A business owner I’m coaching relayed the following to me. A customer came in, had some extensive services done, said she loved it, and gave a very generous tip. Then she flipped.
- She called and said the services should have taken longer (really saying she got shortchanged). So the owner offered a partial refund, which was graciously accepted.
- A few days later the customer called and said, no, I want more. After a discussion the owner agreed to a full refund (with the thought of, “I’m rid of you, now don’t come back”), which was also accepted.
- Then the customer called to say she also wanted the tip refunded. I’m sure there was some screaming from my client after she hung up on the call.
The customer was playing her. She’s dishonest and unabashed in her behavior.
But for a small amount of money my client got rid of a lot of angst.
Or, what about the person who goes to my YouTube channel and puts a thumbs down on all my video podcasts. This started a couple years ago and I notice it happens in bunches. Do they know me? Who knows? Do they have too much time on their hands? Darn right. Could they add value to something on the planet if they took the time to do so? I would hope so.
Not sociopathic or psychopathic but surely not uplifting behavior. It’s why we all, always, have to watch out (and why I meet with people at least two times before even proposing how we can work together). And if prospective clients do things leading me to believe they perceive me as a vendor not a partner (like trying to negotiate fees without also negotiating the value), then we won’t work together.