Forum Discussion

HUGEHomePros's avatar
HUGEHomePros
Jobber Ambassador
3 days ago

What do you do with a customer that wants you to remove protection everyday?

i got an interesting one - going forward I can definitely put this in the contract but wondering how you guys would handle this. 

So we are doing a remodel and the bathroom is deep in to their house. I had told them that floor protections would be down for the duration of the project but we would clean them every day. After the first day, the customer told us to take them all down and they expected them down every day. Now we already demo-ed their shower so it's not like I'm going to walk off this job. This particular customer was also getting very hung up on language in the quote regarding stuff that usually gets sorted out onsite (like which tile is going in the back of a 12x12 niche) and we also had to get a change order to do some reframing because the wall framing was basically gone. 

Would you guys make an issue out of this with them or bite the bullet and take the learning lesson? I should have def put it in the contract but every time I tell someone the protections will stay down, they usually don't go back on their "word" or acknowledgment or whatever you want to call it. 

contracts & contracting
customer service & experience
general contracting
handyman

5 Replies

  • David_Rodriguez's avatar
    David_Rodriguez
    New Member
    2 days ago

    I have never really experienced a situation like that. Most customers don't mind leaving the protection up or on the floor. However,  there are occasions where it maybe necessary for the customer to have it down or removed daily. Regardless of the situation,  2 things need to be shared with the customer.

    1. Putting up and taking down the protection will add time to the length of the project. As it can be time consuming. 
    2. There is additional expenses that will be added to the contract for the additional material and labor. 

    No need to get upset or flustered over it. Although we've been asked to come in to their home and do the work,  ultimately we are in their world and our presence is a disruption to their normal life. For that,  we have to be understanding and respect their wishes. But,  at the same time,  they have to understand that our time and materials are not free. 

    Usually,  when presented with the added time and money,  they allow you to leave it up. But if they still insist, you are still covering your material and labor costs. 

  • TurfT's avatar
    TurfT
    Contributor 4
    1 day ago

    I'm not a remodeler — my background is electrical, commercial services, and now lawn care — but I'd frame this as a "choose your battles" decision, and the deciding factor is project duration.

    If this is a multi-week project, the customer's request is actually reasonable. They live there. Weeks of floor protection through the middle of their house is a real quality-of-life cost, and David's point about pricing the daily setup/teardown into it is the right mechanism — respect the request, charge for the labor it creates.

    But if you're in and out in a few days? Bite the bullet, eat the few minutes a day, and move on. The goodwill is worth more than the friction, especially with a customer who's already hung up on quote language — pushing back on this becomes the thing they remember about you, not the quality of the tile work.

    Either way, the lesson you already identified is the real answer: it goes in the contract going forward, with the daily-removal option priced as a line item so the customer chooses it with the cost attached instead of negotiating it after demo.

    • Homeownership's avatar
      Homeownership
      Contributor 4
      1 day ago

      Sometimes flexibility is worth more than winning an argument. If the request is reasonable, I would offer a paid option and keep the relationship positive.

  • Johnarthur1955's avatar
    Johnarthur1955
    Contributor 2
    2 days ago

    I believe..The customer trusted us and gave us the project. They live there and do not want a construction zone 24/8

  • Esther's avatar
    Esther
    Contributor 3
    1 day ago

    I'd probably accommodate the request on this project and treat it as a process lesson going forward.

    From your description, the floor protection isn't really the issue—this customer seems to want a higher level of detail and certainty throughout the project. The fact that they were focused on quote language and niche details early on is usually a sign.

    For me, the bigger takeaway would be to document these expectations up front in future contracts so there's less room for interpretation later.

    Sometimes the easiest path is to finish the project strong, keep the relationship positive, and use the experience to tighten up your process for the next job.