Something that really gets my goat is when people pretend to be stupid in order to take advantage of me in some way. After being in business for 23 years, I’ve seen my share of Faux Ignoramuses. And, if you’ve owned your own business for awhile, you probably know EXACTLY what kind of client I’m referring to.

Their emails leave you shaking your head. You say to yourself (or out loud), “Can this person POSSIBLY be that stupid? I mean…they managed to wake up, get dressed, turn on their computer, and get online, right?”

No, they are NOT. They’re actually quite intelligent because what they’re doing is playing dumb in order to rip you off.

Examples:

THE DENIER
This is the customer who gave you the wrong shipping address, and who KNOWS he gave you the wrong address (because it’s right there on the receipt that was instantly emailed to him). Yet, he continues to blame you, the shipping company, or even the person who printed the shipping label. When you gently tell him that, if he can’t contact the person at the address where the package was delivered, he will need to pay to have the product reshipped to the correct address, he goes ballistic, insisting he didn’t screw up….when he knows he did. This type of client will even use threats to your reputation to get free replacement products. I’m not referring to a $20 order. I’m talking about several hundred dollars of product.

I once issued a credit to a client’s credit card because, to be frank, he’d turned into a jerk and I didn’t want to do business with him any longer. Our website clearly states, “We don’t work with jerks.” On the exact same day I credited his card (and sent him the credit receipt), he issued a chargeback to his card. And, guess what? He ended up getting double his money back, which equaled several hundred dollars.

I contacted him numerous times. He at first ignored my emails. When I threatened to report him for fraud, he finally responded, and pulled the ignorant card. I already had proof of the chargeback so I knew he was playing dumb in an attempt to rip me off. It took TWO MONTHS but he finally sent the money he owed.

The exact statement on our website is: “We, unfortunately, don’t work with jerks. If you are a jerk, you’d be better served by one of our competitors. We prefer to work with professional individuals…who have manners.”

And, that statement has been a GREAT filtering tool!! Jerks get really offended by it while nice people think it’s funny.

THE BACKSLIDER
Then there are the people who admit they screwed up at first, but later deny it when they realize there are financial consequences associated with their own screw-up. Let’s say a magazine editor sends you an assignment that they meant to send to another writer. You do the research, write the article, and submit it. The editor initially apologizes, and says she will send you the correct assignment right away. You gently remind her that you DID do the work and that you DO need to be paid. And, then she responds by saying you should have known it was the wrong one, it’s all your fault, not hers, you’re out of luck, etc.

When I mess up, and realize my error is going to cost somebody ELSE some money, I always offer to pay whatever the error has cost that person or company. Unfortunately, many people in this world don’t work or think that way.

THE TIME THIEF
Then there are the people who you’re really, really nice to because they seem to need more support than your other clients. Perhaps they are elderly, or computer-challenged, or they have some other difficulty. You go above and beyond to help them, even offering extra free services to help them get their project moved along.

Unfortunately, it has been my experience that, the more you give people for free, the more “free” they’re going to expect. Worse, when a client starts to assume that you are working only for them, and doing nothing else with your time, their needs and demands increase. They may even get upset if you don’t respond to their emails right away. And, that’s when you realize that perhaps that client claimed to need special attention in the beginning in order to get free services and extra chunks of your time.

When you finally realize what’s going on, you put your foot down, and put your finger in the dyke to stop the bleed. Then, the needy client gets furious when you explain to them that their requests have gone far above and beyond, and that, if they want additional special services, they will need to pay for them.

THE EMAIL REPEATER
Have you ever received frequent (often daily) very short, one- or two-sentence emails from a potential client? They may repeat their questions, or simply send you a note telling you about their day. They haven’t yet signed up for your service but they keep emailing you. And, the emails are obviously a waste of your and their time.

