The most important thing I've ever built was my contracts - and these help set boundaries for these clients. Need something extra? Well that's not in the contract. Let me get you a change order. I think where some contractor's get in trouble is maybe they messed something up in the beginning and feel like "they owe" something to the customer, then start giving out freebies. That's a slippery slope. I was that guy for a while but what I started doing, if I'm giving them a freebie - document it! Issue a change order for $1 for the thing you are fixing, outline in the change order why you are doing it and make them sign it. Then it ends there. When they want something else, new change order.
I've also had people that we've done this with and they still are a pain. Just get through the project you are on and if they reach out again just tell them you are at capacity and suggest someone else for them to go with.
I like the idea of documenting the freebie.
That’s a smart way to keep a one-time accommodation from quietly becoming the new expectation.
The contract and change-order piece is huge too. Once the scope is written down, it’s much easier to have a clean conversation instead of arguing over what someone thought was included.
And I agree on the repeat-business part. Sometimes the best move is to finish the current job professionally, then simply not take on the next one. There are many nightmare jobs I would never want to scoop again lol
