'You took a week from me? I'll take a month from you': Small business gets back at client who very Karen-ly wasted their time and money

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  • 01
    Human - Posted by u/mtsiri 4 hours ago You took a week from me? I'll take a month from you.
  • 02
    Font - There is a type of customer who asks a million questions but never makes a purchase. If you're selling something, especially your own handmade products, you'll have to get used to it. Regardless, it's important to learn to respect them. These are the people who teach you how to engage in productive dialogue. But everything should be done in moderation.
  • 03
    Font - I came across one such customer who contacted me and immediately said, "I have my company's anniversary coming up, and I want to order gifts for my employees from you. 30 engraved knives." For someone like me, who's struggling financially, this order was a godsend. I was thrilled and immediately said I was ready to discuss everything, promising to make the best quality and give him the biggest discount I could.
  • 04
    Font - He said, "Okay, okay," gave me his phone number, and asked me to call when he's available. Due to the time difference, it meant getting up at 5 in the morning for me. But fine, I woke up early and called. He greeted me with "Good morning" (he was aware it was 5 in the morning for me) and started asking me a million questions. He asked about the steel grades I work with, the existing steel grades, and even my predictions about future steel. He asked
  • 05
    Font - about Damascus steel, discussed Damascus (the city), the history of Syria, and the history of the art of weaponry. And now it was not 5 a.m., but 9. That's when he ended the conversation. We hadn't discussed anything regarding his order. The next day, I called him again, and the same thing happened. And the day after. I started losing my temper, but I really needed this order. On the
  • 06
    Font - fifth day, I started the conversation immediately with a request to discuss his order because I had very little personal time. I had two jobs and a family. Do you know what he replied? "Ah! Sorry. We discussed it with the team, and we decided to purchase gift baskets instead. Knives are not for everyone after all." "Then what were we
  • 07
    Font - discussing for these 5 days? Why did all this happen?" "Well, you're passionate about knives, and I'm passionate about them too. A good conversation is a rare pleasure." "Do you understand that I spent the whole week on you? I hardly slept to be awake for our conversation. Why did you do this?" "Hey, you're a big boy. Why are you whining? Learn how to work with clients. Maybe I'll buy something from you later." At that point, I hung up and blocked him.
  • 08
    Font - But this story didn't leave me. The person took advantage of my vulnerability and simply played with me. I thought for a long time about how to get back at him. Until I realized, why not let him taste his own medicine? I contacted my friends in the US and explained the situation to them.
  • 09
    Font - After a week, they started writing to his company with requests for placing large orders. Of course, they couldn't spend 5 hours on the phone, but they didn't need to. They simply started sending them technical specifications with endless revisions. The number of revisions kept growing, and the company spent more and more time on approvals. Budgets were inflated,
  • 10
    Font - and my friends agreed to any additional expenses (which would never actually happen). And somewhere within a month of this circus, they unanimously decided to stop working further, saying, "Thank you, but we're no longer interested."
  • 11
    Font - The funniest part was when one of them received a call from my "conversation partner" and he was practically yelling at him, wondering why the hell my friend wasted so much of his time. To which he received the response, "Why do you take it so personally? It's business. You couldn't convince me of the benefits of working with you. Don't call me again. Goodbye." =) In the end, with some ingenuity on your side, even as a small person, you can get a little bit of justice.
  • 12
    Font - CoderJoe1 +4.4 hr. ago They should've said, "Well, you're passionate about business, and I'm passionate about it too. A good conversation is a rare pleasure."
  • 13
    Font - mtsiri OP 3 hr. ago nah, i did not want to make it obvious why it happened. knowing that i took my petty revenge is enough. also this way he may kinda think about his own actions. but if it was an obvious payback - it would be just a slap for a slap, with no extra meaning.
  • 14
    Font - Far-Wrongdoer-6855 3 hr. ago Great job! Karma's like a dance partner, just make sure you lead it to the beat. 16 Reply Share mtsiri OP 3 hr. ago I know how to treat my lady
  • 15
    Font - ReasonableCost6788 2 hr. ago Haha, talk about a time thief getting a taste of their own medicine!

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