So fed up with ignorant customers

[Killy Bing]

Smart move. Doubt you have problen beibg paid either. Afterall you can always gi help your self. Nothing better than a customer who trusts you I more or less bend over backwards for my trusting customers.

Hes a local surgeon.
met him when he was digging a shard of metel out of my leg.

went back for a check up and he had a few issues with his unvented. Went along and sorted it and hey presto, both are valued customers!

 

[Wet dream]

Had a voicemail Xmas day. Fitted a boiler a boiler a month ago. Customer says that the radiators don't seen to be turning off.
she has trv's on all the rads and an off switch on the boiler! Does she really need to phone me Xmas day for that! It's probably a user error anyway. Fuming when I heared that.

next call Boxing Day, a leak on a magna clean we removed 3 months ago when doing a power flush. Cust says he has put a bowel under it and its a small weep but thinks I should come out Boxing Day anyway!

do people think that just because you are a plumber you don't have your own life and family and that they are more important all year round.

sick to death of customers that have no consideration for other people.

Reading this just made me feel loads better thought it was just me that attracted the tw@ts.

I also had two voice mails on Xmas day. One kn@b had ran out of gas and could relight the piloted on his brand new boiler !! And a tenants shower had stopped working. God helpme

Is one day a year to much to ask.

 

[village idiot]

tell the customer you are on holiday in France and will not be back till in two days time. Inform them that if it is that urgent, you can send a friend round to sort it out but make them aware that the friend is likely to charge £x amount. Let the customer know that if they are prepared to wait, then you will sort it out for them on your return. All the above, EXCEPT IT IS A CUSTOMER YOU KNOW YOU CAN NOT AFFORD TO LOOSE.

 

[BN9Pete]

Once got an irate call out from a doctor at 2.am demanding I come out and fix his blocked toilet. When I initially refused he got very irate and said that if it was the other way round and I was in need then he would come out at that time to me.
I was there within 10 minutes.

I threw 2 aspirins into the bowl then told him that if it was no better in the morning then he could call me back.



I'll get me coat.

LOL
we need more jokes like this!!

(why don't the smileys work on my I-pad??)

 

[rocketmanbkk]

I'd want £100 to walk out the door at 2 in the morning.

That's £100 cash plus first hour work

 

[SafeGasInstall]

I am not in UK now but the list of work booked during Christmas is growing each day , some of the work I had to pass to other plumbers .
I dont do midnight calls , thank you ! My phone goes on "don't disturb " mode from 8pm to 6am .
£25 for a call out seems to low , more of a £120 min just to make safe and go back next day to sort out if it was me going

 

[rocketmanbkk]

I am not in UK now but the list of work booked during Christmas is growing each day , some of the work I had to pass to other plumbers .
I dont do midnight calls , thank you ! My phone goes on "don't disturb " mode from 8pm to 6am .
£25 for a call out seems to low , more of a £120 min just to make safe and go back next day to sort out if it was me going

Did you recommend me Stan??

If not, we'll have to have a fist fight when I see you next!!!!

Have a good New Year.

 

[parkesy_plumb]

agree totally

just went to a customers house at an agreed time she let me in and theres already a plumber upstairs quoting her for the work

he looked at me and said "giz a min will ya" so i stormed out.
can understand customers getting quotes from elsewhere but booking the tradesmen to come all at same time?

 

[northcarr]

I have master keys to a clients house and all his other properties.

ive had a few drunken phone calls in the past, asking to be picked up and/or let into his house!

that pays well, i think i earn more from doing that than the plumbing work!

Yep I've had this before five of us at the same time I did wonder what was going on with all the vans in the street custard said right your all here now who will give me the best price, I went straight for the door but more alarming is that not everyone did.

agree totally

just went to a customers house at an agreed time she let me in and theres already a plumber upstairs quoting her for the work

he looked at me and said "giz a min will ya" so i stormed out.
can understand customers getting quotes from elsewhere but booking the tradesmen to come all at same time?

 

[mike-c]

agree totally

just went to a customers house at an agreed time she let me in and theres already a plumber upstairs quoting her for the work

he looked at me and said "giz a min will ya" so i stormed out.
can understand customers getting quotes from elsewhere but booking the tradesmen to come all at same time?

