Plumber's Gripe Thread

[DUNBAR]

That's right! It's finally arrived. But just in case.......

merge if a repost. Surely this thread has emerged on this site somewhere....yes? :o




Here goes mine......a few calls this week got to me real quick because it's nonsense to the umpteenth level:


"Ma'am, no. I'm not going to step over that child's gate every time I need to go back and forth to the bathroom. Should we reschedule for another time to come back when it is not up?"



Another,


"Sir, no dog in the house while we are working. Due to insurance regulation the dog must be put in another room or outside. Should we reschedule for another time to come back?"



And another, (just happened today)


"Sir, you stated yesterday in our last conversation that you would send me an email with pictures of your water heater last evening along with your address. You did not send me an email and I gathered that you either changed your mind about the installation or found another plumber."

Homeowner "But I sent you one this morning at 4:30am and----"

"Sir, I get customers that "disappear" when they find a better deal or get a brother-in-law to do the job. I'm not about to chase work, especially water heaters given how busy I am. You now have to work off my schedule today as I took advantage of that time slot as there was nothing relayed to me to think otherwise."


KAPISH?!


Just more of the same in the onslaught of public relations. Go ahead and share your gripes, I know you want to. :grin-loving:

[saysflushable]

That's right! It's finally arrived. But just in case.......

merge if a repost. Surely this thread has emerged on this site somewhere....yes? :o




Here goes mine......a few calls this week got to me real quick because it's nonsense to the umpteenth level:


"Ma'am, no. I'm not going to step over that child's gate every time I need to go back and forth to the bathroom. Should we reschedule for another time to come back when it is not up?"



Another,


"Sir, no dog in the house while we are working. Due to insurance regulation the dog must be put in another room or outside. Should we reschedule for another time to come back?"



And another, (just happened today)


"Sir, you stated yesterday in our last conversation that you would send me an email with pictures of your water heater last evening along with your address. You did not send me an email and I gathered that you either changed your mind about the installation or found another plumber."

Homeowner "But I sent you one this morning at 4:30am and----"

"Sir, I get customers that "disappear" when they find a better deal or get a brother-in-law to do the job. I'm not about to chase work, especially water heaters given how busy I am. You now have to work off my schedule today as I took advantage of that time slot as there was nothing relayed to me to think otherwise."


KAPISH?!


Just more of the same in the onslaught of public relations. Go ahead and share your gripes, I know you want to. :grin-loving:

When a guy breaks his delta shower valve try to replace the cartridge.

Why dont they just say they screwed something up. The call is always like this.

Um What does it cost to fix a dripping shower ?

Oh' its not to bad what kind of shower valve is it?

I don't know.

Does it have a single handle or double handle.

Um single I think.

Is it a slow drip or is the water coming out in a stream?

Um It sprays behind the shower when I turn the water on!

Is it a Delta shower valve and did you try to replace the cartridge?

Um I didn't do any thing behind the shower!

Thats how it starts, why can't they just say they screwed up and broke something. By the way replacing broken shower valves through a repair plate is one of my least favorite jobs. If I can cut drywall thats what I do and I still don't like replacing them!

Maybe some day I'll just say, Um let it run it will fix itself:rotflmao:. I don't mind fixing a home owners mistake, but don't waste my time on the phone just tell me you screwed up.

[plumberscrack]

Yeah the baby gate is pretty irritating to me also. Each one has a different locking mechanism and I haven't figured how to open any of them :scratchhead:

We are here to demo your bathroom. "Can you keep the noise down? my baby is sleeping in the next room" :bash:

Or how about the ones that lock you out every time you go to your truck?

No ma'am, I don't think it's funny that your dog tries to hump my leg but if he does it one more time it won't be so humorous

I have to turn the water off now for about an hour. "Um..can I take a quick shower first?"

