Husband vs Wife

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sd4524

Senior Member
Last week I was working in a couples home. I never met the husband but the wife was home the whole time I'm working. Changing light fixtures, dimmers, new phone line, ceiling fan, etc. My company is billing me out hourly and the customer never said anything about money so its pretty relaxed.

Then she asks me to look at a landscape lighting mechanical timeclock. I check it out real quick and I recommend replacing it because it is not nema 3r/ outdoor rated. She says, "Oh I'll call my husband and you can tell him. He put that in." I talk with the husband on the phone and he tells me that he will replace it and not to do any more work on it.

I tell the wife that he will replace it himself and she laughs and says, "Yeah right that will happen in like 3 years. Just replace it."

I know what i ended up doing but I'm curious what other people would have done?
 

kwired

Electron manager
Location
NE Nebraska
If the husband wants to have a happy wife you listen to her.

If it were my wife you would have done what she wanted otherwise I will pay for not having it done in some other way;)

A happy wife is easier to live with.

She had you call him because she didn't like something about it in the first place and wanted him to hear there was something wrong from someone besides her. You are in a no win situation.
 

e57

Senior Member
Never get between a boy - girl fight... Just do what the girl says and sort it out with hubby latter. Say something like "Your Hubby said not to...." you'll never be back, and she'll make sure to never work in that town again for any woman she knows.... (Or think she'll try to...)
 

Benton

Senior Member
Location
Louisiana
I personally would have wanted to do what the husband said do. But from the stand point of business he obviously doesn't have much influence, so for the increase of my bottom line and future business, I would have wrote up a change order.....$
 

George Stolz

Moderator
Staff member
Location
Windsor, CO NEC: 2017
Occupation
Service Manager
I would try to keep hubby on the line until they gave me the same story. Less headaches that way.

I should dig up the story about the boyfriend and the girlfriend who actually canceled the payment because they couldn't agree. It was the boyfriend's money, and the girlfriend was dictating how it was spent, and the boyfriend ended up canceling the payment because he wasn't about to pay for something he didn't want.

Get them on the same page, or tell them to invite you back out when they can come to a consensus.
 

growler

Senior Member
Location
Atlanta,GA
I know what i ended up doing but I'm curious what other people would have done?

It's easy, make sure that "someone" signs the work order that authorizes the work to be done and agrees to pay for it. A signature from either the husband or the wife is legal. ;)
 

satcom

Senior Member
Why are all of you guys so beaten down, That's just sad.


I guess they are afraid to run a business, and that is sad, first mistake was working by the hour, the customer feels free, to add, or take away work at will, there is no set scope of work, or system to address additional work or changes, on service work and small jobs, it may be better to charge a flat rate amount to look over the scope of what need to be done, and then agree in writing, on that fixed amount, to do that work, and then if the lady comes up with the timer, have her sign a change order in writing, no calling hubby, sign or you will come back and do the change when hubby is home at additional charges for another service call, when your in business you can't afford to get sucked in to jobs that are not clear in scope of work, time is money, if your so beaten down, that you can't ask a customer to pay for additional requests, business may not be for you, the beaten down guy is the service contractor, for not speaking up.
 

rodneee

Senior Member
i am also beaten down. sad but true

i am also beaten down. sad but true

Why are all of you guys so beaten down, That's just sad.

pushing your wife could have adverse consequences...her lawyer will say you are worth ten dollars....your lawyer will provide documentation proving you are worth one dollar...the court imposed "FAIR" settlement will have you writing a check for eight dollars...so yes i swallow my pride for $...
 

sd4524

Senior Member
I like your answer Satcom. My boss does T&M I believe out of laziness to come up with a better pricing system. He loves T&M. He started his company in the good old days around 2000. He used to work 60-70 per week and he thinks he was making money. Now not so good. Now I'm home at 9:00 am

Anyways, I changed the timer out as the wife asked me to. She was laughing about it so it didn't seam like it was gonna be a big deal. I was more just doing what I felt was right. We aren't working there on any type of written contract.
 

mtfallsmikey

Senior Member
Any man that says he isn't beaten down is either single or lying.:grin:

Well sir, I guess I may be both....or an Alpha male, 'cuz I'm on my third wife! I tolerate no crap

I have specifically stated to a husband/wife duo in the past, "when you two make a decision, I will proceed".

Was looking over a basement bathroom add-on, hubby/wife were with me, and unbelieveably there were about 3 ways to arrange the plumbing fixtures, because the rough-in was in the middle of the basement...after showing them what those options were, hubby/wife got into a knock-down drag-out argument, I left, asked them to call when cooler heads prevailed. Upon return, they were very kissy-feeley, had decided on the layout, I got the job done, got paid...
 
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