When working for difficult people

[scammy]

Ok let me sum this up I am a student at a community college who will be transferring in January to a major university anyways the university has set me up with jobs (horticulture is my major) people call the university and then describe what they would like done, weeding landscaping etc... Ok my first customers are awesome even fixed me toast and juice or make sure I have water, very classy people. They have referred me to a senior citizen group in the area. Ok customer number two the male was very strange and condescending and tried to micromanage me (retired psychology professor for the university). I thought for the two days I worked for him he was using me as a experiment in how to totally make someone who is very docile go crazy. Oh and when I told him my rates they shorted me two dollars an hour the second day Iwont go into the I should rake five tons of dirt with a 19" rake and not a shovel... so not to mention they were strange but cheap too. On to my last customer who takes the cake she wanted me too pay for all of her plants and then she would reimburse me um....wait a second you hired a student because they need the money where would I get 150 to 200 to pay up front. This lady put her unplanted plants in her garage all night because she was afraid someone would steal them..Uh yeah she did. Ok so I spent time designing selecting and driving to the numerous nurseries then went again with her. She was so cheap she asked me to drive her in my own car to one nursery and then wanted me to follow her to another nursery. I told her I was almost on E which I was I had already invested like 30 plus miles and 6 hours by myself just getting to this point. Ok so her and I get everything bought I dig up some more move a rock three times before she likes it and that’s OK great I love that part that’s what I get paid for manual labor. I go home and she calls me freaking out because the plants I told her to buy without me are suppose to grow two feet bigger than the ones I had planned on buying at a different nursery and she carries on how she spent $50. I just kept repeating it did not matter about the two feet and she was free to do whatever she felt it was her garden. I think she expected me to take the trees back or something I don't know, anyways I tell her picked up 60 lbs of dirt after I left that night (paid with my own $$$) and she exclaims almost hysterically I thought you were going to get 100 lbs. I calmly explained to her that my car is old, which she knows is old because she rode her cheap ass in it, has bad shocks and that is allot of weight. She said,"Oh I never thought of that", she ended up getting more dirt herself and saying oh,"I don't know if my car will take it" she drives like a 2004. Ok back to the monster two feet trees I was trying to plant in her yard. I assured her that the 2 feet would not be a big deal especially if she did not plan on staying there for more than 5 to eight years. She said she did not want to plant them and make it somebody else’s problem. They took the trees back problem solved. I plant the flowers the next day I work eight hours or whatever without a break and when I tell her that I will return on Sunday she pretty much forces me to work longer. I told her the remaining grasses would be fine in their pots until I could return on her next day off which was seven days later anyways I returned the following week and she had planted the grasses to low in the ground (did not say a word its her yard). It was very wet and going to rain some more so I did not fertilize. I told her to call me for a reschedule she called me a few days later and when she called she never left a message... So I did not return her call for a month I left her a message explaining I had been busy and I did see she had called and if she needed any assistance with her plants to call me. I called again today and told her I just wanted to know if her plants were doing OK and she coldly replied yes they are doing fine. I told her I was going to drive by but felt that would be a little weird and she replied well I called because I did not want you to use pictures of my house in any of your flyers. So with all my planning and time gas and everything I think I made only like $80 for 16 hours work..... I swear some people can be so unclassy. The day I finished when I left she thanked me profusely for helping her and now I can't use her garden for examples. Too be honest without the trees it looks crappy and I have not used the pictures. Is it me? I have another person I have worked for all summer and he is great too other than he cut my hours but at least he acknowledged that. He emailed me a message that said he knew I need more hours but he could not work it into his schedule budget, no biggie I still work for him. When she said that I could not use her house in the very curt manner I cheerily replied OH OK well thank you bye bye and hung up...but it really bothered me what did I do wrong?

[scammy]

when ranting I tend to do all of the above

[Stardust06]

You are so young! I've been working in the corporate world for over 20 years and have worked with and for just about every psycho/bizarre personality you can imagine.

 

You can't escape them - idiots are everywhere. Work would be great if it weren't for the PEOPLE!!!!

 

Here are my words of wisdom for you: Never get personal with anyone at work (don't tell them you got pulled over by the cops, or got into a fight with your date, just had an abortion or ANYTHING personal in nature) -it will always be used against you at one time or another because people love to backstab. Don't trust anyone - keep your distance.

 

Learn that everyone has a personality - and not everyone will like you. You don't have to do a thing - some people are just gonna be out to get you or not like you for no reason.

 

Learn that no matter where you go, what job you get - you're going to have difficult people to work with or for. Learn to not take things personally - go the bookstore - there are TONS of books on how to deal with difficult coworkers.

 

Remember never to burn bridges - remain professional and no matter how much it kills you - don't say or do anything that could come back to bite you in the bootie.

 

Tough lessons - took me several beatings on the head to learn them!

[bluechocolate]

Paragraph breaks are your friend.

[scammy]

Thanks for the advice you are so right and I did let this customer know of my personal life since I had to take them with me to buy plants. I have learned my lesson I have two other customers that I keep @ a comfortable distance and only make "small talk and basic information about me" but leave intimite details of my life out. They continue to call and refer me to other people. I am on my way out the door now to thin out some bearded irises which will be beautiful next summer (if they bloom it might take two years) Waiting for the leaves to fall that job does not require alot of human contact rake bag drag