I hate it when people do this

[coolwhip]

Got a call for an a/c estimate a few days ago and made an apointment for 11:00 am monday morning w/ the home owner to look at the house and go over specifics. When I pulled up, she was walking out the door and about to leave. Anyway it was rush rush rush and I basically left her some literature and said I would mail her a quote. I hate people like this. Didnt even bother to call and cancel. Burns me up how some can be so inconsiderate.

[m kilgore]

I hate people like this to. It seems like it happens to much nowadays. People are in such a rush that they can't take a minute to get info from us. You would think that they would care with as much money as they would spend on a new unit.
They do the same with service calls. "The other company got here first" Then they get PO'd when you try to charge for a service call.
Its has turned into a world where people only care about themselfs and have no respect for anything else.

[prestiege]

Originally posted by m kilgore

They do the same with service calls. "The other company got here first" Then they get PO'd when you try to charge for a service call.

LOL, we get this a lot, lot of store fronts, the people they lease the store front from we service all they're residential, on store fronts, its stated in the lease they must pay for there own hvac services, all these people sign the lease, and when something happens they forget and call the leasing office, they recomend us to them so we get a call, to get on the job and theres another company there, oh, my brother or friend recomended the other company, well thanks for the calling us back and cancelling,now i have to charge you a service charge and 2 hour minumun as agreed to when you told us to come out

[midhvac]

I think it's a often a matter of how important some people think they are, compared to how unimportant they perceive others to be. Who am I to question their judgement? I allow them to be as important as they can afford to be, because they're paying for it. I have special rates for these people.
It's called an a*shole surcharge.

[i_got_ideas]

I've seen that too...like they call 2 or more companies and he who gets there first wins......WRONG, we all win .

[hvacmd2002]

I wouldn't even bother to quote it. I'd have trouble working for a jerk like that

[midhvac]

Originally posted by hvacmd2002
I wouldn't even bother to quote it. I'd have trouble working for a jerk like that

Yeah, they might decide to be unavailable when it's time for you to get paid.

Don't laugh. It's happened to me more than once. They ask you when you'll be finished and tell you they have an errand to run, but will be back before you're done.

You leave the bill, but don't hold your breath.

[oil lp man]

Originally posted by midhvac

Originally posted by hvacmd2002
I wouldn't even bother to quote it. I'd have trouble working for a jerk like that

Yeah, they might decide to be unavailable when it's time for you to get paid.

Don't laugh. It's happened to me more than once. They ask you when you'll be finished and tell you they have an errand to run, but will be back before you're done.

You leave the bill, but don't hold your breath.

Hold their flat screen TV as collateral

[oil lp man]

Or, make yourself some dinner if they're going to be a few hours and when they come home hand them a bill including the extra time spent waiting.


[Edited by oil lp man on 08-16-2004 at 09:52 PM]

[Ammonianite]

Restaurant chains (at least in this area) are notorious
for calling two, sometimes three service companies and whoever gets there first gets the work. I was dispatched
one time to a popular chain restaurant, pulled around back
to see three different service trucks all for the same call.

Another time, I was on the rooftop of another chain restaurant working on a 7 ton RTU when I heard a noise.
I turned around to see a ladder besides mine. Another company had sent a technician to service the unit. The guy
poked his head up above the roof line, didn't say a thing.
The next thing I know, the ladder disappears. I peak over the edge of the roof and the guy has already put the ladder
on the ladder rack of his truck and started it up. Hey, the guy could of at least been sociable and said hello. I might have even relented and let him have the call since I had not yet put my guages on the unit and wasn't all that thrilled with ice skating around a grease-covered roof.

[HeyBob]

The one I like is when a homeowner calls six companies for an estimate, all at the same time an say's "let's see who can go the lowest." It happened to me once, I left.

Chances of collecting a service fee when a customer calls multiple companies and you all show is slim to none.

bob

[on-time]

Never had this happen in Dallas Texas but had it happen in Atlanta GA all the time. I was a member of the credit bureau and would put a "9" (uncollectable bad debt)on their credit report and send them a letter of lien on their home because they would never pay me. Don't let people screw you and all the other contractors in town. Charge them for removing the lien, attornies cost, etc. In many states you can call the police if they don't pay you and they will be charged for theft of services. Don't get mad at people just be professional, you are running a for-profit business and if they call you to come out they owe you money.

[Green Mountain]

Our new system, that we started this year, is working out great. We do NO emergency service for anyone unless they have an account with us. This means no COD either.

I rather have a guy sitting on his a$$ in the shop then to have him out on a call for which I am not going to get paid.

We are in the process of giving all of our customers numbers. If they don't have an approved account with us then they don't get service. Our techs hate COD's anyway.
If I walked into some hardware store and tried to buy some parts on credit by explaining that I needed them for an emergency, the guy behind the counter wouldn't probably not give them to me. He might open an account for me if I fill out a credit app. and waited for a few day.

If someone calls in with an emergency and they don't have an account we say, "We're sorry all of our technicians are busy assisting other customers. Would you like to open an account with us so that we can be ready to service you in the future?" (or we will take a credit card number and check it out)

[top-notch-tek]

Originally posted by on-time
Never had this happen in Dallas Texas but had it happen in Atlanta GA all the time. I was a member of the credit bureau and would put a "9" (uncollectable bad debt)on their credit report and send them a letter of lien on their home because they would never pay me. Don't let people screw you and all the other contractors in town. Charge them for removing the lien, attornies cost, etc. In many states you can call the police if they don't pay you and they will be charged for theft of services. Don't get mad at people just be professional, you are running a for-profit business and if they call you to come out they owe you money.

This is what we do.

[midhvac]

Originally posted by oil lp man
Or, make yourself some dinner if they're going to be a few hours and when they come home hand them a bill including the extra time spent waiting.


[Edited by oil lp man on 08-16-2004 at 09:52 PM]

LOL, I *LOVE* it!!!

[midhvac]

Gotta be more in their frigidator than mine