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Adrian

I walked away, instead of making it worse.

Question

Customer shows up 1/2 hr. late to meet me onsite.

Customer is complaining about the day so far..... to me.

Customer screams at the dog in his house through the glass door. Sort of startled me and drew the attention of the neighbors.

Customer complains about additional cost to wash flagstone.

Customer is still annoyed as he follows me around and does "instant" inspection after every wave of the wand.

Customer screams again at the dog who is still barking and scratching the customers door from the inside.

Customer goes inside to secure the dog, which allows me to actually make a bit of progress on the wash.

I turn back around, and poof, there's the customer holding the poodle by the neck and spanking it on the bottom. The poor little guys legs were flopping all around and he yelped.

THIS DOES NOT SIT WELL WITH ME FOLKS.

My jaw hits the floor, but continue to work my way around the corner of resi. and mind my business.

I work the corner to next corner, and lo and behold, customer has a few more questions he would like to ask me along with his "instant" inspection 200 ft plus back to the trailer to shut down and answer questions about flagstone cleaning that he doesn't want to pay for. Don't get me wrong, though, I love the upsell.

I am still a little miffed about seeing the little dog take a butt beating ( just for doing his job when a stranger is around). I shut things down for this guy my 4th and final time.

As I asked him to get off of my hose that he was standing on, he said, " I have a few more questions".

Please understand, the same question can be asked several different ways, but usu. yields the same answer.

I replied by telling him I have no more answers for him. But in a kind way told him that the next contractor hopefully will have the answers he needs.

Customer realizes that I am situating my hoses for roll up before job was complete and starts asking a series of other questions. I told him I have done all I can do and that there is no charge for the 3/4 wash.

Customers questions turned to insults and meaningless remarks which I just sucked up the best I could.

I did my best to explain to the customer that there is no charge and that

I would not be completeing his housewash and did not want his business anymore. ( Remaining as calm as possible)

Customer says he is going to report me to "everybody". Along with every other explicit insult he could come up with.

I was at my truest test of my life in how I am going to handle this one. He called me crazy, and a few other choice words. I need to get out of this place and still have 300 ft to roll up and secure the trailer as normal. I need to do this quick as my temper is BOILING and I am thinking of "night time options" for this nutjob.

I walked firmly up to him and said GET OFF OF MY HOSE AND PLEASE GO INSIDE AND START REPORTING ME TO EVERYBODY, I WILL BE OFF OF YOUR PROPERTY IN 5 MINUTES A__HOLE.

First time for me to lose it like this ever.

I amazed myself.

It was like "A Christmas Story" when the little boy beats the crap out of the bully using every cuss word in the book.

Customer stands on front porch that was cleaned for free, holding the little dog he just got through beating in front of me, like it never happened.

He said I just don't understand why you won't finish the job, YOU ARE NUTS, he shouts. I'm going to report you.

Before I got into the truck I asked him who he has time for first, the cops or the Humane Society to answer questions for an animal abuse report.

I know others would have handled this differently than I just did.

Yes I lost a good fee for a large housewash.

Plus I let my emotion get in the way.

BUT........

I am thinking of how much money I saved by not beating this guys arse into a pulp for hitting the little pooch. Bail, Lawyers, impound fees, medical

I just couldn't finish the job guys. I just couldn't finish.

If I stayed any longer, I wouldn't be here sharing this.

I hope I handled it to the best available options I had.

Stay and get to the "boiling point" with this guy and do something I would regret later.

OR

GTH out of there before I can't hold back, and ruin my life.

Sorry so long of a post........

Just one of those days I guess.

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... I turn back around, and poof, there's the customer holding the poodle by the neck and spanking it on the bottom. The poor little guys legs were flopping all around and he yelped.

THIS DOES NOT SIT WELL WITH ME FOLKS.

My jaw hits the floor, but continue to work my way around the corner of resi. and mind my business. ...

Adrian,

GOOD FOR YOU!!! Anyone who beats a dog, be it their own or otherwise, is worthy of contempt and censure. One has to be a real sick, despicable slime ball to hurt any pet or animal for that matter. Hope this garbage of a human has not fathered any children.

Emotion says you should have popped him a hard left followed by an uppercut right. But you kept your cool, insulted him in the best way possible, and buggered out of there without an assault warrant.

You're an unsung hero.

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Good for you Adrian. You will sleep better tonight because of what you did and the way you handled it.

Second time you shut off the machine you should tell them your consulting fee is $150 per hour with a 2 hour minimum. At least in the middle of the job.

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Well Rick,

He is a Service Magic customer who has the option of rating & reviewing me.

Plus I am sure he has his version of what went down.

He probably saw a contractor who had a seemingly bad attitude and poor customer service.

The good thing about SM Rate & Review is a feature that allows the contractor to respond to the customer comments, which I have used a 1000 times to say a positive word about customer.

Imagine his bad review amongst all of my 4.0 - 5.0 star ratings. As well as my "not so kind, but professional" response. One could only hope , I guess.

I have already found out that Houston P.D. can not do anything about it except take notes on a report and ad a file #.

Plus hopefully it was a one time thing.

I have always made jokes about the breed of dog as being a "Drop Kick" dog. But it was all in fun. I can't imagine the little guy taking it like that on a dailt basis. He was a real small pooch.

I do not like this guy and he does not like me. And we both know it, now.

........breeeeeeaaaath.

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Good for you Adrian. You will sleep better tonight because of what you did and the way you handled it.

Second time you shut off the machine you should tell them your consulting fee is $150 per hour with a 2 hour minimum. At least in the middle of the job.

Thx Pat,

The whole thing just sucked at any price.

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Adrian,

You behaved and did absolutely the right thing. Kudos to you.

