Old Customer Returns - Fuc*ked Up Server

[Mainstay]

So an old customer left me about 1.5 years ago. It wasn't a blow out as far as relationships go, but the person who was my contact in their organization went squirrely on me and I told her to back off (this was during a very high pressure, we are DOWN situation. She kept hammering me for answers and I couldn't fix the problem AND answer questions at the same time... plus I had only arrived on site, so I didn't have anything more than "let me take a look and I'll let you know just as soon as I know something").

I resolved the situation in under an hour, but the damage was done. I was persona non grata.

Turns out, she left immediately after this on some sort of mental breakdown leave and hasn't returned to the business.

I didn't really know the full situation and for some reason when the boss called me for their network notes I simply handed them over... not sure why I didn't try to rebuild the bridge. I thought they would see the error of their ways.... ha!

Anyways, I was called back in recently because their systems are totally fubar.

Turns out, a competitor was called in and he sold them a pretty nice Dell server w/ 2012 Standard (?) and some pretty good specs.

BUT... the system isn't running well. Constant disconnections + a total disregard for their productivity / uptime. The business owners ask what is going on and he gives them backhanded answers and pretty much smirks at them as he bends them over the barrel each month for a maintenance fee.

For some unknown reason, he has each of their 12 [LOCAL!] workstations RDP'ing into the server to launch a terminal service session to run a single program (it was running GREAT on their old 2003 server, even though it was ancient and prior to my departure I was prepping them for a replacement).

Their software vendor has told them that they will no longer work with my competitor as he refuses to listen to their advice / best practice / etc and is apparently a "total douche bag".

I still have ALL of my notes on how their network SHOULD run and before I

I was pretty damn familiar with their software vendor and how it is supposed to work. Even in an impromptu meeting with them I actually remembered virtually everything about their vendor, their names, their location, their recommended backup schedule, their license information, .... it was actually impressive... I gave myself a pat on the back after the meeting =)

I want back in, but the mess he has [potentially] left me makes me a little gun shy.

I've been called into these situations before... IT guy talks them into spending big money on new equipment, botches the setup, drives them crazy and causes significant loss of revenue in downtime, and they call me in... but... there is no money left to spend.

This is a long story - and I know you are only reading my side of the events... but what would you do?​

 

[Moltuae]

I've been in similar situations. One of the biggest problems with our profession, is that to vast majority of end users, what we do is witchcraft; with little-to-no understanding of the work, they have a very difficult time telling the good guys from the bad guys. So I think it's important to be as transparent and descriptive as possible, highlighting any limitations and restrictions, especially those caused by their own budgetary constraints.

I would take them back as a customer, but on my terms. By which I mean I would compile a schedule of works required to put things right and ask them to agree to the cost (and any potential downtime) of all the works before they commence. I would detail each necessary phase of the work, giving the costs and reasons why it is necessary (since its not always obvious to the customer). Without that, they may halt spending or replace you with another tech before the work has progressed sufficiently to have any noticeable impact, making you look like one of the bad guys.

 

[gadgetfixup]

^^^^^^ This, although I rarely take back a customer that has put me through the sort of drama this customer put you through. I've been through similar experiences, such as one guy who purchased a refurbished laptop said I put him in the hospital with an anxiety attack because his gay chat program kept dropping out and I refused to fix his chat issues. I gladly offered him a refund for the laptop which he refused. He demanded compensation for his hospital bill - smh.

Once I fire a client or vice versa, I'm typically relieved and happy to be removed from the situation and when they come crawling back I'm just too busy. Unstable clients like this rarely become stable and you're probably just opening yourself up to more abuse. Even when compensated well, some abuse just isn't worth the money.

 

[Krynn72]

From the sound of it though, the actual person who gave you grief is gone, is she not? If your new contact is agreeable to your terms, I'd consider making a fresh start of it.

 

[Markverhyden]

I never turn away a returning customer if the "problem" is gone.

 

[altrenda]

I never turn away a returning customer if the "problem" is gone.

Nope, in fact I like it a lot. Makes it easier get things done. They went cheap and it didn't work for them.

 

[Mainstay]

From the sound of it though, the actual person who gave you grief is gone, is she not?

She is... and the owner was a bit sheepish that he essentially listened to the mad ramblings of his employee (who apparently had a major melt-down) instead of thinking it through himself.

His wife is now in charge, and she and I got along quite nicely.

So I think it's important to be as transparent and descriptive as possible, highlighting any limitations and restrictions, especially those caused by their own budgetary constraints.

Totally agree. The problem is... I'm not sure how big a mess exists.

I literally refused to put my hands on anything while I was onsite for our chat. I very pointedly held my hands behind my back and had them demo stuff for me...

I would want their current tech out of the picture before I touched anything... but then I might not want to work with their setup.

I mean, what happens when he didn't buy the correct licensing? Or document that licensing? Sorry guys, you need a whole new round of license packs?

Also, he set them up with Exchange server, which I unequivocally do not want to manage in-house. I had already had them set to go to simple IMAP on their web hosting package (that is WAY more than they need for the level of email they process) or I had a very respectable quote for hosted exchange lined up.

There are all sorts of hidden pitfalls that I would hate to say, "sorry, this was poorly designed, I'm scraping half of your investment".

