A few gifts from plumbers.... to the rest of us.

[ChuckNJ]

I started in the residential remodeling field....oh, over 20 years ago.... and I have had the pleasure of meeting a great number of really interesting people.

I've met all types of contractors (take your pick...plumbers, electricans, framers, drywallers, masons, hvac......and so on) and I've found that for the most part, they were usually very personable. I've had my share of dealing with knuckleheads, but for the most part, I find that those I've met in this industry were "generally" hard working, good natured people.

My thought here is for all the willing plumbers out there....to give a glimpse ( a gift ) of their lives to others who read this board. My request is for you to give a brief synopsis of what your "life as a professional plumber" has done for you (or to you) with reference to quality of life, personal experiences, relationships that you've developed over the years, favorite things about your jobs and things that you hate most about your work, the joy it has brought you, the sorrow it has caused (if applicable) and share with us (the non plumbers) what your life has been like, due to the career choice you've made. Does it have any special meaning, or is it just another profession that you fell into?

In Essence, what "being a professional plumber" means to you?


Although the question above isn't necessarily easy to answer, I bet that the majority of you who read this can, in a couple of paragraphs, give a small part of yourselves to the others who read here daily. A glimpse into your life's work and how it has benefited you.


Thank you, for those of you willing to share a part of yourselves with us.

 

[GrumpyPlumber]

If I were to sum the one biggest thing I like about my job in a word, exposure.
I meet all kinds, from all walks...I see demeanors..I converse with them and learn how a software engineers' sense of rationale works as opposed to a high end chef when it comes to everyday problem solving.
I'm lucky to see these things and try to incorporate what I admire into my own approach.
I also see the old "same mistakes over and over", it gets frustrating, but I imagine I've frustrated a few auto mechanics in my day the same way.
I find it's best to get the "ugly" part out in the open as soon as I can..."this is going to mean the wall has to be opened", "You're boiler is on it's last leg...they are expensive".
This "way" of approaching things is good, but sometimes there has to be a balance to that "shrewd" frame of mind...not everything boils down to worse case scenario's.
Not every problem has to be obsessed over.
I also find it best to immediately develope a repore...communicate on their level best you can, make jokes, talk weather, let them know who you are.
It's easier to tell someone why the water heater is gone, when they understand the subtle inflections in your voice, feel comfortable with you.
Overdoing the "professionalism" can backfire...if they feel like you're too uptight, they may feel distrustful, be honest and straightforward.
I have customers invite me over for cookouts, refer me to relatives...nothing beats that feeling.
OK...enough about me...YOU...what do you think about me??
(yes, that was humor)

 

[Sponsor]

 

[ChuckNJ]

...................
OK...enough about me...YOU...what do you think about me??

I find that you're not really so grumpy.....

You're more like a doc. or sneezy, but then again I haven't heard you sneeze lately.... ;-)

 

[Master Plumber Mark]

be personable......

Grumpy is totally right.....

Its all in how you come across over the telephone,
the first impression makes or breaks the deal....


you must shoot straight and tell it like it is...
that way you will never have to worry over what
you lied about yesterday........... John Wayne




I can also smell trouble over the phone,
I know when I am about to step in..... dog doo doo
and I do my best to avoid it

Some people want to be stroked, and I dont have timie to cater
to someone that is living that dream.....


I am very busy and honestly dont care if they use me or not
and they can sense that over the phone...when I give them advice like....

if you are only going to be living in your home for another 6 months ....
you can lease a water conditioner from someone else much cheaper
than I can install you one for............please let me give you their number..


the more you are willing to talk to them and inform them
even if you dont make a dime for your time,,,
the more they trust you and seem to really want to meet you..


because in this life it seems that their are very few people
around that have genuine integrity..and you can open up with and
simply talk to...

its amazes me what people will talk about when you
are working under their kitchen sinks.....







or maybe I just "give good phone"

.

 

[GrumpyPlumber]

I find that you're not really so grumpy.....

