Client threatening me with solicitor

prodigy1

Hi there, any help all welcome.
I recently had an issue with a client who was extremely late for an appointment. I had rang the client to see how far away they were as to try and push back other clients appointments because of the lateness. There was no answer, so rang again and then the client answered and sounded very angry at me and said i will be there soon..another half hour passes and the client arrives and starts going crazy at me, in front of the other customers, and all i said was calm down and that really made the client blow a gasket!! The client grinded teeth at me called me a bitch. I was so shocked as this was coming out of nowhere...usually when a client is late they apologise but this was crazy.
Anyway she had her appointment and would not let me take the bill saying I dont want to deal with "her". This was very upsetting, even other clients came up to me and asked was I okay and said that the client was nuts!! The client asked for the compant details to take thing s further, which were given without hesitation. Everyone thought the whole situation was crazy!!
The following day I received a threatening call from the clients partner going crazy at me saying how dare you embarrass a client and they are taking things further!!!
Can anyone give me advice on this pleeeease.??
I know this sounds nuts but it is exactly as I mentioned!!

Buona Fortuna

Hi Prodigy

Just clarify this bit:

Anyway she had her appointment and would not let me take the bill saying I dont want to deal with "her".

I read that, that she would not accept the bill from you?

Does she owe you for this appointment?

Afroshack

prodigy1 wrote: »

Hi there, any help all welcome.
I recently had an issue with a client who was extremely late for an appointment. I had rang the client to see how far away they were as to try and push back other clients appointments because of the lateness. There was no answer, so rang again and then the client answered and sounded very angry at me and said i will be there soon..another half hour passes and the client arrives and starts going crazy at me, in front of the other customers, and all i said was calm down and that really made the client blow a gasket!! The client grinded teeth at me called me a bitch. I was so shocked as this was coming out of nowhere...usually when a client is late they apologise but this was crazy.
Anyway she had her appointment and would not let me take the bill saying I dont want to deal with "her". This was very upsetting, even other clients came up to me and asked was I okay and said that the client was nuts!! The client asked for the compant details to take thing s further, which were given without hesitation. Everyone thought the whole situation was crazy!!
The following day I received a threatening call from the clients partner going crazy at me saying how dare you embarrass a client and they are taking things further!!!
Can anyone give me advice on this pleeeease.??
I know this sounds nuts but it is exactly as I mentioned!!

They sound like actual nutjobs - I'd just ignore them. As for legal action, I'm genuinely unsure how anyone can ''take things further'' over a phonecall asking where they were.

prodigy1

Sorry just to clarify; my colleague to the appointment and the rest of my collegues and clients were amazed that the client was not told to leave immedietly . Ultimately, that client was worth money to my colleague and I felt so betrayed that I was not backed up by my colleague. Regarding taking the bill, I usually do this but the collegue who did not ask the client to leave took the bill. Incidentally, my boss was away and I want to know what legal rights I have etc. Also, there are many clients who were there at the time who said they will witness statements!! Any advice??

abff

It sounds like your client has serious mental health issues. Has she always been a bit difficult or was this completely out of character for her?

abff

Reading your original post again, I would expect that "taking things further" probably means making a complaint to your boss. I don't see how they could possibly involve a solicitor, but I guess if they are seriously unbalanced, anything's possible.

The Muppet

If it were me I'd have cancelled the appointment when you client was half an hour late with no acceptable reason . That's no help to you now though. I wouldn't worry about the threat I doubt they have grounds for complaint on the situation if it's as you have posted here.

Some Clients can be a pita, that's just the way it is.

Pat Mustard

prodigy1 wrote: »

The following day I received a threatening call from the clients partner going crazy at me saying how dare you embarrass a client and they are taking things further!!!
Can anyone give me advice on this pleeeease.??
I know this sounds nuts but it is exactly as I mentioned!!

They are threatening to take things further.

For what legal cause of action, they didn't say. I suspect that they don't know. It certainly isn't clear to me.

