Am I a bad customer / job magnet

[P J F PLUMBING]

The customers don't sound like the best, but look at it from their point of view and imagine being in their shoes.

There are problems from day one on the job,
The heating then doesn't work and someone else has to come along.
Then after the install is supposedly finished, they get told its been fitted wrong and it needs altering.
I am also guessing it has taken longer than they expected due to these circumstances.

Now this is not meant to be a pop at PJF at all, but maybe it will help it look at it from a different perspective and then help him with dealing with the customers.

If this happened to me in my house, I would assume the tradesman was incompetent (not saying you are, you seem to know what you are talking about from what I have seen on here) and I would most definitely not being paying in full. I would also be looking to get the work checked over and any alterations done by someone else and deducted from the bill for the original install.

Now this may be difficult but you need to grovel and offer to put right at your expense and then offer a discount on the job for the inconvenience caused, this is what I would do. We all have nightmares at work and make mistakes which ultimately cost us money, be it an incorrect diagnosis of a boiler fault, having a leak or managing to damage the customers property. It is how you deal with the customer and situation that counts.

Many thanks !! The worst part is they are having the boiler changed !!! Not all the problems were mine but I dropped the ball and dealt with them then I walked into a landmine and I'm hurting

 

[IDCHAPPY]

It's certainly been a bum year for you so far dude but you have to at least save some face and cash on the job.

 

[P J F PLUMBING]

Tbh I would be happy with the boiler back nothing else money labour nothing just to put this one behind me

 

[hammers4spanner]

You'll get through this and crack onto the next job,the other downside to these type of problems is that this crust will probably tell half a dozen of her friends.

 

[Whyme]

Was the job started on a hand shake or did you give them a written quote. because usually if it hasn't been commissioned ie not finished all sorts of problems can arise until final commission. and all parts supplied like trvs, lead slate even tube aren't the customers property until full payment. if you could prove somehow you had left it off ie un commisioned you might have a leg to stand on.

 

[P J F PLUMBING]

I had a 4 page contract signed and dated agreeing the price date ect I had probs with the job from day one they even say that I shouldn't have condemned the bbu as they say there was nothing wrong with it. The flue liner was disconnected from the terminal so I disconnected it

I left on Friday in a bad way not me the customer was not happy I isolated the boiler removed the fuse from the switch and issued a uncommisioned notice which she refused to sign

 

[hammers4spanner]

Always take photos imho

 

[Whyme]

Was the new boiler with dodgy flue left on though, that's the sticking point.And the money loser .Obviously there gas safe friend is going to shout from the roof tops. Gotta ask yourself why didn't he do the job.?

 

[P J F PLUMBING]

I take photos of every job But this one I would have taken photos of my f up lol

 

[P J F PLUMBING]

Was the new boiler with dodgy flue left on though, that's the sticking point.And the money loser .Obviously there gas safe friend is going to shout from the roof tops. Gotta ask yourself why didn't he do the job.?

Its the uncle and he is ALWAYS fully booked because he's the best apparently it was isolated when I left and the flue was a genuine mistake that was going to be sorted out there and then but she refused

 

[hammers4spanner]

Haha I meant proof of boiler isolation,

 

[hammers4spanner]

Its the uncle and he is ALWAYS fully booked because he's the best apparently it was isolated when I left and the flue was a genuine mistake that was going to be sorted out there and then but she refused

Try find his name out May get some home truths about why he didn't do the job

 

[village idiot]

I take photos of every job But this one I would have taken photos of my f up lol

This is not a wind up PJFP, is it??????

If it isn't, then we can all agree that you will not be getting any money from the customer on this job.

 

[P J F PLUMBING]

Sadly not a joke this is my life ATM

 

[hammers4spanner]

I went through a load of carp like this recently it is far from funny when it occurs

 

[Millsy 82]

If you have made a mistake its not the end of the world. You owned up to it and offered to repair it I would send an invoice through with a letter stating that the remedial work will be carried out as soon as you are allowed access. Then if worse comes to worse then take it through the courts. If they are refusing to let you repair your fault they will lose in court.

Also if they remove the boiler it is there property and bill them for it as you dont know how well they removed the boiler.

 

[village idiot]

Sadly not a joke this is my life ATM

You should set a plan in place, finish jobs that are booked for now, then take time off work and take the missus somewhere nice and just forget about work for at least a two week period. Or hand over booked jobs to a friend, inform customers you are getting someone else to handle jobs as you cannot be there due to unforeseen circumstances

 

[Millsy 82]

Plus they want to keep some of the work you have done? why if they feel that you are incompetent? If you were incompetent then they would have the lot removed.

 

[Whyme]

Its the uncle and he is ALWAYS fully booked because he's the best apparently it was isolated when I left and the flue was a genuine mistake that was going to be sorted out there and then but she refused

if it was isolated when you left its classed as un commisioned and job not finished or rectified (don't worry cos you didn't turn it on). all bits including copper like i say belong to you until payment..Get gas safe involved and explain then take them to small claims...god i feel for ya..

 

[hammers4spanner]

Only cost 60 to take someone to court which they pay if they lose

 

[JCplumb]

I really feel for you mate, this job can be horrible when it goes pear shaped.
Get through this gloomy part however you can, if I were you I would consider writing it off completely, hopefully get the boiler back and break even on the next job.
I know you probably could take them to court etc. but do you want to go through that? The courts tend to be on the side of the customer from what I've heard and if you do take them and lose and then have to pay their expenses - how will you feel?
Move forward and learn, it may be an expensive lesson, but it will be a valuable one. You'll know next time to keep the communication up and to take deposits and/or have a cast iron agreement in place before starting.

I had a nightmare a good few years ago, spent a whole weekend replacing a bath that the customer had bought together with the taps they bought, all cheap rubbish, took the old bath out and the floor was rotten, I told them the floor needed re-doing and they asked if I could do it. I said I'm no joiner but I could replace some boards. They provided some crappy tongue and groove that was about 4mm shallower than the other boards and I begrudgingly fitted it with them (about 6 of them) watching my every move. Almost at end of job and the taps wouldn't seal, they were absolute rubbish quality, I'd had almost as much as I could take and when I told them the taps wouldn't seal and better ones were needed they started calling the flooring I'd done and blaming me for the cheap taps.
I picked up my tools and told them to **** off.
Anyway to cut a long story short I was 2 days labour down and about £100 in materials down but I was getting so low because of these arseholes that I had to leave before I did something they'd regret.
Took me a good few weeks to get over it and I didn't lose nearly half as much as you did. Maybe I could have taken them to a small claims for the materials and labour, maybe not. It didn't really matter I just didn't want to feel like that anymore, I didn't even want to talk about the job as thinking about it depressed me.

I have learned and I have moved on and it's just a bitter memory now which hopefully yours will be at some point in the future.

 

[Centralheatking]

Dont forget job/financial screw ups can be placed against
your tax liability as a written off loss centralheatking

 

[hammers4spanner]

Dont forget job/financial screw ups can be placed against
your tax liability as a written off loss centralheatking

How's that work?

 

[Irish]

same as any company , you put your losses against your gains. if you get knocked for 15k you can claim it against your tax

 

[plumber0808]

It does sound like a bit of a balls up from your part to be honest. But problems and issues do occur and they always will due to personal expectations.

i would ask for the opportunity to sort out any issues the customer has and ask them to meet up with you at a neutral place to discuss these and how they will be carried out.

Either way get it wrapped up as soon as possible as it will cause too much stress and sleepless nights.

good luck with it