Hi there. I’ve just signed up to the forum and this is my first post- so sorry that it’s a little negative!
We have a customer that is being a little too hard work and is a little rude. They’re not a “nightmare customer”, but we’re getting to the stage when he is just causing us too much stress and is nitpicking everything we do. We simply don’t have the time to cope.
He pays us for hosting and maintenance for his website and we basically keep it up to date for him. We didn’t have a contract as such, but gave him conditions of business.
Is there a “nice” way of saying we don’t want to continue hosting and maintaining his website? I, personally, don’t like confrontation. I’m also worried that he could get quite nasty over this. Anyone get any experience?
If anyone else wants to take them on- let me know! The only thing is he liked working with local(ish) businesses, so you’d have to be based near Glasgow.
Well said. Your method certainly would be the quickest way in doing that, and if a client become rude and aggressive to me I would have to give them the royal boot too.
The OP doesn’t want this customer any more. The OP is very clear about this. It’s a free country.
My suggestion answers the question asked, which was how to get rid of a rude customer who is no longer wanted.
There are plenty of fish in the sea. There’s no need to contaminate one’s working day dealing with rude customers, and I think that is where the OP is coming from. It’s not about money, or hourly rates, or clever talking. It’s about getting rid of this customer!
The OP does not want to work with this client any more because they are rude and nitpicking. So it’s not about money. Therefore tell the client the relationship is over and get rid of them. Job done, problem solved. Keep it simple. Don’t bother working out complicated ‘clever’ plans. Just do it.
This is exactly the approach I have taken with people I don’t want to work with over the last 20 years. It works just fine.
Charge them higher for your services. They will find someone else to do the work. In my experience it’s worth it to just let them go. Less stress = more time/energy to upsell your good clients.
You shouldn’t be frightened to cut loose difficult customers, but make sure you’ve exhausted all possibilities first - perhaps just a friendly chat over the phone to explain how you feel could remedy things?
If you can’t come to a happy solution, then send him notice of termination in writing, by ‘recorded signed for’, with a CC via email first. Give him at least 30 days notice and offer to assist him in finding a new developer and hosting package.
Offer to transfer his site over to the new hosting for free. And of course, refund him any money he has paid in lieu for services. At that point, cut all ties and move on.
Just make sure you communicate clearly with no excessive emotion - everything agreed should be replicated in writing/email, especially anything you may agree to over the phone - this helps avoid any confusion.
Have you ever tried this approach. I would not like to assume what happens, but in your experience what normally happens? I can’t really agree with your method. I feel it might be easier for one to revise his agreement and charge an hourly rate. Normally people change tune once they hear the sound of money.
I would suggest keeping it simple and direct. If he’s going to blow up, he’s going to blow up whatever you say. So there’s no need to do anything complicated, and certainly no grovelling. Just get the basic facts across and put the ball in his court.
How about an email like this?
[INDENT][COLOR=“DarkGreen”]Dear XYZ,
Cancellation of Website Updating and Website Hosting
We have decided not to continue maintaining or hosting your website after (date 3 months in future).
In the meantime we will, of course, maintain the website in the usual way.
We will also help you move the website from our current hosting when you have made alternative arrangements with another web hosting company.
Please give me a call on 1234567 if you would like to discuss this further.
Best regards,
ABC[/COLOR][/INDENT]
Then sit back and wait for the possible explosion and rudeness you are anticipating. Like going to the dentist, it’s something you may fear but it’s unavoidable, the pain won’t last long, and it’s soon over and done with.
Give a 3 months deadline, so you cannot be accused of putting him in an awkward situation. Very likely he will be gone in just a few weeks, anyway.
No need to be too helpful, either, or apologetic. Just stick to your guns and don’t get drawn into an argument.
When he asks the inevitable question of ‘Why are you doing this?’, the answer is something vague, such as ‘We’re making some changes in our business right now and unfortunately this doesn’t fit in with our future plans’. And of course, don’t make any reference at all to the rudeness and nitpicking that is the real reason, as that will simply fan the flames.
A different approach, I understand this is your approach and it’s fine. Do you not feel that this was brought up because he was getting something for nothing. I think that maybe if his was being charged for updates from the beginning, as per hour, he would have been less compelled to mess the person around.
Obviously you know what works for you, but what do you think? Seems a bit wrong to just boot the client out when things aren’t working. There is bound to be a complicated customer, however, there is no excuse for rudeness.
I don’t agree with the above as being the best option (at least in the beginning), clients like this give you the opportunity to better evolve your services and your contracts to ensure that your future needs are met. The OP has stated that their not necessarily a bad person but just being very time and resource (and energy) intensive. If it were me I would approach the client before dumping them and perhaps address some of the issues in question, if they get angry at the idea that perhaps their behaviour isn’t professional or their getting too scope-creepish then that’s fine, you tried and can break the relationship on the basis that you don’t feel you can meet their needs. However I think confrontation is inevitable in business and if you want to avoid the same thing happening in the future you need to tackle the points, learn to resolve problems and ask your client not to speak to you rudely, question their need to keep making changes and put contractual barriers in-place to evaporate such issues occurring in the future. As a side note, if you update your terms to include such things, you could just let him know that the terms of service have changed so you don’t have to directly confront his behaviour - this gives you justification to dispatch him if he continues to act in that way.
Ask them to finalize their decision and once you get the email confirm this, then let them know that further revision will have to be charged. If he is happy with the charging them you can proceed. Normally you find that when people know this they often make their decisions quickly.
He pays us for hosting and maintenance for his website and we basically keep it up to date for him. We didn’t have a contract as such, but gave him conditions of business.
If you’re a business you need a contract. No contract only asks for more trouble, hence the predicament you’re in.
Is there a “nice” way of saying we don’t want to continue hosting and maintaining his website? I, personally, don’t like confrontation. I’m also worried that he could get quite nasty over this. Anyone get any experience?
He probably will get nasty over this. People tend to get nasty when favors are taken from them. There is a nice way to get rid of him. Simply raise your prices and charge the client. The worse customers are the ones who don’t pay for their services.
I agree with shadowbox, don’t be scared of this client. Sometimes it’s worth baring with the clients, especially when you know you will get paid well. However, if you’re not going to get paid for your services, then charge them.
I had the same problem about 4 days ago. We agreed on one thing, and he kept adding. I simply send him an email stating that any further revision will have to be charged. After this he quickly changed his tune.
I can understanding your feeling very much.If I were you,I will treat him friendly as usual.He would contact others one day,he would complain as usual, and then he would find that you are the best one.
I’m sorting out a contract at the moment, although the conditions of business were effectively that.
I know you are right in saying “Don’t be scared of the client”, it’s just in this case he is a little scary. Most of our clients are lovely and we get on well with them. In this case, he is not afraid of saying what he things but in a really blunt and almost offensive way. I just don’t like confrontation.
I think one way forwards is to just say we’re updating our conditions of business and to give him the contract. Also to change the maintenance contract to a simple hourly rate.
Honestly, don’t be scared, what’s the most he can do? After all it’s a business you’re running so you can’t be doing something for nothing over and over again. It’s as simple as that.
I would word it like this:
“Hello [Simon], we have revised our agreements and unfortunately we will have to charge an hourly rate for the updates as [amount] per hour in order to meet our company expenses”.
By sending something like this you are fighting him over your company expenses which means he will more or less won’t challenge it.
I hope this helps.
Charge them higher for your services. They will find someone else to do the work. In my experience it’s worth it to just let them go. Less stress = more time/energy to upsell your good clients.
