Have you ever fired a customer?

Actually, I've been contemplating firing a customer. It's decent money and he always pays - no problem there, but he wants me to do things that I don't feel capable of doing and he doesn't seem to appreciate what I can do. While we seem to get along other than that, it just makes for an uncomfortable work experience. I work on contract and hesitate to drop this one, but it bothers me.

It was not my business, but I remember recommending to my boss that we stopped dealing with a particular customer as they were blatantly breaking employment laws. As we supplied their staff, I felt it was very inappropriate. We did, and I still think it was the right things to do.

Personally over the yrs. I have done a couple of different online things where I was trying to get customers, and have Sold items at Swap Meets, etc. and was able to usually make some much needed income from this. Have I ever had Bad Customers? YES!! Many times. There were even the ones who as we all know too well who will try to take advantage and use you if you can. But Yes, I have fired Customers before and told them I never want them back in my Store, at my Yard Sales, etc. If they are annoying they are best off as far away from me as possible.

So it is not true to say 'customers are always right'. Looks like this customer is not a 'treasured' customer in your business but a cunning person who was only taking advantage of people in business for his own benefits. I was once in the pub business and I've done the nasty job of refusing to serve drinks to customers after the permitted hours. If they try to be funny and throw verbal abuse I would give my marching order for them to leave my premises with the help of my bouncers. When customers become highly intoxicated, they become aggressive and I have no choice but to fire them. It is not surprising to see them coming back for more drinks the next day.

I'm surprised that you were able to deal with this freebie customer for months. With him leeching money/information off of you and all. Should of explained to him that to him after the first week, especially if this is your own home business (where expenses can be tight). Fortunetely you now have this experience, hopefully it won't ruin the way you look at customers in the future (who really just want some info before buying). It's bad luck that you got this leecher of a customer.

LOL you made me smile at this! I could not fire a customer but I was a theater manager. I had to get to the bank, make up drawers, start the popcorn kettle, make sure if I had not closed that all the movies were ready to run on the platter. (before Disc time) I usually always got at the theater around 2:30pm. The bank was running a little late and so I was a bit off my regular schedule. So I pull in the parking lot and noticed a lady sitting in her car. I went on to go in the theater and had just turned the key in the lock and the lady comes up saying are you the manager? I said yes, and had to go ahead and open the door as we had a set alarm. This lady tries to start talking to me, and I said Mam just a minute. I only had like 90 seconds to get the alarm turned off before the police were called and that was a $300.00 fine if they were not needed. So I proceeded to run across the lobby jump over the counter and punch the number in seconds before it was to go off. I then walked around the counter to assist the lady. She said...YOU are going to have a heart attack if you keep doing things like that. I smiled politely and asked what can I do for you? She has (are you ready?) a half bag of popcorn which had been folded in tightly. She says, MY son got this popcorn when he saw a movie two nights ago. She proceeds to open half bag of popcorn and says this is what he got crumbles. I need a REFUND. I looked her politely in the face thinking, did she just get this out of our trash can for gas money? I went in the managers office and come back with two passes for them to see a movie free. Which back then a medium popcorn was 3.80 and our tickets were 6.00 at that time. So she was making out all the way around. She looked at me again and said you are not going to refund me on this popcorn? I said Mam, if you son had a problem with the popcorn, he should have returned it to us immediately and we would have given him a fresh batch, or refund his money at the time he saw the movie. I also explained to her that our bank starts out the same amount every day and there was no way I could refund her. She grabs the passes out of my hand, throws the popcorn all over my nicely vaccumed lobby, and storms out. I locked the door behind her and went about my business. About three weeks later, I get a letter that a customer complained and I needed to sign for a write up. She had written to the owner of this theater franchise. I told my General Manager, my district manager, and the owner, that I had bent over backwards and was not signing my name to the write up. We are all customers in different ways in different shops, store, restaurants, and entertainment. Why is it when its OUR turn to be a customer some people do not treat people with respect that they want when THEY work? So while I could not fire the customer, I sure was glad to get her out of my lobby and the door locked behind her.