What annoys me as a residential service tech.

[Danae12]

I have been doing service for a few years, ya I know I have not hit the 10 years club....

You know what annoys me.. My clients.

I am at a call been there five minutes and the client is asking me so, what is wrong did you figure it out...

As if I am below doctor status, and instead of a bedside manner I get a street side manner...

I just dunno what has happened in our field..

I was taught to take my time and analyze everything on a central air system..

I just get so annoyed after being at a call 5 mins I am asked what is wrong, and looked at like I am a moron, for not answering...

takes me about an hour to diagnose and come to a conclusion on what is wrong system normally, especially when it is refrigerant related...

Does anyone else go thru this?


how do you deal with it?

I try not to be rude, but sometimes I just want to say to my client so much...

[newoldtech]

I'd say over ninety percent of the time I know what the problem is in less than 10 minutes. But its easy to just say to the customer, "I'm still checking, I'll let you know". They are usually just curious since its going to cost them money and they hope it can be fixed Today.

[lortech]

I get that on the phone BEFORE I head out. I say to them "Does a doctor give you a answer to your ailment before he sees you??" I really do not say that, but that is what it boils down to.

Just hand them a sheet with 50 possibilities and see if thay can understand "It can take 20 min or longer to find the problem based on that sheet"

People just need to be patient and let the tech do his job.

[chillrdude]

Not to be a d*ck or anything, but if really takes you an hour to figure out a residential air conditioner, I think your in the wrong kind of work.

Obviously your boss charges by the hour and is not flat rate because you would have been gone long ago. Around here the flat rate guys are doing 12-14 calls a day and slamming home the cash.

[Danae12]

Not to be a d*ck or anything, but if really takes you an hour to figure out a residential air conditioner, I think your in the wrong kind of work.

Obviously your boss charges by the hour and is not flat rate because you would have been gone long ago. Around here the flat rate guys are doing 12-14 calls a day and slamming home the cash.

Not being a dick here either, but in my company, you are one of the guys I am doing your call backs on...


If you are fixing a service call in 10 minutes that is not a lame capacitor, or something dumb, you might wanna renig on that comment...

[Tiger93rsl]

Thats one of the reasons I went commercial. I still do some residential work but my passion is commercial work. I am a people person and do really well dealing with home owners. But I hate it, I'm a technican first and a customer rep. second but I do both well I just hate doing the latter. If I happen to be doing residential and I'm confronted with the HO in the middle of my diagonistics I inform the HO that I am currently gathering data on the system performance and I will get back with them when I'm done.

[Danae12]

Thats one of the reasons I went commercial. I still do some residential work but my passion is commercial work. I am a people person and do really well dealing with home owners. But I hate it, I'm a technican first and a customer rep. second but I do both well I just hate doing the latter. If I happen to be doing residential and I'm confronted with the HO in the middle of my diagonistics I inform the HO that I am currently gathering data on the system performance and I will get back with them when I'm done.

exactly I am not trying to make a quagmire, here but it gets annoying, and I cannot fix a system in 10 mins... That is all I am trying to say.. heck 30 mins at the least... Sometimes its more then one problem... which really puzzles me at one of the earlier posts that states he can do service in less then an hour.. I dont wanna know where or what company that is...

[joemach]

I have been doing service for a few years, ya I know I have not hit the 10 years club....

You know what annoys me.. My clients.

I am at a call been there five minutes and the client is asking me so, what is wrong did you figure it out...

As if I am below doctor status, and instead of a bedside manner I get a street side manner...

I just dunno what has happened in our field..

I was taught to take my time and analyze everything on a central air system..

I just get so annoyed after being at a call 5 mins I am asked what is wrong, and looked at like I am a moron, for not answering...

takes me about an hour to diagnose and come to a conclusion on what is wrong system normally, especially when it is refrigerant related...

Does anyone else go thru this?


how do you deal with it?

I try not to be rude, but sometimes I just want to say to my client so much...