Detest that that when it happens.
Once went to a house an hour after being called for a shower quote. When I arrived there was already someone there fitting the shower! According to the "lady" I took too long to get there.
Also went to measure up a house for Central heating on a Thursday night. Arrived at agreed time and could hardly get in the door as the house was mobbed with other installers. The owner said that they wanted the job started the following morning and if it couldn't be done then, then just to leave. I left, along with about three others. Four people stayed!

 

[lame plumber]

had one today, they rang 1030 last night, boilers leaking so spent 15 mins telling them how to isolate boiler. they rang again this morning to check I was coming this afternoon, I said yes again!! see you at 4pm. they rang at 3pm to let me know they had someone who had turned up at a reasonable time !!!*!*!*

 

[IDCHAPPY]

Aye, there's a huge amount of douchbags out there unfortunately

 

[helpsy]

Do sub contract work also and turned up to do a problem toilet and got there pretty sharpish...drove into small Cul-de-Sac looking at numbers on house then noticed the one I was attending....with a plumbers van already on drive.....don't do work don't get paid. So Mrs Bucket can phone loads of people and ask if any call out charge and if no charge phone a load up and whoever gets there first gets the job! Sometimes it seems the customer is one step ahead!

 

[lame plumber]

Do sub contract work also and turned up to do a problem toilet and got there pretty sharpish...drove into small Cul-de-Sac looking at numbers on house then noticed the one I was attending....with a plumbers van already on drive.....don't do work don't get paid. So Mrs Bucket can phone loads of people and ask if any call out charge and if no charge phone a load up and whoever gets there first gets the job! Sometimes it seems the customer is one step ahead!

I just mention my late cancellation fee and give them the invoice anyhow!

this can backfire, and the other bloke having been in the house says, I dont charge and buggers off, leaving you the crud encrusted bog with failed fill valve! I had to open the window, breathe through my ears and change the hardened valve in record time!!!, whilst leaving head out of window, all done by touch (triple gloved) My data base now lists v smelly lady for future non response if called!!!!!!!!!

 

[PlumbBobBob]

I just mention my late cancellation fee and give them the invoice anyhow!

i was just going to say send them a bill lol

 

[Reg Man]

It's all a battle: unscrupulous customers unscrupulous plumbers. Just be professional.

 

[Alpha man]

I find most private tenants are ignorant, most struggle to answer the door, let alone advise what the problem is or make the Tea!!

 

[SimonG]

Do sub contract work also and turned up to do a problem toilet and got there pretty sharpish...drove into small Cul-de-Sac looking at numbers on house then noticed the one I was attending....with a plumbers van already on drive.....don't do work don't get paid. So Mrs Bucket can phone loads of people and ask if any call out charge and if no charge phone a load up and whoever gets there first gets the job! Sometimes it seems the customer is one step ahead!

They would still get a bill.

 

[village idiot]

had one today, they rang 1030 last night, boilers leaking so spent 15 mins telling them how to isolate boiler. they rang again this morning to check I was coming this afternoon, I said yes again!! see you at 4pm. they rang at 3pm to let me know they had someone who had turned up at a reasonable time !!!*!*!*

A customer rang me and pleaded that I attend as boiler was not working. They have tried all possibilities with no luck. I told them: ''Earliest I can attend it tomorrow between 12 & 1pm''.

Thy agreed. My plan was to attend during my lunch break. I got there at 11:45 and parked two houses away, but facing property. Five minutes later, a landrover pulled up and a burly chap dragged a box into the property. I instinctively knew he was there to repair the boiler. When he left 30 minutes later, I rang the house. The daughter answered phone. I asked if they had gotten someone in to attend to the boiler? ''Yes, he just left''

At the very least, you would expect them to call and cancel. Never accepted doing another job for them.

 

[gassafe]

Similar to other stories,

lady phoned yesterday morning at 8am, no heat or hw " I know it's a busy time of year, when can you attend" I said about 2.30 onwards... Got a text 2 hours later to day found someone who can pop out this morning!! Could they really to wait till 2.30!!!

 

[helpsy]

Maybe it's time to take part payment!

 

[helpsy]

When booked

 

[Wet dream]

Part payment sounds like the way forward. A friend of mine does this but I have always felt in easy asking.

 

[gassafe]

Part payment sounds like the way forward. A friend of mine does this but I have always felt in easy asking.

Yeah I imagine it would do more harm than good, the genuine custards don't wanna pay before hand? Plus no would it work anyway? Knock on the door and ask for a tenner for my part payment?

 

[rpm]

Maybe it's time to take part payment!

More and more tradespeople are taking £50 deposit around where I live.