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How do you guys handle the “could you do me a favor” work?

Trboatworks

Diamond
Joined
Oct 23, 2010
Location
Maryland- USA
I am done.
I’ve had these requests for years from people I know - “could you fix this”, “make that” etc
They sort of want it done for nothing and their eyes start spinning around in their heads when I don’t get to it due to the endless list of shit that has to get done.

I need on a sign on the door- “favors charged by the hour”...
I guess I made this mess- nice guy and competent- always willing to help folk out.
I guess I have just had it- too many things need doing to be taking on more projects and everyone has one.

Ok- complaining over.
But what tactics you guys use to fend off this nonsense without coming off like a dick?
 
It depends on who it is? I still do favors for people on an occasional basis. Guys that don't ask very often or need something you can't buy.

To the folks that think I'm their personal machinist I never look enthusiastic while they are telling me what they need. I end up telling them to leave it and ill get to it when I can but I never do. Eventually he gets the hint and comes back for his whatever it is.

Attitude is a given so expect it, even though you've done him 50 favors the day he realizes your done with him you'll get attitude from him.

If it's an actual give and take relationship then keep him happy. I've had folks stop talking to me for extended periods of time because I stopped doing his government work. Good buddies as long as I'm taking care of him for free, when I stop and he doesn't need me anymore we aren't so good of friends.

I had a boss tell me never stop doing favors for people and I still do but I'm more picky about it now. Wished I had a good answer to your question, I guess No is the best way to handle a mooch.

Sorry if I sound cold but I'm tired of that shit too!

Brent
 
I grew up in a working class neighborhood where everyone was in some kind of trade so they had skills and equipment to offer. Backhoe operator, carpenter, auto mechanic, body man, plumber, etc. Lots of favors got traded because everyone knew they'd get a helping hand when they needed it. Now I live in an upper middle class neighborhood full of office managers, quality engineers, and insurance salesmen. The people who will be eaten first in a zombie apocalypse. I like my neighbors but the only tool any of them own is a butter knife so they can handle the occasional slotted head screw but when encountered with a phillips they're out of their league. I used to help out with auto repairs, making the occasional thing for them in the wood or metal shop, and for a brief period before I learned my lesson I'd loan tools. I finally woke up to the fact that it was a one way street. I was the one with the busted knuckles, dirty hands, and dwindling free time and wasn't getting anything in return. Now when they start dropping hints about their clogged drain, squeaky brakes, or thing they'd like me to make instead of ordering it off Amazon I don't take the bait - I suggest they hire someone who does it for a living. They'd all have plenty of money to pay a professional if they weren't making payments on two new cars and sending little Breyden and Kayden to private school.
 
Yeah i got one currently, a customer that wants some plumbing work done on a house thats sat empty for 2 years, its so his daughter and boy friend can move in, extra marks if you guess shes on the verge of poping! Of cause he can't get a plumber because heating seasons just started over here. Oh yeah and the reason they moved out of said house 2 years ago now was due to the dead heating boiler! Who could possibly have possibly for seen the issue with it not working now?

Again i kinda just don't see how thats in any way my problem, equally presumably the daughter and boy friend at least have some kinda basic plumbing knowledge or they did a few months back to end up in there current state.

Hence to say i don't want the jobs a understatement, i hate doing plumbing in anything but new installs, access is always such a bitch and takes so much time.

As to machine work i have a growing box of assorted shit of stuff people want done, my life goal is to drag it out long enough they fuck off else were or i die and its someone elses problem. Very occasionally i will do someone something, but it needs to be interesting or some one i probably want owing me a favor in the future!

I never take them my problems, i really don't get why they think i want to deal with there's or especially there children's!
 
Yeah it's weird- I never need to lean on someone outside of getting some advice if the trade is new to me.
Then I just get to it and do the work.
I don't even like needing to ask someone to let me merge in traffic- I am simply allergic to being in someones debt.
I don't get it how so many folk are happy to lean on people to get their problems fixed.
The thing is I am freaking out- house is literally falling down around me and I just don't have time to be everyones fix it guy.

I feel like the guy in Lilies of the Field laying brick and not wanting help.
Maybe the problem is mine- I should be asking everyone to come work on my house and this crap would balance out...

Lilies of the Field Clip - YouTube
 
I get asked to make stuff occasionally. Unless it's someone I really feel like helping, I just tell 'em the machines are booked for the next 6 months. They get the hint.
 
Man, you guys think that's bad. My whole family is like this. They all complain to me to pay off their mortgage, build this, help with that, diagnose all those... But when I ask anyone to babysit their grandkids for 2 hours with 6 hours notice, I get responses of "oh we can't, we are watching walking dead then"..... Well you haven't even seen your own grandkids since then we're born, the only time you come over is after they go to bed so you can beg for shit. My kids are 1 and 3.

