drunk customer

[woko]

Hi all, need a little advise. I completed a job yesterday small domestic, two LED outside lights.
We agreed white lights but I turned up with black. I apologised and offered to changed them. After several text messages with his partner he decided if i offered him a discount then I would fit the black ones.
After this he kept chatting, in an out of the garage where I was working. I noticed his speech became slurred and he became irrational and was talking rubbish. I finished and he came to pay me. He tried to give me a lot less than I'd asked for he then gave me the rest reluctantly. Then he started trying to give me a hug. I wanted to get out of there ASAP.
Later that evening he sent me a garbled text message about a cable being untidy and his partner wanted white lights. I've offered to go back and sort the cable and told him I can't take the lights back because they've been fitted and he will have to pay for replacements as we agreed I'd fit black one at a reduced rate.
I'm not happy going back to be honest . I don't think I should have to put up with that behaviour, he was at home but I was at work. He made me feel extremely uneasy.
Any similar stories? Any advise? I've thought about contacting napit to get them on side.

 

[diditrain]

Signed contract may have helped. He maybe had his beer goggles on when he agreed to the alternative colour.

 

[london-electric]

No matter how small , I have an app on my phone which allows me to quote jobs there and then and sends it as a pdf. in an email to the customer.
Sounds a bit ---- for a couple of lights, but as you have found out some people are just out there to try and trip you up any chance they can get.....he prob got a load of stick from the mrs about why'd you let him put black ones up!

 

[Dalf]

If I had contracts for every light I have changed, I would of had to buy another house to put it all in.
I'm not sure many sparks would of turned up with a contract ready for a job as lilttle as that diditrain.

 

[woko]

No I agree. It's not what customers want and I don't think it would have helped in my situation at all.
The guy was dunk and shouldn't have had me round if he was planning to drink.

 

[alanl]

NAPIT (or any other Body) will not get involved.
You havent got a Contract. There is no technical fault/query with the installation.

What can they do? Nothing.

Fit him 2 new white lights, as specified, and get the full amount quoted.
You admitted it was your fault in buying black lights, you'll get rid of them in the future, so it wont cost you anything in the long run, and stops any ill-feeling.
Being drunk - in his own house, not really a problem. Inappropriate behaviour? Giving you a hug? not really, kissing you, then that would be inappropriate.

 

[telectrix]

take a bottle with you. then you can both get pi$$ed. ( fit the lights first though). arty:

 

[coldyron]

Sounds like you've messed up completely.

1. The client asked for white lights, you should have got white lights end of discussion, so go back and fit white ones!

2. The cabling was untidy. You've basically admitted this by saying you'll go back and rectify. Why not do it neat first time?

If I'd got a tradesman in who messed up the simple things like that I'd probably hit the bottle too!!

 

[Tiny Spark]

Ide agree with the others that if you had agreed and quoted for white lights you should of fitted white lights, there is no questions there.
Cable, well untidy cabling is open to interpretation but as a spark you should know what classes as tidy and untidy cabling so if indeed it was untidy then why did you not rectify it at the time?

As for the drunk man, if it was me I would not put up with that.
If I want to see drunk men I go to the pub I dont expect to have to deal with that kind of stuff on the job as its distracting and potentially dangerous so I would of downed tools and left until he had sobered up.

 

[coldyron]

Can you really be judgmental of what a guy gets up to in his own house? Fair enough the hugging is out of order but as long as they're not doing anything illegal I don't think you have the right to police someone in his own home.

 

[woko]

Drunk people are unreasonable and not easy to deal with. I don't think its except able to have to deal with them in a working environment.
He did agree to having the black ones at a reduced rate. I personally don't think I've done anything wrong.

 

[telectrix]

bet if it was a female customer misbehaving, dropping them for you, you'd not complain! :21:

 

[woko]

Yes I would mate because I'm happily married.
I appreciate any helpful comments, thanks.

 

[ChrisElectrical88]

Go back and swap for white fittings, stock the black ones, you won't loose any money just half a hour in time.

 

[coldyron]

Drunk people are unreasonable and not easy to deal with. I don't think its except able to have to deal with them in a working environment.
He did agree to having the black ones at a reduced rate. I personally don't think I've done anything wrong.

Why didn't you get white ones as first agreed?

Were black ones the only ones you had in the back of the van?

Drunk people are unreasonable but it seems like he was jolly at first with the hugging.

I reckon you took advantage of his state by getting him to agree to the wrong lights whilst he was intoxicated!

You don't think you did anything wrong? You bought the wrong lights!! If I ask for a bacon sandwich and I get an egg sandwich instead I'm going to complain!

 

[Rockingit]

Woko - you're getting a hard time here for two reasons: 1) sounds like you messed the job up and 2) also sounds like you're finding your feet in the ways of doing jobs in customers houses.

Solution: 1) don't mess jobs up and 2) get used to it - the world is a big place full of very different people!

 

[Chris sparky]

Go back and fit the white one's. They obviously wanted those in the first place. Sort the cable out free of charge and just stock the black ones. Bound to need em on another job chap. Even if the guy is an awkward customer do your best to sort it for him as word of mouth goes a long way.

 

[telectrix]

and don't even try and charge the discount you knocked off for the black ones. remember that the guy has friends, relatives, neighbours and if you treat him right, a recommendation is worth 10 times what it costs you to change the lights.even if he is a drunken sod. his gob could help you or destroy your rep. in the area.

 

[woko]

Ok, I'll go back and swap the lights. Just annoyed he was drunk and tried to hug me. I asked him not to and he grabbed me. Not impressed with that behaviour at all. He was also intimidating.
Cheers for comments.

 

[Paul.M]

And when you go back, go in the morning so not giving him time to drink. Also give him a bottle of wine in compensation lol.