I should know the answer but don't

Verdeboy · Sep 22, 2007

molo said:
What the heck do you do when they don't have the money? Screw em? Yeah....... just screw em, they don't matter.

I've tried to work out payment plans with poor people 3 times this past year--We agreed that they can pay me a bit each month or wait until their SS check came, etc. Never got one dime out of any of them.

For now on, payment in full at the time service is rendered. Call it tough love. I hate being lied to or being taken advantage of.

Master Plumber Mark · Sep 23, 2007

Everyone gets burnt once in a while

You can tell when they really need chairty and
wehn they just are parasites.....

things like cases of beer bottles, pizza boxes laying
around, cigarette butts 3 inches deep in the ash tray...
and the house in total shambles....with filth and
cock-roaches everywhere...

havent had a job in 6 months but they are too
lazy to get up off their fat asses and
clean up the hell hole that they are presently living in...

and they want you to repair their filthy tolet that they
could have had the courtesey to at least wash off the last
6 months of urine stains before you showed up.......

Got money for beer, cigarettes, pizza.... drugs.....
and whatever else that they can piss it away on...

they get nothing from me but
sorry......I dont have the parts on my
truck and will have to go look for them....

----------------------------------------------------------------------------

Now you can also tell when the situation is a little different
and you are SUPPOSED to help them....even if you
dont ever see a dime......like for the Elderly or truely sick
or really down on their luck...

I Went to a fellow house this monday morning to find a TOTO toilet
full to the top.....he was irritated with his autistic son for stopping
up the toilet again....

he lived there with his two sons, both about 10 (the other one was ok)
and his wife had left him when she came came down with
cancer....

that man has a very heavy cross to bear...........

It turned out the kid had put so
much toilet paper down the sewer that he had
stopped up the main stack....

I referred him to a sewer cleaning service
and simply talked to him
for a spell and left... NO CHARGE.

you are doing a good deed that will pay you back in some other life...

or you are being shown how truely good you really have things and stop
complaining when the wife runs up the master card..

good karma sometimes is better than money....

Sponsor · 2022-01-29T12:20:58-0800

Dunbar Plumbing · Sep 23, 2007

I got a rule I just implemented over the phone: Any mention of health problems or wanting discounts, woe is me sob stories.....I kill the call by telling them I'm too busy.

I'm also not answering any calls that people don't leave messages like my answering machine message states. Pressing 5 to leave a callback number doesn't cut it in my book. I'm not a psychic and I'm not wasting my time calling people that can't even follow my directions.

And anyone that leaves a message that says "Yeah, I need you to come up and give me an estimate to fix my bathtub drain".... won't call them back. Service plumbers don't drive around burning fuel telling you how much something costs when I know damn right well they want the knowledge to fix it..only to use your knowledge as a template.

^^^^
The above are not lost sales calls; they are just the clutter expected in running a business. A good hammering of questioning to the customer usually weeds out the good from the bad when you read into their answers. Just remember that your time is valuable.....only you are to blame for getting stuck in doing work at a reduced rate/cheaper due to someone's sob story. The finger points back at you. I would know.....been hammered a few times by old ladies along with people with deep pockets. It's great honor to say no when they call back, and they do.

Threads like these always bring my warm heart out for those to see

Patrick88 · Sep 23, 2007

Went to a leaking water heater call. 10pm very bad neighborhood. Walked into the front door to see a 72" flat screen. Went to the back stairs and all the way down to the basement were fast food bags about 3' high. I get to the basement to find there is only one light bulb that works. What I can see is the water heater is shooting water out the side at a constant stream. Around the water heater is more trash. The door from the basement to outside is blocked from trash. The owner wants me to be nice cause they don't have a lot of money. I charged for a normal water heater install. Well as you all know they thought the price was to high and I'm sure know matter what the price would have been to high. I guess It is more important to have the biggest tv in the neighborhood than hot water.

Verdeboy · Sep 23, 2007

This past summer, I got a call to repair a leaky window-mounted swampcooler in an old filthy rat-hole of a house. The lady thought the leaks were the reason it wasn't cooling the house efficiently, which is the only reason why she called.

