how to handle customer

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etelectric

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Went out for a service call. Customer agreed to terms on phone. Customer said powervent wasnt working, I tested and found the thermocouple was bad. I told customer I was going to replace thermocouple, he agreed. When I gave him the invoice he argued saying he did not think the problem was fixed. I assured him it was and showed him that the furnace would fire and refire when t-stat called. He called 2 days later saying he could smell gas so he called the gas company they came out told him burners were upside down and he had a bad themocouple. He now wants a refund and wants to take me to court What should I do
 
Since he's threatening to file suit, my recommendation would be for you to consult a real attorney and not a batch of guys in the internet who you don't know for legal advice.
 
If you received court papers, Have you informed your liability insurance carrier of this as yet, they usually handle these issues, reason you have liability insurance, is to prevent getting hit with a large loss from liability issues. Also you may want to contact your personal attorney.
 
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I can't help but to wonder how you changed the thermocouple and didn't notice that the burners were in upside down? That should be a pretty obvious thing. Do you suppose that the homeowner was mussing with it?

There are only a couple of ways a brand new thermocouple can get trashed in such a short amount of time. That makes me wonder also if you put a manometer on to check pilot pressure?
 
mdshunk said:
I can't help but to wonder how you changed the thermocouple and didn't notice that the burners were in upside down? That should be a pretty obvious thing. Do you suppose that the homeowner was mussing with it?

There are only a couple of ways a brand new thermocouple can get trashed in such a short amount of time. That makes me wonder also if you put a manometer on to check pilot pressure?
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Sure hope he can prove his years of experience, in heating equipment, in court, and his carrier covers him working on them.
 
satcom said:
Sure hope he can prove his years of experience, in heating equipment, in court, and his carrier covers him working on them.
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...is there such a requirement in NJ?
 
Only semi-related to this thread.... on a bill for a "thermocouple", substitute the term "pilot safety sensor". ;) Makes the price more palatable.
 
etelectric said:
. . . burners were upside down . . .
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Just out of curiousity:

Is he accusing you of flipping them, or merely not noticing them being flipped?

Did you in fact remove and replace them?

Do you still have the removed thermocouple?
 
LarryFine said:
Is he accusing you of flipping them, or merely not noticing them being flipped?
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In my opinion, that really wouldn't matter. If I made repairs to equipment that caused it to be recommissioned, and it had upside down burners, I'd have to take responsibility for that. This is sorta along the same lines as putting a new battery on a generator, but checking the oil and coolant level before you fire it up.
 
electricalperson said:
how could the burners be flipped if they worked fine before he replaced the thermocouple?
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That's the 64,000 dollar question. Of course I don't know the OP, but if I was to speculate, I might guess that he knew just enough to get into trouble.
 
i wonder if the thermocouple was burned up somehow because of the upsidedown burner. doesnt the thermocouple just sense if the pilot is on and if it senses its off it shuts the gas off?
 
electricalperson said:
i wonder if the thermocouple was burned up somehow because of the upsidedown burner. doesn't the thermocouple just sense if the pilot is on and if it senses its off it shuts the gas off?
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The thermocouple is actually in the standing pilot flame, and sends a millivolt signal to the main gas valve to hold the pilot gas port open. The fact that the main burners were upside down would not effect the operation of the thermocouple.
 
celtic said:
...is there such a requirement in NJ?
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What requirement, His liability insurer will not defend the case if he is not insured for working on gas appliances, you really need to sit in on some liability court cases, they say laughter is good for your overall health.
 
Threads like this & the other one about stolen wire makes me glad I have a digital camera & a camera phone. I take a fare amount of pictures now, but sure am going to be taking a lot more of them now. :mad:
 
I worked for a guy like this. I call them the "split personalities". They act reasonable until you present the invoice (even with a previously signed Contract or Service Work Order). Then they go ballistic. It's not about your work, it's a very rude negotiating tactic to get free work from contractors. The best defense is payment in full, in advance by credit card (not AmEx) with a signed Contract. Of course you have to pay attention to your intuition when you think you're talking to a split personality, and demand payment in full, in advance.

Dave
 
people always want something for free. its a shame that people dont appreciate the knowledge and the training we have. im sure he would of noticed the burners were upside down while replacing the thermocouple. someone might of been tinkering with this after he left. even if he didnt notice everyone makes mistakes and no one is perfect. bringing someone to court over something stupid like this is just completly uncalled for. if the owner of the company messed up and known he did than a refund is more than enough to make the customer happy. but i think he didnt do anything wrong and the homeowner just wants free work.
 
perfect example of why you should have contracts that require customers signatures agreeing to the price before you do the work and accepting the work as satisfactory upon completion of the work...

you signed agreeing to the price...you signed agreeing that everything worked...2 days later you don't call me to give me a chance to fix any problems under warranty?

it one of 2 things...the customer is a loon...or the OP never sold the customer on the fact that he was capable of doing this work, causing the customer to not have faith that the work was done correct...

or a 3rd option - combination of the 2:D
 
Worth it?

Worth it?

In my opinion, fighting these things is not worth the time and money. I would just give him the money back and say good riddence. The reality is that the amount of time lost to fight this guy is a loss of money in itself, and more than the original charge.

BTW: I am mellowing in my old age.
 
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