I do agree that repeat business and referrals are the best and fortunately I get a fair amount of them.
A time waster comes in many forms and agreed the internet browsers often fall into that category. They will usually be someone that wants really cheap, buys their own cable, switches and sockets and "just" wants me to put them and/or insists that the job they want me to do is a "little, quick or easy job" when usually it's anything but that.
Someone who has a fault and wants me to give them an actual quote as they can't understand why I would charge by the hour, or doesn't understand that I cannot promise to fix the fault on my initial visit and just doesn't get that I will still want paying.
Someone that can't understand why I can't give them a price over the phone to fit an extra socket or an outside light etc without me having no other information or having never been to the property.
The ones that tell me when I will be going to quote them, so they tell me that they want me to be at their house at 7.30pm tonight or 9am on Saturday (not asking me but telling me), they don't ever get to see me.
People that are rude or abrupt, or the ones that tell me if I give them a good price they will get me more work will never see me.
Despite the impression I'm giving, I'm actually a happy friendly bloke and I almost always have a good rapport with my customers and I do take pride in my work and do my best to do a good job (which most customers appreciate and recognise). I don't travel too far nowadays for work and I am lucky that I can be as selective as I am (mortgage paid and no debts). I turn down lots of work from genuine customers because I have learnt to say no (something I used to struggle with). Next week I have only booked 2 days work in (I could have work all week if I wanted) because I have a couple of bits to do and family comes first.
I guess if things dried up completely I might have to consider adjusting my potential time waster filter, but fingers crossed it won't come to that.
In reply to being chessed off with the job, I am definitely not chessed off with the work but my tolerance for time wasters, rude and obnoxious people isn't as high as it once was. Most of the time I am genuinely happy doing the job.