The customer is always right. Oh....

[timhoward]

I wonder if anyone has some good stories of really easy call-outs made a lot more difficult by the customer's rather fixed views. Here is my starter for ten:

A call out for a MCB for ring final circuit tripping. Customer had serious attitude, absolutely convinced it was the kettle causing it. They start off by telling me I won't find the fault, and they don't really need me at all because it's the kettle.
"Ok that should be easy to prove".
So I unplug the kettle, and it still trips.
"Well it probably damaged the socket"
That's really unlikely, but I can check it.
So I take the chance to check end-to-end continuity and L+N to E IR, all ok.
So I attempt to get more clues "Nothing wrong there, and the wiring is testing ok at first glance. Has anything changed recently, any DIY, drilling, anything electrical moved?"
"No nothing like that at all".
Ok, please can you think back, what were you doing before it tripped.
"I went shopping. It's the kettle."
and then after you went shopping and came back what happened next.
"Well, I washed my hair"
Did you dry it with a hair dryer?
"Yes"
Is hair dryer still plugged in?
"No. It's the kettle, it must be."
OK. And then?
"I cleaned behind the washing machine"
And then it tripped?
"I pushed it back in and then the kettle didn't work. I keep telling you it's the kettle."
(Gently) I'm actually sure it isn't the kettle because it still trips. Let's have a look at the washing machine.
"It can't be that!"
At the moment I can only see the washing machine, the dishwasher and the fridge freezer still connected. Oh and the tumble-drier. The most efficient way to find the fault is to start by checking the equipment still connected, starting with the last thing that moved.
If it isn't any of those things I'll then need to start taking sockets apart which is very time consuming. This is honestly the quickest way. There isn't an isolator so I'll need to pull the washing machine out again.
"It isn't that, really."
This was the last appliance you touched before you lost power. We need to check it. Are you happy for me to pull it out?
"OK, if you like (rolling eyes)"
Carefully pull it out, noting very short flex, I can just about reach behind and unplug it.
The breaker stays on. Do loop test, all good.
Pull washing machine out for a proper look:

"Will you be charging me, you haven't done much?"
Yes, I will, and I think it's fair. We're well within the first hour. I've found the exact cause of the fault. I've confirmed your sockets are safe to use. You can now make a cup of tea, your heating will work, you will have hot water again, your freezer is back on.
"But all you did was unplug the washing machine. I could have done that. I'll pay but won't be using you again".
Deep breath, gracious retreat, mental note of address for the black list.

 

[westward10]

Something similar in Greenwich London where a refuse truck cut me up. One of the operatives called me a w***** from the window to which I replied I must be because you're the one covered in rubbish from other people's waste.

 

[Instantsafe]

We often hear the expression... "The customer is always right."
However the customer is not professionally trained, may be biased by what they have seen on TV, on YouTube, heard at the pub.... I could go on...
The fact is, The customer is NOT always right, but "The customer is always the customer!"

 

[littlespark]

Think of it as “the customer is NEVER right”

you are the professional, they are just talking louder than you.

 

[pc1966]

I thought it was "the customer is always tight"

 

[Intoelectrics]

In all honesty I think it is perfectly reasonable for a client to state 'it was fine until you messed with it' when the oven keeps tripping the new RCD where it worked perfectly well before. Presumably you did not explain to your client exactly what you were installing and how RCD's are much more sensitive to faults than SE fuses.
It is always good practice to explain to the client that modern circuit protection provides a much higher degree of shock and fire protection but at the same time can react to minor faults that the previous arrangement didn't.
Sometimes you need to put yourself in your clients position, Black list indeed. Pretty poor customer service IMO.

I explained to the customer perfectly well, prior to the upgrade and again in detail on my return visit. I also did not charge for the call out and the 2 replacement lights switches and wall light I did as a good will gesture during the initial job of swapping out the CU.
He was clearly not buying what I was explaining to him - that the fault was most likely already present and that the new RCD had picked this up. If he had been polite to me rather than ranting, and accepted my explanation regarding the oven fault then I would have been happy to replace the faulty element (probably at no cost) since it is was a straight forward job.

So, sorry no I don't agree with you and take offense on your comment about "poor customer service". I have been in the trade for over 30 years and the only genuine complaints I have received in all that time have been for poor or faulty equipment failures, which I have either replaced, if I had supplied them, or been happy on most occasions to replace, at no cost, for decent customers who have accepted that the accessory/equipment they have supplied is faulty. I have and still do, go over and above for good customers and as a result have a very long cliental list of repeat customers and recommendations.

All the other complaints (like the 2 examples in my post) were people who either were not willing to understand/accept the cause/situation or were chancing a compensation claim of some sorts. we have all been victim of this I'm sure.

