Some clients just aren't worth it.

[Kitten Kong]

Had to throw a client out this morning.

I normally like clients to ring me to let me know they are on their way.

This way I can ensure that molly, kooky and Monty are in the house. Not for anything serious like, but you do get people who are either scared of dogs or don't like dogs.

Anyhow, I have all 3 of them lay down quietly in the workshop. I'm busy working away on a laptop.

Door opens up. All 3 wake up and start barking.

1st words out of this guys mouth, I dont like dogs. Shut them up now. Remove them from my sight. You should have a notice up stating that you have dangerous dogs!.

Now, that really started to wind me up.

1. This is their home. Not yours.
2. You didn't state that you were coming, else I would have put them in the house.
3. They are most certainly not dangerous dogs.
4. They are protecting me, and their home from a unwanted visitor.
5. I have no need for a sign. It's their home .

Take your laptop, I will lock them up in the workshop, so they don't bother you on your way out!.

But I want you to have a look at my machine for me.

I said, just as you can choose who to take your machines to, I can choose whose machines I work on. And I'm most certainly not looking at yours.

Theres the gate, bye!.

Boy, that felt good.

I don't really mind if clients just turn up. If the dogs are in the garden. then they alert me to know someone is there. I then put them in the house.

But to just turn up, go through 2 gates, down the garden to the workshop just isn't on in my opinion.

Hes bloody lucky that none of them did go for him. As they would be protecting their home and domain from a possible intruder.

<end rant>

 

[MichaelBits]

Yeah, think I'd be a little irate if someone walked onto my property and started making demands.

Hell I love it (usually) when a customer has pets. Gives me an easy way to buddy up to the customer through their pet when I'm on site.

 

[Larry Sabo]

I said, just as you can choose who to take your machines to, I can choose whose machines I work on. And I'm most certainly not looking at yours.

Good for you, Nige! I would have said the same.

 

[Sky-Knight]

Do that in the US and you'll get sued for some sort of new invented form of discrimination.

 

[Kitten Kong]

Do that in the US and you'll get sued for some sort of new invented form of discrimination.

I'm waiting for someone to say, I should have put them away and did his machine foc. For fear of a bad review lol.

Tbh, I don't care what this guy sprouts about me. These dogs are my kids, and I'll defend them to the moon and back.

 

[Porthos]

I normally like clients to ring me to let me know they are on their way.

Know the feeling. I ask clients to call when they are on the way(so I can get dressed if not already) and again when they get here so I can open the garage door for them.
I have a dog that goes nuts when people ring the front door bell. My dog is in the house and does not even bark much when I am in the garage with someone.

Hell I love it (usually) when a customer has pets.

I have a few that bring their pets. Since I always have treats and a spare water dish out in the garage. (helps in the Texas heat)

 

[allanc]

Do that in the US and you'll get sued for some sort of new invented form of discrimination.

Probably here in Canada too.

 

[Porthos]

Do that in the US and you'll get sued for some sort of new invented form of discrimination.

Especallyif they bring a "service animal"

 

[Sky-Knight]

@Kraken in the present political climate at least here in the US you'd have an easier time rising to the defense of your dogs than you would human children.

I don't own any animals myself, largely because I don't have the time. But at the same time they aren't unfamiliar to me, I've never understood the negative reactions they can evoke. Half the time I'm allergic to the darned things and yet I wouldn't do much other than scratch them behind the ears... People are way too full of themselves.

 

[Porthos]

Like @Kraken my current dog Gizmo and my late Katie are were family. Both my son and I cried a bit when Katie died (I think she was about 11)
I have no issues with allergies with any animal. If my house was larger I would have a couple more. But my little doge is enough and does not eat me out of house and home.

PS, You can keep the cats. Had one ONCE, Never again. I love playing with other peoples cats especallythe dog "like" frendly ones.

 

[sapphirescales]

Sorry but the guy was right. You can be a rude a$$hole and still be right. You should only keep a shop dog if it's well trained not to bark at people. If you work from home then you should always lock the dogs away so they don't scare people.

I'm a dog lover and I work from home as well as have a shop. I lock my dog up when clients come over because she's frankly untrainable - I've tried but she's just too old and stubborn to learn now. She's a rescue and on her way out. I got her about a year ago and she's got about another year to go. My previous dog was a great shop dog, but he didn't start out that way. It took a lot of training hours to get him not to bark at people.

Yes, I believe your client's reaction was overblown and he was an a$$hole, but he did have a point. You shouldn't get rid of the dogs but you should either train them or make sure they're locked up if you can't get them to behave. Not everybody likes dogs and some people are deathly afraid of them. I had a lady one time that nearly passed out in fear hyperventilating when my previous dog (the laid back one that I trained not to bark at people) came up to greet her. I can't imagine how she would have reacted if he had been barking and acting aggressive.

