HORROR STORIES: Nightmare Client Experience Situations From Interior Designers
This topic was inspired by a recent Squarespace Circle member email. They shared an article about “nightmare website stories,” and I was immediately inspired to do a spin-off for interior designers about nightmare client experience stories.
You know the interior design client experience is my all-time favorite topic, and since this IS the scariest time of the year, I’ve pulled together a few of the most horrific stories our interior designer clients have shared with me and my team over the years to share with you. Bonus - with each “scary” situation, you’ll get tips for handling them and (most importantly) preventing them so they NEVER happen to you.
Ready for some full body chills? Let’s go!
Project Inquiries with NO Information
Ever received an inquiry from a potential client that looked like this?
Hi! I’m interested in your design services. Can we set up a call or meeting?
I don’t know about you, but jumping on a call with someone who hasn’t been screened is not an efficient or productive way to spend my time. Spending time talking to someone who isn’t a fit for working together, who wants to pick your brain, or who only cares what your discount is SHOULD TERRIFY YOU (they certainly terrify me).
So, what do you do when bare-bones interior design project inquiries come in?
Via email, ask for more information about their project (project address, what they need help with, their timeline for getting started, their estimated budget). Then, you can determine if their project is a good fit for your services.
Also, via email (after you do step one and determine they’re a good fit), send them your investment guide that clearly outlines your services, process, pricing, and how ordering works. Then, if they still want to book a call after seeing your pricing, great! You have an understanding of their project, and they have an understanding of your company.
Remind yourself of this: you do not need to get on a call with anyone ever unless you have screened their project. Do NOT feel obligated, no matter how nice they seem or whether they work with your sister’s husband’s friend. Your time is valuable. If someone isn’t a good fit, there is no sense in wasting 20 minutes (or longer if you don’t have a discovery call process).
How to prevent these bare-bones interior design project inquiries from coming in?
It’s allllll about that contact form.
We’ve seen HUNDREDS of bad ones. ← Don’t let that be you. An underutilized, poorly worded or formatted contact form IS scaaaaaaaary!!!
And, don’t be afraid to set project minimums and share them on your website. Sure, some people won’t look at them, but most will screen themselves out if their intended budget or project size doesn’t align. No harm there - this is a courtesy and saves everyone time and face.
Potential Client Is Rude To You On The Phone
Why, why, WHY are people sometimes so rude and demeaning to interior designers? It’s like they think anyone can do it (ummm…they can’t…have you ever been in a FB group with a bunch of DIYers and inexperienced faux designers sharing pics of rooms they’ve ‘designed’ - HORRIFYING. JAW DROPPING. I CAN’T UNSEE THOSE IMAGES.)
Yet, if you’ve been doing this for a while, you’ve certainly encountered the nightmare situation of a potential client who has reached out to YOU about working together, only to be RUDE to you on the discovery call. As if YOU should be SO thrilled at the opportunity to work on their home, and also, they know more than you.
Side note: WHOOOOOOOOOO DOES THAT??!!
So, what to do when that happens?
I like to pretend my three sweet daughters are watching me when/if someone mistreats me. It’s important for me to model to them how to stand up for yourself in this day and age. You don’t want to be insolent or ill-mannered. But you also don’t want to get sucked in.
→ YOU STOP THE PERSON IN THEIR TRACKS.
Potential client: “Saying something rude to you.”
You: “I’m going to pause the conversation here - I am not sure this is going to be a good fit. Thank you so much for your time and interest in working together. I wish you the best of luck.” CLICK.
I find that people who are rude, condescending, demeaning, or egotistical ONLY GET WORSE when money is exchanged and, in their eyes, you become “THEIR hired hand.”
No thanks.
Avoid at all costs.
Stop it immediately.
Don’t let them suck your soul.
You Arrive At The Design Consultation To Realize the Client Is a Hoarder
OMG. I’m certain the designer who shared this story isn’t the only one who has experienced this.
So what do you do when you get to a potential client’s home and realize there is zero room for new furnishings or good design because the place is packed wall to wall with stacks and stacks of junk, piles of boxes, and stuff EVERYWHERE?
Gasp.
