Service Call

Status
Not open for further replies.
I agree with 77401 on this one too, to a degree. I'd try to talk them through it on the phone, but if that was to no avail, I'd swap out the GFI just to be sure. Nuisance trips happen.

I just hate the phantom problems. "GFI trips sometimes." What's the problem?

Here's a problem I've had on the warranty end of things. Two months ago:

"All the smokes in my house go off in the middle of the night. I've ripped all the ones I can reach out of the ceiling."
-We replace the smokes, and confirm they were installed in proper locations.

Yesterday:

"The new smokes went off in the middle of the night again, only it was just the one in the basement (thanks for that)..."
-We did not remove the interconnect between any of the smokes.

"So I shut off the basement breaker, and the alarm was silenced. But, obviously, I don't want to leave that the way it is."
-Say what?!? The smokes get their power from the master bedroom, for the AFCI requirement. What the heck is she talking about?!?

So, I guess I'll have an interesting Monday.
 
1998 Road King here too!
Here is another I just got & I'm out the door on a saturday to take candy from a baby.
Ciustomer calls ... alarm went off in the middle of the night, just bought the house & it was a brinks system no longer monitored. he has the breaker off.
Would you tell him how to pull the battery & Power transformer?
SAme as reseting a GFI!
Or go make a new customer with prompt fast courteous service?????
See ya!
 
Last edited:
Since I started this thread, I'll throw in my 2C's. I have and probably will again replace GFCI's or CB's with no known faults. No amount of explanation on my part will erase that doubt in the customers mind. At least when I leave he or she knows they have new parts installed. Peace of mind does have a price tag, its just more for some than others.
 
I do not have hard and fast rules for this but I tend to go with the replace it crowd.

Many of the service calls I go on will be a 4 hour minimum labor charge, a truck charge and mileage.

Seeing as they are stuck paying this bill many feel better if I actually replace something rather than just resetting a breaker.

Think of it as an electrical placebo.

As I said every case is different.
 
It's just another example of the dumbing down of America. People not having a clue of the basic environment around them. Knowledge requires effort or money, so charge em for it. :rolleyes:
 
So, I'm chillin' this afternoon and the phone rings. I installed a ceiling fan for these folks over two years ago and put a sticker on the panel.

The problem? They have a large "soft side' pool and the garage gfci recep feeds the 2 baths and the 3 outdoor outlets. Lady says she reset the old gfci and the breaker - but no power.

I decided that I would handle the call myself.

Found a loose neutral in a backstabbed outlet in the front, also some corrosion on the recep. Replaced the recep and pig tailed it. The gfci in the garage was the old type (Non "Smartloc" or "Safelock") so I replaced it too. She paid me cash!

Sticker paid for itself today!
 
Dude
I put the "for service call" stickers on every panel I can, & sometimes in the garage next to the door to the house too. Subliminal messaging?
I've been doing it for 5 years? or more? I probably get calls 5 or more calls a year from new owners of these houses with my stickers on them.
YES IT PAYS!!!

Mark your turf!!!
 
I would have to say I'm in Bob's boat . Use your judgement if you think being Mr. nice guy will improve your chances of becoming the electrician of choice go for it .

Don't other professionals charge for consulting with customers?

I would tend to respond to the call , they trip for reasons and if it trips again ... well you don't like to come out for these sorts of problems so they move down the list until they reach 77401 who will gladly help them solve the problem and make face to face contact with a new customer.
 
I'll take it & you can have the large jobs.
I love these lil service calls as long as they are close to me. And, I have learned to/prefer to err on the safe side & make the customer not feel stupid & replace something for them.

Today, I have a customer with a recessed can out, she replaced the bulb with a new one & still out, I get there & put another 1/4' turn on it & presto it works! She is still downstairs on the computer, so I replace the Lightolier socket/housing, and tell her that was the problem. So was so Happy it wasn't something stupid or simple. And her equity partner lawyer husband can afford a new socket, even at a material cost to them of $35.00

AS yoiu know its not easy making $$ on small service calls. So I try to do volume!!
 
77401 I'm with you unless there would be some advantage to not responding .

It reminds me of advice I heard from one consultant to another .

" Look ,....If people are not following your advice ,...your not charging enough.
 
A lot of times I didn't charge for the resetting of GFI's or breakers and many of those no charges resulted in hundreds of dollars in work from those same people later when they remembered how fair I and honest I was.
 
Status
Not open for further replies.
Top