Customer with burst pipe.

[HERTS P&D]

Just had a phone from a customer with a burst pipe, he was fitting his washing machine and the 15mm copper pipe snapped off with water flooding his kitchen. I told him I would be there in 30 mins and to open his garden tap to remove the pressure, I told him I would charge him a fixed price of £95 for a full repair including material.

Guess what........he told me I was too expensive and hung up. I thought that was a good price.

Andy

 

[Johnmelad]

You should have told him you would be there in 30 minutes. Nothing else.

 

[HERTS P&D]

I always find that giving a customer a fixed price over the phone puts the customer as ease.

You are right about nothing else though.

Andy

 

[freddiemercurystwin]

But would either of you ever employ someone without knowing what the likely/possible costs could be? Agree that offering a fixed price over the phone maybe too kind but to offer no forewarning of fees is just poor customer service, even if they don't ask.

 

[Nige F]

Just had a phone from a customer with a burst pipe, he was fitting his washing machine and the 15mm copper pipe snapped off with water flooding his kitchen. I told him I would be there in 30 mins and to open his garden tap to remove the pressure, I told him I would charge him a fixed price of £95 for a full repair including material.

Guess what........he told me I was too expensive and hung up. I thought that was a good price.

Andy

You should have told him how to turn off the water @ his inside stoptap - or out in the pavement - holding while he went through it . Oh I`m getting DiyNot and the real world confused

 

[HERTS P&D]

Nige, I did tell him to turn his mains stopcock off. He told me it was seized and wouldn't move.

Andy

 

[Nige F]

Not the sort of customer you need

 

[bazdaman]

£95 full repair is a good price what a tosser customer

 

[sparkiedave]

I like to tell them that I can either give them a fixed price or charge by the hour, but if they want a fixed price I will go on the side of caution and do just what is necessary, on a price/hour, I will usually end up charging less than the fixed price and doing a bit more work, but they take the chance instead of me

 

[jockscott]

He probably phoned Pimlico Plumbers and got it sorted for only £259 +vat

 

[HERTS P&D]

He probably phoned Pimlico Plumbers and got it sorted for only £259 +vat

with a return visit for more work that needs doing.

Andy

 

[Porque223]

I had two customers that I had given estimates to (and they declined) call me back after they found out what things really cost.
They ordered, ordered!, me to show up on Monday morning at 9AM.
Both women.
When I didn't show up they left messages how they had ordered me to show up and I didn't.

Where do they get women like this?

 

[TonyW2]

From the dating agency where I got my wife???

 

[Porque223]

From the dating agency where I got my wife???

You bad, bad, bad. . .

 

[FiremanT]

You should have told him you would be there in 30 minutes. Nothing else.

Don't think so, John. Better not to go than spend longer arguing over the bill than doing the work. Or not get paid at all.