Sounds like you might be in the wrong trade. Depending on the time of the year and a short chat with the client on the phone on the way to the call, I have a real good idea on what the problem is before I get out of the van. I am correct about 75% of the time. Most calls are fixed in about an hour or so on the job time.

Secondly, if it bothers you that a customer stands over or behind you wondering what you are doing and how long this will take, you are most likely in the wrong trade or at least the wrong end of it.

When they quiz me on whether I have found the problem yet, I let them know that I will tell them as soon as I find out. If they want to watch me to see what I am doing, I suggest that they get a comfortable chair as this may take a while. If they ask whether it bothers me if they watch while I work on their equipment, I tell them that I would prefer that they do so that next time mabe they can fix it and I won't have to do it for them.

After a minute or 2 they will get up and leave me alone.

[Danae12]

Sounds like you might be in the wrong trade. Depending on the time of the year and a short chat with the client on the phone on the way to the call, I have a real good idea on what the problem is before I get out of the van. I am correct about 75% of the time. Most calls are fixed in about an hour or so on the job time.

Secondly, if it bothers you that a customer stands over or behind you wondering what you are doing and how long this will take, you are most likely in the wrong trade or at least the wrong end of it.

When they quiz me on whether I have found the problem yet, I let them know that I will tell them as soon as I find out. If they want to watch me to see what I am doing, I suggest that they get a comfortable chair as this may take a while. If they ask whether it bothers me if they watch while I work on their equipment, I tell them that I would prefer that they do so that next time mabe they can fix it and I won't have to do it for them.

After a minute or 2 they will get up and leave me alone.

no I like my job, I am just saying sometimes its frustrating, I dont get to call them, and I am talking about the complicated calls. The ones where maintenance has not been done in years, when you find just everything all wrong... I love my job... Most times it does not come down to that... Never enough time to do it right, always enough time to do it wrong...

That is all I am saying...

Hell most my service calls are easy but sometimes they are hard, and I need time....

[Tiger93rsl]

exactly I am not trying to make a quagmire, here but it gets annoying, and I cannot fix a system in 10 mins... That is all I am trying to say.. heck 30 mins at the least... Sometimes its more then one problem... which really puzzles me at one of the earlier posts that states he can do service in less then an hour.. I dont wanna know where or what company that is...

Don't worry about time! I've been in this trade for 16 years. I usally work on 200+ ton chillers. Two moths ago I spent 8 hours total in diagonstics and replacing a TXV in a 5 ton residential unit. I was mad at myself for the time it took. But I got it right the HO was happy and haven't heard back. Thats the key take your time and do it well it all will be good. It even takes us guys thats been in the feild for a long time longer than we thought on jobs we should have been done with in an hour. It all come with the trade. Just do the job right the first time that is the key no matter how long it takes. If you don't have the time to do it right the first time, you don't have the time to do it wrong and go back.

[Danae12]

Don't worry about time! I've been in this trade for 16 years. I usally work on 200+ ton chillers. Two moths ago I spent 8 hours total in diagonstics and replacing a TXV in a 5 ton residential unit. I was mad at myself for the time it took. But I got it right the HO was happy and haven't heard back. Thats the key take your time and do it well it all will be good. It even takes us guys thats been in the feild for a long time longer than we thought on jobs we should have been done with in an hour. It all come with the trade. Just do the job right the first time that is the key no matter how long it takes. If you don't have the time to do it right the first time, you don't have the time to do it wrong and go back.

thanks bro,

all I needed was some understanding..

freaking just doing it right is so dang hard... Getting the customer to understand is so hard sometimes...

anyhow I dont wanna get picked on anymore.. I am outta here...

[joemach]

no I like my job, I am just saying sometimes its frustrating, I dont get to call them, and I am talking about the complicated calls. The ones where maintenance has not been done in years, when you find just everything all wrong... I love my job... Most times it does not come down to that... Never enough time to do it right, always enough time to do it wrong...

That is all I am saying...

