What would you do?

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electricmanscott

electricmanscott

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Location
Boston, MA
An electrician friend of mine went to check out a job the other day. He also set the customer up with a plumber we know. The home owner was supposed to meet the plumber at 3 and the electrician at 3:30. HO shows up at 3:50 and proceeds to continue his cell phone conversation till after 4 while these guys stand there waiting. Plumber says f this and takes off.

I say way to go plumber. People like this have no respect for other peoples time and I have no desire to work for them. On the other hand I say this job is going to cost you big time. :eek:

Discuss.
 
Re: What would you do?

it seems to me that since he already invested this much time he might as well hang around.

by ditching he gave up any chance of getting what could be a profitable job.
 
Re: What would you do?

You're right some people are downright rude or maybe just stupid. Bottom line is whether or not you really need the work or if you can afford to walk away from the Dbags.
 
Re: What would you do?

I think conduct like that should raise red flags. Obviously you guys weren't a priority so how much of a priority do you think your payment will be?

-Hal

[ November 03, 2005, 05:23 PM: Message edited by: hbiss ]
 
Re: What would you do?

Some would have charged for the initial estimate. I have had that happen to me. I asked an electrician to give me an estimate for a job. I was told it would cost me $xx for them to come out, but that they would give me full credit for that money, if I gave them the job. As it turned out, their estimate was higher than I could afford. I lived in that house 5 more years, and never had that particular job done.

I thought that was a fair arrangement. It was fair to me, and fair to them. I think the case being described here would not have happened if the person had to pay for the estimate.
 
Re: What would you do?

Thats where a site evaluation fee would come in, you could give a set rate, say $39.95 or a discounted per hour fee say $19.95, that would make people like these think twice about lollygaging on thier cell phones :mad: while the EC or PC is making some money.
 
Re: What would you do?

A couple of points:

I've had "easy" jobs that became snagfests, throwing off my schedule for the rest of the day. I had a job last week where the homeowner wanted a thermostat moved. I figured two hours at most, so I scheduled an estimate afterward. The thermostat job wound up taking four hours. I couldn't exactly stop after two and say, "Sorry, but I have a schedule to keep."

As a one-man shop, I have to answer the phone when it rings, since not many people will leave a message if they are calling me for the first time. If it rings when I am talking to someone else, what should I do? I try to keep the call brief, but I still wind up making the first person wait for me to hang up and get back to them.

In this case, though, I think the HO was out of line to keep on talking knowing that you guys were waiting on them. I'd bid the job high and make sure to get everything in writing with people like that. Actually, I think I'd bid the job very high and hope it was more than they could afford. People like that aren't the best people to have as customers.

[ November 03, 2005, 05:59 PM: Message edited by: jeff43222 ]
 
Re: What would you do?

Jeff43222 - Look into getting yourself an answering service. They will answer the phone with your business name and it will sound like your personal secretary to anyone calling. If it's an emergency they can forward the call to your cell. Otherwise they can take messages. I know several one man EC's who do this. You'll save yourself a lot of aggrivation and at the same time make your business appear more professional.
 
Re: What would you do?

The plumber made the right choice. If you are not treated in a professional manner from the start ( your time is valuable ), what can you expect later? I wouldn't even hire a contractor that would put up with this type of treatment. I would wonder why he was so desperate for work.
 
Re: What would you do?

The plumber was standing around for over an hour! I would have left after 15 minutes.

This is a customer no one needs. He has no respect for the tradesman's time value. Even if the quote would have "included" the stand around time, I bet you would have been in court trying to get paid. Sometimes it's better to cut your losses early!

There are many more fish in the ocean. BTW let us know if your friend gets the job and what the problems are, if any.
 
Re: What would you do?

I hope you have a good path from the panel to the second floor for your HRs. I've fished through walls when I didn't, and the main result was that I invented some new profanity. Nothing's more fun than finding fire blocking at random places in the middle of the walls.

[ November 04, 2005, 03:50 PM: Message edited by: jeff43222 ]
 
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