Has anyone ever fired a difficult client and had them threaten to defame?
In 25 years of practice I have never experienced this. Finally decided to fire a difficult client (drama, late on compensation, non-payment for late cancellations and verbally abusive)and now she is threatening to ruin my career by writing about me on the internet among other things. Does anyone have any experience with this or advice????
No, they usually fired themselves if things did not go the way they thought it would or should in their point of view.
Very stressful and potentially hurtful for your business. As others have mentioned as well, you have been in business for a long time and had not complaints to speak of. I would not worry and let this person go.
Maybe take a look at Michael Port’s book: Book yourself solid. In particular his red rope policy.
Good luck
Heike Yates
www.heylifetraining.com
This has not happened to me but I can only imagine how it made you feel
Personally, I would not give her another thought, although I would check YELP and if she does write a nasty review you can respond to it in a neutral manner.
Other than that, you are doing the best thing by getting rid of her nastiness.
You’ve received good comments so far. I’m most in line with Harris. If you’ve been in business for 25 years, then your ethics and behavior already speak for themselves. One person won’t be able to do too much damage.
Sometimes, I’ve seen businesses reply back to negative reviews in positive, rational, honest terms. This might help diffuse the situation. If she trashes you and you choose to reply, don’t trash back! Something more along the line of, “I’m sorry that you weren’t happy with our training sessions. If you are still interested in personal training, perhaps I can refer you to a trainer who might be a better fit for your personality and goals.”