As a tradesman you spend a lot of your time dealing with members of the public, which means that every now and again you will come across the odd character. If you’ve spent a long time in the trade industry you will have probably built up your people skills, however every now and again you’ll come across a customer you struggle with. So here we look at four of the most difficult types of customer and how you can deal with them:

1. The DIY Know it All

They only hired you because their wife/girlfriend/children told them to, when really they could do they job perfectly well themselves. They will also watch every single thing you are doing, telling you how they would do it, and provide you with endless stories on previous DIY projects they completed. Every tradesman has come across this type of customer, and even though they can be somewhat distracting they are practically harmless. The best way to deal with them is to bear with their stories, and if you need a hand carrying something or putting something together let them help and feel good about themselves.

2. The ‘Ghost Customer’

Referred to as the ‘ghost customer’ as you never see them, they do everything they can to keep out of your way. This includes never being at their property when you turn up or leave, or on the odd occasion your paths cross avoiding eye contact and making excuses to escape the room. A benefit of having this type of customer is that you don’t have to make small talk and you can get on with your job without any interruptions. However, things become difficult if you need to ask them for their opinion or advise them of changes you need to make to the project. The best thing to do with this type of customer is grab their mobile number when you first meet them and leave them messages instead of attempting to approach them personally.

3. The Family with Young Children

There’s nothing quite like trying to complete a job with a baby screaming in the background or small children running around you. Not only is it incredibly irritating and distracting but it also means you have to answer the question ‘What are you doing?’ about thirty times a day. If children are running around there is also the added danger that they could knock over paint pots or tools leading to damages, which even though you won’t have to claim on your tradesmen liability insurance for, can delay your work. Unfortunately, if you are struggling to complete a job because of your customer’s children you will need to approach them and let them know, however try and be as kind as possible – you don’t want to insult them!

4. The Penny Saver

Their entire house could have been taken out by a comet and they would still ask you to fix it for fifty pounds. They think that everything you say is a con to get them to part with their money, and they have no idea why parts cost so much. If you even suggest they have to spend extra money in order for the job to be completed to a high standard they get extremely irate. Never try and be too pushy with this customer even if you are right, and make sure you create a detailed contract stating how much the work costs and when you should be paid for it. That way they can’t wriggle out of anything once the work is complete, and they will have a better understanding of how you came up with the final figure for the quote.

Dealing with customers is part and parcel of being a tradesman, however that doesn’t always mean it’s easy. At least you can take solace in the fact that every tradesmen across the world has to deal with the same issues as you, and when you meet up with your tradesmen friends you’ll have some funny stories to tell!