[ToUtahNow]

Yeah the baby gate is pretty irritating to me also. Each one has a different locking mechanism and I haven't figured how to open any of them :scratchhead:

We are here to demo your bathroom. "Can you keep the noise down? my baby is sleeping in the next room" :bash:

Or how about the ones that lock you out every time you go to your truck?

No ma'am, I don't think it's funny that your dog tries to hump my leg but if he does it one more time it won't be so humorous

I have to turn the water off now for about an hour. "Um..can I take a quick shower first?"

...sure feel free to take all day. I charge the same whether I'm working or waiting for you to take a shower.

[westcoastplumber]

The child gate is a real good one. especially when they see you fumbaling with it and then they say " you must not have children":p

a couple other good ones are

"can you bill me" (residential customers)

"I'm sorry, my wife / husband has the checkbook"

"Can you come back later for a payment, or I will mail one to you"

I have good customers that I expect / or don't mind offering to do this for, but if your a new customer or you nickle and dime me, don't even think about asking.

[DuckButter]

We are here to demo your bathroom. "Can you keep the noise down? my baby is sleeping in the next room" :bash:

Lets not forget that lil' guilt trip you get when you try to explain, as if you're s'posed to ber a stealth ninja demolitions expert.
When a guy breaks his delta shower valve try to replace the cartridge.

Why dont they just say they screwed something up. The call is always like this.

Not to mention, the problem is often more extensive than was said on the phone...I've had to completely gut valves because the guy tried to hammer the wrong stem in or gouged the threads for the seats...naturally I'm the bad guy for not being knowledgeable enough to repair it.
...sure feel free to take all day. I charge the same whether I'm working or waiting for you to take a shower.
Granted, I often come across this and admittedly it's a major bad point for flat rate.
The child gate is a real good one. especially when they see you fumbaling with it and then they say " you must not have children":p

a couple other good ones are

"can you bill me" (residential customers)

"I'm sorry, my wife / husband has the checkbook"

"Can you come back later for a payment, or I will mail one to you"

I have good customers that I expect / or don't mind offering to do this for, but if your a new customer or you nickle and dime me, don't even think about asking.
Got one last week, his checkbook was MIA..I told him I had absolutelky no problem waiting for him to find it.
It was 8:30 pm, at the point where I offered to help him find it..it mysteriosly turned up.

To add one of my biggest gripes...the 20" vanity with the leak thats absolutely JAM PACKED with every conceivable cleaner, detergent & household deoderant.
You begin removing them as the homeowners watches, with absolutely nowhere to fit them in the bathroom, homeowner still just continues to watch.

[plumberscrack]

To add one of my biggest gripes...the 20" vanity with the leak thats absolutely JAM PACKED with every conceivable cleaner, detergent & household deoderant.
You begin removing them as the homeowners watches, with absolutely nowhere to fit them in the bathroom, homeowner still just continues to watch.

Oh that's a good one, DB :thumbup2:

It's like a chemistry lab experiment under the vanities

Customers that lie right to your face

"Before I take this trap off did you use any chemical drain cleaners?"

"no, I would never do that. I heard that stuff is bad for your pipes"

I drop the trap and nearly have to call the HAZMAT Team

Later, when cleaning up, I find a empty gallon jug of Draino in the trash can

I show it to her expecting an apology or at least some lame excuse. I say say nothing, she says nothing. She just stares back at me.... WTH?

[westcoastplumber]

That is a very good one, all the crap people can put under the sink and I mean, most are packed from front to back and top to bottom.

then as I start to remove it I hear " I am sorry, I should have had this cleaned out for you before you came":confused:

[DuckButter]

Oh yeah...the gratitude thing...
When I first started out I got a call from a referall to a customers co-worker.
He tells me he has only one bath and the tub spout is broken off inside the wall.
He'd tried to tighten it too much and mangled the 90 in the wall & wanted me there "yesterday" so his family could bathe.
Over the phone he let me know what was on the other side...I asked him to empty the dining room china cabinet and have it out of the way when I got there I was excited over getting a referral so I underpriced it substantially.

