Hiring a professional often comes with sticker shock, but expertise doesn’t go on sale just because feelings get hurt.

One independent tech consultant learned that after a seemingly normal customer decided his rate should match her paycheck.

Unsurprisingly, the call ended before the job ever began.

Keep reading for the full story!

The terrible negotiator

This story happened long, long ago. Probably more than 15 years ago. I’m an independent Mac consultant.

So I get a call from this lady. Sometimes people just wanted to schedule an appointment, and sometimes they wanted to talk it out for an hour first.

So the consultant took them all in good faith.

This lady had a million questions, and we went back and forth for an hour. Everything seemed to go well; she seemed happy and… normal.

No red flags.

The conversation ended without a hitch, but when they spoke again, things got bumpy.

She left it with something along the lines of, “OK, let me think this all over and get back to you,” which was fine with me.

At that point in time, I think my hourly rate was $65/hr.

The customer’s true colors began to show.

So I get a voicemail from this lady a few days later. She no longer seemed “normal.”

Her tone was very angry and annoyed.

She was prepared to give him the business — with one big catch.

Her message basically said that she was interested in hiring me to help her, but she’s a nurse and only makes $40/hr, so she didn’t see why she should pay me any more than that.

So if I was willing to work for $40/hr, I should call her back.

This technician soon realized he was dodging a huge bullet.

She did not get a call back.

Better to find out they’re crazy before you’re at their house already doing work that you may or may not be getting paid for!

If there’s one thing no employee plays about, it’s their pay.

Customers always like to feign ignorance.

These “negotiation skills” wouldn’t fly with any other professions either.

Maybe this nurse priced herself out of using Macs altogether.

There’s value in paying for a service, especially one you can’t perform yourself.

This tech consultant saved himself from a house call, a headache, and a guaranteed non-payment.

If you thought that was an interesting story, check this one out about a man who created a points system for his inheritance, and a family friend ends up getting almost all of it.