After I did all the repairs (new 1/4" line, drain plug, and float valve), I turned it on to test it and noticed that a giant, flat-screen TV was sitting directly in front of it. It completely blocked the air flow. I told her she needed to move the TV and she said she'd think about it.

Cwhyu2 · Sep 23, 2007

Went to a call for toilet stoppage the landlord saaid fix it when Igot there
the place was so trashed I couldnt stand the smell then Ilooked in bathroom
they had beenusing the toilet for a week before telling LL .They said you have to clean it up.After a weeks usage of a non flushed toiletIrefuesed

Dunbar Plumbing · Sep 23, 2007

Lol!

Flat screen TV's

The new "must have" by poor people that don't want to afford plumbing repairs.

GrumpyPlumber · Sep 23, 2007

That could be interpretted as "I'm not very smart with my money, I spend to impress my friends/neighbors and live beyond my means, is there any chance I could cut a corner at your expense to make up for it?"
People are people, I used to rant n' rave over the cost of replacing a power steering pump, until I stopped wasting mechanics time price shopping and did it myself.
Day wasted, knuckles shredded and the grease didn't wash off for two days.
What took me a full day would have taken someone with the right tools/experience a few hours.
I learned to see things from a mechanics perspective.

Terry · Sep 23, 2007

I quit working on my cars too.
I've done engine rebuilds, valve jobs, brake jobs, replaced half axles, even rebuilt a transmission.
Now I drop them off for someone else to work on, and try to keep busy with the plumbing business.
If I'm worrying about the cost, I just get a little busier with my job.

Cookie · Sep 23, 2007

So, what we all are saying here is that everyone should walk a mile in each other's shoes. That is what I am hearing. It is hard to be in the work force no matter what the skill or trade is. There are days we all feel unappreciated and used. Once that happens we tend to get alittle hard inside and the blinders go on. We start to judge people by what they own and fail to see possible circumstances. We tend to compare ourselves and inflate our perceptions of ourselves, lowering others to the point where they don't deserve to share the air we breath. We sometimes fail to hear what they are saying becoming deaf. Sure, people can live like animals but it doesn't make them one. People who are sick do mention their illnesses much more in conversation not to see what they can obtain for a free ride, but for reasons a well person will never understand. It is called mercy. That should be free. They are not asking for discounts, they are asking for you to be honest because they are hurting inside and need that break. Most sick people just want to be treated fairly and maybe, since life is not too kindly toward them at the moment, they are just hoping this situation they will be given a fair shake.

People who live like scum usually have mental problems. Depression, Bi-Polar, addictions to either drugs or alcoholism a range of other illnesses. These are illnesses. They are illnesses of the mind. Not all do, but some does, they can lose control over their lives

I am not saying for anyone to give away freebies, to toil at your trade, to work hard for nothing. What I am saying is to realize that all life is precious even the ones we deem to be worthless or of no value. When you walk into someone's home and see that flat tv just realize assumptions are alot of times wrong ones. And, as always can walk away like I would had done with a couple of circumstances posted on this board.

GrumpyPlumber · Sep 23, 2007

I feel like I started this whole tirade, not intending to touch on lifestyles or poor decision making processes.
Just saw a fella say he was charging an elderly woman to do some work, then asking us how to do it.
I don't mind offering a tidbit to the motivated, but financially challenged homeowner who's so inclined to perform safer tasks (with evil grin, I admit), but that one touched a nerve.
I grew up in a time/place where you were made fun of if you didn't wear designer clothes.
I wore generic, got made fun of, until I was told if I wanted those things I'd have to get a p/t job and earn them myself.
I did that, I shortly after decided it was stupid to work so hard to try to fit in.
The money I was earning could buy better things.
Much to my surprize, I was still able to fit in, even learned to make fun of myself around friends.
My parents paid nothing for me to learn this.
If I pull into a driveway in a poor neighborhood and see a brand new souped up sports car in the driveway and a house with pealing paint, I don't feel compassion.
I know they may not have been so lucky to have learned the value of money, but it's not a price I should have to pay.
If I pull into a home thats dilapidated and see that the homeowner may not be blessed, I have compassion, within reason.

