The Cost of Retaining a Bad Client: When Letting Go Is the Right Business Decision

We spend a lot of time in veterinary medicine and other businesses talking about client satisfaction, and rightly so. Happy clients are the backbone of any healthy practice. But there’s another side of the equation that doesn’t get talked about enough: the cost of keeping the wrong clients.

Whether it’s the chronic late-payer, the one who no-shows without apology, or the client who takes out their personal frustration on your team, the reality is this: not every client is worth keeping.

It can feel counterintuitive, especially in a profession rooted in care and service. We want to help everyone. We feel responsible. And when someone challenges us, it can trigger the urge to bend over backwards in the name of professionalism as well as your inherent drive to care for the pet or animal. But when a client consistently drains your time, energy, and resources — or worse, undermines your team’s well-being — continuing the relationship becomes a business liability.

Let’s start with finances. A client who doesn’t pay, pays late, or constantly disputes invoices isn’t just creating awkward moments at time of payment — they’re eroding your bottom line. Add in the time your staff spends chasing payments, correcting records, or re-explaining policies, and it becomes crystal clear: they’re costing you money. In some cases, quite a bit of it.

But more dangerous than the financial cost is the cultural cost. If you allow clients to consistently speak rudely to your CSR or other staff, ignore your technician’s instructions, or question your veterinarians in bad faith, it sends a message: abuse is tolerated here. That message undermines morale, depletes confidence, and accelerates burnout. In this hiring climate, retaining good team members is worth far more than keeping a client who brings additional and unwarranted stress.

So yes, there is a cost to firing a client. You may lose their business. They may leave a negative review. But there is also an opportunity cost in keeping them: the time and energy you and your team could have spent with clients who respect your boundaries, value your expertise, and pay their bills on time.

When you let go of a problem client, you’re not giving up — you’re making room. Room for healthier relationships, for less stressful days, for a team that knows you have their back. You’re creating space to serve the clients who make this profession fulfilling.

If you’ve never let a client go, start with clear policies and private documentation. Don’t fire a client in anger. Give them the opportunity to adjust if appropriate. But if the behavior persists and the damage outweighs the benefit, give yourself permission to move on. It’s not unkind, it’s leadership.

Another area of concern I have seen in ambulatory practices is the safety of the on-call veterinarians who are usually going to farm calls after hours or late at night.  If the practice keeps clients that may be abusive, this can lead to the attending veterinarian’s unease or downright fear of attending the farm call.  The practice owner is responsible for keeping their doctors and staff safe, so please keep this in mind as well.

Ultimately, veterinary practices are businesses as well as patient care providers and both require protection. Letting go of the bad clients helps preserve staff safety and allows the doctors and staff to show up better for the right ones — the ones who appreciate the care your practice provides; they respect your team and help your practice thrive.   As an added benefit good clients will also be more likely to refer other good clients. Overall, listen to your staff and your intuition along with observing the consistent ill-behavior of a client, then be confident in your decision – it may save you and your practice in countless ways.