 

[Intoelectrics]

We often hear the expression... "The customer is always right."
However the customer is not professionally trained, may be biased by what they have seen on TV, on YouTube, heard at the pub.... I could go on...
The fact is, The customer is NOT always right, but "The customer is always the customer!"

Who ever coined that term in the first instance wants a good sharp stick shoving right up their A**

 

[radiohead]

I explained to the customer perfectly well, prior to the upgrade and again in detail on my return visit. I also did not charge for the call out and the 2 replacement lights switches and wall light I did as a good will gesture during the initial job of swapping out the CU.
He was clearly not buying what I was explaining to him - that the fault was most likely already present and that the new RCD had picked this up. If he had been polite to me rather than ranting, and accepted my explanation regarding the oven fault then I would have been happy to replace the faulty element (probably at no cost) since it is was a straight forward job.

So, sorry no I don't agree with you and take offense on your comment about "poor customer service". I have been in the trade for over 30 years and the only genuine complaints I have received in all that time have been for poor or faulty equipment failures, which I have either replaced, if I had supplied them, or been happy on most occasions to replace, at no cost, for decent customers who have accepted that the accessory/equipment they have supplied is faulty. I have and still do, go over and above for good customers and as a result have a very long cliental list of repeat customers and recommendations.

All the other complaints (like the 2 examples in my post) were people who either were not willing to understand/accept the cause/situation or were chancing a compensation claim of some sorts. we have all been victim of this I'm sure.

Fair enough, perhaps it would have been an idea to give that information in your original post. And if your offended, well be offended. Quite frankly the current craze of 'being offended' and having a right to not be offended offends me.

 

[telectrix]

Fair enough, perhaps it would have been an idea to give that information in your original post. And if your offended, well be offended. Quite frankly the current craze of 'being offended' and having a right to not be offended offends me.

i could say that i was offended by your post but i won't. coz I wasn't.
I am a Scouser, not a snowflake.

 

[littlespark]

You know real snowflakes are now saying they are offended by being compared to these people

 

[timhoward]

That reminds me of the famous Churchill quote...
Lady Aster: Winston, your are drunk !
Churchill: Madam, you are ugly, but I shall be sober in the morning...

Great minds, see post 23. Your version is slightly more accurate!

 

[ruston]

Great minds, see post 23. Your version is slightly more accurate!

And another from the great man.

Winston Churchill's Finest Quotes (3/11)​

Lady Astor:​

“Winston, if I were your wife I’d put poison in your coffee.”

Winston Churchill: “Nancy, if I were your husband I’d drink it.”

 

[Intoelectrics]

Fair enough, perhaps it would have been an idea to give that information in your original post. And if your offended, well be offended. Quite frankly the current craze of 'being offended' and having a right to not be offended offends me.

I agree that my omission of the full details was a clearly a mistake cause evidently it just led to a mis conception of my professionalism. I was offended that you just jumped to the conclusion that it was "poor customer service" rather than the other way around. Re-reading through my post I can see why you may jump to this conclusion, but I would have thought that the vast majority would realise and fill in the missing detail without an explanation.
I don't hold grudges, so I'm happy to accept it as a misunderstanding and will learn to post more detail next time. ?

 

[Rockingit]

It's the old tale of paying someone to know exactly where to hit a nail, how hard and for how long, not just paying the guy with the biggest and shinest hammer.

Many years ago when I was just out of my time I got bored with electrics and dabbled in commercial IT (still a black art back then). Story short, a company I had been consulting to went bust but had a mission critical system that had to stay up until the last breath - and it went wrong so the official receivers called me up and asked if I could come and fix it for a fixed fee. I had an inkling what it would be anyway but rang the guy who'd used to look after it in their IT dept before he got redundancy and he echoed my thoughts, so I agreed to the request for a fixed fee of £3k (I knew what the system was worth to them!) 'no matter what it takes' (and £3k was a kings ransom back then). I walked into the building, went to the server room, typed in one line of code, watched it spring back to life and left again. I doubt I was in the building for more than ten minutes and strangely could now afford a very nice holiday with my then GF!

 

[i=p/u]

It costs this or f o ok off...

 

[Intoelectrics]

It costs this or f o ok off...

Agreed, it amazes how shallow some people can often be, when you get a customer who is willing to pay £400 - £500 for a pair of shoes but gets upset at a similar cost for a CU upgrade.

The other one that often gets me dismayed is when some people are happy to ignore potentially life threatening electrical installations, or worse have a go at fixing it themselves, cause they don't want to pay a professional.

Some people like things to look good and not so concerned as whether they work correctly or are safe.

I think the modern world we live in with all this sensationalism around appearance or perspective appearance which is rammed down everyone's throats, (especially the younger generations) on social media and "reality tv" has made this situation much worse.