If you are worried about possible legal action then write down exactly what happened, making a note of the time and the people who were there. If you receive a solicitor's letter addressed to you, then take legal advice on it at that point. Same if you receive legal proceedings.

At the moment, I don't see this as a legal issue. So the advice is to make notes and wait.

GG66

Write down the detail of the incident while it is still fresh. Note times, names of people there, what happened, who said what etc.

Sounds like they may complain to your boss in which case the above is useful, even better if you report it first.

A reasonable level of courtesy and respect is expected in any environment and I don't see the above as acceptable. But there may be extenuating circumstances and there are two sides to every story and if your boss is well informed he/she will be in a better position to deal with it.

Legal? I don't see any basis for this

abff

Did they actually say that they are going to take legal action against you? Even if they did, they may well decide to let things go when they calm down. People often threaten things when they are wound up.

Anyway, from the sound of things, it looks like you were the injured party here, not the client.

hfallada

OP I think you should go to your boss ASAP and explain the situation. Its better for you to say it now, than when there is a complaint issued and then looks like you are covering your ass.

Look like your company needs a policy on lateness. That a client has to be there within x number of mins, otherwise they are charged a cancellation fee.

ABajaninCork

I wouldn't worry about it. Clients threaten all sorts, but rarely follow through. I reckon the client's a few sandwiches short...

I'd take notes as already mentioned, and just wait. I doubt anything more will happen. As a matter of interest - Has the client since been banned? She certainly should be after that carry on!

ballsymchugh

make sure you get witness statements from everyone else that was there. otherwise it's your word against theirs, and unfortunately no matter how good your own notes are, it can go against you.
mind you, it would be a right c0ck to take that further. some people have a sense of entitlement that because they are paying you, that you should pander to them and see them regardless of how late they show up. i deal with it at work every now and again.

prodigy1

Sorry its difficult to reply to all the questions but Ill do my best!!
Regarding the lateness, I absolutely agree. I had to fit the client in as when they rang there was no available appointment time so It took a while but I managed to squeeze the client in. The client stated that they badly needed the appointment before weeks end, so I really pushed hard to get the client in beforehand. Also, I reiterated that you must be in on time because there was only a little time whereby I could fit the client in.. So at the very least I expected a an apology not the threatening attitude directed at me.
In addition, there are other businesses in the building that the client was upsetting as the client was so loud, hence why I asked to "calm down"!!
Incidentally, when i received the call from the clients partner the next day, it was mentioned that we should be lucky to be getting our money, so perhaps that solidifies the "entitlement argument".
Also, my boss is aware of the whole situation and is trying to find out where I stand legally.
Once again thanks for all your comments it is much appreciated!!

Squatman

what line of business are you in?
i wouldnt be worried about these people. doesnt seem to have been any legal implications from the op, i wouldnt lose sleep over it,

Mr. Incognito

What legal action are they going to take against you?

People threatening with solicitors letters are morons.

Tell her to get lost as a client. Sue her for any outstanding bills.

prodigy1

Squatman wrote: »

what line of business are you in?
To be honest Id prefer not to say, I do not know about the law but I am just unsure if stating the nature of my business is a good or a bad thing to do?? I could be wrong though. However, I can certainly say that as a rule 95% of the clients are excellent. Also, I have been in this business for many years and never seen a clients reaction like that, on the contrary I usually get very kind words for my nature and professionalism.
Does anyone have any other advice regarding the legality of the clients perspective? Could I do a claim as I felt and still feel threatened by the client and the partners intimidation attitude towards me??

Arbiter of Good Taste

The client is a nut job, and if it all happened the way you say, it just sounds like they don't wan to pay and are trying to bully you into dropping your fee. I would be very surprised if a solicitor ever gets involved unless it's your boss suing for non payment.

Drop them from your client list

prodigy1

Arbiter of Good Taste wrote: »

The client is a nut job, and if it all happened the way you say, it just sounds like they don't wan to pay and are trying to bully you into dropping your fee. I would be very surprised if a solicitor ever gets involved unless it's your boss suing for non payment.