Yeah, it sucks when coming up against a despicable person. Makes one question the validity of humanity in general. But there are dirt bags in this world, no getting around it. Sleep tight... The canine world sends its blessings.

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Adrian,

You behaved and did absolutely the right thing. Kudos to you.

Yeah, it sucks when coming up against a despicable person. Makes one question the validity of humanity in general. But there are dirt bags in this world, no getting around it. Sleep tight... The canine world sends its blessings.

You're right Rick, I know.

The resi was in a nice upper tier urban downtown neighborhood.

All the houses and people were "Stepford" pretty. Looking at the guy and initially talking with him went well. It just went downhill when the dog started to annoy him.

It's all good and I'm less tattered now but none the richer except in mental taxation.

.....this to shall pass. lol.

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Adrian,

The bond of a true dog is as lasting as the ties of this earth can ever be.

-- Konrad Lorenz

I love dogs, was raised from birth with a puppy Cocker Spaniel. Aside from college years, have shared my, then the married "our" lives, with dogs. Currently share our home with an English Springer Spaniel, and a Miniature Schnauzer.

If anyone raised a hand to these dogs, I would revert to blind rage.

There is a mystical, shared common bond between canines and humans. It cannot be violated.

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Have had a pair of Besingi's over the years that were "Human" smart.

It really sucked to lose them.

I said no more broken hearts to dogs dying.

I bought myself a Parrot almost 3 decades ago, who has been the best pet I've ever owned. He will live to be around 100 yr. old. Hopefully outlive me.

However, I don't think any critter should be spanked. Spoiled but not spanked.

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Next time, you will handle it better. Experience is our best teacher and I don't blame you for letting this one go. The pet abuse was definitely out of line and I am sure no one holds it against you for having compassion and understanding for an animal.

Breathe, let it go and move on.

Rod!~

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For a guy that's scared of Raccoons - you had big balls with that guy! I afraid of crazy people - but I can deal with the 'coons no problem

That's the absolute funniest thing I've ever heard you say Dan.

I run because I have respect for the racoon.

I have no respect for my ex-customer. No higher than the mold I came to clean.

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That's the absolute funniest thing I've ever heard you say Dan.

I run because I have respect for the racoon.

I have no respect for my ex-customer. No higher than the mold I came to clean.

Well then, in retrospect, you should have cleaned his ass then instead. He had a filthy potty mouth - could have used a little bleach cleanse.

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I would have asked him why he was beating the dog for doing its job, and I might still anonymously call the humane society and report him, and PETA (people for the ethnic treatment of animals) might enjoy visiting him too....

Beth

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I would have asked him why he was beating the dog for doing its job, and I might still anonymously call the humane society and report him, and PETA (people for the ethnic treatment of animals) might enjoy visiting him too....

Beth

Don't call PETA. They are wacko vegetarian idiots. Try the SPCA or a poodle rescue group. A shame, poodles are one of the smartest and most "in tune" to human breeds domesticated.

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I would have asked him why he was beating the dog for doing its job, and I might still anonymously call the humane society and report him, and PETA (people for the ethnic treatment of animals) might enjoy visiting him too....

Beth

Yea I said to him he is just doing his job early on. That was befor he spanked him/her.

But you could see in the guys eyes that the dog was annoying him and it was making him mad that the dog was scratching the door up from the inside.

It took me a few attempts for me to get up the cahoonas to say anything at all. I started packing up before I said anything. Then.... caboom.

" Hey Honey, guess what, I called my first customer an A hole today"

I have friends on doggie forums here in town that can send me in the right direction with this.

Did I say friends? more like doggie mercenaries.

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Great response. Love it!

"If your dog doesn't like someone you probably shouldn't either." - Unknown

"The more people I meet the more I like my dog." - Unknown

"Dogs are our link to paradise. They don't know evil or jealousy or discontent. To sit with a dog on a hillside on a glorious afternoon is to be back in Eden, where doing nothing was not boring--it was peace." - Milan Kundera

"I think we are drawn to dogs because they are the uninhibited creatures we might be if we weren't certain we knew better." - George Bird Evans, "Troubles with Bird Dogs"

"Even the tiniest Poodle or Chihuahua is still a wolf at heart." - Dorothy Hinshaw Patent, Dogs: The Wolf Within

Buy a pup and your money will buy love unflinching.

-- Rudyard Kipling

Dogs are not our whole life, but they make our lives whole.

-- Roger Caras

Dogs have given us their absolute all. We are the center of their universe. We are the focus of their love and faith and trust. They serve us in return for scraps. It is without a doubt the best deal man has ever made.

-- Roger Caras

Dogs' lives are too short. Their only fault, really.

-- Agnes Sligh Turnbull

No matter how little money and how few possessions you own, having a dog makes you rich.

-- Louis Sabin

“Thorns may hurt you, men desert you, sunlight turn to fog; but you’re never friendless ever, if you have a dog.”

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Some customers need to be fired. That one needed fireing. You done good, but I'll bet images of giving him a power enema ran throught your mind.

hmmm.... another use for the xjet.

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That's the benefit of working for yourself. You get to decide who you do, and who you don't work for.

Good for you. Defenitly the right choice.

Last month I told a customer I wasn't interested in working for him again ( I stripped his log home last year)and he started getting worse. That's the benefit.

How do you handle that if you are working for someone else.

THE same.

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Before I got into the truck I asked him who he has time for first, the cops or the Humane Society to answer questions for an animal abuse report.

I love what you said to him. Beating a dog like that is a cowardly thing to do.

I had one customer micro-manage what I was doing in a similar fashion. I finished the job and it looked good but I won't be returning any of his calls in the future.

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