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Lost a customer today......

rockfish

Titanium
Joined
Aug 27, 2006
Location
Munith, Michigan
I get a phone call this morning from a local customer. They are a plater, and one of their barrel lines is down and they need a part made right away. I'm busy as hell at the moment, trying to do a dozen things at one time, so I send my employee over to see what they need.
He comes back with a rusty, worn out shaft and a sprocket. He tells me that we need to turn the shaft down, half it's length, make a bronze bushing to fit the shaft and press it into the sprocket, and add some tapped holes. No brainer. He starts working on the project and finishes it in a couple hours and runs it right over. A few minutes later, he comes back and tells me that they are now saying that is not what they wanted and that they are telling him that he misunderstood their instructions. They gave him different instructions..........so now he has to make a brand new shaft, bigger bearing, and sleeving another sprocket. As he finally get's this accomplished, they call and the owner's grandson, who seems to be in charge of this project comes over with two of his employees. They look at what my guy has done.....and proceed to tell me that it's wrong again. By now, I'm absolutely friggin' pissed off. I've dealt with this tool before (the grandson) and not only does he not have a clue as to what he's doing, and spouts off dimensions that aren't even close to being to size, but I got the impression that he's a weasel that refuses to admit his own mistakes. He starts to blame my employee......and I promptly tell him that number one, I won't proceed with another project until I get some kind of drawing in my hand. Secondly, I tell him we're now finished with this project, since we seem to have a communication problem and I'm not wasting any more of my time. Even if it was my employee's fault, if you were down, and the first "repair" didn't work right, wouldn't you make 100% absolutely sure that everyone knew EXACTLY what the game plan was the second time around ???
My employee had too many details and dimensions in his head to have been completely wrong about what they wanted him to do and they were telling me that "four" of them were standing there when they gave him the instructions.

So..........we've got four hours into the project and a couple hundred dollars worth of Ampco 18 bronze, and a 2" bar of 1018 about 14" long that I'm sure I'm going to eat. They didn't sign the packing slip for the work that we had already done and I'm sure they're going to refuse to pay the invoice, since the owner told me that he'll no longer be needing my help and that I cost him to be shut down all day long.


Lesson learned: Never, ever do anything that doesn't have written instructions or a print, even if it's a sketch on a napkin.




Frank



Home
 
Lesson learned: Never, ever do anything that doesn't have written instructions or a print, even if it's a sketch on a napkin.

BTDT and it's a tough one to swallow Frank.

It's not always easy to swallow it and move on, but you can do it in the assurance that, what goes around, comes around.


I liked my old mentors saying ''Don't touch anything until you get a PO.''' then with a wry grin he'd add ''signed in blood - theirs!''
 
I'm stressed out enough as it is......trying to figure out how to get all the work I have done and make everyone happy. I HATE doing things twice, especially when the instructions are poor. They told my employee that it needed to be bored for a 1 1/4" bushing. They also explained how they wanted it turned back half the length of the shaft.........but when they were at my shop, all they needed was the sprocket sleeved for a 2" shaft. Now, that's such a simple explanation, how on earth could my guy get that wrong, twice ??? He didn't.

Anyway........when the kid came into my shop and started pointing fingers, I blew a gasket.
I was so pissed, I was literally shaking. I wanted to throw him out, but I didn't. To be honest, now that they'll be going somewhere else for their emergency crap, my life just got that much easier.



Frank



Home
 
Tough lession, I learned it a long time ago.

First attempt would have a signed drawing from the customer and a signed PO.

Second attempt would have a signed change order and a signed drawing for the changes.

NO!!!! verbal orders, the title on our change order sheet had the words:

"Avoid Verbal Orders"

We called them AVO's. Had pads of them made up, carbonless, three copies. Top sheet went to purchasing, second sheet clipped to the work order, third sheet clipped to the drawing that went to the machinist.
 
Congratulations Frank!! :cheers:

You've just increased the profitability of your shop without even realizing it! ;)

Cause doing work for a-holes like that is ALWAYS a losing situation! :angry:

Later,
Russ
 
Even if it was my employee's fault, if you were down, and the first "repair" didn't work right, wouldn't you make 100% absolutely sure that everyone knew EXACTLY what the game plan was the second time around ???

l]


God damn right! And if for some reason I DIDN'T, I would be blaming MYSELF for not doing so!

Jeff
 
Did I ever mention I don't do repair work? there's a few good reasons for that.

Having to figure out what other people want always turns into a waste of time and money.
I like proper drawings and no surprises.

I don't think you lost a customer, you lost time and some material, but you'll gain it back not having to deal with them again(unless they show up monday).
 
I don't think you lost a customer, you lost time and some material, but you'll gain it back not having to deal with them again(unless they show up monday).[/QUOTE]

Thats going to be the real challenge , if they come back the next time they break down, and the other shops in the area are wise to their game .
Do you show them the door , or gracefully bail them out at a premium price ?
You probably won't get paid this time , but you can get it back incrementally by padding future jobs ( with prints or sketches signed by them ) .
I know it's a bitch being the boss sometimes . I had to piss off a new customer this week by telling him I was too busy to work on his piddly job . ( turn down a screw head to fit a bracket on his deer head ) .
Before I knew it I muttered something about " these machines are making me $100 an hour , so I don't really do that kind of work anymore " .
I regretted it and wished I had just told him to leave it for later . But instead his first impression is that Bob guy is a bit of a prick !
FBBob
 
When the dust settles you will feel a lot better about cutting them loose!
I once told UPS to take a hike at an old job when their flunky tried to tell me that we should do a 8 hour repair in 2 hours.
It felt pretty good after a little while and was the right decision.
 