By the looks of things, you realize this person probably doesn’t care much about the state of their home and, therefore, will likely be unagreeable to your process and definitely won’t place value on your services or purchasing high-quality furnishings.
Well, you know I’m going to say there are about 100 ways to avoid this, but if you get to the house and it’s like walking into an episode of Hoarders, you can absolutely let the potential client know that you’ll need to come back when you can see into the corners of the room to be able to measure (whether you measure at consults or not!).
Potential client: “Sorry about the mess.”
You: [jaw dropped - speechless]
Potential client: “We’ve just been really busy and haven’t had time to get organized.”
You: “I totally understand! Life gets busy. I should have sent this info over earlier, and I apologize for my mistake - during the consult, I need clear access into the corners of each of your rooms so I can measure and take pictures. Let’s reschedule for a time when the rooms will be cleared of all these items. Should we look ahead to [insert another date]?.....Great! I’ll send a confirmation when I’m back in my office and some tips for preparing.”
But how to prevent this so you never have to be in an uncomfortable situation like this again?
Before scheduling the interior design consultation, request pictures of the rooms they’d like help with so you can better understand their goals (you can even ask for them to send these in advance of your discovery call once you’ve determined they’re a good fit).
When booking the interior design consultation, let them know what happens at the consult and what the purpose is.
When confirming the consultation and sending reminders, let them know you’ll need clear access into the corners of each room to measure/photograph/adequately assess the space (whatever makes sense for what you actually do at your consults).
Client Calls Your Showroom And Claims THEY WORK FOR YOUR COMPANY To Get Your Trade Pricing
Yup! This happened to a client. Can you imagine??!! THE AUDACITY. Like, are you frickin’ frackin’ freaking’ serious???????????
First - you may not know this until after the order has been placed and you receive the acknowledgment. Typically, your showroom accounts are set up with YOUR email, so all order acknowledgments, confirmations, shipping updates, and invoices related to that order will go to that email. So, hopefully, you can catch this quickly.
Second - call your showroom to see who placed the order.
Third - have a frank conversation with the client and let them know that’s unacceptable and that you’ll be terminating their agreement and canceling that order.
That’s it. There is nothing else to do.
Then, within your firm, implement a policy with your team that all orders must be placed using a purchase order. Let your showrooms know that and have them add a note to your account that lists authorized users.
If you use POs for everything you order, when the vendor’s order acknowledgment comes through for that nightmare client’s order who was pretending to work at your firm, you’ll have nothing to link it to in your system, so the red flags will immediately go off and you’ll know something is wrong.
So tip: be sure your interior design contract has a termination policy that protects you and lets you cancel the contract immediately.
It’s Unclear To YOU and The Client Whether The Project Has Started Or Not
Many designers have shared about being in a “murky” phase with clients, and I know — as someone who has been on the receiving end of a bad client experience — this is NOT fun as a client either.
As a client, you sign a contract with someone and are so excited to start your project. You’re looking to the service provider to guide you through the process, right? I mean, after all, you’re not the expert at this - they are (which is why you hired them). If they don’t provide information about WHEN the project will start, how do you as the client know if it starts right when you sign, or in two weeks, or a month, or is there some official kickoff meeting? Do you see how that client might start to feel anxious and frustrated without having a clear start date in place?
On the designer side of the fence, the questions start coming fast and furious because the client simply does not understand the project status. They start asking when the design presentation will be. They start SHOPPING on their own and sending ideas because they’re anxious to get things going. Can you blame them for taking matters into their own hands when they don’t see any progress on your end?
So without a clear project start date, you enter into murky waters with your clients where you actually AREN’T ready to start their design project, but they’re emailing you and wanting answers - so you may be giving them one-off advice, reviewing their selections in a vacuum as they email them to you, or sending ideas their way to slow them down. You’re tap dancing your way through this awkward phase.
But what’s really happening here is you have lost control of the project and started designing when you don’t have the time needed to properly begin the project and before you have all the info you need to actually create a design that aligns with the client’s budget, style, and functional needs.
So - you need to establish a project start date right from the outset and then clearly communicate to the client what will happen before the project starts (nothing) and what will happen once the project officially begins (everything!). This way, they know the design isn’t starting until XX/XX, and they should focus on completing any new client homework you’ve asked them to do prior to that start date.