Drop them from your client list

Many thanks for your response, just to be clear the client did pay. I actually had someone say that to me "they want something for nothing etc". So maybe that is the case.

MarkAnthony

OP if you're dealing with the public you're going to get complete idiots. They usually pick other idiots to mate-with and produce idiots which frankly explains most of Dundrum, anyway...

Just ignore it, other than writing down exactly what happened. This won't be the last time you encounter this type of behaviour. When I was a retailer I took a zero tolerance approach to 'directed' abuse. I'd happily stand there all day long and listen to someone F-ing and blinding about a situation but as soon as it became directed at anyone, it was bye bye. It's a policy that has served me well.

Depending what type of business you're in and where you are you'll get more or less of this type of muppetry - I actually preferred inner-city Dublin when I was dealing with it, but I'm just rambling now. You can guess where I didn't enjoy being from my opening paragraph. Don't worry about it OP.

234

ballsymchugh wrote: »

make sure you get witness statements from everyone else that was there.

Ignore this; it's lunacy and a good example of why legal advice isn't allowed here.

Arbiter of Good Taste

prodigy1 wrote: »

Many thanks for your response, just to be clear the client did pay. I actually had someone say that to me "they want something for nothing etc". So maybe that is the case.

Seriously, I wouldn't worry then. They were being a$$holes and took it out on you.

Tigger

MarkAnthony wrote: »

OP if you're dealing with the public you're going to get complete idiots. They usually pick other idiots to mate-with and produce idiots which frankly explains most of Dundrum, anyway...

Just ignore it, other than writing down exactly what happened. This won't be the last time you encounter this type of behaviour. When I was a retailer I took a zero tolerance approach to 'directed' abuse. I'd happily stand there all day long and listen to someone F-ing and blinding about a situation but as soon as it became directed at anyone, it was bye bye. It's a policy that has served me well.

Depending what type of business you're in and where you are you'll get more or less of this type of muppetry - I actually preferred inner-city Dublin when I was dealing with it, but I'm just rambling now. You can guess where I didn't enjoy being from my opening paragraph. Don't worry about it OP.

What's wrong with Dundrum?

ballsymchugh

234 wrote: »

Ignore this; it's lunacy and a good example of why legal advice isn't allowed here.

what's wrong with asking the other people there for their version of events?
otherwise it's the client's word against the OP only.

this is taken from a case against an oral surgeon, where more weight was given to a patient's daughter's memory compared to the notes he had written years before

However, the panel was told that witness statements made by the woman's daughter, known as Mrs F - which suggested the woman was not offered a biopsy in the early stages of her treatment - were at odds with records written by Professor Lamey at the time.

The dentist's records showed a note from an appointment in May 2009 read: "I offered a biopsy but she declined".

His counsel said: "The beauty of contemporaneous records is they are made before anybody's memory fades and before the influx of hindsight."

She added: "People who are upset or aggrieved with a matter describe matters in a way that fits their preoccupation."

She said the daughter's testimony was an example of people "rewriting their memories with regard to what happens subsequently... her memory is selective and rewritten with hindsight."

i know this is extreme, but if the client is nuts enough to go through with her threat then it will be better for her to know the client is on her own in feeling that she was mistreated.

goz83

If it were me, I would have refused the client treatment after the sheer rudeness of the phone call when she did answer. I would have told her that her appointment was a half hour ago and it would not be possible to see her. I would have insisted she leave the building, or the Gardai would be called. When her partner called, I would have said "you're not my client. Goodbye." Be nice when it is returned, not when you're being used as a wet wipe.

There is zero this client can do legally by the sounds of it. If anything, she should be the one in trouble for threatening and menacing behaviour. Your colleague sounds like a numpty.

Gerry T

OP,
I would tell my boss the story, that way if the client phones to complain he will be informed and not "shocked" by what's said to him. It will also allow your boss time to figure out what he's going to say to the client before your boss receives a call.
You may find your boss knows this clients form and will tell you to ignore it and sorry he hadn't warned you about the client before.