Rockfish,

As a working fella, I would really love to be at a shop that does repair work to expand my skills. Oops, sorry, I smoke. :smoking:The interview wouldn't go well, lol! (the 3+ hour one way commute would suck too!)

As an owner though, not so much in these cases.

Paperwork! In a previous life a big part of my job along these lines was going to change order beetings in a room with a big table, spending an hour or so trying to protect the company's wallet and squeezing a few more $$$ out of the job if I could.:D

Everyone was clear on the work/money/time, with the paperwork.

Slower process then trying to help out a customer with a work outage though. Unless they say make an exact copy of an old worn/broke part, drawing, and a simple form pad printed up like SilveradoHauler likes.

walt

ps. A good customer would have made it right with you, at least and good luck with the new customer that will work with you better to everyone's benifit.
 
One thing you MUST learn in business is that not everyone with (theoretical) money is a customer.

Some beat you so hard that they wont leave enough on the table to eat from.

Some search and search and search to find the right person in a tight spot to lowball them and have them accept. They scour the farthest reaches of the earth. They do indeed pay the bill, and they dont outright beat you so bad. They just sense desperation and make one lowball offer.

Then there is the "honorable" one. THis one is so unique that he even tells you he is a good man, he stresses how he pays his bills. Turns out this particular foot fungus is the most insidious. He normally beats you down but never ever pays his bills. I never understood this. If you are never going to pay your bill, what do you care what I charge???

Then there is the one you found, or found you. THey dont know what they want, what they need, wont take expert advice. They waste time and make your blood pressure rise.

All of the above must be handled with the iron fist. They must be starved out. We as an aggregate whole must refuse to work for them.

One of the simple rules of business is that you must maintain enough mental reserve to get through the day and start it again the next. If you do everything for the above you will go broke (both economically, physically, and emotionally) in short order. Better to do nothing for anyone and go broke slowly.

This guy was not a customer. He was a pox upon you.
 
I have a current customer who likes to do the same thing. Gives verbal instructions, and can't figure out why I can't remember what they were 3 weeks later when I finally get to working on his parts.

When I have to ask him again, sometimes I catch him in a bad mood, and he sort of "snaps" at me, and expects me to write it down so I can't forget.

Fact is, I didn't open a machine shop to draw my own drawings, or to take notes that I have to file away under......who knows what because he doesn't have part numbers either.

It's a mess, and I think life would be easier if he just went away.

I hope you realize the headache you just made go away. Like others said, you didn't lose a customer, you just pulled that thorn out of your side.
 
Jay,

I was going to. They had called 15 minutes earlier and I said I would be right over. Then, the phone rang and I had some business to discuss with another customer and, at the same time, an AT&T service man came over and wanted to try to figure out why I'm getting spotty internet service and needed my attention. Meanwhile, they call again wondering if I had forgotten them, and I told them I was tied up and would send my employee.

That's the way my day usually goes. I'm pulled in about a dozen different directions at once. Once in a while, I just have to try and get someone else to do something.

It may have been his fault for not understanding.........but last week, I had issues with the grandson and couldn't make out head or tails about what the hell he wanted to do with a keyway. One minute, I'm making a bushing with a 1/2" keyway, then I find out, it needs to be "just like the one I did a week ago", which was a 1/4". If the kid can't tell the difference between a 1/2" and 1/4", there's no way he described the project to my employee correctly. He doesn't know his ass from a hole in the ground.



Frank


Home
 
So......the next big question is, should I bill them for time and materials, even though we never made them a part they could use ??? I suppose it wouldn't hurt to bill them. They will either pay it, or they won't, but it's worth a try. Legally, I can't force them, because I have neither a signed PO or a signed packing slip. The packing slip was in my hand, and they just walked out without signing it.




Frank



Home
 
Bill them.....

Either you tell me to solve the problem , i take measures , determine tolerances etc. and its my problem to get the replacement or fix right.

Or you tell me exactly what you need, then its your friggin problem if it aint work because you told me a bunch a nonsense.
 
Lost a customer

Frank,
Send them a bill. If they pay it, you can go to Steve's Ranch House for lunch.
If they don't pay it, you don't have to talk to them if they ever come back.
I "lost" a customer one time, I billed them, they paid the invoice and I held the check for 2 years. Then mailed it back to them.
Regards Walt..
 
Frank,

You didn't lose a customer, you fought off a leach.

Send him a bill. He will either pay all, part of it, or none and will probably be out of your hair for good.

You win, whichever way it goes.:cheers:

After other shops have run him off, whipped his ass, cussed him out, he will think that Frank is really the greatest guy around.

Then, if he comes back, ask for a sketch of parts, or make him sign your sketch, and charge him extra for putting up with his B.S.;)

It seems you and I have twin shops, I just don't have any employees.

JAckal:cheers:
 








 
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