Once I fire a client or vice versa, I'm typically relieved and happy to be removed from the situation

It was odd... it was the first time I had been fired (actually they said they were "going in a different direction and hiring someone in-house"). I read between the lines at the time, but was absolutely firm in my belief that they would last a month or two and then call me up with some mumbled apology.

Will have to give this more thought. Thank you for the input!

 

[ohio_grad_06]

As far as licensing and all, you could basically say look, to set things up right, we need to do steps 1, 2 and 3. If they don't want to do that, just move on and refuse to touch it.

But also, explain to them why this way is better and how that they may save money by not having to have you in as often.

 

[DataMedics]

Personally, I'd just quote a dollar-per-hour rate for initial troubleshooting and reconfiguration work to fix what the last guy screwed up. With no promises about how long it'll take. If they agree to that, then you've got a open checkbook to go in and figure out whatever nightmares you're in for. If they reject it, just walk.

It's not worth the aggravation of dealing with bad customers. You'll wear yourself out bending over backwards for them just to get stabbed in the back. The time you aren't working for crappy customers could be better spent working to get new clients.

 

[TechLady]

I'd say much depends on their current attitude about what has happened; it sounds as if they are contrite. Complete honesty and taking it slow would be my approach. Keep us posted.

 

[Mercenary Roadie]

Charge them a consulting fee to come in and find out what is wrong and what has been done. Tell them this is just a consultation and depending on your findings you will let them know if you're able to take them back.

 

[Mainstay]

Charge them a consulting fee to come in and find out what is wrong and what has been done. Tell them this is just a consultation and depending on your findings you will let them know if you're able to take them back.

I like this, a lot.

A no-obligation assessment w/ a solid NDA in place.

And then once I know the extent of the insanity I think this is the way to go:

I'd just quote a dollar-per-hour rate for initial troubleshooting and reconfiguration work to fix what the last guy screwed up. With no promises about how long it'll take.

 

[TechLady]

I like this, a lot.

A no-obligation assessment w/ a solid NDA in place.

And then once I know the extent of the insanity I think this is the way to go:

That sounds perfect.

 

[YeOldeStonecat]

I want back in, but the mess he has [potentially] left me makes me a little gun shy.

I've been called into these situations before... IT guy talks them into spending big money on new equipment, botches the setup, drives them crazy and causes significant loss of revenue in downtime, and they call me in... but... there is no money left to spend.

This is a long story - and I know you are only reading my side of the events... but what would you do?​

Re: "there is no money left to spend"....that's a comfort level call you have to make with yourself and your client.
First...THEY went to another IT guy...you didn't kick them out the door. So you don't owe them volunteer time to "fix" the other IT guys mess. The client has a price to pay for a bad decision...you don't need to be a martyr and absorb that.

Charge them for the time to re-arrange the network to how you like it setup so you can support it properly.
Or if it's a client that can be a decent MSP package...come up with a smaller one time setup fee to cover that....so you can enjoy the good monthlies down the road.

 

[pceinc]

I concur with the consult first method. Also, your comment about no money to spend. Ask them point blank. What is your expectation to resolve the issues? Do you want them resolved for good or smoothed over until money is available? Depending on their answer would depend on whether I did the work. Sometimes you're just not a fit for a situation. If they can't realize the errors in their previous decisions, chances are they're not going to heed your new advise on how to straighten things out. With that said, I would ask them how much is in their budget. Perhaps you can come to an agreement that makes you both happy.

 

[nlinecomputers]

Frankly you need to treat this client as a new client that you have never before seen. Just to push any assumptions out of your mind about how they used to be setup ,how they should be setup, and how you think the new guy set them up. You really don't know for certain. Offer to charge for a full network evaluation, same as you would do for a brand new client that you never met and never had any knowledge before. That will let you appraise the site and find out any and all problems. I would avoid laying any blame or bringing up your past issues, unless you have something you need to apologize for. Just tell them how it is now.

 

[Mainstay]

What is your expectation to resolve the issues?

Good question... I think the "let's put our cards on the table" approach is a solid one.

Offer to charge for a full network evaluation, same as you would do for a brand new client that you never met and never had any knowledge before. That will let you appraise the site and find out any and all problems.

Yup - definitely in-line on this approach.

I would avoid laying any blame or bringing up your past issues

It was definitely discussed. The owner was regretful that he hadn't stepped in and really appraised the situation before things went off the rails with his manager.

But I was clear, this isn't a barrier for me and that I would be open to re-visiting their site and supporting their IT needs.

 

[brandonkick]

From what I read:

You had them running well, and were providing great service. Then, when their setup took a dump, some lady
when nutso on you and as a result of her being a whack job, you lost the business because they felt they needed
to make a change. Nothing wrong done on your part at all. These things happen, failures happen. It's how they're
dealt with that matters and you were doing a good job of handling it before she lost her mind.

Then they go with another guy who comes in, and bends them over backwards in every way. Provides decent hardware
but poor support.

They finally have enough of being raked over the coals and decide to call you back.


If your assessment is accurate in that they seem to be run low on resources because of the first guy and may have trust
issues now since he screwed them over, you really need to make sure you go into this protecting yourself. You owe them
nothing. Don't waste your time, and don't waste theirs. But very upfront about how your going to get them back to a place
where they can go to bed each night not having to worry about the network/IT/computer stuff. But let them know what
those costs will be. Get a contract in place with them, help them to understand the value you have and the quality you
can offer. Quote and charge them without considering the history with this company. Don't offer discounts, don't sell
yourself short.