Or maybe not so hard. Recall my post about my “Not So Good” customer? This was a fellow hell bent on blaming me for every ailment his PC suffered, despite the fact he ignored virtually all of my advice as well as commonly accepted practices for safe(er) Internet usage. The pattern was repeated several times during the year or so I did work for him: Call me in for some problems on his PC, I’d fix them, several weeks would pass, then he’d send me a bunch of nasty e-mails.

I hadn’t heard anything from this guy for at least 2-3 weeks since that post, then suddenly last Friday, he lets loose with a volley of harsh e-mails sprinkled with profanity. One of his last comments was “what the hell did you do to my computer?”. Little did he know I was just waiting for him to explode at me again.

I calmly recounted the last work I did on his PC, stated all the facts, and told him how sorry I was that his PC was acting up on me. I also stated that everything was working fine when I concluded my last work session on his PC. It was all very professional, not the least bit sarcastic or condescending. I was so darned proud of myself for not dropping to his level of behavior. I also informed him that I would no longer be in a position to service his future computing needs, but I would be happy to help him locate another resource, even offering to do a “brain dump” with whatever victim, I mean IT professional, he does locate. I’m killing him with kindness, and it is driving him nuts.

Within mere minutes of me telling him I was moving on, he sends me a short response that he is “sorry” and that he “tends to overreact”. I tell him I completely understand his frustration… but I reiterate my position. My mind is made up. It has been for weeks.

I cannot convey how relieved I am to have unloaded this guy. The anxiety he has generated is certainly not worth the amount of revenue generated. Do I wish he’d never been a customer? Part of me wants to say yes, but I also think it was a good learning experience. 99.999% of my customers are fantastic to work with… some are very demanding, high-maintenance folks, but they all have treated me with respect. This guy didn’t. Too bad. I would have continued to work with him, despite all his other quirks, if he’d just been a decent human being.