sometimes i can't even find the HOUSE inside of an hour......
Then there's the customer who has to tell you about their car, the vacation they took in 1956, their operation last year, their new grandson......
Letter from the BBB...
- Thread starter zappy
- Start date
- Status
Then there's the customer who has to tell you about their car, the vacation they took in 1956, their operation last year, their new grandson......
For me, troubleshooting has been a pretty unprofitable endeavor. Most customers don't want to pay if you don't find the problem, and you wind up wasting a couple of hours. Other problems are found immediately and aren't worth the trip if you charge hourly.
To deal with this dilemma, I just figure for a worst case scenario (such as simply installing new circuitry instead of trying to troubleshoot it), and tell the customer if I don't find the problem within an hour they can pay me the flat rate I originally quoted(usually around $100), or they can pay me the worst case scenario fee to go ahead and just install new stuff.
To deal with this dilemma, I just figure for a worst case scenario (such as simply installing new circuitry instead of trying to troubleshoot it), and tell the customer if I don't find the problem within an hour they can pay me the flat rate I originally quoted(usually around $100), or they can pay me the worst case scenario fee to go ahead and just install new stuff.
Yes surprisingly, many up-start ECs 'specialize' in just that. 24-hour service.... on-call..... we do it all.... Anything to get that phone to ring.
I don't advertise service call work. Don't say that I hate doing it, but my regular customers give me enough of it to get my USRDA of it.
Now that we have rambled on for 11 some odd pages discussing varioius mind bending dilemmas like:
- birds,
- buried/cut cables
- pricing options
- what real men do/don't do
- xmas lights
- ....and who knows what else
Are we any closer to having a question answered by the OP?
Have the wolves had their feast?
- birds,
- buried/cut cables
- pricing options
- what real men do/don't do
- xmas lights
- ....and who knows what else
Are we any closer to having a question answered by the OP?
Have the wolves had their feast?
steelersman
Senior Member
- Location
- Lake Ridge, VA
this forum is screwing up the posts and assigning them to the wrong persons.
steelersman
Senior Member
- Location
- Lake Ridge, VA
LOL!! I'm serious though it was a few minutes ago when I tried to quote someone who had misquoted me I thought but when I saw my quote with his name and then hsomeone else's name with another of someone elso's name then.....forget about it. I'm getting confused now.
hardworkingstiff
Senior Member
- Location
- Wilmington, NC
LOL!! I'm serious though it was a few minutes ago when I tried to quote someone who had misquoted me I thought but when I saw my quote with his name and then hsomeone else's name with another of someone elso's name then.....forget about it. I'm getting confused now.
Who's on 1st?:smile:
LarryFine
Master Electrician Electric Contractor Richmond VA
- Location
- Henrico County, VA
- Occupation
- Electrical Contractor
Yes. :wink:
Fulthrotl
~Autocorrect is My Worst Enema.~
- Occupation
- E
and the entertainment value is tremendous.... i can hardly
wait for the next installment.
and if you didn't like something i said, it wasn't me, it was the
other guy.....
signed,
the other guy
Fulthrotl
~Autocorrect is My Worst Enema.~
- Occupation
- E
um, dude, i don't know how to break this to you, but "finding the source
of the problem" has to be more specific than the street address to be
billable.... JMHO
iaov
Senior Member
- Location
- Rhinelander WI
I think Marc came up withe the best solution in post #5.
bradleyelectric
Senior Member
- Location
- forest hill, md
that would have been waaayyyy to short of a thread for us.
hardworkingstiff
Senior Member
- Location
- Wilmington, NC
If that doesn't work, then post #3 is next.
You must remember. A happy customer doesn't say much. An unhappy customer will go out of his way to discredit you and tell anyone who will listen what a horrible experience they had with you.
You might be right to expect full payment, but will you win if you get paid?
If you follow Marc's advice in post 3, you put the customer off guard. They have nothing to complain about, and might tell people what a pleasure it was to deal with you. How much is that worth? Think about it.
Sonny Boy
Member
- Location
- Washington
Blank feed-through GFCI device?
jimmyglen
Senior Member
- Location
- St. Louis, Missouri
Well this thread has some good and some really off topic posts in it
Troubleshooting seems like the best gig and winds up being the worst
I love how everyone monday morning quarterbacks and says how fast it SHOULD have been fixed.
You work your butt and your brain to the max (with the H.O following you the entire time)
then when you fix it fast you get a whole check for $150
If you are in a two story house (with a problem on the second floor or attic) try running those stairs back and forth a few times and see how fast an hour goes.
ALSO the homeowner never gives you all the info on what was happening when and where until you get 3/4 of the way into the problem
Customers think I am the smartest electrician (find it and fix it fast) or I am the dumbest (cant find it) - Some days I dont know myself
Troubleshooting seems like the best gig and winds up being the worst
I love how everyone monday morning quarterbacks and says how fast it SHOULD have been fixed.
You work your butt and your brain to the max (with the H.O following you the entire time)
then when you fix it fast you get a whole check for $150
If you are in a two story house (with a problem on the second floor or attic) try running those stairs back and forth a few times and see how fast an hour goes.
ALSO the homeowner never gives you all the info on what was happening when and where until you get 3/4 of the way into the problem
Customers think I am the smartest electrician (find it and fix it fast) or I am the dumbest (cant find it) - Some days I dont know myself
mdshunk
Senior Member
- Location
- Right here.
I'm an every day quarterback. I have invested in education, experience, and the test equipment necessary to make money at this sort of work, and complete it in a timely manner. I speak from experience on troubleshooting when I post.
That's about all I have to say about that.
peter d
Senior Member
- Location
- New England
I think we should all vote for Marc for president in 2012.
I am not the quarterback, I am the coach and if you wanna play you had better perform.
I can say with all honesty that if a service man in my company spent 3 hours trouble shooting a fart fan, there had better be a damn good reason or I would be looking for a new service man.
Put yourself in the customers shoes, would you pay a 3 hour ticket for nothing?
I can say with all honesty that if a service man in my company spent 3 hours trouble shooting a fart fan, there had better be a damn good reason or I would be looking for a new service man.
Put yourself in the customers shoes, would you pay a 3 hour ticket for nothing?
- Status