In our new plutonomy-an economydependent on rich consumers-it seems that nearly every industry is out to cater to the top.

Whether it is cars or clothes or banking and beach resorts, they are stretching high to offer ultraluxury to the last people in America with money to spend. But are rich customers really worth it?

Last week, a top executive of Barclays Wealth kicked up a little controversy by saying that rich people can be royal pains as customers. Speaking to a conference in Zurich, Gerard Aquilina of Barclays Wealth Management's private-banking unit said the rich drive a tough and sometimes unprofitable bargain.

According to a Bloomberg article, Mr. Aquilina warned of 'the complexities of dealing with ultra-high-net-worth.' He said the rich make 'demanding and often unreasonable requests' that can create 'impossible demands on an organization.' They want special discounts on services. They ask for loans that don't generate any banking fees. And on top of all that, they want help getting their children into certain schools and getting last-minute concert tickets, he said.

Some have taken Mr. Aquilina's comments to suggest that rich are a 'nasty bunch of people who are only getting nastier.'

My take is that the rich got rich by extracting maximum value from their business relationships. That includes banks and any other company trying to sell them stuff. The rich never pay list price. As one billionaire told me recently, 'the best part about being rich is all the free stuff you can demand.'

But Mr. Aquilina makes a point that every business jumping on the super-rich bandwagon should take seriously. Serving the super-wealthy can be trying, complicated and ultimatelyunprofitable.

It is an open secret in the wealth-management business that $100 million clients demand (and receive) institutional pricing, meaning they pay the same cut-rate fees as large companies and sovereign-wealth funds. The fattest profit margins are among the affluent, the $1 million to $5 million families.

Or take the case of yachts. The German yacht builder Blohm + Voss proudly won contracts to build several of the world's largest yachts during the boom times. But the global financialcrisis, along with cost overruns and delays for boats that proved far more expensive and complex than originally thought, forced the company to sell a chunk of itself to the Abu Dhabi's MAR Group.

That isn't to say the rich can't be good customers. They tend to be loyal to high quality brands or people. And of course, they spend a lot. But they often ask even more in return.

Do you think the rich are the best or worst customers?

Robert Frank

• economy [i´kɔnəmi] n.经济；机制；组织 (初中英语单词)
• executive [ig´zekjutiv] a.行政的 n.行政官 (初中英语单词)
• wealth [welθ] n.财富，财产 (初中英语单词)
• conference [´kɔnfərəns] n.讨论(会)；会谈 (初中英语单词)
• seriously [´siəriəsli] ad.严肃；严重，重大 (初中英语单词)
• complicated [´kɔmplikeitid] a.结构复杂的；难懂的 (初中英语单词)
• proudly [´praudli] ad.骄傲地；傲慢地 (初中英语单词)
• financial [fi´nænʃəl] a.金融的，财政的 (初中英语单词)
• expensive [ik´spensiv] a.费钱的，昂贵的 (初中英语单词)
• complex [´kɔmpleks] a.复杂的 n.综合企业 (初中英语单词)
• dependent [di´pendənt] a.依赖的；从属的 (高中英语单词)
• controversy [´kɔntrəvə:si] n.争论；争吵 (高中英语单词)
• saying [´seiŋ, ´sei-iŋ] n.言语；言论；格言 (高中英语单词)
• dealing [´di:liŋ] n.交易；来往 (高中英语单词)
• maximum [´mæksiməm] n.极点 a.最大的 (高中英语单词)
• builder [´bildə] n.建筑者；创造者 (高中英语单词)
• crisis [´kraisis] n.转折点；危机 (高中英语单词)
• originally [ə´ridʒənəli] ad.本来；独创地 (高中英语单词)
• banking [´bæŋkiŋ] n.银行业 (英语四级单词)
• unreasonable [ʌn´ri:zənəbl] a.不合理的；荒唐的 (英语四级单词)
• generate [´dʒenəreit] vt.创造；发生；引起 (英语四级单词)
• trying [´traiiŋ] a.难堪的；费劲的 (英语四级单词)
• ultimately [´ʌltimitli] ad.最后，最终 (英语四级单词)
• speaking [´spi:kiŋ] n.说话 a.发言的 (英语六级单词)
• unprofitable [ʌn´prɔfitəbl] a.没有利润的；无益的 (英语六级单词)