My wife's family, completely different but out of the area. Nice people.


I have thought about this quite a lot over the years. I have divided people into 3 groups. Friends, buddies, people I know.

Friends, which I have 2 of, I will do anything for you as I know when I need help, you would help me. I basically define these people as who would come out and help me change a tire in a rain/snow storm at night.

Buddies are people who I am "friends" with, but want things. I do things for them only at my convenience, as there is a great chance I will never get anything back from them.

People I know, well that's pretty self explanatory.



As far as a work setting is concerned, same thing, but no work friend is going to help you with your tire. You really have to take the risk of doing it and not getting a return if you have no real history with people. I generally use this as a test to see which people to keep and which people I don't need. I do 3 jobs for people and if I get dumped on, I'll be too busy from then on. I have done this and gotten some great customers out of this as well. But I have a 3 small job rule where if I become your "buddy" then I only lost 3 small jobs. Small as a couple hours.

Sent from my 2PS64 using Tapatalk
 
I know exactly how to handle this.

I learned years ago that people will take as much advantage as you let them. It's always the same fucking guys, every fucking day, asking for a favor.

What I do is say, "Yeah sure, no problem, I'll get to it when I can!" Then I throw their shit in a drawer in my toolbox, and forget about it.
Most people eventually get the idea.

If I did favors for guys where I work, I would never do anything else. Some shitheads will have your whole day planned out for you, if you let them.
 
30 years ago, my friend owned a welding shop, just him & his son.

He told me, if you do a favor job, make sure they understand it's
a favor, and not the normal price.

I have done jobs, write up a full receipt, and under "paid in full"
write "gift".

So they see how much it would really cost.

As far as fending them off for seconds, that's up to you.
 
Bad practice to give the impression that you're gonna do stuff, then not do it, paid work or not.

If you don't wanna do it, don't, and say so. If you wanna get paid for it, say so. Just matter of factly like, no need for anyone to get upset about it. "It's not my core business", "I'm not really set up to do this", etc, etc.


Not to say I don't struggle with this myself, but it's much better now that I'm upfront about it.
 
The problem isn't with people asking for favors, the problem is with how you respond.

You either want to help someone, or you don't. If it's the latter, you simply say no.

What's the worst that can happen? They end up disliking you and you get rid of the headache?
 
In my place of business, use the assumptive close: are you ok if we go time and materials or should I get Ron to do a quote?

On the home front, a light hearted cut 'em off at the knees: i'm really sorry but I'm so buried in my own projects I stopped taking on more. I'll have to live to 500 to get them all done, don't suppose you can wait that long?
 
In my place of business, use the assumptive close: are you ok if we go time and materials or should I get Ron to do a quote?

On the home front, a light hearted cut 'em off at the knees: i'm really sorry but I'm so buried in my own projects I stopped taking on more. I'll have to live to 500 to get them all done, don't suppose you can wait that long?

"Only if you help" doesn't run them off ?...:D

I find the worst offenders are also the laziest...:toetap:
 
For me, it was Goodwill. It helped my business because you can't buy good word of mouth advertising. I have never regretted any of this work.
 
I don't do anything for anyone anymore... very harsh but your "friends" will eat you up, spit you out and then ask wtf your problem is when you are down and out. I even stopped working on my family's cars after my one aunt refused to even pay for the parts to fix her car. No free lunches here.

Probably not totally true... my one exception is people who are actually in need, not people who need their diesel truck fixed so they can tow their boat to their cabin, but are just a little short on cash.
 
I always did a labor trade that seemed to work out well and if what they had to trade was way less skill than what I did for them I requested more hours than I worked on their projects, worked out well. I also usually took my labor up front. I don't think I ever paid for or did my own auto detailing for ages and rarely did yard work. Or you could do what I did later, move across the country and leave your friends 2500 miles away and be real slow to make new ones. The only favors I have done recently is for my closest neighbor 1/2 mile away mostly a part here and there for some equipment of his. He maintains our road with his tractor so I own him more favors than he owes me.

Most of my favors were residential electrical work, not machining. Most people are scared to death of even changing a bad wall socket.
 
Bad practice to give the impression that you're gonna do stuff, then not do it, paid work or not.

.


That nails it- I am saying yes when I don’t have the time for the love jobs and then not getting them done.
It leaves the project hanging over my head.
No one is happy in the end and it’s makes me look bad.

This always blind sided me though- it just seems weird to ask someone to do favor work for you.
It’s not in me to do so and I never get it right.
These are not “I don’t have a saw with me could you chop this piece of stock”
It’s more “hey I’d like to have this damn thing would you build it for me”- strange request from where I am sitting.
 








 
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