Cookie · Sep 23, 2007

Nah, you didn't start anything, you Grumpy?? lol.
I think everyone gets made fun of growing up, it is part of the growing up experience! I still get made fun of, lol, for my red stiletto shoes,

which will someday compliment my walker with the tennis balls very well.

Picture that.

Dunbar Plumbing · Sep 23, 2007

I'm writing a book come fall 2008!

In jest it is people who take advantage of their misgivings and take from others without regret. It also is practiced by people who have money and good health.

Are you saying that their flat screen tv was recommended by the doctor for poor eyesight? That the hot pizza delivered to the door was to supplement calcium deficiencies by eating provolone cheese?

How about the cartons of cigarrettes they smoke, blow in your face and sit there hotboxing away telling me how bad they got it, at $4 a pack.

I just had a lady today call, said she was calling plumbers getting prices. I told her you won't waste my time asking of my knowledge....and hung up on her.

The best deals are at Big Lots, not at your local plumber's desire to help the poor and unhealthy. And I speak personally from one who has bad health and no health insurance......but I certainly don't hit up my local service providers for sympathy and considerations. It's not their job; their job is to do the work according to code and that's it. Wanting to personalize the meeting of the minds usually hands the keys for someone to play the sympathy card. I have no regrets, none.

I also know when I type these thoughts, my true feelings on the dealings with John Q. Public....there are a great deal of silent voices on this site (and others) that have my exact sentiments, just choose not to voice their opinions in print.

I'm just as blunt in real life.......the truth hurts.

GrumpyPlumber · Sep 23, 2007

Cookie said:
I still get made fun of, lol, for my red stiletto shoes,

Oh boy, I can just see the comments when Cass see's that.

Cookie · Sep 23, 2007

Nah, Rugged, sometimes, things like tv's etc are gifts from other people because of their illnesses. You can trust me on this one, or not, but it is the truth.

Alot of times when someone mentions their illness people don't understand why they mentioned it. Sometimes it is incorrectly assumed it is to get something for free. Being well and being sick are 2 different worlds and they sometimes collide because it is not understood. That is all what I was saying. Sure, sometimes, you may be right... who knows. But, to assume everytime someone mentions they are ill they want a freebee is insulting to people like me. I want nothing for free and there are alot of people like me. I am only trying to educate not condemn a living soul.

Just a note Rugged. I buy my health insurance from Highmark. You can do the same. Preexisting conditions won't be covered right away. But, if you have health problems it is a better thing to do. I lost my health insurance when my husband died so I had to do something. You should too.

Plus, sometimes with health insurance you can get a better price if you join a gym, doesn't have to be a fancy one, excercise and keep your weight where it is healthy.

Cookie · Sep 23, 2007

RUGGED said:
I just had a lady today call, said she was calling plumbers getting prices. I told her you won't waste my time asking of my knowledge....and hung up on her.
I got a rule I just implemented over the phone: Any mention of health problems or wanting discounts, woe is me sob stories.....I kill the call by telling them I'm too busy.

quote]

As a customer I would like to say that alot of people do not realize that plumbers do not want them to compare prices or call around. If I am wrong, then why is it so many people ask prices or do call around? Until, I came here I didn't know that plumbers considered this wrong to do. How could I had known? I had never dealt with plumbing problems before, my much better half had taken care of them. I bet if a survey were taken and this question was asked, most people would see nothing wrong with it. Rest assure, I would not ask to learn how to replace a stack, a drain, or a toilet. I would only ask so I know I have enough of money when the plumber hits the door.

Think of it this way. My car is leaking something and I describe the problem to the mechanic over the phone, and he gives me an approxiate cost. I make the apt and even have it towed in, if not working, or drive it in, with my check book in hand and know I have enough on me to pay for it. I am just an average person.

