Customers - I give up!

[highspark]

I wired a new extention 7months ago inwhich a kitchen was extended. Got a text before - help! cooker fan isn't working and light isn't coming on but the oven is on and working. We can smell smoke.By the way this wasn't my job. I was working for a builder. He supplied the cooker etc.All I did was connect cooker to cooker switch and wired in feed.So I replied - sounds as though the cooker is bust. Only thing I can do is come out and check wiring upto the cooker. Its going to be a £30 fee.So I have had no response. The problem is I'm now sitting here thinking they expected me to come out for free! Ok if they said cooker isnt working of MCB keeps tripping...yes I'd have been there like a shot! But its blatant that the cooker is bust nothing to do with my wiring!Rant over

 

[JD6400]

Surely you would go and check it just out of curtesy? You haven't helped yourself in my opinion of mentioning money tbh. If it was me I'd nip round there one evening after work and have a quick look and give them advice to ring the manufactour. You probably come across as a bit arragont mentioning money within the first minuite of conversation.

To be honest i would have been there that night to have a look if there was a burning smell coming from it !
Then when i was sure it was not a problem caused by faulty workmanship i would then offer the options and cost's involved with them .
We always work on the premise that it is our problem / fault until someone has attended site to asses the cause / fault and only then will we point out we are not responsible , if this is so .

 

[Side Cutters]

I disagree with Lucas, tell the customer the price of your time and knowledge before you jump in the van. It stops arguments once you've done your job.

Besides the oven works and the fault is with the fan and light. It's not a hard wiring fault is it now???

 

[highspark]

Surely you would go and check it just out of curtesy? You haven't helped yourself in my opinion of mentioning money tbh. If it was me I'd nip round there one evening after work and have a quick look and give them advice to ring the manufactour. You probably come across as a bit arragont mentioning money within the first minuite of conversation.

I'm running a business not a charity unfortunately and as pointed out I mentioned the fee because I didn't want a confrontation after I'd been up there. Afterall its my petrol, road tax, tyres and insurance what I'm using to go to them and also my time. The message was simple. The oven is working but the certain features on the appliance wern't....Manufacturers warranty nothing to do with me!

 

[JD6400]

I disagree with Lucas, tell the customer the price of your time and knowledge before you jump in the van. It stops arguments once you've done your job.

Besides the oven works and the fault is with the fan and light. It's not a hard wiring fault is it now???

But how do you know that for sure without even looking at it ?
I know in this case you are more than likely right , but i have come across some fancy cookers lately that look like the connection box on the back is also used as some form of distribution centre for more than one of the circuits in the appliance. (this may not be the case but they do look like it) If it was one of these that had come loose then i would have to take responsibility if it was one of our jobs !
What if it was your fault and they got someone else in that found it ?
Bad news travels fast and really does go away !
And as a bonus if it was not your fault and was a easy fix they would probably give you a little some think for your time anyway and then tell others what a good honest chap you are for turning out to a fault and having ago at fixing it even though it had nothing to do with you in the end .
As i say unlikely but you can never be sure until you have inspected it personally .

 

[highspark]

But how do you know that for sure without even looking at it ?I know in this case you are more than likely right , but i have come across some fancy cookers lately that look like the connection box on the back is also used as some form of distribution centre for more than one of the circuits in the appliance. (this may not be the case but they do look like it) If it was one of these that had come loose then i would have to take responsibility if it was one of our jobs !What if it was your fault and they got someone else in that found it ?Bad news travels fast and really does go away !And as a bonus if it was not your fault and was a easy fix they would probably give you a little some think for your time anyway and then tell others what a good honest chap you are for turning out to a fault and having ago at fixing it even though it had nothing to do with you in the end .As i say unlikely but you can never be sure until you have inspected it personally .

I know because my MCB hasn't tripped... and the oven is still recieving 230v power. Its nothing to do with me! I'm fed up of people thinking things should be done as favours. Another instance, the same builder! I put a security light up for him on a council building. Rings me up 3 months later. The lights not working can you go have a look. I said it will be bulb. He says, no the council have been out on maintainance and since then its stop working. So I go up and they've changed the bulb to a energy saving one. Only problem is its too bloody big for the light and everytime you close the cover the bulb pushes away from the contacts. So it doesn't work! Again £30 call out fee. I haven't seen a penny of it yet, I'm not a charity. And whilst I think courtesy is a good thing it can also be a bad thing, because people expect it for nothin!

 

[JD6400]

I do know what you are saying but ?

 

[Knobhead]

Not good on after care are you. Do you get any new work on recommendation?

 

[Side Cutters]

Dpelectrical I see your point. We all know that we can't come to a conclusion over the phone but at least tell the customer that if its not your fault you will charge. Then again if its a customer that you've done a lot of work for or its not too far out of your way do it for free, your call.

