.

or.............

You could do what a mate of mine did when he replaced an oil pump, did the work, customer paid but then he saw customer in pub on the saturday night and was slagging him off for how much he charged him to change an oil pump. So my mate told him to wind his neck in and he'd be round monday morning to sort it out. He turned up, took the new pump off, put the old leaking pump back, gave the bloke his cheque back and as he walked out the door told him to never foo kin phone him again. 🙂

 

[cdodds2004]

i love that,, i might try that, !!! profit is not a dirty word people we have mortgages to pay, pensions to save up for and we are not a charity,, All suppliers are rip off merchants and parts are exsepnsive and my time is cheap is the general yarn i give customers they dont need to no what stuff is marked up by

 

[mountainman]

So how much were you charging him, if you don't mind me asking.

 

[CES]

I told him £195.60 inc VAT for a pump, and a couple of thermistors, my labour was working out around £40 an hour with VAT. I only charged him two hours even though I should have charged him more. Have posted an invoice through his door tonight as he didnt answer it, not that I expected him to.
Tomorrows another day..

 

[tamz]

Sadly this is the way it is becoming. They think we should be on £80 a day as that is what they are on.

Give him a week to pay it then send a reminder saying you will pursue it through the small claims which will affect his credit rating if not paid immediately.
You will win it anyway.

 

[johnnyplumb]

put this letter in an envelope and post it through his letterbox
make sure his wifes in alone when you post it, so she get's to open it.