Jobs or clients from hell.

[Gazzer]

As the TV prorgram says "Builders from Hell" but what about clients?
Today is my 7th day on the same job and each day the woman has a moan or totally flips (and i mean flips) over something.
1st i gave them too many options regarding grout colours and not enough time to sort it out. (actually at the time of quoting i asked if grey grout was ok for the floor and they said yes)
2nd She flipped when i was tiling the kitchen floor and she couldnt walk on the floor for at least 2 hours. (these was the day i saw her turn into a demon)
3rd The parquet floor that her husband was taking up ( or supposedly taking up, as i did most of it) created a smell throughout the house, she stormed out!!
4th, too much dust created ( she was actually cleaning the same room all day as i was trying to tile)
5th asked if i would do my cutting outside in the garage which was through 2 doors which she insisted on being closed at all times. I wouldnt mind so much but the cutting i was doing was hand cutting. The electric cuts were done in the garage.
6th No Radio allowed ( she is the Devil)
7th Water available by cold tap only and was walk through 2 doors and electric garage door then a garden gate even though they had a kitchen sink in the garage:whatchutalkingabout
8th on quoting i asked abouot tile trim. I had said that if they required it then the tile shop would advise which was more suitable. They bought the tiles and no trim. I asked why and they said they didnt want it. Which was ok due to teh nature of the tile and room to be tiled. On the 6th day they changed their mind and wanted trim. i only had a few off cuts with me and they expected me to go and get a piece of each colour to choose from. I refused so after more "looks" from the client she chose a colour...............5 minutes later she was back saying i had rushed her descision and changed her mind again after staring at the trims for at leat 15 minutes. All the time her husband was giving it the "yes dear, no dear"
9th an alarm cable had been tucked under the skirting many years ago, when the floor was retiled they said just push it back and tile the floor. I said it would be batter tacked around the skirting but they didnt want that.
On the 6th day i was informed that the alarm did not work and i must have damaged the cable....still waiting on the outcome of this.
Last day today.....wonder what she will find today????

 

[grumpygrouter]

Think I may have walked by no.5!!

Grumpy

 

[wayne]

tiled a wall i a bathroom thursday. got there friday she decided the colour wasnt right and asked me to take them off. they had already had it skimmed and i had used rapid set on the walls. took tiles off yesterday and they pulled the full lot off including bonding. she took one look asked if it was going to cost her more and said it better be done by the end of the week as she needed some peace and quiet !!!

 

[GRAYLIN]

I agree with grumpy.
:furious3: You must have the patience and resilience of a Saint.

 

[TilingLogistics]

Day 2 would have done it for me:furious3:

Kev

 

[MICK the Tiler]

Sounds like a potential repeat customer AY!!! :lol:

You gotta learn to try and pick 'em BEFORE!!! you unpack your tools. MAKES FOR A QUICK GET AWAY!!!!

 

[tilinga2z]

Just spent thursday and friday tiling a customers kithchen, I bought the tiles from Topps porcelain bevelled misshapen 10x10's (Porcelanico Carrara), in truth I am an idiot for buying these as they are around 1cm thick in the middle which required wet cutting on almost every cut. But they matched the brief and the colour scheme perfectly. The job should of took me a day but with these tiles I took 2 days fitting only, leaving me to go back on this monday past to grout up. On the morning of the second day the customer said his wife did not like the tiles but that did not bother him. On the Saturday morning he rang and told me that my tiling was **** and he was going to rip off all my tiles and not pay me. I tried to calm him down and told him that these tiles look a bit odd until they are grouted and that he should judge my work after the job is finished, he said no and told me to come and get my tools and that I would see a different side to him when I arrived. I asked if he was threatening me and he said I will see when I arrive. After another angry call I told him that I would bring in the Police to get back my stuff, which I have just done finding my tools in his garden when we arrived. All this because IMO his wife did not like the tiles, I am 2 days plus addy down and he still insists he will take me to court, happy days, not!!!!

 

[FYTC]

Think I may have walked by no.5!!

Grumpy

Now that is patience. I'd have told her to stick it up the rear end on day 2.

 

[sibs]

Jesus sounds like a bad case of highly strung neurosis! Or possibly menopausal lol. It affects women in different ways.... you never know she may have been the most layed back person you ever met in her younger days I do feel for you she sounds like a complete nightmare! But I gotta laugh too!!! Chin up SirRamic think of the money:71: is this what you would like to do to her? (Toung placed firmly in cheek while writing this post) Hope this has made you laugh!

 

[Gazzer]

Well job has been finished and a cheque for full amount is in the bank. The comment when i left was what a wonderful job i had done and how pleased they were, even got a £20 tip:yes:

BUT ....... the day didnt start good. I was tiling the bathroom walls today and when i had set out i gave them a shout to come and check that it met their requirements ( See i am learning, playing safe) No answer...so i called again, no answer.....So i opened the door into the kitchen what i had tiled previously and called once more..no answer. I coould hear their voices in the garage so went across the floor opened teh door into the garage and shouted "Hello"....all hell broke lose......"You havent walked across that floor? I have just bloody cleaned it " i replied "its ok" Her reply was " Its not bloody ok, idont F***ing believe it" then a crash from what sounded like a mop and bucket being thrown at husband... I dissapeared back to the bathroom quick. 5 minutes later the husband comes up as if nothing had happened, checked the setting out was as he liked...."Splendid" he says.

