Vent: Gave a $50 discount and the client still complained about the total

Used to always soften the blow on my bids. Throw in a discount before they even asked. Thought it made me look nice. Last month landed a $1,200 fence repair job. Gave them $50 off right off the bat. They still haggled me down another $100 after the work. Now I quote my real number first. Wait for them to ask. Never offer a discount up front anymore. Has anyone else had a client take a discount and still push for less?

3 comments

3 Comments

kimblack11d ago

A buddy of mine runs a handyman service and learned this the hard way too. He gave a senior a 10% discount on a deck staining job because the guy seemed nice. After the work was done, the guy called back saying the color was off and demanded another $200 off. My buddy ended up eating the cost just to avoid the headache. He told me the same thing you said: don't offer discounts upfront, ever. Wait until they ask, and even then, keep it small. It's like some people just see it as a starting point to negotiate down even more.

zaranelson11d ago

Did they give a specific reason for still complaining?

ray_burns11d ago

Yeah the "color was off" thing is a classic. I once painted a buddy's fence for cheap and he came back saying the green looked too blue. I'm like man it's called "Fern Green" not "Sky Blue". But he kept at it so I just went back and slapped another coat of the same can on there. He didn't say another word about it. Some people just gotta find something to complain about to feel like they won.