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Silly Customers

by snidge
11 replies
I sometimes use those freelance design & development sites to bring in new clients. I enjoy what I do and sometimes I like to help out at a good price because it is fun.

I found a quick project for a Wordpress blog customization to make it look like the rest of the clients site. I put my bid in at the lowest and said I'd have it done within a day. The buyer was very impressed with my bid and said they wanted to award the project to me...like always

So I was kind of bored and wanted to get started right away so I figured it's only $100 and I do these projects all of the time for much more and it's never a problem.

So I put the entire thing together on my server and then I get an e-mail asking if I have phone support. I don't offer phone support but I do give out a number to my clients in case of emergencies. With the amount of small projects just like this that I do, it was getting incredibly confusing to keep track of things without having the e-mails to look back at during project development!

So I tell them no I don't offer phone support and told them why. Then I showed them the finished product and said I can install it for them now and get things setup on their server.

They write back saying that I have concerned them that I don't have phone support and that they are going to wait a few days to see if they get any bids from people that do offer phone support.

The project is nearly complete. How much more security could they ask for I'm wondering? Does this seem completely ridiculous to anyone else? lol

With those freelance sites you are 95% of the time going to get complete garbage from providers outside of NA. I built the thing to show them they shouldn't have any doubts. I gave them the best deal even though I'm bidding against providers with portfolios filled with junk.

lol I'm sorry but sometimes I get annoyed with how silly people can be. The project is pretty much done and they are worried that since I don't have phone support that I'm up to no good like a scammer even after looking at my previously completed work and 100% positive feedback. lol

I'm just wondering if anyone else comes across anything like this in their business?
#customer #customers #silly #web design
  • Profile picture of the author grumpyjacksa
    they're new to the web......

    and

    you can't impress the uninformed......

    guess we have to live with that.......
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  • Profile picture of the author IainBuchanan
    To be honest you've probably had a lucky escape. I agree with grumpyjacksa - they're probably new online, or they're not very computer literate maybe - and I guess they want phone support as it will make them feel comfortable.

    Unfortunately, you'd probably end up getting a lot support calls from them - "how do you post", "how do I add a picture to a post", "what's the difference between a page and a post", etc... When what they'd really need is training.
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    • Profile picture of the author Karen Blundell
      hi snidge,

      Get yourself an unlimited long distance plan for North America or if you don't want to spend the bucks use Skype...so the next time you're asked if you offer phone support say yes...give them specific hours for your phone support so that they don't call you when you typically sleep or on holidays etc.,

      My customers pay me for scheduled phone consultations, You can do the same thing. When you quote for a project, factor in the time you're consulting with them on the phone.
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      • Profile picture of the author snidge
        Originally Posted by Karen Blundell View Post

        hi snidge,

        Get yourself an unlimited long distance plan for North America or if you don't want to spend the bucks use Skype...so the next time you're asked if you offer phone support say yes...give them specific hours for your phone support so that they don't call you when you typically sleep or on holidays etc.,

        My customers pay me for scheduled phone consultations, You can do the same thing. When you quote for a project, factor in the time you're consulting with them on the phone.

        As I mentioned in my post. For all of the tiny $100 jobs that I take on, it would get too confusing not having the messages to look back at during project development.

        Long distance isn't the problem. I don't mind giving out a number to a client when I'm doing a larger project. I try to keep it just for emergencies though if a site goes down or something like that.

        I even told this person if it is a deal breaker we can talk on the phone lol. It's just that it is now 2009 and IM and e-mail works great especially with this situation.

        I was just completely shocked that this was even an issue. They had the project finished right infront of their eyes. We were only talking $100, and they also need to sign off on the work before I would even see the funds lol.

        You're probably right, grumpyjacksa about them being new online.

        I understand why people could have some concerns doing business online with all of the horror stories you hear...That being said...if people would just use their brain, they would put those scam artists out of business lol.

        I own a popular classified ads site and we had to put warnings everywhere that you should not fall for scams like, "if you receive a cheque for more than your asking price, don't send the difference back to them before the cheque clears" lol.

        I find it super easy to spot a scam, but you wouldn't believe how many people come to us wanting us to cover their losses for something ridiculous they fell for!
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  • Profile picture of the author Bob B
    Good idea Karen.

    I suspect you could even get a premium rate number - so they pay by the minute to call you. A lot of software companies already do this so it's kind of an industry standard.

    Might also cut down on the number of "training" calls.

    Bob
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  • Profile picture of the author Kim Standerline
    I won't offer phone support because to be honest it would drive me nuts

    A previous partner made the mistake of giving a customer his cell phone number and he drove him to distraction by ringing him at all hours of the day.

    Kim
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  • Profile picture of the author Daniel Scott
    The interesting thing is that I bet if you charge more you'd actually get less of these kinds of people.

    The people who pay the least always want the most.

    And at least if you pay more you're getting some kind of compensation for this kind of behavior.

    -Dan
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    • Profile picture of the author snidge
      Originally Posted by Daniel Scott View Post

      The interesting thing is that I bet if you charge more you'd actually get less of these kinds of people.

      The people who pay the least always want the most.

      And at least if you pay more you're getting some kind of compensation for this kind of behavior.

      -Dan

      Haha you know you're actually right. The only times I've ever had any problems with anyone was when trying to give someone a hand and help them out by working for less!

      What is up with that? Maybe there is a reason why they are behind us and it's not money holding them back, it's actually them holding themselves back from money!
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  • Profile picture of the author dsmpublishing
    we all have our moments with silly customers it makes me glad that we dont get them all the time. I had one yesterday had bought a product and didnt understand how to download it. no one else had questioned it!
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  • Profile picture of the author Eric X Vignola
    you have to understand that their are still millions of people who are just getting started online and the idea of NOT having a phone number is actually the backwards way of thinking. Just imagine how people have cell phones...

    so to question his wanted a number, or point of contact, which allows them to talk to a real person is not that unrealistic. i think it is a major reason why a lot of big names of support call centers. i think having them pay by the minute for support is a good idea, along with setting up specific hours. or just giving them x amount of time with their purchase for support issues.

    but yes, if you run a bargain bin expect people to complain when they do not get everything. this is across industries, online or offline. the lower you go the more people will want without paying anymore.

    good luck with your customers!
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    • Profile picture of the author snidge
      Originally Posted by Eric X Vignola View Post

      you have to understand that their are still millions of people who are just getting started online and the idea of NOT having a phone number is actually the backwards way of thinking. Just imagine how people have cell phones...

      so to question his wanted a number, or point of contact, which allows them to talk to a real person is not that unrealistic. i think it is a major reason why a lot of big names of support call centers. i think having them pay by the minute for support is a good idea, along with setting up specific hours. or just giving them x amount of time with their purchase for support issues.

      but yes, if you run a bargain bin expect people to complain when they do not get everything. this is across industries, online or offline. the lower you go the more people will want without paying anymore.

      good luck with your customers!
      lol but why could you possibly need to waste my time on the phone when the project is already complete infront of you. It's not like I said I don't have a phone or anything sketchy. I even gave them a number but said that unless an emergency comes up I prefer to do it online and gave them the reason.
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