Heating Help

shaking it up

I went on a call around Christmas time to a home of a local "professional". The beatiful home was packed with well healed holiday reveallers and the powder room toilet was plugged, and they had no heat...go figure. Fixed both problems in about 20 minutes. When I presented the bill ($125 bucks), the lady of the house said something like..."125..that's criminal, you're just a plumber...." I informed her that if it weren't for us "just plumbers" she'd still be using a wooden shed outside for a john and would be burning wood in a fireplace to keep her guests in the holiday spirit, and that another insult like that would double the bill. Several of her guest overheard and actually applauded my comment. Not only did I get paid on the spot, I got a few pats on the back and found an extra 50 in my pocket when I got home. Don't ever be ashamed of what we do. We're pros too. too bad some people have to look down on us. We're every bit as good at what we do as the physicians and lawyers of this world. Stand up and be proud !!! To Learn More About This Professional, Click Here to Visit Their Ad in "Find A Professional"

Aproval

John, I do agree with your posts but I can't help but wonder... Who cares how others percieve our occupation? I did not go into this trade seeking the aproval of others. My intentions were to learn a trade that would support me and my family and give MYSELF a sense of pride. Those who look down on us for what we do are egotistical and have a shallow sense of self worth. Let them wallow in their ignorance. In fact I find myself feeling sorry for people who judge others by their occuations and not on their character or actions. I seek aproval from my Family, friends, peers and clients. End of sentence. My clients and I have a mutual admiration. Keith

There is no universally respected occupation.

Certainly not engineers - in this country at least. Doctors and lawyers share a contempt for each other. I once heard a realtor deriding teachers as overpaid. I had to bite my tongue on that one. The other posters are right - be proud of what you do and do it well. I had a thought about your work with the "overall efficiency formula." Your formula is not going to save the world a cent. Behavior change is. In my town we have night classes in town on all sorts of things from basket weaving to personal finance. The personal finance tend to be taught by, you guessed it, financial planners. John, have you considered this avenue to educating local customers who have an interest in the topic and are a customer base in energy conservation? You will get paid to recruit customers who will in turn get to know you and hire you. Good Luck Steve

Shake things up........

All I am trying to do here on the wall is shake things up. I want people to think. I want people to realize that trades people have done a lot of valuable accomplishments, first to flight and the invention of heart transplants are a couple. I also want you to realize that we trades people are capable of a lot more valuable acomplishments. I consider a good trades person as one that learns on the job, serves an apprenticeship. One that reads books at night to learn about what he sees on the job. He visits trade shows and takes seminars. He also develops a network of experts that he can rely on for answers to problems that he encounters. He gets smarter and smarter with every passing year. Once things are shaken up, then maybe they might start to move forward in the right direction. Maybe you might start to take a simple trades person such as myself a little more seriously. JR To Learn More About This Professional, Click Here to Visit Their Ad in "Find A Professional"

Tradesmen

John, Amen brother. Stay on your soapbox because you're on a roll. I agree with all three of your posts and find it unfortunate that you have been driven to having to make these posts. I hope that all works out well for you in the NEAR future. Anthony Menafro

If there was an engineer at the party, he was probably asked if he would fix it for free.

Yeah, but

I told her to stuff it too. :) Last time I go to HER parties...

Great story, Al

You work cheaply, particularly as the party must have been after-hours. At least the revelers knew the value of what you do and what you did. Some folks amaze me and in different ways. I will leave you with this little chestnut: My dad (a hydraulic not hydronic engineer) once pointed out to me: Alchemists took thousands of years trying to turn lead into gold. It was the plumber that finally did it."

party

No so cheap for around here. Was one of the first to go to $85/hour here and that was 2 years ago. Time to go up again!! Profit ain't a dirty word, even hea' in Maine. To Learn More About This Professional, Click Here to Visit Their Ad in "Find A Professional"