Not everyone has manners.

We started our business over eight years ago, and never looked back. Like every job, there are benefits and irritants. I’ve been seeing the advantages more than anything else. I work from home, which is priceless as far as I’m concern (I’m not really the office type), I manage my own schedule (as long as the work gets done, who cares when it’s done, read day or night), I’m always available by phone or by emails; I make a point of that. Even on vacation I answered my emails and voicemails.

The down side of it all is that I don’t get dressed right away, and often don’t shower right away either (I know, I know… you’re jealous!). My schedule is really messed up, I’m more a night owl than the morning bird. With my weird schedule comes the strange eating habits (read late). We never have dinner before 8:30 – 9:00 p.m.

I don’t really miss not being with people everyday, quite the opposite; I like my quietness – even if the past few days have been hell around here. Our neighbour upstairs is having his hardwood floors redone, not just refinished, nope, they ripped everything out and reinstalled brand new ones ‘cause the previous ones were squeaking on certain spots... Today they were nailing… O.M.G. This is all I will say about that, O.M. F.G. Ok, sorry, back on track. I don’t mind seeing my clients, even if at some point I did wish I didn’t have some of them as customers, because they were disorganised, or always late, always missing some papers, etc… but overall I have good clients. I think I do a good job, I try to be professional and I’m respectful. Never had a complaint, so that must be a good sign, no?

Last week our accountant called asking about one of my clients that I had referred to him for their year-end closing. He had tried contacting them to no avail. I told him I would ask my client what was happening on that front, since I had referred him, so I sent them an email. A week went by without any answer. Friday night I get a message from one of the owners, with whom I’ve always dealt with since the start (last year in October when they contacted me, in a panic, to take on their bookkeeping because they weren’t happy with their bookkeeper and were late in their remittance to the government) in which she: 1. Apologized for not contacting me sooner, 2. Said they decided not to use my reference and 3. They were using someone else for their bookkeeping but we should stay in touch. I re-read her message a few times, since her English isn’t that great, wanting to make sure I was reading it correctly. WTH? I sent her a reply asking if I was correctly understanding her message: they no longer needed my services? She replied a day later only saying: “Yes, you read correctly”.

I didn’t know if I should be happy or what? My first reaction was surprise of course. Then I felt upset for their lack of common courtesy. I’ve always been professional and will continue to do so. I will email them their data with a short thank you note. I’ve been thinking about this all day today, and deep down I know it’s a good thing. They were more trouble than they were worth. I guess my ego is hurt; to be dropped that way isn’t very pleasant. I’ve been fired once before and I remember it being unpleasant but not like this. I knew why and that was fine, but this… this is plain insulting!

Yeah, that's is! I'm insulted by their lack of "savoir vivre"!