If you have a customer who is trying to jilt you, it can be tough, but not impossible to control.
At some point most contractors encounter the job from Hell. It’s a law of averages thing. The more work you do or the longer you’re in business, the more likely you’re going to make a mistake or encounter an unreasonable customer. So, what do you do when you find yourself in trouble?
Rule number one is don’t ignore the problem. Denial will only make things worse. Oddly enough, denial when pursuing this job may have gotten you into this situation. Dig in and figure out the cause of the problem. If it was a bad bid, determine where you went wrong. Consider approaching the customer for help. I know the customer may tell you to pound sand, but it doesn’t hurt to ask. Depending on the job and budgets, they may be able to help you out. We had a landscape contractor that had a designer calculate 5,000-plus square yards of sod in square feet, leaving that portion of the job almost 90 percent short. Fortunately, the job was bid under the original budget and a compassionate owner helped the contractor out.