Heating Help

I'm sure this has happened to you too.....

1. Real call on my answering machine from a customer who dropped me 3 years ago, because he found someone 'cheaper'.

Hey, this is *&%%^^% on XYZ Street..  I just got a heating oil delivery from another company a few days ago, and had someone do an annual cleaning on my furnace.  Now it's rumbling and smoking, I had to shut it off.  It's cold.  You need to send someone out here right away to fix my heater.
I just laughed, and pushed 'delete'.  Hope he saved alot of money.

why?

I really enjoy those types of calls. I call them back, advise them that I would need a diagnosis fee up front, and of course would need to be paid upon completion. My rates are xxx.xx and I also charge for travel both ways. If that's acceptable I'll be out as soon as my regular accts are taken care of.

Never fails

They saved 10 to 15 cents per gallon, only purchased 100 gallons, and now it will cost them plenty. As much as I would like to gain another customer, you will only be getting them out of a jam, and the loyalty ends there. I will return a call for the most part, but it will be sorry, you need to call the company who you purchased the oil from. I've been there done that too many times for too many years. Sometimes people need to save pennies to survive, but it's usually people that have money and just like the satisfaction of floating around to whoever is cheapest that day. Not a good thing when it's cold out and no one will return your call. Most think that full service companies have the wrong way of thing when it comes to this, but like the ole saying goes, walk a mile in a man's shoes.

Drives you nuts.

Same thing here.

I kept this old beast of a boiler going for years. The thing was a serious POS. I kept talking to the guy about replacement. Finally gave him a price a while back and never heard from him again. So, last Sunday night, he calls me. His new boiler is out and the guy that put it in for him (Side work deal) won't answer his phone. He tells me that I need to hurry over, he has a house full of people and no hot water or heat.

I laughed out loud at him over the phone and told him that my heat and hot water worked just fine. As did his when I was taking care of his equipment.

I told him good luck and hung up.

For Karma's Sake, I probably should have gone. But I ain't that hungry yet.

All too common Me

"help" them out by getting them by another year with old shi%%y equipment, the leave for a short time, and come back with poorly installed/poorly maintained low grade equipment and want you to welcome them back open arms. I had a woman a couple of months back that left for about 2 years. The other company offered a better fuel price. She came back, or so she thought. They replaced the oil tank with Dehoust that had been overfilled, all the plastic fittings were cross threaded, pipes not secured, and pitched away from the tank, and a host of other moron maneuvers. I instructed her to have the installer make it right, have the tank manufacture give it a thumbs up, and then we can do business. Haven't heard back from here. The leak indicator was out of the tank, oil had seeped down, and was present at the bottom of the steel seams. Amazing how some people would rather get screwed on equipment to save a few pennies, than to stay with an honest company

Wont go out for those kinda people unless

There willing to change fuel accounts. Tell them the invoice is on hold and

$xxx for the call if you change (back) to us for your fuel   or


$XXXXXXXXXXXXXX if you lie to my face and dont change to us for your fuel
most people are fair and "get" it but only after they get scewed by some flyby nite weekend warrior who installs a junker appliance. The classic line "we should have had you fellas put it in " is a nice compliment to hear as im replacing the ducanes cheapo heat exchanger

That's the only way

I'll consider. Regardless, we do site inspections on all new, and returning customers. I won't put a drop of oil, or offer any service until it is inspected. That is something I do to not "own" any pre-existng issues safety or otherwise. 

Oh yes.

To many times this happens to me.  Customer calls and closes their account because they can save 10-20 cents per gallon at another company.  I get the call at 9:00PM "I have no heat and the new company wont pick up the phone.  I called their cell phone, home phone, and beeper."  I can be out.  it is $$$$ per hour and it is from my front door to my front door.  You know if you kept your service contract this would have cost you nothing?  you only use 500 gallons a year.  So you saved what $100 bucks.  this service call just cost you a whole lot more.  Oh and I picked up the phone the first time you called and remembered your system uses a 1.10 45W nozzle not a 1.50 80B.  So the basement will stop filling with smoke every time the boiler starts.  That new fancy smoke pipe they put on must be magic.  How else do you do a smoke and efficiency test with no hole?
There now I feel better.  Thank you.  cheaper than talking to a shrink.