So, in this case, it’s all about the onboarding process. DO NOT MISS THIS CRITICAL STEP.
Client Shops Your Entire Design and Decides To Order Similar Stuff From Other Sources
For some reason, this reel about this exact situation went viral on Instagram. That was fun!
Let’s imagine the scenario:
You’ve put the finishing touches on your client’s design presentation, and it’s GORGEOUS! You know they’re going to love it and you can’t wait to bring it to life.
Presentation goes well. They love it. They even cry a little bit (tears of joy!). You’re so excited and eager to get their orders placed so you can keep the positive momentum going.
But then they email you after presentation and say they found similar things online for less, so they’re going to order those pieces instead of the items you presented.
RECORD SCRATCH WHAAAAAAAAT!!??
What do you do?
Hopefully, you have protected yourself in your contract so they can’t do this, or so you can assess a fee if they do.
If that’s the case, you simply reiterate the contract terms they agreed to and let them know how ordering on their own will impact the fee structure and project.
Do you term them?
Do you charge a procurement fee on the items you presented they are not purchasing?
Did you collect a furniture retainer, so this isn’t really a thing at all?
Do you not install any of it?
You’ve got to cover yourself in your interior design contract. AND THEN, you also have to remind the client along the way of your process so you stay in front of this. A great time to reiterate your ordering policy (all must go through you!) is when you send the reminder before the design presentation and what they can expect, and also again after the design presentation when you send a recap.
And, if you properly market your company and services and adequately screen potential clients before you present them with a contract, you likely won’t be attracting clients who have the time or desire to shop on their own.
But, if this is happening all the time, you need to take a hard look at your marketing. Why is it attracting people who (i) don’t value your expertise, (ii) don’t have the budget to purchase the rooms you design, and (iii) think they can do it better themselves?
So fix that first.
Then, make sure you have a solid interior design contract in place.
Then, be sure you proactively communicate expectations as you guide your clients through your design process.
Get those three things in place, and this should never happen.
Client Is Home AND Watching On Install Day (and they brought friends)
My heart goes out to the solo designer who shared this story with me. Her install days are her and her alone overseeing deliveries, making sure items are placed properly, unpacking accessories, and styling the space so everything looks perfect.
So when she arrived on install day to find her client and her client’s extended family there “so excited to see the room come together,” she was speechless. The delivery crew was right behind her, so things started moving quickly - and she blanked. Meanwhile, the client and their family SAT in the room and made comments on every.single.thing that came in or that the designer unpacked.
She was sweating and so uncomfortable. O.M.G.
Side note: back when I had my wedding planning company, we wouldn’t let ANYONE into the reception area until we were done. Honestly, we even asked the MOBs to stay out until everything was set. Why? Because, sometimes it can look like a hot mess when you’re setting up with boxes and people and messes everywhere…and then all the client sees is the MESS or the “one thing” that seems out of place. They’re not walking in and seeing the room in its entirety - flowers placed, candles lit, linens perfect, the works. They’re seeing the room in bits and pieces - the linens are wrinkled, the flower arrangement needs more filling here, why are the candles white AND ivory, I’m not liking the way the napkins are folded…you get the idea.
So we wouldn’t let anyone in and we would lock the doors. We presented this as a benefit - we wanted the MOB/MOG/B+G to walk in and see the completed space in all its glory so they could enjoy the moment they’ve been dreaming about for all these years.
This is the exact same on your install day.
So, while this particular designer’s situation could have been avoided by including a term in her contract about this and by sending information in advance about what the client should expect during the install day, she was in a tough situation being face-to-face and totally caught off guard.
If this happens to you, you can let them know you’ll need them to be out of the house for the next few hours so you can put their room together and prepare for their big reveal.
Take the blame. Let them know you’re sorry you forgot to let them know they should be out of the house but that you’ll be done in X hours and you’ll send them a text when you’re about 30 mins out from being finished.
The theme you may have noticed among all these examples is that they could have been easily prevented by having a solid screening process, a comprehensive contract, a well-formulated onboarding process, and a clear client process — all things we have created for you in our Client Experience Templates and all things we share about every Friday in The Weekly Install™. Be sure to check out those resources to get help TODAY with your interior design business.
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