how to kick out a client

I have enough with this guy.

[guoqi]

It is 4:00 am now Amsterdam time, I can not sleep because I just waked up by a client at 3:00am because he thought that our SMTP server is not working.

This client is incrediable. He always told me that he will pay the invoice tomorrow, but actually he always pay after two months, after I remind enough times. He do not want to spend any money but want to get full service.

What can I do with this client?

[GaryK]

Hi guoqi,

I guess the first question is, does this client cost you money or are you still making money from him?

Second, are you obligated to offer telephone support 24/7? I have a great host for my dedicated server and even they don't have telephone support 24/7. They do have technicians on staff to deal with trouble tickets 24/7 but there's no way to contact them directly. That's fine with me. If your client needs telephone support 24/7 then I'd suggest he find a host which offers this service. Of course he'll have to pay more for it and perhaps that's why he's hesitant to leave you behind.

If you're going to retain him as a customer you MUST set the parameters for what you're willing to offer/tolerate.

[jatar_k]

some threads that might help you
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[guoqi]

I guess the first question is, does this client cost you money or are you still making money from him?

This client costs me lots of money. There is 0 profit I can make from this client. I just want to get rid of him.

It was a horrible deal with this client. I found out already long ago that this is the not kind of client I can keep. But if I stop doing something for this client, he will email me in any way, call any of my nrs. I feel like that it is my responsibility to offer support, so I continue doing something for him.

[GaryK]

I know this may be hard to do, but IMO you should tell this client you no longer want to do business with him. I've only had to do that once and I hope I never have to do it again. Decide on a reasonable amount of time for him to find another host. Tell him how long he's got. Then comes the hard part. Refuse to deal with him after his time runs out. Do it politely. Not that it will matter to him but it will to you.

[Feydakin]

Fire the client.. Thre are a lot of ways you can do this, politely and softly, or rudely and loudly.. It depends on how you feel about this client.. I've fired many customers in many businesses over the years and it's actually become something that I truley enjoy doing when it's needed.. You just have to remember that you are in charge.. All he has is money, you have knowledge and power.. You can always find more money..

As for how, you could simply tell him that you have decided to not renew your contract with him and that he should find new service and be moved within 30 - 60 or 90 days based on how much he owes you or you owe him for service already paid for.. Worst case you can give him 30 days and a refund of the difference, assuming he has pre-paid..

Also, for hosting customers, I'm assuming that is what he is since he called you about email service being down, we have a 30 day grace period.. On day 31 the site is automatically shut off.. We still collect email for them, but there is no other access to the account until it's brought current.. It's stated clearly on the website and on every invoice.. So there is no reason for them to be surprised..

Steve

[texasville]

Tell him:
step out the back, jack-
make a new plan, stan,
no need to be coy, roy-
just listen to me-
jump on the bus, gus-
no need to discuss much-
just drop off the key, lee
and set yourself free-
50 ways to leave your client-

[guoqi]

just drop off the key, lee and set yourself free

That is pretty easy, isn't it? I decide to stop everything with this client.

[etechsupport]

texasville,

Do you've similar tips to retain customers? I am curious to know.