Lesson B24.109a for HomeMoaners

Its storytime again guys and in the process, maybe I can "learnt" the homemoaners a thing or two. Customer calls today (first let me describe my customer) He's actually a nice guy. Ive seen him at church, has a passle of kids, Ive coached soccer with him, etc. Pretty normal, eh? He calls my house (not my office). I call him back on his cell and left msg. He calls me back on my cell and leaves msg. I call him again and we connect. He tells me that he and his partner have 3 bldgs in the neighboring town (slum property) and he needs the furnaces tuned up. 2 furnaces in each bldg within couple miles of each other. Oh yeah, one isnt working well???? Wants to know: How much to service them Can I give him the friendly price Can his partner look over my shoulder so he can learn some of this so he can check it out next time (YES, he actually asked me that!!) Oh, I forget to mention..........he first asked if I still do this type of work?? (Lemme think...about 25 yrs now????) Then he proceeds to tell me that he called all the other guys and they are weeks out before they could get there?? Again.........I guess Im chopped liver....he called me last hehe. I tell him, No, Im not weeks out. As a matter of fact, I can fix the broken furnace today. I will then schedule the other tune ups for about 1-1/2 to 2 wks from now. He says, Nah, just do them all at once. Normally, since I know the guy and he has several furnaces, Id cut him some slack and apply a few "multi-discounts" BUT with all his antics, I quoted him regular rates. Screw him. Wake up and smell the roses boy. You want a deal? Act like a human. Bubba

Reply to
Bubba
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What?

Do you see something wrong with the owner or maintenance person getting tips from a "pro" on what can reasonably be done. If it takes you time to "teach" then it's reasonable to add that time to the bill.

Are you really that short of work that you WANT to change filters and such?

Reply to
John Gilmer

I have a couple of customers that I do change filters for, and I get paid very well for it. One has a 9,000sqft home, the other 11,000sqft. Money is not an issue for them, but service is.

Reply to
Noon-Air

You're a dipshit, Gilmer. His furnace doesnt work. He wants to watch me fix it, ask a million questions and get what he can so he dont have to call me next time. Sorry pal, it dont work that way. Ive got 25ish years of expensive time and training in the business. Im not giving it away. You want to learn? I'll give you a 5 day class that'll cost you about 10 Grand. ........and as far as the filters...........I dont even carry them. You want reasonable? Change your filters regularly and use a shop vac on your furnace once in a while. Other than that, read the owners manual. You wanna learn? Go to a tech school and tell me how much they charge you by the time you're finished. By the way, Gilmo............Bite Me! Bubba

Reply to
Bubba

Nasty, nasty.

Yeah, and he PAID you to FIX IT>

So? If what you are doing is something simple (like a filter or a "reset" button) then once the detective work is done what's the problem with DIY?

Really? How much did your pay for your 5 days worth of education?

EWMTK

Reply to
John Gilmer

Ignorant, ignorant

No he didn't

Filters are normal maintenance that is *supposed to be performed by the owner*....just like your supposed to get your vehicles serviced regularly. Now here's a news flash for you sport, "reset" buttons are SAFETY DEVICES AND THEY TRIP FOR A REASON. How many times do you hit your "reset" button before you call somebody??

*NEVER* reset a tripped safety device (including circuit breakers) without finding out the cause of exactly *WHY* it tripped.

how much did you pay for yours??

Reply to
Noon-Air

yet truthful.

No, you're not paying attention. He called to have it fixed (along with 5 other tune-ups). It hasnt been scheduled yet.

If it were simple, he wouldnt be calling me now would he Einstein? DIY??? If he wants DIY, then he doesnt need to be calling me. You want to learn something? Go to a school that teaches it. Im not teaching you on the job.

You'll just never understand, will you Gomer? Bubba

Reply to
Bubba

I would have loved to see a homeowner hit the "reset button" on one I worked on last week. The rollout switch tripped. Pushed the button and stood way to the side. When it fired, boy howdy! Dumbass installers left out the LP kit, flame rollout big time! Mr. Homeowner, you go ahead and push all the "reset buttons" you want, just make sure all of your various insurances are up to date.

Reply to
Al Moran

Dumb ass service tech should have known better to trust dum bass installers.

Reply to
Power's Mechanical

Well, sport, that's the kind of thing that a "pro" can warn the owner or maintenance person about.

Reply to
John Gilmer

Reminds me of the call I had bout two years ago. Summer time, the AC tripped the 15 amp breaker. She reset it a dozen or so times to get it to stay on, but the AC still didn't work.

Troubleshooting finds a shorted fan blower motor in the air handler. After reseting a dozen or so times (and sending major power surges) the contactors on the board fried. So, that multiple reset cost the family a new board. In addition to the motor which had gone out.

Reply to
Stormin Mormon

Perhaps that would not have happened had the home owner gotten a little instruction from a service man on the previous visit?

The material the manufacturer wants the installer to leave to the owner is close to useless. I read my "handout" and it had the boilerplate info saying that the unit should be powered on for 24 hours before actually starting it because the needs to bring the lubrication oil to operating temperature. Trouble was that this particular unit didn't have a crankcase heater. Fortunately, my installer didn't have a bad attitude and I was able to ask him questions.

Reply to
John Gilmer

Bubba posted for all of us...

Do we have time?

Reply to
Tekkie®

John Gilmer posted for all of us...

He didn't know you yet.

Reply to
Tekkie®

Actually, you're correct that most home owners really don't know much about their equipment. I'd not done any work on this unit until this day, so there wasn't a lot of chance for education.

However, it's a good subject for this group. What are some of the things that HO's should know about furnace and central AC? You mention the crankcase heater, for the outdoor AC unit. That's a good one to mention.

Reply to
Stormin Mormon

If I'm paying you to work on my furnace, I think I have the right to watch what you do to it...

Have a nice day..

Mark

Reply to
Mark

No you don't. I will not take the responsibility for you to reach over and stick your finger in there and oops... When the panels come off the HO has to keep his distance. Never seen a women stupid enough to want to stick their hand in there but some of the guys are just plain window lickers...

Joseph

Reply to
Joseph

Joseph you are right up to point I would not want anyone putting hands on anything while I am working, however when you find or suspected problem and before you begin to work you should show customer what you are going to do and after you are finished what you did As good tech customer should be always advised of your statue Dido say that

Reply to
AKS

Obviously you're free to watch. Remember though, Im not there to teach you and I wont unless you want to pay a class fee. Watching may cost you a bit more depending on how much your mouth runnith over. Bubba

Reply to
Bubba

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