Nasty Client Website Lets Businesses Review Customers

CommanderFrank

CommanderFrank

Cat Can't Scratch It
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In sort of a reverse engineering project of sites like Angie’s List, a former landscaper has created a website to rate customers called NastyClient.com. The site deals with everything from the obvious non-paying deadbeats to customers who are just a pain to do work for.

Sites such as Yelp or Angie's List give an open forum for consumers to rave or rant about their experiences, but platforms for business owners aren't as accessible.
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I should have expected this. But, I can also this this becoming a privacy issue.
 
win. you would be amazed whit the amount of people that think its ok no to pay for work, or that just are a pain in the ass to work for. Or worse they clam you broke/stole something when you never even went in the house and only changed a capacitor on the condenser.
 
Becoming a privacy issue? It already is one. Deadbeats? That's what credit reports are for. Otherwise, too bad--the customer is always right. If you don't like it, don't do business with them and STFU.

But, I'm glad some people are doing well enough that they can pick and choose their customers. :p
 
prime2515102 said:
Becoming a privacy issue? It already is one. Deadbeats? That's what credit reports are for. Otherwise, too bad--the customer is always right. If you don't like it, don't do business with them and STFU.

But, I'm glad some people are doing well enough that they can pick and choose their customers. :p
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How is it any different than using yelp/etc to rate a sole proprietor? Just because they are business owners, they don't have a right to privacy, too?

Some customers make it necessary to pick and choose. Bad customers not only cost the business money, but in turn cost other customers money. They should be held responsible.
 
All the HRs of the system will need to pay into this system. Why stop only at retail and services?
 
Casinos already do this. Get blacklisted in one and there's a chance you'll get blacklisted in pretty much all of them (apparently).
 
You guys never hard about Clients from Hell? Its been around a bit longer. As the proprieter of a business you'd be amazed at how utterly stupid most of my clients are. Really imbecilic doesn't begin to describe the kinds of people out there. After dealing with such customers, I am often left pondering how they even manage to breath or get out of bed in the morning.
 
JerryMaxwell said:
You guys never hard about Clients from Hell? Its been around a bit longer. As the proprieter of a business you'd be amazed at how utterly stupid most of my clients are. Really imbecilic doesn't begin to describe the kinds of people out there. After dealing with such customers, I am often left pondering how they even manage to breath or get out of bed in the morning.
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Sorry I meant www.clientsfromhell.net
 
Superdemon said:
Turnabout is fair play.
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Yeah except the difference is that more likely than not a shitty worker/business that gets fired/relieved will probably give bad reviews and put all the onus on the client. Very few times will a customer actually get "thrown out" of a business (and yeah they'd also probably leave a bad review)
 
joblo37pam said:
How is it any different than using yelp/etc to rate a sole proprietor? Just because they are business owners, they don't have a right to privacy, too?

Some customers make it necessary to pick and choose. Bad customers not only cost the business money, but in turn cost other customers money. They should be held responsible.
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It'd be easier for a company to incorrectly ID a customer, than a customer incorrectly ID a business
 
prime2515102 said:
Becoming a privacy issue? It already is one. Deadbeats? That's what credit reports are for. Otherwise, too bad--the customer is always right. If you don't like it, don't do business with them and STFU.
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What landscaper or contractor like a painter, electrician, or plumber is going to be able to run a credit check on you?

And how does that cover people that just want to haggle and haggle and haggle AFTER the fact that you've done the work and already agreed on a price? My buddies dad was old-school Indian and he had no shame and just said that's how you always do business in India, but I'm sure it would drive a contractor crazy.

The customer is not always right, there are customers that are just bad that you don't want, and being able to identify them is important. For example, all it takes is a few bad apples to ruin a company's lenient return policy by taking items for their broken devices out and returning it, breaking it and returning it as not wanted, or just plain using something with the intention from the get-go of returning it later making it a free rental (got a game coming up, get a 75" LCD from XYZ store, invite all the buddies over, then return it). Amazon has its own system for rating customers now, so they can cut off the people that abuse their return policy for example.

I think this is just smart, and it benefits all the good consumers.
 
sfsuphysics said:
Yeah except the difference is that more likely than not a shitty worker/business that gets fired/relieved will probably give bad reviews and put all the onus on the client.
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How is this any different than stupid customers that badmouth a business? You wouldn't believe some of the comments I've read on ebay and amazon for example. The best was last week I was looking for a POT (not a pan) and the guy gave it a 1 star review saying that "this has no anti-stick to it whatsoever, try to fry an egg and it will be scrambled"... who the hell fries an egg in a stainless steel pot that says nothing about anti-stick coating on it in the first place, which is meant for boiling noodles and the like. LOL!

