refusing to work in bad neighborhoods

[huggytree]

I had a call 2 days ago from a potential customer who mentioned the address in the voice message. It was in a neighborhood i dont want to work in. I didnt call her back

she called again tonight and i picked up this time. She complained how i didnt return her call. she said she has a leak and wants me to repair it. I asked her where she lived just in case i had misunderstood her voice message 2 days ago.

she refused to tell me the neighborhood and told me off.

i didnt handle it well.....i never got a homeowner call from the inner city before. I get builders wanting to do projects there and on rare occasion i take the job

i explained to this customer how i was robbed and dont want to work in bad neighborhoods

i legally can refuse any customer or neighborhood i want to ...right?

[billbenson]

Quote them high, cash in advance IMO. In fact quote it high enough that you can sub it out in the event you get it. There are niches its just one you don't want to be in.

In fact, huggy, you have friends in the plumbing business who are doing low priced jobs and going out of business. Why not quote high. That sets the mark for the bids. Then tell one of your friends that really needs the business what you quoted so they can come in a little lower. Assuming that other established plumbers, like you, don't want that business, push that business to someone you like?

[Steve B]

Well, you can't exactly refuse ANY customer. Think of the way Woolworths refused certain customers at their lunch counters in the 50's. But, you can refuse a customer as long as you have a legal reason to do so (geography is certainly a legal reason).

I wouldn't worry about it. I guess you could have handled it better, but you didn't deserve to be told off because you didn't respond to one phone message. I don't think this is going to hurt your reputation with any of your potential customers.

[huggytree]

so i can tell customers....'sorry I dont service that area'

I could tell they were black, but it wasnt a racist thing at all. i work for black people all the time.....im also quite popular in the lesbian community for some reason...all i care about is the money.

I let her vent and ended the conversation positively...i said thanks for the advice...then said have a nice day....hoping it will end there.

i know you cant discriminate on race, but wasnt sure about neighborhood.....i hope this customer could see the difference..

i dont know anyone who wants to work in these neighborhoods....not plumbing anyways...the guys i know charge more than me....

[Steve B]

I have another business where I deliver dog food. There are a few zip codes I don't go to. My wife was delivering one day and is pretty sure she saw a drug deal go down. We don't need to be driving around those parts of town.

[huggytree]

didnt ever see a drug deal, but have heard gun shots

i live in a country type sub division..i hear gun shots here also, but hopefully it isnt the same type of situation as the inner city gun shots

[cocoy]

In my old company, we never refused a job. We'd give them a high price if we didn't want to do it though and eventually they find someone cheaper.

[huggytree]

typically i discuss prices before getting the address...the address is typically the last thing in the phone conversation.....

'oh you live there, well then add $100 per hour onto that price'

how will it go over?

[Steve B]

I always find out where they live before giving a price. I cover a very wide area and I have to charge a bit extra for the really long drives

[Paper Shredder Clay]

I don't see a reason to quote a high bid unless you are willing to honor it. I disagree with not returning the call. You should tell them that it is out of your service area.