We provide telephone and internet services and we've got a client who thinks that being rude, demanding, swearing and threatening will get her what she wants. We've brought up her attitude to the store before and to HQ because she was extremely abusive to two of our staff last time they had issues.

What happened is that the internet service was online but the store had no connectivity. They reported it late in the evening and said we can send a tech in the morning. Which we did, but by morning the issue seemed to have self resolved so they turned the tech away. We invoiced for that, they should have canceled the call out before (costs were incurred for that call out).

Things were fine the whole day and then come late in the evening again, internet went down again. They go angry at US for it and said to send a tech in the morning. We tried our best to arrange for this but unfortunately we couldn't, our staff aren't sitting around doing nothing and the soonest we could get someone there was that evening. They also refused telephonic support in the interim and swore at our tech and hung up the phone.

The WHOLE day they were harassing us via every single platform we have (email, WhatsApp, website contact requests, phone, etc) even though we communicated that sorry, none of our techs are available and the soonest we can get someone is the evening.

When our tech went out (keep in mind this was a client we've never actually visited before, we inherited the client), he said the site was an absolute MESS and it was going to take a while to trace cables and see what's happening. As he was doing this, we were still receiving abusive communication about how our tech doesn't know what he's doing because he can't just fix it and things are going down while he's busy (which I explained was perfectly normal while tracing cables and fixing). Ultimately after two hours the problem was resolved.

A formal report with pictures was sent to all to explain why the store had this issue, why it took long to resolve and also informing them due to their behaviour we will not be providing onsite assistance anymore. I issued a second invoice for this and sent it along.

This was the first time we've had issues with this store in over a year.

It's been a month and no payment. When I followed up on payment I was simply told the service they received wasn't worth paying. In the meantime we have to pay our techs for this. So I tried to meet them halfway and said I will take 10% off the second invoice if they settle. The same rude, demanding woman said she will not pay for the first invoice because no one actually did anything and then she will pay the second invoice next week. I said she needs proof that she tried to cancel the call out before arrival before I will credit, and she can't, a month later, decide what she can and can't pay (not in those words, of course).

She has outright said that she will NOT pay anymore than previously stated, and now we are out of pocket. Our tech took too long to fix the issue and we didn't communicate effectively with her (we ignored some of the more threatening communication from her that day).

I am waiting for her to actually make the payment, but then I want to give her notice to move her services to another provider by the end of the month. We need the money but we also don't need clients like that.

Or would you handle it differently?

Buuvke, we have strict terms and conditions whereby we state invoices can be disputed within one week of receipt and are payable by the end of the month they were issued in. Our terms and conditions also state that ANY call out, unless you are on a fixed fee, attracts a fee. It also states that we do not work on third party equipment (and that was one of the things they got angry at us for, because it was their Point of Sale which we don't manage that wasn't working but we attended anyway because their POS people didn't), and then finally it does also state that if there is a mutual loss of trust and respect between provider and client we may give notice. Those are all legal terms and conditions.

Christina because costs were incurred. A technician took the time to drive to site. It cost gas money, time, another job was pushed out for it. They knew a tech was coming, they should have cancelled if it resolved itself. Not wait until the tech was in their store.

Daniela they called today pretending they didn't understand what the account was about even though we literally just had this discussion on Friday. And still no payment. Definitely either stalling or being purposely difficult.

Lolloh they did have service, it just wasn't working onsite due to the absolute mess of a caring situation. But regardless I have also passed a 50% credit on the first little invoice too so hopefully that's enough to keep them happy... Otherwise I don't know.... Not happy with them as clients at the moment.