K9,
We get lots of the same stories. My favorite was the homeowner(s) who state that they were told by the last beekeeper that came out to the house that "It would be free" for the service. I try to say it without to much of a smile, that perhaps they should call the last beekeeper up and get him to come back. ;)
Half of my calls involve folks who tried to kill them off a week or two earlier, but could not. This makes any comb or honey a waste. And most pest control guys will not do extractions. And the days of them spraying the hole with sevin dust, and leaving behind a hundred pounds of honey in the wall, while walking away with a nice check, is mostly over.
So many of the calls are the "last resort" type, from homeowners who tried various things, prior to calling me. If I am the first one called, I know they will balk at the fee. But after a few good questions, I know the story. And to be fair, I sometimes suggest they contact a local club to see if anyone wants to do it for free. Then I nicely state that if they can not get anyone else, then they should keep my phone number handy.
I run into all types of situations. Like you, I have had some state they want paid to allow me to come and get them. The bee industry has degraded an important service over the years and continue to feed the idea that beekeepers should drop what they are doing, go out and spend hour upon hour, trying to "save" the endangered bees. It is a great angle for homeowners who could care less about bees, yet want something for nothing.
And yes......half of my calls are for yellow jackets and hornets. Since I charge a fee even for swarm removal unless it is close by or near one of my yards, I just go ahead and take care of these problems also since I have the equipment and I am there anyways.
I outline our services on this page.
http://www.bjornapiaries.com/beeswarmremoval.htmlIt keep the number of calls down except those needing a service they are willing to pay for. We don't spend so much wasted time.