Common sense dictates they would ignore a single bad review just as you or I do when checking a business. Customers that have 20 five star reviews and nothing negative could also be offered a lower price than customers that have lower reviews, since the lower review customers have higher risks/hassles potentially involved.
 
Ducman69 said:
And how does that cover people that just want to haggle and haggle and haggle AFTER the fact that you've done the work and already agreed on a price? My buddies dad was old-school Indian and he had no shame and just said that's how you always do business in India, but I'm sure it would drive a contractor crazy.
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This is a common topic on contractor discussion forums. Conventional wisdom is that if you, for some reason, decide to do some work for Indians, Asians, or lesbians, etc. you better make sure you have figured in the actual costs involved with the work. A 165% headache factor is not unreasonable and be prepared to enforce the contract to the letter.

Protecting your "good" customers from "bad" customers is an unfortunate and difficult aspect of running a service business.
 
This would be a huge hit if not for the paywall. I have a will not work for list that gains a few names every year. Not all are deadbead clients, many just are such a pita that we don't want to put up with them anymore. Others are the type that nitpick every detail and ruin profit margins pleasing them.
 
Slander only applies if it a malicious or defamatory falsehood. Posting someones name and a comment like "bounced payment check" when they did bounce a check would not be slander. Fact of the matter is, some clients, like some businesses are shitbag's and deserve to be blacklisted.
 
If it was similar to NewEgg's review where the manufacturer has a right-of-response, I think that would be an interesting experiment. What if a person could register themselves with the website and receive an email every time a business reviewed them? How many conceited bastards would focus their attention on such a model?:eek:

However, considering you have to pay money to join the club and see the review, this isn't public. I'm wondering how the legal argument would go over for refusing service or increasing the price based upon review metrics.

A business could create operating variables that are influenced by review metrics and therefor it could be argued it isn't discrimination. But I think that would require a way to verify the accuracy and legitimacy of the reviews. Even that might not require each individual review to be accurate, instead just the accuracy of trends (trending validation being the focus then).

Heh, how about ending all your own calls with a request to conduct an automated survey, or giving out comment cards to the businesses you visit, like Walmart and the gas station, or sending out a loyalty program that businesses can enroll in that gives 3% cash extra on every purchase (of course there is a yearly $24.99 maintenance fee).:cool:
 
zacrobmer said:
Slander only applies if it a malicious or defamatory falsehood. Posting someones name and a comment like "bounced payment check" when they did bounce a check would not be slander. Fact of the matter is, some clients, like some businesses are shitbag's and deserve to be blacklisted.
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Problem is that some businesses will screw up and say something defamatory and open up them up for a lawsuit.

I had a customer who agreed to some work and price. I completed the work and he was happy. I then sent an invoice and the owner outright refused to pay unless I gave him a discount after the price was agreed to verbally. My mistake was not getting it in writing. Contracts were invented to keep dipshits honest and make good customers into great ones. I placed a note in this clients file to never do business with him again.
 
The customer is always right...right up til they become abusive. Yelling and/or swearing at employees is abusive. Demanding free products or services in addition to replacement or refund is abusive. Demanding other products/services be substituted for advertized specials that have run out is abusive.

Upon occasion, I've invited a number of customers to go elsewhere for products/services who were abusive. About half are still customers.
 
Being a small business owner has also taught me that you need to be accommodating to both good and difficult customers but you do repeat business and "extra mile" for good ones. It's possible to turn bad customers into good ones but its wasteful to business resources.

I have a family member who is such a demanding, narcissistic bitch that she is always asking for contractor recommendations due to them outright refusing her business. Problem is most contractors in the area seem to know her and won't come over LOL!
 
I have a close friend of mine that has been running a business for the past 15 years or so. He is a really nice guy but to the point where he gets easily taken advantage of by overly entitled customers. He'd probably get a kick out of this.
 
lol reminds me of the Chinese resturant down the street that used to tape checks to the wall when they bounced. Simple but effective way to make more people honest.

I'll never forget the day I saw my dads second cousins on the wall lol. I never looked at them the same.
 
I could see this turning into a huge civil rights lawsuit mess if the naughty list ends up dominated by one particular race/culture...will be interesting to watch.
 
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