Why are they emailing you nonsensical stuff? Because they want you to respond so they won’t forget about signing up with you some time in the future. They constantly want a “new” email from you in the top of their in-box. I can count on all of my fingers and toes (and those of my employees as well) how many times I’ve dealt with email repeaters over the years. After a week of daily emails (sometimes several per day), I gently ask these folks to not email me again until after they sign up.

THE WEAR DOWNER
And, that brings me to my final example – people who play dumb over and over and over just to wear you down, hoping to get something for free. I had two experiences like this just in the past week. Rather than paying for the service that was quoted, these two individuals spent hours sending me numerous emails daily with questions, comments, additional questions, repeats of previous questions they’d asked, and far more. And, like the email repeater, if you don’t respond to them right away, they start to get angry. I’ve seen this type of behavior many times over the years. They assume that you’ll get tired of answering them, and that you will simply do free work for them just to get them out of your hair.

When I meet someone like that, I do the opposite. I tell them to take their business elsewhere. Of course, when you do that, and when they realize they can’t get that service for less anywhere else, they quickly rectify their behavior. However, do you really, really want to keep doing business with someone who spent days (or weeks) wasting your time while trying to get free work out of you? Yeah, me neither!

I’ll get off my soapbox now. Thank you for listening…I mean reading. 😉

RELATED

• When Charging a Pain in the (Bleep) Client More Money…is More Than Justified
• Four Types of Clients to Avoid to Earn More Money with Less Stress! By Jennifer Brown Banks
• Would YOU Write for a Convicted Killer? 5 Types of Clients…and Which Ones to AVOID! by Rich Mintzer, Ghostwriter
• Use Low Paying Sites to Find Higher Paying Clients – Yes, REALLY! by Jane Fazackarley
• Charge Your Clients by the MINUTE?? Sure! Here’s How and Why… – By Sharon Woodhouse
• How to Deal With Your Clients’ TERRIBLE Ideas By Ryan Leclaire

Got questions about Print On Demand and Self-publishing? Ask Angela Hoy.

About The Author

Angela Hoy is the publisher of WritersWeekly.com, the author of 19 books, and the co-owner of BookLocker.com (one of the original POD publishers that still gets books to market in less than a month), PubPreppers.com (print and ebook design for authors who truly want to self-publish), and Abuzz Press (the publishing co-op that charges no setup fees).

Angela has lived and traveled across the U.S. with her kids in an RV, settled in a river-side home in Bradenton, FL, and lived on a 52 ft Irwin sailboat. Angela now resides on a mountaintop in Northwest Georgia, where she plans to spend the rest of her days bird watching, gardening, hiking, and taking in all of the amazing sunrises.

WritersWeekly.com - the free marketing ezine for writers, which features new paying markets and freelance job listings every Wednesday.

BookLocker.com - According to attorney Mark Levine, author of The Fine Print, BookLocker is: "As close to perfection as you're going to find in the world of ebook and POD publishing. The ebook royalties are the highest I've ever seen, and the print royalties are better than average. BookLocker understands what new authors experience, and have put together a package that is the best in the business. You can't go wrong here. Plus, they're selective and won't publish any manuscript just because it's accompanied by a check. Also, the web site is well trafficked. If you can find a POD or epublisher with as much integrity and dedication to selling authors' books, but with lower POD publishing fees, please let me know."

Abuzz Press offers FAST and FREE book publication, but only accepts a small percentage of submissions, and only works with U.S. authors.

PubPreppers.com - "We Prep, You Publish!" Print and ebook design for authors who truly want to self-publish. Offers formatting and design services only, and then provides simple instructions for authors on where to sign up to have the print and ebook editions printed/listed/sold. Cut out the middle man. Keep 100% of what bookstores pay for your book!

Angela's POD Secrets Revealed Series can be found HERE.

Have a POD Book with another publisher? See if BookLocker can give you a better deal. (BookLocker offers "disgruntled author discounts" to those who want to move from other POD services.)

See BookLocker's publishing packages HERE.

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