Hell most my service calls are easy but sometimes they are hard, and I need time....

Some times the calls are a pain. You take the good with the bad. I never let the office rush me. I don't let the customer rush me. I don't like call backs.

My slogan is "Never enough time to do it right the first time, but plenty of time to do it twice."

When I get to a poorly maintained system and it is near 10 years old, I do let the client know that it may be time for an upgrade. They are the ones that did not care for their stuff, why should you suffer. It is on them. If it is a POS let them know (not in those words though).

As far as the client wanting to know what is wrong within a few minutes of arriving ...
Just relax and very calmly let them know that an a/c system has many moving parts and that as soon as you find out which one is not functioning correctly, you will let them know.

Jeez dude, take it easy, it's not that serious.

Part of being a good residential tech is excellent people skills. It may have more to do with that then your technical ability.

If you think it is tough in residential, just try restaurants. Then you will pull your hair out.

[pacnw]

Obviously your boss charges by the hour and is not flat rate because you would have been gone long ago. Around here the flat rate guys are doing 12-14 calls a day and slamming home the cash.

as he stated, I am usually following these guys myself.

most of the time it is a fairly simple diagnosis, 10-30 minutes, but then there are those that can be problem fixed another pops up, fixed, another and so on.

[chillrdude]

anyhow I dont wanna get picked on anymore.. I am outta here...

Not trying to pick on you dude, just saying it shouldn't take you an hour to diagnose and come to a conclusion on what is wrong with a residential air conditioner system.

Look at the responses you have so far, nobody else is saying they usually need an hour to figure out a residential unit.

Not trying to bust your balls, just saying an hour is a long time to figure out whats wrong. Sorry if I offended you.

[stonewallred]

2-3 minutes spent talking to the person with the problem, can slice a bunch of time off the diagnostics end of things. Most calls are pretty much in and out stuff. The ones where you go in, and the coils are clogged, the unit is undercharged once clean, the duct work is undersized and disconnected, and the fan is st on the wrong speed, which also has an intermittent short, yeah, they take longer.

[cascader]

Well,One of the problems is some techs tell the customers too much trying to convince them they are doing a good job,like a dog begging for the throw stick,many young techs have plenty of energy to waste and circle the main problem before solving the issue concerning the owner.
Sure there may be several smaller issues aggravating the problem but many people won't keep their system serviced properly.
So it's hard to say how long a service call takes.At the end of the day it's getting paid with a happy customer.

[Tiger93rsl]

Not trying to pick on you dude, just saying it shouldn't take you an hour to diagnose and come to a conclusion on what is wrong with a residential air conditioner system.

Look at the responses you have so far, nobody else is saying they usually need an hour to figure out a residential unit.

Not trying to bust your balls, just saying an hour is a long time to figure out whats wrong. Sorry if I offended you.

I didn't see anywhere in his post where he said he spent a whole hour diagnosing a unit. Just leave him alone, it takes expierience to get to where you can diagnose a unit in 10 min. I would rather have a guy that spent 2 hours fixing my equipment and doing a good job. Than have a guy that just there for 15 minutes.

[chillrdude]

I didn't see anywhere in his post where he said he spent a whole hour diagnosing a unit. Just leave him alone, it takes expierience to get to where you can diagnose a unit in 10 min. I would rather have a guy that spent 2 hours fixing my equipment and doing a good job. Than have a guy that just there for 15 minutes.

Obviously you did not read HIS first post.

[Tiger93rsl]

Obviously you did not read HIS first post.

He spends about an hour on diagnostics. Thats ok there is nothing wrong with that, he will get faster as he gains expierience. I would rather have a guy there 4 hours and get it right the first time. Then send a guy out, have him spend an hour on it and then have to send him back the next day.

[Trublshter]

I'm so greatful I never do residential work because of the crap home owners try to pull as the original poster described. To repeatly hear, " Fixed yet, fixed yet?" would drive me over the edge is if I wouldn't already be close enough.LOL.