[Zeke]

Next time you face this customer or another one for whom you don't want to work for, just tell them you are booked up and you will call them when you think there might be an opening. I've never inflated a price to ward off a customer in my contracting business. But, I've turned down a few, mostly be not getting back to them. A couple of times I've told people directly that this was not a job for me.

They are never happy with that, but so what?

I've read your posts about your business before. It has become obvious that you will let someone take an hour of your time on the phone, You have no one to blame but yourself for that. You need to find a device to end the conversation at a few minutes. A good one is to offer to call back. People call you when it's convenient for them. When you pick the time for the call, the tables may be turned to your advantage.

Still, you need to be able to end the conversation, even if you placed the call.