The cabinet was not only unmoved, but all the plates & china were still inside...he stood there as if I were going to empty it.

I was there a total of 1-1/2" hrs...he'd bent up the drop from the valve pretty bad because the spout hadn't been blocked in the wall and I wound up having to completely redo the outlet from the valve, then blocked it correctly with a 2x3 from my truck, I'd been very neat about opening the wall to keep the drywall intact and replaceable.

I finished, told him "$80 will cover it, just happy to get the referral".

He had a whispering "consult" with his wife in the next room and she openly says "Thats rediculous"...fully knowing I could hear her.

He came out and actually asked me if I could go down, I would not.

Six months later he calls again with a leaking CI drain in his basement, I told him I was too busy and referred him to a large shop in my area that is notoriously expensive.

[westcoastplumber]

Oh yeah...the gratitude thing...
When I first started out I got a call from a referall to a customers co-worker.
He tells me he has only one bath and the tub spout is broken off inside the wall.
He'd tried to tighten it too much and mangled the 90 in the wall & wanted me there "yesterday" so his family could bathe.
Over the phone he let me know what was on the other side...I asked him to empty the dining room china cabinet and have it out of the way when I got there I was excited over getting a referral so I underpriced it substantially.

The cabinet was not only unmoved, but all the plates & china were still inside...he stood there as if I were going to empty it.

I was there a total of 1-1/2" hrs...he'd bent up the drop from the valve pretty bad because the spout hadn't been blocked in the wall and I wound up having to completely redo the outlet from the valve, then blocked it correctly with a 2x3 from my truck, I'd been very neat about opening the wall to keep the drywall intact and replaceable.

I finished, told him "$80 will cover it, just happy to get the referral".

He had a whispering "consult" with his wife in the next room and she openly says "Thats rediculous"...fully knowing I could hear her.

He came out and actually asked me if I could go down, I would not.

Six months later he calls again with a leaking CI drain in his basement, I told him I was too busy and referred him to a large shop in my area that is notoriously expensive.


He complained at $80.00 :confused:

it would have been twice that without the cabinet bullsh**

That is just really heartbreaking. You shouldn't have to pay the customer to work in their house and provide a service.

[DuckButter]

He complained at $80.00 :confused:

it would have been twice that without the cabinet bullsh**

That is just really heartbreaking. You shouldn't have to pay the customer to work in their house and provide a service.

Exactly, but I also keep it in perspective and try NOT to go to the other extreme by assuming everyone is like that.

[westcoastplumber]

Exactly, but I also keep it in perspective and try NOT to go to the other extreme by assuming everyone is like that.


Exactly, that is all you can do.

Start each day with a positive thought!!

Over time one can tell within the first 20-30 seconds of a conversation what is going to happen.

[NHMaster3015]

Wouldn't service work be so much better if there were no customers.?

Oh, I guess without customers, there would be no service work.

I work very hard to instill into my service guys that there would be no work without customers. Some are great, some suck, some pay, some don't, some are reasonable, some are'nt, some are nice, some are mean, some are black, some are white and so on. It is a very bad habit to judge your customers. Even those that don't, or are slow to pay need to be handled in a professional manner. Why,.? Because even scumbag deadbeats have friends and even if the bastard's lying, word travels fast in a small town. If you must refuse a customer, do it with tact and diplomacy.

[Service Guy]

He complained at $80.00 :confused:

it would have been twice that without the cabinet bullsh**

That is just really heartbreaking. You shouldn't have to pay the customer to work in their house and provide a service.

I agree, I would have told him ~$200 when I got there and not touched a single tool until he agreed to it...or walk away.

Upfront Pricing is awesome in that respect...I never get price complaints after the work is done.

[Service Guy]

Wouldn't service work be so much better if there were no customers.?

