Heating Help

Ever Just Had Enough,,,,

Of one customer??

Had this guy,,, I cleaned his oil-fired boiler 12 years,,,,,, always pays, but ALWAYS COMPLAINS about price. 3.5`crawlspace, never moves household storage items to give me unit access, & NEVER offers to help lug my tools through his house to perform my task . I always charge him a reasonable price.

Anyway,,,, today he came to my shop to pay,,,,,, then he says "well, you weren`t there too long ,, you didn`t use much materials did you?,, oh, you charge traveling-time (he`s out of town),,,,,, THAT WAS IT!!
I said "YOU ALWAYS COMPLAIN",,,,,, he said "THE SQUEAKY WHEEL GETS THE GREASE",,,,, I said,,,,, "well, that`s the last time I`ll ever clean-it,,,,, you can get someone else, I`ve had enough of people who expect me to work for next-to nothing"

So I guess,,,, I fired him!!  Ever just had enough of some people???  

I think most of us

have had to do that. Life's too short. 

i feel your pain

I know exactly where your coming from and i always remember to get paid first before the firing starts and the after thought i always have is good ridden to the cheapskate much less head aches that way and as a bonus i always remember the snake pit of great talkers do nothing but chargem to which they will be cast that always makes it worth the while and makes me smile inside .The one thing i do do is not remove there # from my phone so i can identify them when they call ,it avoids any small talk and sooner or later they get the message hopefully after they pay some one for there quick do nothing service and it still don't work  .peace and good luck clammy

had enough

I fired a customer in October, as the cold was approaching.
2 zone Hydroair system with DHW,  the circ failed in the spring.  I installed a circ I had on my truck, and reccomended a Wilo ecm to handle the broad range of flows they could experience.  The Wilo was over 500, so I asked for a deposit which they gave me.  I did another emergency repair for them in a rental, and waited to get paid.  They asked me to wait on the wilo installation as they didn't have the cash over the summer ( vacation in Spain and all).  So in October I called and stated that we needed to change out the pump as the small circ I had installed temporarily would not provide enough flow when the hydroair units kicked on, plus it was a loaner.   The son who was translating decided to lecture me on business practices and bullying them,  as I told him, I would not wait 60 days to be paid.  After his third phone call on a friday night I told him to do me a favor and " lose my phone number as I would no longer be working for them"  I went there the following day and gave him back part of the deposit - less the service call and now 10 month old loaner circ.   I think I took my wife out that night, it felt great, like a great weight had been lifted.
I installed the ecm on a radiant job within a month- a great fit.  The owner called me last week and politely started to describe his latest issue,  a leaking air seperator.  i told him that it would be under warranty, and that he should get somebody to replace it, but not me.  " Oh you were serious about that".  I know that the people he'll most likely hire will charge more than I ever did, I also know I won't ever go there again.  If I run into him in town as I do, I'm cordial,  I just can't work for everyone. 
On to bigger & better things, and people who appreciate...

I WISH....

seeing how i work for a big regional company and always have to continue to please every customer no matter how much THEY REFUSE TO BE PLEASED.The best I can hope for is their call will land on somebody else.

You guys are like folk heros to me.

Customers

There are many customers that you will never please and will take advantage of you thinking you owe them rather than they owe you. Concentrate on the ones that appreciate your services and repeatedly come back. For the ones who don't, bring it to there attention the actual cost what it takes to bring a service truck to someones home or business. Some may change their view.