 

[malcolmsanford]

As you say Highsparks in your original post the builder supplied the oven, so you may have them to thank for this, as the customer may have called him, and he told them to call you.

I have to admit I'm really surprised that when work is so tight and competition is so fierce, we are not going the extra mile for getting referrals. Yes we are not charities and yes I think we have all been shafted on the "freebie", but I can honestly say I have had more positive results for doing a little extra for someone than not doing it.

I've lost count of the times I had a call for a light not working in someones house, and it's an old dear, just needing a lamp changed or something, and I told them I was passing and it was Ok. When a few months later you would get a call from a daughter/son saying what you did and could you quote a job for them, and the ball rolls on.

Never always happened, but quite often it did.

 

[highspark]

Not good on after care are you. Do you get any new work on recommendation?

Lots and lots. Lots of repeat customers and referals, its my bread and butter. I've worked for this customer on several occasions. Unfortunately I've done my fair share of freebies for them. For example when the painter and decorators decided to take my light fittings down to paint under them and they stopped working! All fixed for free! As the customer has explained the cooker is still working!!! No MCB trip etc. Therefore its a warranty and a manufacturers problem. Times are hard and its penny pinching time for me and any customer!

 

[highspark]

As you say Highsparks in your original post the builder supplied the oven, so you may have them to thank for this, as the customer may have called him, and he told them to call you. I have to admit I'm really surprised that when work is so tight and competition is so fierce, we are not going the extra mile for getting referrals. Yes we are not charities and yes I think we have all been shafted on the "freebie", but I can honestly say I have had more positive results for doing a little extra for someone than not doing it. I've lost count of the times I had a call for a light not working in someones house, and it's an old dear, just needing a lamp changed or something, and I told them I was passing and it was Ok. When a few months later you would get a call from a daughter/son saying what you did and could you quote a job for them, and the ball rolls on. Never always happened, but quite often it did.

Malcolme lets be honest that rarely happens. You do a freebie for someone and you are seen a pushover. This being an example

 

[malcolmsanford]

Well High I can't say for you but one that always stuck in my mind was years ago i was doing some outside lights and sockets, and the next door neighbour came in and asked me if she could lend some tools, as she had a flat pack wardrobe delivered and the guys just left it. So I did it for her, and repaired an old fire she had and got a cup of tea for it.

About 2 months later her son in law rang me and thanked me, told me he was an accountant and one of his clients was a little industrial paint shop. As I was an Electrical Contractor could I come and have a look at a job. It turned out that this guy had bought 3 stirrer/mixing machines at an auction but the starter assemblies were missing, and could I get them to work. Which I did, and wound up getting these to work, wiring in the supplies to them, and over the years quite a lot at his unit, and the son in law put me onto a quite a lot of small business offices extra sockets, more lighting etc etc, which led to domestic work, all for assembling a wardrobe.

As I say that was an exception, but I can honestly say wasn't unique. Perhaps there are now so many contractors to choose from, and i'm looking back to salad days, but I'm a great believer that what goes round comes round.

 

[JD6400]

I do also sympathise with what you are saying High sparks , but agree totally with Malcolm and personally find it is more the exception not to pick up extra work from it .

This has been my/our business model from the start and has meant there is no need to ever advertise and attract the dross of society !
Just one of the many examples of putting yourself out just that little bit is this one -
About 5/6 years I was asked to install a 30a supply in a hurry to connect up a American type spin dryer for Friend of a Friend ,we did not need or want the hassle at the time as we were over run with work at the time . Never the less i went in the next morning (Sunday) with my brother to help me as all the blokes were already on other work .
Because it was just me and my brother , for a Friend of a Friend and was only a few bits of the van , we never got to bill them !
About two months later i get a call to price up a new state of the art grain store that he is having built , we end up being told just to get on with it (£35,000+vat) , when finished he then asked us to go through his 5 farms and make safe / rewire them .
in the mean time because the grain store is so state of the art it gets write ups in the the farming press which in turn gets a visit from a local agricultural dealership showing a persecutive client around for a similar set up , they are so impressed with the package we provided that we are asked to quote .
We have now completed around 9 grain stores for them and have another 8 for this year alone , already !!!!
All from that initial 30a supply done as a favour . :santa_cheesy:

 

[ipf]

My old fella got a call from a bloke moving his engineering business, employing more than 100, to a new premises. Moving in on the monday, he had problems with the works boiler controls. The pair of us went on sunday morning and sorted out the probs for next to nothing. That was over 35 years ago. Had the maintenance and installation work ever since, some very decent work.
Finding trustworthy clients isn't as easy as it used to be, but there are still a lot of decent folk around and the odd favour can still pay off, if you can offer the correct service.

 

[highspark]

I know what you are saying. But this isn't going to get me any kind of contract. It's a couple who seem to have had works done on the house which will last them a good 25 years. As i have said if this had led to a fault on an mcb or the feed I'd have been there in minutes