Oh, I guess without customers, there would be no service work.

I work very hard to instill into my service guys that there would be no work without customers. Some are great, some suck, some pay, some don't, some are reasonable, some are'nt, some are nice, some are mean, some are black, some are white and so on. It is a very bad habit to judge your customers. Even those that don't, or are slow to pay need to be handled in a professional manner. Why,.? Because even scumbag deadbeats have friends and even if the bastard's lying, word travels fast in a small town. If you must refuse a customer, do it with tact and diplomacy.

SO true...I am very firm with 'difficult' customers, but still maintain a polite, professional dialogue while I am telling them they can stick there business up their ***.

Customer on phone: (whom I already gave a free estimate to remodel his bathroom and never heard back from him)"You winterized a house for the previous owner and I just bought it... can you come out and turn my water meter on?"

Me: "Sure, I could be out there this afternoon for you. There's just a $40 charge for the drive out."

Customer: "Oh, well the town said they could do it for $20 but they can't do it for a couple of days."

Me: "Well, I can have the water on this afternoon for you but I can't compete with the town's price."

Customer: "Well, ok then, thank you but I guess I'll wait."


See, that is called blowing off a cheapskate customer while maintianing a polite, professional tone.:grin:

[westcoastplumber]

I agree, I would have told him ~$200 when I got there and not touched a single tool until he agreed to it...or walk away.

Upfront Pricing is awesome in that respect...I never get price complaints after the work is done.


Upfront pricing is the only way to go.

I also have a sign before I start line ont he invoice, with them agreeing to the cost before I start.

I agree with tact and diplomacy. I build my company on professionalism.

[Tyman]

Good thread Dunbar. I have had some good laughs.

Homeowners that are deceptive is my number one complaint. "No, I never put any drain cleaner in "that" drain."

Dogs that crap all over the yard, and the owners who fail to clean it up.

Cats that touch, sniff, look at, linger, wink, purr, at me or my tools.

Creepy old men who greet me at the door in their tighty whiteys.

I think that just about covers it.

[haycad]

you guys are missing one. ive had this multiple times but it just recently happened again. called out for a leak under a sink, get to the house knock on the door a 4 year old girl opens the door as ciggarette smoke billows at like it was happy hour, middle of the day both parents, mid 30's sitting on the couch, to lazy to get up point in the direction of the kitchen you step over the dirty diapers and clothes,food to get to the kitchen, cats eating food out of the sink, open up the cabinet door and the base of the cabinet is black and rotted out from leaking so long, i tell the customer how much it will be they first glare at me because im interupting jerry springer, than they complain about the price than they say oh its my dads house you'll have to call him to get paid. than there 65 year old dad shows up to not only to pay me but to drop money off to his dead beat kid. i feel like calling social services everytime i see that. the sad thing is, is how common it is

[Service Guy]

I hate it when I go up to a customer and say, "I can fix this no problem, it will be $xx.xx total."

"Oh my god, thats HIGH!" they practically scream and get all emotional.

I hate that crap! If you can't afford it, fine. If you think you can get a better deal somewhere else, fine. But don't get all emotional and play victim in hopes that I'll drop my price...I won't.:cool:

I don't mind if someone says politely, "Well, that is more than I expected, so I'll have to think about it, I'll just pay you your appointment charge, thank you."

[Service Guy]

True story....(phone call)

Caller: "Hey, my boyfriend put in a water-heater and we just need one pipe crimped, how much is it to crimp one pipe?"

Me: "So you need a waterline replaced on the heater?"

Caller: "No, we just need it crimped, how much is that?"

Me: "100 dollars" (just spit out random number)

Caller: "Ok, thanks, bye,"


WTF?!:confused: It's like calling a carpenter and asking, "How much is it to hammer one nail?":killingme:

[rombo]

I hate it when I go up to a customer and say, "I can fix this no problem, it will be $xx.xx total."