You're more like a doc. or sneezy, but then again I haven't heard you sneeze lately.... ;-)

Dopey...trust me, better yet...ask Terry

 

[ChuckNJ]

Dopey...trust me, better yet...ask Terry

Wow! So much honesty in so few words...... You're a good man, Charlie Brown!

 

[Terry]

I think most people in the trade are dyed in the wool "fixers".

We go though life trying to figure out everything works.
Why it works that way, and why it doesn't work that way.

Unlike endless school time asignments, there are real problems with real solutions, and we know how to do these.
We don't have to be quiet, and sit in our seats, we get to pull out our hammers and break away.

And when we are done raising dust and calamity, it's better than it was before.
We go around improving things, and the world is a little better because of it.

Sometimes, we wonder why we even get paid for doing all of these fun things.
Sometimes, no........we don't get paid enough for some of the things we do. But, we are good at it, and know it.

I think every trades person should travel, and see how well we do things in the US. It can make you proud that we have rules and reasons for doing things just so. At the end of the day, you can pull a long drink from the tap, and enjoy the last light of day, savoring the cold clean water, that you are a part of preserving, from generation to generation.

From the sweat of our brows, we are making things safe, for the ones we love, and the ones that just bug us.
But yes, proud that we can do these things.

 

[Geniescience]

... it was too difficult of a request...

Thinking in 3D is hard for most people when more than one turn is involved, so I think plumbers have a skill, 3D space conceptualizing, that architects can be jealous of. Plumbing needs space and support so it touches on many other fields. It is the core field in my opinion. Did you hear about the surgeon who went into plumbing? Professionally I cannot comment as it is not my field. Electricity is tough since there is abstract math to model capacitance, inductance and more, but electricity doesn't impact much on the 3D, the space, the process of building, so electricians are more specialists than key players in the process. My take on the field.

Congratulations, ChuckNJ you are now at full Member status, no longer deemed a Junior by the system software.

David

 

[Kordts]

Being a plumber means helping people and solving problems. It also means trying to get paid by those people. Money is the worst aspect of my job.

 

[ChuckNJ]

...............

Congratulations, ChuckNJ you are now at full Member status, no longer deemed a Junior by the system software.

David

What did I win? How long before the check is in the mail? ;-)

 

[Master Plumber Mark]

aint that the truth

Being a plumber means helping people and solving problems. It also means trying to get paid by those people. Money is the worst aspect of my job.

never stiff your plumber........unless you got lots of them around that you can trust.

money talks...and its ulimately the reward most everyone expects for doing a good job......

its really hard to deal with people that no matter how
much you bend over backwards for them, they still
want to stiff you...and makes you feel like a chump..

its ike you have to mud wrestle with some of them to
get them to pay their bills, drag them into small claims court ....whatever it takes.......

It is one of lifes hard lessons getting stiffed by a good freind or neighbor,

but it keeps you
on your toes and makes you a hardend businessman....


I never forget the names of those who owe me money ,
and I know that eventually odds are they will call me again.

I always like to remind them of that past unpaid bill.........

....

 

[Dunbar Plumbing]

never stiff your plumber........unless you got lots of them around that you can trust.



....

I ended up with a written apology sent by mail by a customer that threw heated words at me when he later realized the work I did, had absolutely nothing to do with the problem he had.

He pays out the nose now for another plumber and no more personal working relationship or "discounts" for being a repeat customer.

I feel so much better that I drew the line in the sand.

 

[Master Plumber Mark]

pay back is a b........

He pays out the nose now for another plumber and no more personal working relationship or "discounts" for being a repeat customer.

I feel so much better that I drew the line in the sand.

It is all I live for with some of these fellows , just
knowing eventually they will be paying through the nose
to someone else.....looking through the phone book .......

I got a "buddy" with a 9 year old 75 gal Rheem Powervent heater I installed for cost.....
and .a while down the road I
get stiffed on some other bills....and never hear from him again........



