When Should You Refuse A Client On Ethical Grounds?

There are many reasons for taking a client’s money, first of all, because as an entrepreneur you’re in the business of making money. That being said, not all money is good money, and not all clients are good clients. There’s a reason why banking legislation is primarily designed to prevent and deter money laundering operations no bank should be holding funds for organised crime. Unfortunately, not all major banks found it sufficient to understand and abide by these rules.

As a smaller entrepreneur running a modest enterprise, the stakes are, thankfully, a little less extreme. But when should you refuse a client? When is it best to politely reject someone’s money, or to decline a contract or proposition? For example, the best tattoo shop in the world, stocked with high-quality tattoo supplies and creative, dedicated staff, will be the first to turn away a teenager who cannot verify their age, or someone who may want a highly offensive or discriminatory tattoo.

Outside of legal requirements, when should you refuse a client on ethical grounds? Let’s discuss a few scenarios, below:

When The Client Isn’t In A Right State Of Mind

There’s a reason why it’s illegal in many places to sell alcohol to someone who is overly inebriated, and that’s because they’re impaired, and cannot make a good-faith decision to partake in an activity that is more than dangerous. How certain bars might exercise this rule against their patrons is another story, but it can certainly affect other businesses. Many tattooists, for example, will absolutely refuse to tattoo anyone that seems drunk, for obvious reasons. But if you feel the client isn’t making an aware and attentive decision, it’s your right to refuse service.

When A Client Request Could Cause & Offense

Now, where the offence is drawn is absolutely going to be a subjective line, at least most of the time. But say a group of bachelors about to have a stag do for their friend comes into a t-shirt printing shop and wants slurs and offensive imagery printed on shirts to go out in, well, you could say this will cause public offence and are well within your right to refuse that business. It’s also important to make sure you don’t contribute to any genuine hatred or discrimination.

When the Client Request Compromises Confidentiality Or Privacy

While you may not know the full story, sometimes a client request is questionable in terms of privacy or confidentiality. For example, if a supposed employee walks into a computer repair shop with a laptop they cannot get into, and they want you to access the operating system or wipe the machine, you might question why their system administrator can’t do that. If they fail to give a good response or provide their ID or employee identification to prove they work at the business marked on the property, that could be a security risk and is worth refusing.

With these three examples, you’ll no doubt see when you should refuse a client on ethical grounds, and keep your business measured as a result.