Just my 2 cents worth. So, maybe next time a person calls and says... the toilet is leaking could I get just a ball park at what I am looking at? Why not say... around 3 or 400 whatever the price is. A round about figure only or say... I am sorry but, I can't give you a price over the phone and explain why so she understands and doesn't stand there wondering what she maybe did wrong.

GrumpyPlumber · Sep 23, 2007

It's VERY wize to shop around for low airline rates, unless it's tickets on "Joe's air freight shipping service", you might wanna consider you went a lil too far.
When your shopping around for someone to work on your home, not always the smartest thing, especially not when you take the "I just found another guy who'll do my boiler for 1000 less, can you beat that?" approach.
Unfortunately there are newer, inexperienced plumbers, or unscrupulous plumbers that will play that game without a thought for using standard smoke pipe where SS non corrosive might be required, or worse, in place of flame resistive B vent as a "cost effective" alternative.
You won't know that for maybe 6 months until your co detector goes off, if you have one.
I had the distinct pleasure of listening to a fella tell me I was trying to jack up the price when I tried to explain that he was asking me to cut a dangerous corner on venting a water heater that could put his family at risk.
He hung up after telling me he'd found another guy that would do it.

Patrick88 · Sep 23, 2007

Is it ever woth lowering your price just because a customer says somebody else will do it for less. If they think the other guy is so great with that low low price why dont they use him/her. I have had a few people pull they same crap, so I stood firm. Then they tell me to do it for my price. When the job was done they informed me they had more confidence in me than the lower priced guy.

Cookie · Sep 23, 2007

I understand that Grumpy. For instance, waaaay back in the beginning of time here I needed to have a toilet reset. I talked to a friend who said hers was around 4 so, I figured mine would be the same. Her plumber was no longer in existence so I had to use another. I called a different plumber and told him I needed it to be reset and asked the price. He said, " don't worry." Well, Grumpy---I thought to myself, what exactly does that mean? I thought should I ask him again, and I did. He said again, " don't worry." Oooook... I didn't worry.

He came and reset the toilet. I had 500 on me thinking that would be enough. Well, not so... He stood there at my diningroom table and wrote me out a bill for a reset of 850 bucks. I stood there and told him, " wow, 850 for only a reset??" ( nothing else was done)

He said, " that is my charge." I said, " well, I can give you 5 right now and mail you a check next payday." He looked really really shocked, so I told him, " don't worry."

Terry's note:
I install toilets like the one Cookie had reset.
Complete toilet, with seat and installation, $407.00
Reset of toilet, $125.00
I would say the plumber that Cookie had must have been charging for the entire day.
It must of been the only plumbing call he had at that rate.

Hi Terry,
Just a note, that he did not replace the toilet. He just reset it. That was it. Sad, eh.

Dunbar Plumbing · Sep 23, 2007

Well then....this asks another question; why would sick people need flat screen tv's as gifts?

I do consistent good work for others and even though my LS-5 is as thin as sheet metal......no one is giving me a 3 grand tv to make my back feel better.

And if I have to have a mind illness......I'm sure there are others that can vouch for my issues.

I've seen too many luxury items in people's homes to believe they were all gifted to them. .oooo5% I'd believe.....but not much more than that.

Thanks for the tidbit on insurance.....I'm less than 10 months from paying off my business and that is when I'm getting some, not a day sooner unless body organs start failing.

The lady in question when I called back was snickering, laughing like I was the puppet with the string being pulled. I don't appreciate the lack of seriousness.

Getting real used to my repeat business and those who know me trust me so I don't have to be put through the gammut of the what ifs.

Like I said.....it's a constant learning process and I just started a 2nd business that is really going to put a mental strain of dealing with the public. By the way.....that bounced check for $400, those people scrambled to get a hold of me friday to pay for the bad check. That system is better than Xbox 360.

There's a plumber in my town that hasn't taken a new customer in 20 years. Has a crew of 14 including the office workers. That........must be saweet!!

I should know the answer but don't

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