do you trust your memory?

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Rewire

Senior Member
Booked a job two weeks ago to instrall two ceiling fans or so thats what I remember but when the tech showed up the client had three fans to install. I had quoted for two and the tech called and asked what to do about the third. I told him to install all three for the quoted price and will start writing these things down from now on.
 

qcroanoke

Sometimes I don't know if I'm the boxer or the bag
Location
Roanoke, VA.
Occupation
Sorta retired........
Booked a job two weeks ago to instrall two ceiling fans or so thats what I remember but when the tech showed up the client had three fans to install. I had quoted for two and the tech called and asked what to do about the third. I told him to install all three for the quoted price and will start writing these things down from now on.

No, not any more.
On the other hand, I thought you always got the quote signed by the client? Or is that someone else on here... Heck, I don't remember.......
 

Rewire

Senior Member
I broke protocol and didnt get paperwork signed. Finishing up at the neighbors house when they caught me in the drive and asked about the fans I didnt follow our normal procedure with new clients and it cost me ,lesson learned.
 

jmellc

Senior Member
Location
Durham, NC
Occupation
Facility Maintenance Tech. Licensed Electrician
I broke protocol and didnt get paperwork signed. Finishing up at the neighbors house when they caught me in the drive and asked about the fans I didnt follow our normal procedure with new clients and it cost me ,lesson learned.

We generally assume the honesty of other people but they often prove us wrong. Some people get great joy out of breaking their word while holding us to our's. Many people think we are gouging them with high prices to start with. They consider their tactics "getting even" or "keeping us honest" if they can get a little extra from us.

I like e mail when possible. The "he said, she said" is easily cut when a print is produced of someone's message.
 
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growler

Senior Member
Location
Atlanta,GA
We generally assume the honesty of other people but they often prove us wrong. Some people get great joy out of breaking their word while holding us to our's. Many people think we are gouging them with high prices to start with. They consider their tactics "getting even" or "keeping us honest" if they can get a little extra from us.


I don't think there are all that many dishonest people in the world but many customers are subject to wishfull thinking.

I'm pretty sure that Rewire did quote a price for 2 fans and that's all the customer asked about. When they were out shopping for fans they ended up buying 3 fans instead of just the 2 they started out with. All the customer will remember is they got a price quote for the install
(somewhere down the rabbit hole the number of fans just gets lost).
 

readydave8

re member
Location
Clarkesville, Georgia
Occupation
electrician
Booked a job two weeks ago to instrall two ceiling fans or so thats what I remember but when the tech showed up the client had three fans to install. I had quoted for two and the tech called and asked what to do about the third. I told him to install all three for the quoted price and will start writing these things down from now on.
I don't remember ever trusting my memory, I either write down notes or forget to.
 

Fulthrotl

~Autocorrect is My Worst Enema.~
I like e mail when possible. The "he said, she said" is easily cut
when a print is produced of someone's message.

you betcha... got one of those confirming emails this morning.
a request to bid..... here's the reflected ceiling plan.

i'm sure it'll make everyone here as warm and fuzzy as it did me.

by the way..... they are going to start work next weekend, so hurry.

 

iwire

Moderator
Staff member
Location
Massachusetts
Looks like _dan was dead on accurate when he said the following in your steeling thread.


The normal and legal losses due to incompetence, institutionalized waste, doing wrong but following orders, mismanagement, bad design or implementation, are far bigger numbers. More than four or five orders of magnitude bigger than what you listed. Like looking at an ant on the train tracks. Or seeing a nickel on the ground in a tornado.
 

__dan

Banned
I had an accountant that told me, when he was young he found he could not remember anything. He had to make written notes for everything as a child and following that decided to become an accountant. There was a time he discussed some of the more complicated and creative problems that come up in accounting. Usually, I remember what I read and when, knowing the names of prime ministers from seeing their name in the newspaper.

He ran a few simple things by me and I was like 'is that what you do'. Then he stepped up his game and I was blown away. He was taking fast and I knew he knew what he was talking about, but I could not follow along at that speed. Cannot remember what he said, it was beyond me. He was a money magician, kept a lot of small businesses alive. Truly rare and gifted.

He also said he was not happy with any business deal unless there was also some type of screwing going on with it. He was some kind of angel, but the falling out would happen unintentionally. Then he would forget and the cycle would start all over again. I wish he lived close, i would visit every week or two.

Was also able to spot the elephant in the matchbox when he ran one example by me. It was truly beyond me.
 
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jmellc

Senior Member
Location
Durham, NC
Occupation
Facility Maintenance Tech. Licensed Electrician
Fulthroti, you got me there. If I were to get that e mail I'd write back that I need a drawing with switches included.
 

Fulthrotl

~Autocorrect is My Worst Enema.~
Fulthroti, you got me there. If I were to get that e mail I'd write back that I need a drawing with switches included.

actually, i didn't need switches, i'd a settled for a return phone call.

i called a couple times, he never returned the call.... finally got
a return email thanking me for my trouble, but that they had moved
on, whatever that means.

guess he found someone to do what he wanted done. whatever that is.

whew. not often you hear the ricochet of the bullet that misses you.
 

cowboyjwc

Moderator
Staff member
Location
Simi Valley, CA
you betcha... got one of those confirming emails this morning.
a request to bid..... here's the reflected ceiling plan.

i'm sure it'll make everyone here as warm and fuzzy as it did me.

by the way..... they are going to start work next weekend, so hurry.


Oh heck, I would have signed that off for you at plan check.
 

Fulthrotl

~Autocorrect is My Worst Enema.~
Oh heck, I would have signed that off for you at plan check.

do you give lessons on the side?

i'd pay for a seminar for the entire newport beach building department,
just as a public service.....

did i say that out loud? drat.

actually, newport beach does hold an award, for something i've never
seen anywhere else.... the inspector wanted a wet ink signature from
the EE of record, on each panel schedule.

he got it. i needed a final. printed them up from the autocad drawings,
copied his seal to the corner, and bought him lunch, so he could sign
them.... inspector was happy, my EE got BBQ, and i got paid.

ok. i'm a whore, i admit it.
 

cowboyjwc

Moderator
Staff member
Location
Simi Valley, CA
do you give lessons on the side?

i'd pay for a seminar for the entire newport beach building department,
just as a public service.....

did i say that out loud? drat.

actually, newport beach does hold an award, for something i've never
seen anywhere else.... the inspector wanted a wet ink signature from
the EE of record, on each panel schedule.

he got it. i needed a final. printed them up from the autocad drawings,
copied his seal to the corner, and bought him lunch, so he could sign
them.... inspector was happy, my EE got BBQ, and i got paid.

ok. i'm a whore, i admit it.

Gotta do, what ya gotta do sometimes. :happyyes:
 
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