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Originally Posted by bja105

Seaton, your attitude seams a bit better lately, is it the anti-ban?

Trying to looks at things more positively I guess. Still get annoyed on a daily basis but I'm getting better.

Originally Posted by simplyrollin

Even more proof that customers in HVAC are fluid. Anytime you do things to help someone out, it usually comes back on you, and you end up losing money. I stopped doing favors for customers due to getting the short end of the stick one too many times.

Exactly.

Here is my favor: Take the family to a hotel tongiht and we will get right on the install in the morning.

worse is dealing with arabs trying to negotiate OT charges over the ph and want u diagnose on the ph. uh uh. no go. I pick sleeping than going out for less than what the shop charge is. If u want to pay the shop charge then I go out, if it under the table then no. I don't know u and obviously u don't know me since u called the company numbers. i prolly would do it for good acquintaces, but I don't steal from the hand that feed.

ppl would pay money up to the ying yang for useless stuffs for their car, but always always shirk when it comes to HVAC equipment.

Well FOLKS round 2 tonight I did the same thing but this time I stated if the furnace install is denied for any reason the full ammount of the new inducer motor will be chagred and paid immediately !!!

I felt wrong doing it but if explained right it was no big deal, these customers had us install there 20 year old Heil 1 piper back in the DAY and have had tuneups all the TIME !!!

Signed paper and $$$ usually put a stop to hotdog customers... And if they will not do both (sign and $$$) then they get to stay cold... or hot.

deposits

When I was in Houston..EVERY JOB..had a sighed contract..n.. A 35 to 50 % deposit! Period! You really can't do that in small town usa here..well I would..but I aint runnin nothin..lol

I would have left with a hefty deposit for the new one once the "spare" part had been installed.

Waive all charges like that on a signed agreement.

Once that guy turned into a PITA, I would have informed him that he lost his deposit. (wanting to wait 5 months for the install) the part was an emergency thing only, some people are so obtuse.

Place I once worked at had us install a 3 ton rooftop. Then customer said he would'nt pay cause he's a lawyer and knows it'll cost the company more then the job is worth to collect. Boss said ok lets play. So I got sent over and scraped the new rooftop.

Even more proof that customers in HVAC are fluid. Anytime you do things to help someone out, it usually comes back on you, and you end up losing money. I stopped doing favors for customers due to getting the short end of the stick one too many times.

Originally Posted by awsomeears

I mean when I'm on service duty's I help out customers all the time, its comes with a charge but I make sure they get the " Best Bang for the Buck " as I have bills to...

But some customers can make me rethink doing extra stuff like this....

When my father started his business we did appliance repair as well as A/C and heating. He would sometimes offer the "cheap" solution to people as everyone has hard times.

Many times it is the people who are well off and simply tight with cash that want cheap in price and yet want top quality for that cheap price. I've never understood why people go cheap on something that is going to last many years, spend the extra few hundred get the good item that is going to last.

I loan parts all the time, and have not been screwed, yet. Just get the money for the part and call upfront, and take it off the price of the install.

With maintenance contracts, usually this is not a big problem, but your guy is clearly unusual.

That is cool that his heat quit after he screwed you. Driving to calls in the snow at midnight, I fantasize about that kind of stuff. It never happens to me, though. Even if it did happen to me, they would send a different tech, who would get the gimme commission.

Seaton, your attitude seams a bit better lately, is it the anti-ban?

I get screwed over and mistreated by customers and potential customers all the time. It's just the way most people are anymore.

Just continue to be professional and things will fall into place.

That extra mile

Well,they say no good deed goes unpunished. Sometimes it seems true.
Once I had a little old man..WAY..out in the county. He needed a oem motor for a package unit on his mobile home. About a 3 day wait. So I go to town. Get a window unit. Take it back. Install it..all at no cost. Omg this guy turned out to b the biggest p.i.t.a. Ever. Complained about how long it took,the price,it sounds funny,on and on..
Another one had a manufactured home. Middle of winter. 3 inches of mud and water and animal whatever. I quoted them a price to replace the crossover In flex or hard pipe. They were broke so chose flex. ..I WROTE ON THE TICKET...you have to repair the under pending THE SAME DAY. If you don't the animals will ruin it again the same day,to keep warm! I had ONE tryvek (sp*) body suit. Well they didn't fix it,the animals ruined the duct..and they wanted me to come redo it again. I refused. They blew up..calling,nasty letters..etc. I told them..up front..in writing..I won't warranty it..if the animals ruin it. In fact told them I wouldn't go back period till it dried up..it was REAlllY bad f them.
Oh yeah,I have lost bids on condensers,inthe early 90's over 25$,they went with janitrol over my Rheem ..oh well..chalk it up to the game..rub it in n go on

I installed a used combustion blower assembly one time due to the time frame to get the new (holiday weekend), at no cost so far, order new on Tuesday.
Takes three days to get, call client, they had another company change the furnace on Wednesday.
Did not call to cancell the part or to let us bid the job.
Client calls about 4 months later to get thier regular checkup on someone eles furnace. Boy it was a difficult call to run.
Can't figure some people out.
luck dan

I got lucky when it comes to repeat customers and trust there in. My boss has been working with the same customers for 20-30 years. So he knows the ins and outs of pretty much every customer's system. From time to time another supervisor comes in to replace the retired/quit/fired. There have been a number of times when that new supervisor didn't like our quote because it was a little higher than another contractor's quote or the time was a little longer. Then when the job is actually completed we find out that it was done really cheap and really fast. Or they did it themselves. Either way we usually end up getting called within 3 months to fix said job.
Note to all supervisors/homeowners out there: Trust the guys whose price may be little higher but knows your system the best. You usually get what you pay for. Something tells me non of said parties aside from us will read what I'm writing. Oh well.
Here's my dead horse:

i did the used board thing once to get cust through long enough till new install...then our bid came in a lil higher than another ...he went w other co
and never gave us a chance to rebid...when i went to get loaner board back..
major chunks of harness came out too...seriously id have to think about ever doing it again..cust never considered my extra efforts to get him running
till replacement time...just you were $100 higher

gotta love it when they bite themselves in the @zz


don't know that i would have done the used board thing......it's always a judgment call.

awsome at that point you tell the wife you can take better care of her than her husband can and then get a hotel :P lol

I mean when I'm on service duty's I help out customers all the time, its comes with a charge but I make sure they get the " Best Bang for the Buck " as I have bills to...

But some customers can make me rethink doing extra stuff like this....