Asian customers

[cajar]

I'll start by saying this is not a racist thread by any means, just a comment on CULTURE differences. So by asian i mean people by culture, not british people with asian heritage. Please no racist comments.

When working in such a home, I have often noticed the man of the house will stand over me the entire time Im there, following me if neccesary. some british people do this too, but it's generally considered rude. asians seem to do it without fail and I've got used to it, and just expect it now instead of considering it rude. I just wondered if there is something in the culture or religion that says they have to do this or is it just how things are done overseas? Anyone else noticed this a lot?

 

[tony1851]

You may be right.
Where I am we have a large Asian community, mostly Pakistani/Bangladeshi and some Indian, and a significant minority of my clients are therefore Asian.
And yes, many do seem to follow me around asking questions about this and that; I think it's just a cultural thing - rather than being rude - and you just have to take it in your stride (or reduce your client-base).

 

[longdogs]

It's because they want to be able to tell you how little work you actually did for the amount you are charging.

 

[sooey]

Had one the other day, lovely girl who I've done a couple of jobs for previously. She stood watching while I was messing about under the kitchen sink, and followed me upstairs to the bog (good job I was fixing it, not using it)
Anyway gave her a price to do two jobs (new backnut on kitchen tap, new filling valve on bog). Told her sixty quid including bits, which I thought was more than reasonable.
She accepted that happily and I arranged to come back with the bits later, (didn't have a side entry filling valve).
Half an hour later she calls and says that she's spoken to her boyfriend who says I'm too expensive, because there's hardly any work to be done.
He thinks it should be £35 quid, , obviously told her to tell her boyfriend to do it himself. That story is typical for asian customers, not all of them, but enough of them to make me want to say f*ck em.
Which I often do when one rings me for a quote, I will most likely swerve them rather than risk wasting my time.

 

[rubble2]

I was organising some work for a letting agent, he passed me on the details for a landlord who was on his books - said 'It would be best if you dealt with him direct', I wondered why but soon found out.

He asked for a gas safety cert for the property which was empty, passed the job onto a gas engineer who carried out the work no problems showing.
Sent landlord the invoice - no response (hadn't sent him the certificate fortunatly). Tried contacting him repeatedly over the next few weeks but eventually gave up and put it down to experience.

About six months later got a call from the landlord asking for the certificate - sure I said, just as soon as I have cleared payment in my account - do I get a discount he asked as the certificate only has 6 months to run.

I politely told him that as I had waited 6 months to be paid I would pass on the opportunity to reduce the payment owed and he duly paid up.

Six months later he rang me again to ask me to organise a new inspection - told him to do one

 

[longdogs]

I always get them saying 'it's a very small job' or 'All you have to do is...'

Do it yourself then

 

[Deleted member 63160]

I always politely decline to work for them now. Boils my **** the way they try to haggle after accepting a quote.

 

[Dextraneous]

A friend of mine did some private tutoring a couple of years ago. The kid's parents had agreed the hourly rate and lessons began. After half a dozen weeks without being paid he asked the parents if they could pay up, at which point he was asked to produce an invoice. "Fair enough" he thought and he sent them one. A month later he got an email from the kid's father saying the price was too high and he'd only be paying half of the fee.

Family involved was white middle class. Goes on everywhere!!

 

[planenut]

There is no doubt that it is in the Asian culture to haggle, even when I had a set price they wanted to change/reduce the figure; the negotiations don't last as long when I start putting the price up an equal amount to their offer of reduction.
I doubt they'd be happy if you went in to their shop and offered to pay less.

 

[Whitespirit66]

Luckily, Bristol isn't too multicultural: yet. Long before I went into business, my old man warned me about 'Asian ways' and told me to be wary. He had a few difficulties with them himself.

With few Asians in the area, I decided a long time ago that they aren't worth the aggro, and refuse point blank to do business with them. Heard from too many in the trade about having to haggle on tupenny-ha'penny float valve, tap change, etc jobs - after quote given and job done. Non payment is quite common. It appears that because they work all the hours for small reward, you are expected to do the same.

I get very few enquiries from Asians anyway, so no real loss of business. Let someone else struggle with them.

 

[longdogs]

Boils my p**s

 

[tony1851]

There are a few posts here regarding Asian clients haggling over prices.
Having worked for years with them, I don't see the problem - it's part of their culture and you learn to work round it.
There are 2 stages - fixing the price for the job, and then getting the agreed payment for the job.

For pricing the job, you put some on (normal business) and then come down a little so they feel they've achieved something, and you shake on it. When asking for final payment, you have to be prepared for more bartering, but need to be polite but firm, and remind them that they shook on it.

One personal advantage I have had is that, as some posters here have said, they do not take work on for Asian clients. Because of this, Asians sometimes have difficulty in getting people to do work for them, and because of that, most of my work from them comes by recommendation because they know I am happy to do work with them.

Many years ago, one regular Asian client taught me how to count in Urdu.
I can't speak any of their language, but I know most of the figures, and bartering with figures in their own language breaks the ice!.

 

[Deleted member 63160]

it's part of their culture and you learn to work round it.

It's part of my culture to honour a deal and not try to mess around with a mans money. I've learnt to work without them. Horses for courses though agreed. If your pulling the right money out of them fair play.

 

[sooey]

tony 1851, as someone said try going in an asian shop, take a basketful
of gear to the till and offer half of what the total comes to.
See if it's in their culture to bargain with you then. fck em.

 

[tony1851]

tony 1851, as someone said try going in an asian shop, take a basketful
of gear to the till and offer half of what the total comes to.
See if it's in their culture to bargain with you then. fck em.

I wouldn't go to a convenience store anyway as they often have short-dated stock.
But as regards bartering, you couldn't go into Tesco or Asda or Aldi and start doing that either.
Some things you can't barter over, but if you're seling a service. maybe.