Professional Member*
Recently, I went out on a call to cover a friend for a freezer at a super market and was there about 5-10min before realizing it was a loose wire. It solved the problem.
My question, do I charge my usual truck charge and for one hour or what would I do in that situation? I felt bad charging the guy but confused if it was right or wrong. Any suggestions?
Professional Member*
Are you going to tell the boss not to pay you for your time? Is your van going to un-burn the fuel?
It was so simple that a store with 20 employees or more onsite at any given time couldn't figure it out. They called you for your experience, knowledge, and expertise.
Unless your company left the wire loose...
Call it what you want - minimum, truck charge, trip charge, diagnostic... it's due. $1 to throw the switch, $99 for knowing what switch to throw.
Professional Member
Lesson I learned the hard way my first day on the road...
Picked up my van in Pittsburgh, drove around town to pick up the few things that the shop did not have to stock my van (vacuum pump, leak detector, etc) picked up a compressor for another tech.
Drove that compressor almost 2 hours north, helped to lift it into place.
Drove 1.5 hours south to a small market for a service call. They finally figured that their case had been iced up, had defrosted it and told me that they didn't need a call, so I didn't write up any time. They didn't bother to call the office and cancel the call, just decided that they didn't want a call once I made it to the job.
Of course, I wasn't paid for my time. Wasn't a huge deal as I didn't really have bills or anything at 21 years old, but I learned a lesson.
To this day, I write a bill unless it is my fault. I'll drive back on my time to get info that I lost, to turn a switch on that I left off or something similar. If they call and do not cancel, I'm getting paid.
Professional Member
You get paid at least your service call. In a situation like that maybe give the coil a quick clean or something. Observe the box for a while to make sure its working good with no other problems. You don't ever want to just spend five or ten minutes on any call IMO. The customer needs to perceive value and you need to get paid.
Professional Member*
Any one charged a C note to plug a unit back in? I did, I told them on the phone to check the plug. 60 miles round trip on a Sunday. Had it been a week day and if I was anywhere close I would not have charged.
I also "fined" a customer for swearing at me on day.
Originally Posted by newoldtech
Professional Member*
If I was able to do that I would be a millionaire.
Professional Member*
I would understand a weeknd call and that much driving.
I just watched 20/20 a couple weeks ago and they made seem as if $130 for something small was a rip off (loose fuse). I don't want to be that person. I stayed at site for almost an hour check pressures and amps and coil conditions. charged the guy $110 (40 truck charge, 70/hr). but he didn't complain he actually was happy.
"Never Let The Weak Dilute Your Mind"-Anonymous
Professional Member*
The owner wasn't mad at me. He knew I told them to check the plug.
But there are a lot of things that I don't charge for. They have been with me for 30 years or more.
Professional Member*
My feelings are, if they call me and I go there I should get paid.
Its unfortunate if a cord is unplugged or a breaker is off, but they called for service and someone drove over there and fixed it. Just because it is a simple easy fix, that does not mean it should be done for free.
We don't have a minimum, so it would just be travel time plus time on site. I normally give things a quick check to make sure everything else looks ok. I will check temp, look at evaporator coils and condenser coils when feasible, check sight glass or receiver level if applicable, etc.......
The exception would be the same as this. We usually get paid by our employer for callbacks anyhow, but if I forgot something or drive 20 miles and have to turn around because I left a valve off, I usually won't write it down.
Professional Member
I'd say more often than not, you need to charge it. Now if it's a good customer you do a fair bit of work for, I could see telling them you'll get em next time and heading out with no charge.
There have been probably a handful of times I didn't charge anything back in the resi days. Typically it was an older person who didn't know the tstat had batteries, or something very easy like that. I'd just leave them a few business cards, tell them this one's on the house, tell your friends how nice I am, but don't tell em I work for free. BTW, on those calls, I never was paid either, sometimes it's nice to do something just to be nice (until it bites you, and you learn your lesson.... over and over again lol)
"If you call that hard work, a koala’s life would look heroic."
Professional Member
"Of course, I wasn't paid for my time. Wasn't a huge deal as I didn't really have bills or anything at 21 years old, but I learned a lesson."
Is that even legal. If you screw up you can be reprimanded or fired, but if you are working you should be paid.
Professional Member*
I don't think docking pay is legal, but then again, they do not have to admit they did it either (That's why i was always told to keep a work journal, to cover myself (I never did)
Professional Member
It's the misleading pricing scheme, not advising what common repairs cost until techs show up or "double dipping" used by some that primarily do residential/small biz companies that create a lot of PO'd customers. Customers are purposely left in the dark about the expected cost until the tech shows up. It's not something they usually know a lot about and it's not really a service you use that often. Things like "$49 service call" ( in fine print... +parts and labor. 2 hour minimum at $75/hr)
If they were told upfront "$200 includes service call and labor up to two hours, additional time rounded up to the next nearest whole hour", they wouldn't be annoyed quite the same way. When I say "double billing" I mean hours billed for, but not used for the job. For example, 2hrs + 5 minutes, bill at 3 hrs but the remaining 55 minutes is used to travel to another service, that hour has been collected twice. Sort of like you miss hotel check out by 5 minutes, they go ahead and bill you an additional night, but rented that room out the same night. And those who makes it a habit to exploit this much like banks that use sneaky fees to profit.
Professional Member*
How did you note it on the service ticket? "personal foul"?
If the women don't find you handsome, they should at least find you handy.
Professional Member*
lolHow did you note it on the service ticket? "personal foul"?
"Never Let The Weak Dilute Your Mind"-Anonymous
Professional Member*
nobody feels sorry for you going out what are you a former priest????? bang the customer your boss will LOVE U
"when in doubt...jump it out" http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=U1qEZHhJubY
Professional Member*
We are talking in the 70's. I think I just wrote on the invoice $25 fine for swearing at service tech. You may not believe this but it was a large Chinese restaurant. I did his work for over 20 years till he closed the place. I was in the hospital with disk surgery and he wanted to sneak me out to look at his cooler.
How did you note it on the service ticket? "personal foul"?
Professional Member
.
To this day, I write a bill unless it is my fault. I'll drive back on my time to get info that I lost, to turn a switch on that I left off or something similar. If they call and do not cancel, I'm getting paid.[/QUOTE]
x2 Should my truck made it to the end of my driveway before the call to cancel there will be a bill written up before I get out of it. I have spent a great deal of my "personal" time researching problems, designing solutions, and correcting my mistakes. I also learned early on "the more you GIVE, the more they TAKE"
Professional Member
They had no legal record of my work that day. No paperwork was filled out and signed, therefore, I might as well have not worked.
Posting Permissions
Reply