Awful client

[Cherryblossom200]

Hi everyone,

I need a bit of advice please.

I work for a global company and manage an account. I've been working for this company for just over a year now, the account I work on is notoriously complex and challenging. I was aware of this before I started, however the person who trained me has left. The person who I now work with understands the account very well (she worked on it before me) is over worked and stressed. Therefore I don't get a huge amount of support.

My client is old school, rude and as a company very dysfunctional. Making my life difficult.

I've tried to implement new processes, but all I get is complaints ( not generally about me) but about the contractor we work with who are rubbish, I'm stuck in the middle fire fighting all day, every day.

Every day presents new challenges and problems and today my manager has asked me to look after another account on top of my own.

I'm paid fairly well, but I'm starting to hate my job. I'm at the stage of thinking whatever I do never seems to change anything.

My client are stuck in their ways and awful.

I don't know if I stick at it because I've only been there for a year or find something else.

I love what I actually do, I just don't like my client and I'm stuck with them.

Today I feel just deflated. I'm a single parent and I work really hard, I work full time and want to feel happy in my job so I can be a good parent.

Any advice? Talking to my manager won't help, she is the one who is overworked and stressed.

I have been in this position before. The client won't change significantly, and the business won't fire the client for being a pain in the arse, so you have to decide what you're willing to put up with. Nothing wrong with looking to move on after a year, if there's a better job out there for you.

Thanks, it's a nightmare isn't it.

The problem is my previous company was also a nightmare, they were beyond dysfunctional, I swore I wouldn't work for a company like that again.

And to be fair my actual employer are brilliant, it's my client which are a nightmare. I'd love to just move clients and stay within my company but that won't happen. It's taken 6 months plus to train into the role it's that complex. The person I replaced lasted 6 months 😳

So I know it's not me.

My experience was similar, I picked up what was described as the company's oldest and most notable client, there were supposed to be two account managers on the account, but there was only one when I took over. It took months to get my head around everything. I stayed through two others joining and leaving, training each one, and with large stretches of me doing all of the work in between each one. I finally quit after 18 months, and I hear they've not been able to keep anyone in the role since.

This sounds very similar to me.

My client likes a fight, they have had people in tears, they talk rudely to people on conference calls. All they ever do is complain, I honestly think there is something wrong with the them.

And we are supposed to be ok with it because they are our client.

Life is too short and your happiness is too precious to squander it on a job that is making you miserable. Start looking for a new job, and I would also report this abuse to your supervisor. You should not be expected to service clients like this.

That's my motto too. Life is too short. My client isn't going to change. So I either stay and stick it out of leave.

I think also you should be able to say ‘I would appreciate if we could remain calm and professional’ to your client!! I have a client who shouts at me over email and writes in all capitals when they are angry. I don’t reply to those emails and will only respond when spoken to in a professional way. You can deal with problems and advance without being rude and behaving badly. Have you spoken to anyone else in your company? Manager higher up? HR? What’s the procedure when a client is abusive in their communication? You’re not obliged to put up with it. X

If you’re client was going leave what would happen?? Do you manage only the one account? x

Currently I have only one account, but it's full on and tbh I'd be worried taking on another account. If my client was to leave (which may well happen) then I'd be able to move onto another account very easily which would be fab.

Just don't put up with rudeness! They can't complain about you when they are notoriously horrible.

I agree you shouldn’t have to tolerate rudeness and abusive behaviour. I’d definitely keep evidence of their behaviour and I’d alert HR or a manager higher up aswell. You really aren’t obliged to be treated like sh!t- Make the client aware of it aswell by saying things like “I’d like to move forward and help you and I could be better at that if we remained professional” etc and don’t engage with them when they behave intolerably. They have no leg to stand on if they do complain and you can show their poor behaviour so don’t worry about it although I know that’s hard!!

Thank you 😊 great advice. The only problem is that they have been a client for about 30 years. They have always been like this. The one person I'm talking about in particular will never change. They just seem to be really mad with the world and take it out of everyone else, really that's how it seems. And my company know what they are like, complain about it but don't seem to actually do anything about it because they bring in so much money for us.

My greatest concern, silly as it is, is that my reputation will be in shatters for situations largely out of my control. And I'm good at my job, so I want to protect my future. So for me; I feel I have no choice to leave.