In the end I would have sent the client away just like you did. If a client is an a$$hole to me then I won't work for them. My response would have been something along the lines of:

"I'm sorry but you need to treat my dogs, my home, and myself with more respect. I no longer desire your patronage. Please leave."

 

[Porthos]

If the client would have called like Nige wants, The dogs would not be an issue. They would have been put away.
My dog is never an issue, The inside door to the garage/shop never gets open when the main door is open (airlock so to speak).

 

[MDD1963]

a dog (or three) barking is harmless.....
attacking is something else...

I'd not tolerate someone mouthing off like they own my place , either....

Hit the door, take laptop with you, preferably with laptop wedged in sideways....

 

[JoeTech]

Had to throw a client out this morning.

But to just turn up, go through 2 gates, down the garden to the workshop just isn't on in my opinion.

Hes bloody lucky that none of them did go for him. As they would be protecting their home and domain from a possible intruder.

<end rant>

This is what upsets me. The guy walks through 2 gates down the garden to the workshop without notice and doesn't give you a chance to take care of your dogs. Even with a sign this guy would have ignored it. He seems so entitled that he doesn't stop to realize that walking through 2 gates and into a garden unexpected is dangerous especially with all the political tensions lately in the US. I would be more worried about getting shot then getting bit by a dog.

The sad thing is that you need the signs up not for their protection but for yours when he gets a lawyer saying there was no notice even though he was trespassing on your property.

 

[Your PCMD]

I dont know Nige. You do run a business after all and should respect any and all visitors/clients - customers are always right. After all, they pay your salary.

Thats what most people would say here in the US because they feel entitled. As for me and my thinking, when you come into my shop, your only entitled to what I let you be entitled to. My dog, Molly, goes to my shop occasionally and if your a customer that don't like my dog (who will probably attack you for hugs and kisses) then my door works in both directions.

Personally, you did the right thing IMO.

 

[JoeTech]

. After all, they pay your salary.
.

Whenever a customer says this I want to respond “wow I always wanted to meet the cheapskate that set my salary so low”

 

[alexsmith2709]

I think you did the right thing, why would you lock your dogs away when as far as you're concern nobody else is about? If you ask clients to let you know they are coming and they dont, thats their own fault, you have that procedure for a reason. Like you my dog is my child.
I allow dogs in to my shop, mainly because i like seeing them all and also my own dog has done a much better job of getting me clients than my own advertising! Most dogs walkers i know now come to my shop.

 

[symbatech]

If it were me in that situation, I probably would have calmly sent the customer away and told him to come back in 20 minutes after I'd had the chance to put the dogs away. People these days don't even give a thought to how their actions affect other people, so he probably never realized that just showing up would be an issue. I'd give him the opportunity to return later and let him know in the future that unless he calls ahead to let you know he's coming, the same thing will happen next time. If he can't respect that, then good riddance.

 

[Sky-Knight]

@Your PCMD I'm with you myself, my shop is my home, and in my home it's my rules. I'm the king here...

But therein lies a very dangerous rub, thanks to all of this stuff boiling around for LGTBQ rights, you don't have rights anymore as a business owner. We're supposed to have freedom of association, but the Civil Rights movement, has finally met its ultimate form in the LGTBQ movement, and that freedom to freely associate is now dead and gone.

If you own a business, you have no right to refuse service anymore... If you do, and the person is a member of the appropriate minority group, you'll get sued into oblivion and crucified on social media. It's just like trying to prevent a bad Yelp review, only legally something powerful enough to end you.

 

[Fred Claus]

Sorry I didn't read every reply here but I agree with Nige. Even here in the US, we all have the right to refuse customers for any reason. Yes you may get sued or bad reviews, but who cares. If the customer is irate and demanding, then you have every right to turn them away. Especially when it sounds like your workshop is in private residential property, in the back of the garden. No matter if it's a business or not, it's on private property and you can ask anyone to leave.

I have a CRM program where I keep track of all my clients and prospects. I rate them on a scale of A-D. A being those people who would promote me without a shadow of a doubt. B is people who would promote me if they knew a little bit more. C are good customers but they are not the type to do word of mouth advertising for me. D is a list of prospects or past customers that I refuse to work with under any situation. There are a lot of D's.

There was one client I had that wanted a backup system. I said this system will back up documents, pictures, music and videos. The first time his computer crashed he complained that I didn't tell him that it wouldn't backup the bookmarks in his Opera browser. He called the BBB on me, wrote a bad review on Yelp, and called the vendor to complain about me. He was quickly turned to a D.

Good for you for standing up for your dogs and your business. If they can't respect you and your business as well as your property you don't need them.