I’m known in my building as the laundry guru. I have a professional grade setup in my unit, and since I work from home, I don't mind helping out a few neighbors here and there. I usually charge a small, flat fee per load basically just enough to cover the high end detergent and the wear and tear on my machines. It started as a nice way to help busy parents in the building.
One neighbor started bringing me her emergency loads. At first, it was once a week. Then it was three times a week. Last Tuesday, she dropped off three huge bags of clothes at 8:00 AM and told me she needed them back by 5:00 PM because her family was going on vacation.
I was slammed with my actual job that day and didn't finish her third bag until the next morning. When she came to pick them up, she was livid. She told me I ruined her schedule and that if I’m going to run a business, I need to be more professional. She even suggested I should give her this week for free to make up for the stress I caused her.
I handed her the bags, took the payment for the work I’d already done, and told her, Actually, I’m closing shop. I’m not a business I was a neighbor doing you a favor. Please find a commercial laundromat from now on.
She’s been telling everyone in the building that I’m unreliable and that I quit on her right when she needed me most. She thinks that because I accepted money in the past, I had a contractual obligation to meet her deadlines.