F*cking clients

[xtian]

Here's your chance to armchair quarterback my response to my *&#$* client. He came to pick up his Fender Hot Rod, and only when he had it in hand did he tell me he had no money to pay right away, but could pay $50/month. He has paid $200 to date, out of a $370 repair bill. And then when the amp misbehaved in a different way than before repair, he sent this txt. I took most of the week to consider my response. You can critique my reply, below. What would you do?


Client:

Hi! I'm not comfortable paying anymore while my amp has not been fixed. I respect you as a professional and am hoping we can resolve the issue. I was expecting an estimate when I dropped it off with you. I am happy to leave it with you again until it is paid off and in working order. I'm not going to pay for any additional repairs but I'd be happy to continue paying off the initial bill once it is fixed.

Me:

This is an unusual case. I do not offer payment plans, and I should not have let you leave with your amp. But, here we are. I warrant my work for 30 days. But you didn't mention any trouble for 43 days. And now you're refusing to pay the balance. You wrote, "I am happy to leave it with you again until it is paid off and in working order," but I don't want your amp taking up space in my home while I'm waiting to be paid. California allows me to liquidate assets that have gone unpaid for 90 days, but I don't want the hassle. You also wrote, "I was expecting an estimate when I dropped it off with you." I spelled out my rate, but it's impossible to make an estimate without opening the amp and figuring out what's wrong. For example, the speaker was hanging by a single, frozen nut that had to be cut off--no way to estimate that. As mentioned above, I was as thrifty as possible with the repairs, and even found a way to save time and money for you. I will be happy to look at the amp again after you have paid the balance, as would be the case for an auto mechanic, electrician, plumber, or any other tradesperson in town.

Do I get any points for not saying, "F U very much"?

[sluckey]

Get the amp in your hands then politely say F U.

[maxkracht]

I usually write a really rude message, delete, then go with subtly sarcastic for the normal kinda inconsiderate client, but I would probably cut my losses in this case. Can always threaten small claims court, or take possession of his amp then explain your rights, but probably not worth the effort. I think I get something similar every year or two and try to think of them as learning experiences...

[ViperDoc]

All in all, you served a swindler. I wouldn't waste your time. Tell that a55hat to f7ck off by enjoying your best work only with people who deserve it. Every time you interact with people like that, you'll come out lower than when you went in. Every time. Or you could tell him you'll send him to collections and offer him a one-time, short deadline reduced-cash close and see what he does. He owes you $170. Take $100-125 and shed that 4skin.

That reminds me:

How do you circumcise a Hillbilly?

Kick his sister in the jaw.

[frankdrebin]

next time just tell him "come back in 4 months then".
If he doesn't come back in time with all the money,sell it,you can't afford to lose money to serve parasites.
i always make a test in front of the client, if approved by him,then he can't complain later,amps get bad even after one week,especially those made in the later years,cheaply made.

[cbass]

Dealing with people sucks. This guy probably thinks he's being reasonable and wouldn't even understand why you're so pissed. I'd probably just tell him to shove the amp up his ass. Or go piss up a rope. Life's too short to waste time on deadbeat customers.
I think you handled it very professionally.

[pdf64]

Dealing with the public means occasionally having to handle / negotiate with people that behave like that.
It’s nice to help nice people to get their amp working again and get paid for it, I guess this is the flipside.

In future, if the customer can’t pay upfront but you don’t want their gear cluttering your place, would it be an option for you to take it to a pawnshop, hopefully cover your fee, and send your customer the details, so they have the choice to pay up or lose the gear?

From a purely technical perspective, it would be good to find out what fault had developed since it was on your bench, and review whether you could have spotted it and taken preventive action. Especially since it’s such a common model.

[bepone]

i think price of repair triggered the guy.. this is the price of working used amp

[maxkracht]

Last few of these I have had, the client would give off really weird vibes, then build enough trust to let my guard down before getting sneaky about paying. Do enough work with the public and you will run into sociopaths. I am getting better at listening to my gut and getting money upfront or just saying no to some jobs in those circumstances

[cbass]

That reminds me:

How do you circumcise a Hillbilly?

Kick his sister in the jaw.

That's very offensive and you've never seen how hot my sister is.

[Phil_S]

I sense that you don't want to fire a customer. This, in my view is wrong-headed. This is not a customer you want. OTOH, your reputation is worth something. There is no guarantee he won't badmouth you no matter what you do.

If it were me, I'd make my reply as polite as I possibly could. You are still going to tell him to pi55 off. Just use nice words and be as brief as possible. It's important to take the high road. No good purpose will be served by inflammatory language and you risk damaging you "public facing" self. I think something like this.

"It is unfortunate that your amplifier is showing signs of a new problem. When the last repair was completed, although you were unable to pay your bill, I returned your amp and agreed to a payment plan. As I've told you before, I don't offer payment plans, but I went out of my way to accommodate you. Now that you have elected not to honor the payment plan agreement, I have no choice but to refuse further work on your equipment. it will be best if you find another place to service your amps."

Get rid of this customer. You don't need him. If he pleads with you and you cave in, agree to this: full payment of the arrears and a $350 deposit for the new work. Basically, you need $500 cash in advance to accept the next repair. He won't bite.

[WhopperPlate]

i think price of repair triggered the guy.. this is the price of working used amp

Recent interaction:

Guitar bro : “Hey, my amp is not working , can I borrow an amp for a recording session?”

Me: “Sure, here are my rental rates”

Guitar bro: “Hey, can you repair my amp?”

Me: “Sure, here are my repair rates. Please setup an appointment for an exact time and be there on time”

Guitar bro: “ok” …sets appointment

15 minutes before appointment:

Guitar bro : “ I cannot make it to appointment”

Me: “Ok, that will incur an appointment cancellation fee”

Guitar bro: crickets

Ironically, it’s usually the “friends” that pull shannanaginz.

“We have so much history bro, why wouldn’t you be alright with me abusing our relationship?”

[xtian]

Since you're all on board for this mini soap opera, here's today's update:

Client:

I appreciate the time you spent working on getting that bolt out, and of course want to cover your labor. I'm hoping that what I've paid so far ($200) will cover it. As for my amp, I'm just going to put my money in a jar and get it fixed when I have enough saved. Thank you for your time.

Me:

As you're well aware, my labor was $240, and parts was $129.90. If you want to be settled with me, please pay $40 and return the pair of JJ 6L6s.

[ViperDoc]

Someone needs to invent the Crookristor. Place an appropriately-rated Crookristor in series with the client amp's mains power switch. The Crookristor knows how much the tech is owed. It blocks current flow commensurate with blocked payments. Voila! Problem solved.

[xtian]

Someone needs to invent the Crookristor. Place an appropriately-rated Crookristor in series with the client amp's mains power switch. The Crookristor knows how much the tech is owed. It blocks current flow commensurate with blocked payments. Voila! Problem solved.

II can totally see that. With little ESP32 module...you'd need a cellular comms device...