"Oh my god, thats HIGH!" they practically scream and get all emotional.

I hate that crap! If you can't afford it, fine. If you think you can get a better deal somewhere else, fine. But don't get all emotional and play victim in hopes that I'll drop my price...I won't.:cool:

I don't mind if someone says politely, "Well, that is more than I expected, so I'll have to think about it, I'll just pay you your appointment charge, thank you."



An old plumber i once worked with always said if your looking for sympathy it's in the dictionary between **** and syphilis.



I still remember the one lady i almost walked out. I was working for a company that was T&M. The boss gave her an idea of 4 hours to change a basin faucet and a shower valve without seeing it. Well the shower valve was a pain in the ***. so i have been there about 4.5 hours when she comes into the washroom and say's shouldn't you be done by now, i don't want to pay more because your working slow. I said i will let you know when it's done and never spoke another word even when i brought in the bill.

[Masterplumb]

I have run into the occasional nightmare customers, but I guess I must live in the right part of the country. First off, I dont understand how anyone can give a price over the phone. There is no benefit to it.

I never give free service call estimates. It would have to be a bathroom/kitchen renovation or a boiler replacement etc.

I give up front pricing not flat rate pricing.

If I get the "how much do you charge" phone call I tell them we charge an $xxx service call charge to come out, diagnose the problem. We will give you an upfront price to do the work, if you accept it we will waive the service call charge. That right there stops the price shoppers dead in their tracks.

For a no heat diagnostic, the service call charge covers 15 minutes of diagnostic time.

I must be lucky because it is not too often that I get these nightmare customers, but when I do I try to remind myself that this is the service business and you have to "fix" the customer before you can fix their plumbing problems. I must also say thay I have "fired" a customer or two over the years.:grin:

[drtyhands]

Why do I have to research the fixtures to see which spouts,valves(mechanical or infra-red) and foot pedals to find which are compatible with the many different styles of surgical,hand,clinic,slop and mop sinks.Architects are payed tens of thousands of dollars to provide model numbers of fixtures to be used.Happens almost everytime:mad:

And what archives are they looking in,half these fixtures aren't even made anymore.:banghead:

And if you want the 85LB wall mounted clinic sink,specify which carrier.I can bid for plastic drywall plugs if you want a low bid.:grin-devilish:

[DUNBAR]

you guys are missing one. ive had this multiple times but it just recently happened again. called out for a leak under a sink, get to the house knock on the door a 4 year old girl opens the door as ciggarette smoke billows at like it was happy hour, middle of the day both parents, mid 30's sitting on the couch, to lazy to get up point in the direction of the kitchen you step over the dirty diapers and clothes,food to get to the kitchen, cats eating food out of the sink, open up the cabinet door and the base of the cabinet is black and rotted out from leaking so long, i tell the customer how much it will be they first glare at me because im interupting jerry springer, than they complain about the price than they say oh its my dads house you'll have to call him to get paid. than there 65 year old dad shows up to not only to pay me but to drop money off to his dead beat kid. i feel like calling social services everytime i see that. the sad thing is, is how common it is


You actually can do this, but I'd wait a few days before doing so.

Remember there are some guidelines in that thought process. Having a cluttered house isn't a wrongful act but extremely dangerous situations like multiple plumbing problems in disrepair, severe mold growth or disabled fixtures that are part of a normal plumbing system (like a vanity that no longer works)...these DO warrant a call to the health department or social services.


Clutter doesn't get them in trouble but malfunctioning items in a home that are a clear and present danger are warranted.

I've mentioned this before but there's a few times I wrote "Not fit for human life" on a few job tickets when I was a union service plumber in Cincinnati.

:shivers:

Those memories still haunt me to this day; Honestly, some of those people were in competition with house flies and the flies were probably cleaner.

[MPMGinAL]

I think i am going to have customers review this thread before making appointments from now on. Maybe they will figure out that we have figured them out.