When High-Maintenance Customers Cost More Than They Pay

It helps to separate "what does this account cost" from "what do we do about it", because the answer changes depending on which kind of cost it is.

For recurring accounts I'd look at three buckets for a couple of months: extra time on site beyond what the visit was priced for, office time (calls, texts, reschedules), and visits that had to be moved or redone. Even a rough tally per account is enough to see who's an outlier.

Then:

• If it's scope creep (they keep adding small extras), write the extras into the agreement as named add-ons with a price. Most good customers are fine paying for something once it's on paper.
• If it's time creep on the same scope (the job just takes longer than when you priced it), that's a price review. Give written notice with the new price and the date, the way your agreement says, and say what stays the same.
• If it's process friction (special windows, pre-calls, long walkthroughs), offer it as a premium option, or give them your standard process and let them decide.
• If none of that changes anything, finish what you're committed to and give notice per the agreement. Keep it polite and in writing.

The other side someone mentioned is worth repeating: if several customers ask the same thing, fix the process before you reprice anyone.