Wait there is more. Seeing as she isnt talking to me or even coming to look what i am doing I think i wll have the radio on. So on it goes very low but just enough for a bit of entertainment........30 mins later she must have been passing by and she went ballistic again. So i said sorry i forgot no radio, old habits etc (tongue in cheek) She turned around and went into a room. By this time i though ok, no radio but i have my earphones and MP3 player. So i just got that all set up and i was flicking through to see what i would listen to and she saw me. " I told you i dont want any music in the house and you delibrately disregard my orders".
Ok thats its the red mist descended and i let fly. " You said no radios, ok. You cant hear this and i like to work with some music." "Just let me get on with the job and i should be finished by 3pm and we will both be happy" She storms off downsatirs.
Around 12.30 pm the husband appears again with cup of coffee for me and acts as if nothing has happened. We chat about how nice it looks so far and i ask a question about his hobby. No problems at all.
Anyway god knows what was going on but i never want to see their phone number appear on my mobile ever again, £20 tip or no tip.

 

[DEN]

First of all sir ramic i must commend you on having the patients to deal with this woman,you obviously went beyond the call of duty to take the tiles up which the husband was supposed to do,and then have to do a half marathon to cut every tile aswell,you go out of your way to please the customer and thats the thanks you get,sounds like a real nightmare,well done for being the consumate proffesional and just getting on with the job in all adversity,you deserve more than just getting paid for that job..

 

[Gazzer]

Not sure if i have a lot of patience but i am very laid back in life. Sometime i guess we can all blow from time to time but this woman was something else.

 

[project damager]

Sir Ramic

I have read loads of your posts and have a healthy respect for you but on this one I don’t get it?

1st – the clients always right
2nd – why did’nt you tell her the day before her kitchen would be out of action for X hours
3rd – surely you did’nt expect the husband to pick up ALL of the parquet flooring?
4th – you’re a professional – DON’T create dust!
5th – AND I hope you wiped your feet…
6th – Quite right, radio’s are a health and safety hazard!!
7th – You want hot water – bring a flask!! And anyway that Kitchen sink in the garage is special, the husbands Mother gave it to them!!!
8th – Customers always right…
9th – Of course, the Alarm cable has been cut and its your fault…

NAH! Sod it – they ARE the Customers from hell!!!!!!!!!!!!:surrender: :surrender: :surrender:

Well done Sir!! You got the job done and got paid!!!

Kind regards,

Brian - The Project Damager

 

[sibs]

I think Sirramic should be cannonised for putting up with her.... What an ignorant rude woman. Just read the latest installment and the bit about the radio! I wonder if one day the ole man will loose it big time with her ************ on the grounds of diminished responsibility! lol

 

[Gazzer]

The "Ole" man deserves to be cannonised after all he has her 24/7 . Mind you he was a police inspector so at least he should have a good idea where to hide the body

 

[sibs]

under the tiles! You could have a repeat job and get some peace and quiet- have the radio on - get ur water from the kitchen sink - make as much dust as you like - not have to take up parquet flooring - have a no go zone in the kitchen for as long as you like - and finish off with the trim of your choice without being rushed! Cheers! :8:

 

[bigdaz]

that body language is a wonderful thing, I can tell she wants you

 

[GRAYLIN]

Well done Sir Ramic you have proved you are a true professional.
GK

 

[Daywalker]

Good on you Sir Ramic for not loosing your patience and walking off the job, we all get them retards now & again....

 

[DHTiling]

And i thought i was a patient bloke....nice one neale.........

 

[chris.tiling]

Well done Sir Ramic for completing the job...my only gripe was with one guy who took some tiles off the wall because he didnt like the size of the cut it left...even though I had told him there would have to be a slither somewhere because of the amount of boxing in / window position etc. and he was ok with it. i wanted to lump him one, so dont think I would have gone much past #3 above!!

 

[Gazzer]

And i thought i was a patient bloke....nice one neale.........

I must be getting old :lol: there was a day when i wouldnt have let her got onto the 1st one.

 

[Fekin]

All my customers are nice

 

[NickH]

Fair do to you mate, but i wouldn't and couldn't let someone talk to me like that. I wouldn't go off but just pack up and leave. I've turned up at a job before, slightly late because of traffic etc. to be greeted by an angry and vocal customer, I apologised for being late but simply explained that I was quite happy to get back in the van and go somewhere else, She calmed down pretty quick. If you let people get away with that sort of s**t they will keep on taking the p**s.

 

[hillhead]

oh dear,you had me laughing well reading all that sir,patience is a must in this game,last week i near had heart failure when i was told the kitchen walls were to tiled on the 45 !! 7 yards of it! i talked her husband out of it but not her !!you can see the pics in the gallery,nearly 3 days to tile it all!! then i thought the 17 yd floor was going square but she wanted a brown border,where is it i said? will you you cut it from these brown tiles she asks? lovely. each 330 mm tile,all 20 of them had to be cut diagonally,then the 40 triangles cut again,then the 80 cut again! and again and again,pain in rear big style,she wanted the border small.didn't rob them on the price either.at least they were happy,phew,hard work.

joe,
Hillhead Tiling

 

[Raja]

Grandad u definetly got some patience

remember u mentioning the lady last week to me.

If there is 1 person on the forum who i have learnt somthing off then
it has to be Grandad

I would of walked ot after day 1 if i was to be honest

Never been 1 for cruelty towards women or children but she would of got a rite kick in the fxxxy

Never had a long fuse