I know its just a matter of time....
before that expensive 75 power vent leaks or breaks down
and repairs or a new one "at a discount" is not going to be availble through me

he..he ..he I can just hear him squeal.....

 

[hj]

sparkies

Now I know why electicians can run a 1/2" conduit through the middle of Chase Field and take up so much room that no one else has any space. They don't have 3D consiousness.

 

[GrumpyPlumber]

I dunno, maybe it's my approach...I get less than one in a hundred that give me trouble with payment, and yet to have anyone attempt to completely stiff me.
I tell them the price up front, explain the stock costs and how long it'll probably take.
I get the "ugly" part out of the way right up front.
Another thing I do that might help..I state a reasonable price and thats it...flat.
No negotiation (thats a sign of future trouble..my opinion)
I have "lost" many new customers this way, I'm starting to think thats why I have good luck with payments.
Birds of a feather flock together, from a demographic standpoint, maybe "negotiators" flock together, and when word of mouth generates business, your getting that business from that "flock".
Dunno, but I have no complaints...I like my customers, they like me.

 

[Master Plumber Mark]

billing and payments

Grumpy.......you have the right approach to getting paid....

COD is best.....Cash, Master Card, checks...


I do a good number of of service calls every week
average about -5 per day x 3 trucks...

and the ones that seem to give me the problems are the
ones that plan on mailing the check to me in a few days....
.and you can just see the toubles comming .......

they always make an excuse for not paying ...wife took the
check book, whatever...................


I usually never get a bounced check,
but I have to chase people down all the time that simply
dont care to mail in the money till they finally
feel good and read to do it...


I have not lost much money in the past few years
I might have 10 checks hanging on my wall
for perhaps 1500..going back into the 90s...


You can expect a few bad accounts , even with
word of mouth referrals it still happens. on occasioin
as long as the
loss is small potaotes its all part of the game...

 

[GrumpyPlumber]

A few years ago I had a fuel injector go on me...was a Chevy vortech 4.3 "spider injector".
I got a quote from the mechanic and blew a gasket (so to speak)...I gave him a plethera of questions and ranted about the price.
I decided to price it out myself...the injector itself was outrageous...accounted for half his estimate.
When I found a manual on how to do it myself I put it down 30 minutes later, called the mechanic and apologized.
I had NO concept of what was involved, or how expensive the whole thing was until I started to look into doing it myself.
I believe this to be true for us all, most people have no idea what stock costs, or what difficulty is involved, I fall into that category and make a point of knowing thats how people will see me, until they know differently.
This applies to the guy across town, or your mother in law.

 

[Pewterpower]

But in this day and age, you hafta question everything. Suspiciously, even.....
Maybe I'm jaded cuz I live in FLA, but the contractors, mechanics, pool builders, etc...that will maliciously rip you off is off the charts down here.
Now, when I was a kid, living in a small Ohio town, we had one TV repairman, one plumber. one appliance guy, and we all knew each other. All us kids went to school together, went to church on Sunday together......
You paid them what you could, when you could, and sometimes IF you could. They trusted us, and we all trusted them.
Try that today and a total stranger will threaten your life and your kids' life, too.

 

[Terry]

I never have a problem with customers.
Even if I write down a credit card wrong, I don't worry, I just figure I made a mistake.

I have bill collectors call up and offer to collect for me.
I say,
"Collect what?"

I think my customers are the best.

 

[Master Plumber Mark]

Customer Appreciation Day

Terry,,,,

I too like most of my old customers .......
and a lot of times we go in and tighten something
down for nothing....its just good business.
I stop by some old fellows and check on them once in a while
too, things like that are part of the normal things
good neighbors do for each other.....


But I ususally get a good number of total strangers
every day calling me every day brand new from
the yeallow pages.....and I cant be sure if they are
naughty or nice........


there in lies most of my problems,

finding that right balance ......

you got to be personable with them,
but at the same time you cant come across like a
Dudley Doo-right either....or some of them
will they hang you out to dry...

....