A customer won't sign the change order but wants the extra work done. What do I do?
Short answer
Stop and hold. Doing unsigned extra work trains every future customer that your paperwork is optional, and you'll never collect for it.
Figure out why they're stalling
Usually it's one of two things: they think the price is too high and are hoping you'll do it anyway, or they genuinely don't understand why a 'small thing' needs paperwork. Ask directly instead of guessing, it changes how you respond.
If it's price, you can negotiate the number. If it's the paperwork itself, hold firm, explain it protects both of you, and offer to answer questions before they sign, not after the work is done.
Hold the line without losing the customer
You can be warm and still be firm. The message is simple: work outside the contract needs a signature before it starts, full stop, no exceptions, not because you don't trust them but because that's how you run every job.
If they still refuse and press for the work anyway, don't do it. An unsigned verbal add is unpaid work waiting to happen, and it sets a precedent for the rest of the job.
Holding the line on an unsigned change order
Customer
“Just do it, we'll figure out the paperwork later, I'm good for it.”
You
“I trust you, this isn't about that. I don't start any work outside the contract without a signed change order, on every job I run, no exceptions. It protects us both if anything comes up later.”
Customer
“Fine, but can we talk about the price, it seems high.”
You
“Absolutely, let's go through it line by line right now. Once we agree on the number I'll get it signed and my guy can start today.”
Do not say
- “I guess I'll just do it this once (there's no 'this once,' it becomes the pattern for the rest of the job).”
Where owners get this wrong
- Doing the work on a promise instead of a signature.
- Assuming refusal to sign means bad faith, when it's often just confusion about why a form is needed.
- Backing down after already explaining the policy once.
Ask your version of this question
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