How many of you run Warranty calls on nights and Weekends?

[Strkout499]

We have an on call service guy 24/7 for warranty calls, our maintenance customers, or basically anybody else that spends the 10 minutes to listen to our office's after hours voicemail. Kind of screws up my weekend when I see a strange number calling me and I realize it's the week where I'm on call...but I'm out hunting.

[TXTech1]

We run on call 24/7 but if the homeowner installs the stat himself it is no longer warrantied work by us, we would charge after hours service call rates to work on it. If he didnt want to spend the money to have you install the stat in the first place that is fine but by doing so he took your obligation out of it. No reason you should spend your money working on the stat that he installed especially on off hours

[ga-hvac-tech]

Each of us puts our into this thread...

Personally... I would NEVER install a new system without a new stat... been burned too many times before.

As to this situation: Rich folks are rich because they play games... the whining will go on as long as you have them for a customer.

My question would be: Do I want this customer enough to invest the time (at your expense). If so... then suck it up and run the warranty call... If not... Well I would explain the stat is his stat; I would come out and diagnose the issue. If it is covered under warranty... I will repair it. If it is his stat or his install of the stat... it will cost. And get approval to charge BEFORE going out.

If he refuses... write him off and replace him with a new customer (hopefully one who is easier to deal with).

Having said this... if the customer is giving you lots of referrals... and you want them to continue... may need to suck it up and go fix it... on your dime.

[miami mike]

Of course I run warranty calls after hours. I can not imagine telling someone with a 7 month old system, "sorry, your warranty is not valid after 5".

That is crazy!

With that said, I only warranty parts and equipment that I install. If I took that call I would let them know that there is no "warranty" because their is nothing I installed to "warranty".

[ch4man]

I work for a company that runs warranty on Saturday til about 5pm then we charge normal charges plus after hour trip charges plus hourly etc.

Reason I ask, is because I had a client call me this evening wanting a warranty service call on a tstat he installed that does not have any power going to it. Now mind you its a new install and it is under warranty, but their is a gray area here with the client installing the new tstat. So I told the client that we do not run warranty calls on Sunday PM, and it would be the after hour charge, and we could get to him as soon as possible during the work week for no charge. He grumbled and the conversation was over...

Make a long story short, the client calls back, complaining to the after hour service about the after hour charge, so I had to call him back again and listen to him complain about having to pay for me to come out on a Sunday night, and how he was going to tell everyone he could about how displeased he was and practically sounded like he wanted my head on a pike.

I was disappointed with his attitude for one, he put a tstat on his wall, and I am sure a monkey could do it with the instruction available, but still that is a complication, chances are he prob, blew a fuse, or in that area there has been allot of drain issues, float switches activating due to installation issues..

In addition, this client has 2 central air systems in his house...

I can understand after dealing with this spoiled rich man, who has an entitlement complex, why so many people dislike the rich..

Not to mention I am about an hour transit wise from his location..

So my question is how many companies out there, run warranty calls on Sunday nights? Most company's I worked for frown on running warranty calls on Weekends holidays etc, because you usually need warranty parts...

He was shocked and in awe, that the company I work for does not run warranty calls on Sunday nights? I am just curious if their are legions of HVAC, service techs out their chomping at the bit to run warranty calls on Sunday nights..

i guess not enough info to answer whether or not to warranty a diagnosis.

id need to know "why did he decide he needed to replace his t-stat"

if it was for no other reason then he wanted to, then no...

if he felt his system wasnt controlling temps well, then maybe the new system wasnt working correctly, then yes.

but then again why didnt he call to begin with... of course who can tell with some customers, they're people and some people well, off center???

[tiger man]

Word of mouth is the best advertisement, we have put a lot of companies up here out of business solely from our service departments ability to respond quickly to demanding out of state customers who own vacation homes up here with multiple systems. When i am on call, i dont plead with them to wait until monday, i just go and find out whats wrong and get them heat, and dont whine about it. Ive had customers from the east coast say, we never would have gotten service like that in new jersey, and hand me a twenty spot.

[tiger man]

Why is the guy buying a new t-stat on a new system, what a moron.

Why wasnt a new stat installed with the furnace, we include a new honeywell focus pro 5000 or 6000 stat with every furnace and or ac install

[jtrammel]

We run on call 24/7 but if the homeowner installs the stat himself it is no longer warrantied work by us, we would charge after hours service call rates to work on it. If he didnt want to spend the money to have you install the stat in the first place that is fine but by doing so he took your obligation out of it. No reason you should spend your money working on the stat that he installed especially on off hours

X2

[Izadoka]

We run warranty calls after hours. We want referrals from our customers. You leave a family that spent big bucks with you without heat all weekend, they will be telling all their friends not to deal with you!

^I concur^

Rich or poor, friendly or terse, smart or dumb, if a client calls it is because they need help. We run warranty calls 24/7, and while our level of service is abused from time to time, I also have dozens of customers who will refuse to ever use anyone but me and simply hand me a credit card when I walk through their front door. It is a numbers game. If we always provide great service, the good outweighs the bad.

Remember this: Most people will never remember what we repaired, but they will remember how we made them feel. And in America, most people will gladly pay to feel good.

[toocoolforschool]

Each of us puts our into this thread...

Personally... I would NEVER install a new system without a new stat... been burned too many times before.

As to this situation: Rich folks are rich because they play games... the whining will go on as long as you have them for a customer.

My question would be: Do I want this customer enough to invest the time (at your expense). If so... then suck it up and run the warranty call... If not... Well I would explain the stat is his stat; I would come out and diagnose the issue. If it is covered under warranty... I will repair it. If it is his stat or his install of the stat... it will cost. And get approval to charge BEFORE going out.

If he refuses... write him off and replace him with a new customer (hopefully one who is easier to deal with).

Having said this... if the customer is giving you lots of referrals... and you want them to continue... may need to suck it up and go fix it... on your dime.

I was assuming he did instal a new one with system. I always instal new one with any changeout.

[Andr00]

Of course we run warranty calls after hours. Also, run calls to fix stuff the installers botched. Such as saturday two weeks ago when I had to fix some work our resident channellock bandit did on some gas pipe.

In the case of the situation in the OP's original post however, I would have very carefully explained why him putting a stat on himself is not covered by our warranty, why he would have to pay the off-hours rate because of it, and if he got lippy I'd have hung up on him.

All of our installs include a Honeywell or Pro1(? some crappy thing) thermostat in the quote. But, I constantly go into houses and find that the stat has been swapped out for a shiny color touch-screen stat or a Nest, or whatever neato thing the big-box had on sale at the time was.

[martyinlincoln]

Yep we run warranty calls 24/7. I liked it whole lot better when the cut off time was 8PM but it's not my name signing the checks.

[Frederick_Tech]

We also run warranty calls 24/7. Our home owners are told on the phone if the problem found is not under the warranty (i.e. installed their own stat) there will be a charge. And if they refuse to pay they are put on the no service list until the bill is taken care of. And beings as how we are mainly new construction and some of the home warranties are 2 years it would be in their best interest to pay the bill.