Stupidest Service Call you've run!!!

[calubeda]

Hi all,

I was wondering what is the stupidest service call you've ever ran?

Let me start with mine today.

Customer call for no heat.
When arrived, furnace has no power,
checked outlet, no 120v.
Checked breaker, breaker is good.
After running around for 40 mins and multiple phone calls to different tech I ask the customer if I can use the phone cause mine was out of battery. Customer said, the phone doesn't work because her utility was shut off for non payment. DUH!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

She paid her bill, but it wouldn't go through for another two days. Advise customer that the furnace should work once she has utility on. I felt so sorry for her that I didn't even charge for the service call.

I had one of those. one hour to get to customer house and I started checking for power. I asked the home owner for the panel box and went to it and the breaker was ok. I went back to the customer and asked her if she had an emergency switch somewhere. She did and I turned it on and left.

[calubeda]

Service call for no cooling on a system we installed the previous year.
Me: "How often to you change your filter?"
customer: "filter?"

I had one of those on a Preventive Maintenance call. Armstrong furnace. customer had a filter in the hallway and I found one inside the blower compartment. There was still airflow. I took it off and it disintegrated in my hand.

[calubeda]

I barely use my vehicle and sometimes I'm wondering why the A/C doesn't work. I haven't made it to the mechanic... yet. my wife reminds me of the A/C switch.

[Questor]

Great thread all, read the whole thing over the last two weeks when time allows!

Both of these come readily to mind because they were the same establishment, local Asian restaurant:

1. No Cool call on Walk In, check inside and find evap fans running, temp in box around 47F, ambient around 85F. Check T-Stat, set properly, and activates as should, not in defrost. Cust states WI was cool that morning. Walk outside of box, compressor and condenser located on top of WI, right below condensing unit, spot some EMT running right down the side of the box to a std. "light" switch... Yup, and employee had flipped off the switch thinking it was the inside light. Flipped on and the old compressor rumbled away. *sigh*

2. Call for "Problem with Ice Machine". Turns out that the restaurant staff had been mopping up large pools of water several times a day, more on "busy days" for *who knows how long* Probably many weeks to a few months. Found machine sitting in a water pool about 2" deep against rear wall of space, turns out the inches of water had made it's way through a wall with a shared tenant, which is what generated the call... NOT the fact that they had to mop up MANY GALLONS of water, several times daily! Anyways, turns out the condensate drain line from the walk in(s), as well as the bin and drain from the air cooled ice machine were plumbed together, out of std. sched 40 PVC, and THEN run to a grey nipple fitting to some foam "pipe", then to the mop sink nearby (ya know, for "convenient" drainage), and it turns out that the foam "pipe" had worn out, despite someone's best efforts with multiple hose clamps (see pic) and the discharge was dumping straight onto the floor... *double sigh* Look closely and you'll see where the "pipe" is separated from the nipple and barely hanging on!

Told them best idea was to call a plumber! NOT touching that / owning it, no liability!

Attachment 334231

[Baycienda]

I just got to work in the morning and the boss says to go out and install a system that a guy bought. He said to bring an empty reclaim tank because it has a dead compressor. So I jumped in the van, drove to the guys house, pulled up to the garage and saw a brand new goodman condensor and coil.

I talked to the homeowner real quick, shut the main breaker off for the condensor and air handler.

I ran outside and reclaimed the refrigerant and disconnected the condensor. After that I ran inside and hooked up the coil, ran back outside and pulled a vacuum. I ran another service call, came back and released the refrigerant. I went to start it up, turned the breakers back on, turned on the square d disconnect, and what do you know...nothing happens. I've got 24 volts coming to the contactor. I put my probes on the high voltage side of the contactor and do not have 220, only 110 to ground. I go back inside and tell the homeowner that I need to charge him for a breaker for his disconnect and ask him who came out and diagnosed that there was a dead compressor. The homeowner said that he did and he is good with electrical. I said ok, and turned around and put a new breaker in and it started and charged fine. I felt bad, but I guess the homeowner got what he wanted. I never did tell the homeowner.

[poleaxem]

I got a call, "outside unit making noise" I'm walking around the house and hear this awefull noise and see the condensing unit bouncing in the air. It was missing 2 of the 3 fan blades and they had wooden stakes pounded in the ground trying to hold it down.

[Birmingham]

got a call no cooling on a motor control room trane package unit 50 tons. "come quick it's an emergency" upon arrival didnt even have to get out of the truck they had attached a blue tarp to the top of it and pulled it down tight (also someone had taught them to cycle the disconnect to reset the unit they had cycled it 12 times that day) i have never been around a unit that was quite that hot it had been recycling the air all day.

[LKJoel]

Call comes in, all it says is "needs pilot re-lit". Middle of summer, I assume its a water tank. Nope. "AC is not working, last time I called a furnace guy, he just re-lit the pilot, I need it done again"

[Andr00]

No heat, customer insists something is wrong with his thermostat.

Go there, stat reads 72, furnace works beautifully.

All of my instruments are within a degree of the stat.

"It's fine."

"Then why do I feel cold?"

I was too polite to say "because you're so damn old that one big sneeze is going to put you in a coffin." but I was thinking it pretty hard.

The guy's wife knew all along that it was fine, he just just insisted on calling. I didn't charge them.

[FlyersFan]

Years ago went to a 3 system air conditioning check. House was being remodeled and all 3 condensers were cut loose and sitting under a tree. Spent 15 minutes explaining to the customer that I can't check 'em unless they're hooked up.

[tinman]

years ago I changed out as couple boilers in a big bar out in the middle of the woods an hour or more from the shop. Anyhoo several weeks later he called with no heat, both boilers were down. He is on lp gas so I asked him, do you have gas. He sneered back the he had plenty, he was a jerk about this question. So I go out in the middle of the night drive down there to find out he is out of gas. Needless to say I was pissed. I didn't say much, these days I would say something and the bill would be cranked up considerbly. It pisses me off just thinking about it even after 15 years.

[kls-ccc]

Call comes in, all it says is "needs pilot re-lit". Middle of summer, I assume its a water tank. Nope. "AC is not working, last time I called a furnace guy, he just re-lit the pilot, I need it done again"

I had a call like that, Bryant warp switch pilot. Someone had wired it so it would kill common from the transformer to everything. Pilot went out, no cooling.

[Furnaceguy85]

Last service call I ran yesterday. Lady says furnace making a real bad vibration. I turn it on sounds like a off balance blower. I said ok easy fix probably something stuck in wheel sinse there was no filter in furnace. I turn furnace off stick my hand in wheel and pull out a bag of weed. Lady had a shocked look on her face and said how did that get there.