YOU NEVER REALLY KNOW

george_42

A while back I agreed upon a price with a customer for a days work installing bathroom fixtures. As I was cleaning up with my dustpan and brush , the customer said don`t worry about it I will clean up. With that he gave me a check for the agreed amount and even thanked me for my work. Before I deposited the check I received a letter from him stating that he cancelled the original check and was giving me one for $50 dollars less because he had to clean up.YOU JUST NEVER KNOW, GEORGE

Steamfitter66

happy new year

The problem with customers is that they're people, human, jacka**, etc. I wonder what it cost him to cancel the check.

nicholas bonham-carter

Strange behaviour

What to do in this case-maybe make some mention of what the HO said about skipping cleaning.

What is a cleaning worth? If they were dissatisfied with the cleaning which they suggested they would be better able to do themselves, then they should have called the next day. I would carry the $50.00 as an unpaid balance.--NBC

JStar

$50

Moral of the story: ALWAYS clean your own mess. Even if the homeowner has a rag and spray bottle in hand, I ward them off and clean up myself. I might not do the best job, but I'll show an effort in doing it. If I'm not happy with how clean the work area is, I'll tell them that I'll be sending over a cleaning company to do a better job.

icesailor

A clean Job is a happy job:

The first thing the old dead guys I worked (Mason, Carpenter, Plumber-Heater) for always said that you can do the nicest job in the world but if you leave a mess, they think that you did a lousy job. But you can do a job that doesn't come out as your best, but you leave it cleaner than when you left, they will think that you are a hero and an excellent mechanic..

Someone else said:

If they ask you to do a job and they don't care how much it will cost, just to do it, it doesn't matter how much you charge them because they had no intention of paying you anything, anyway.

If they want to know "ABOUT" how much it will cost, they know ABOUT how much they will pay you, regardless of the bill you send them.

If they want to know "EXACTLY" how much it will cost, they know EXACTLY how much they are going to pay you when you are done. Regardless of the agreed upon price. Regardless whether you clean up or not.

EBEBRATT-Ed

lesson learned

Years ago I did a threaded pipe job that took 2-3 days. On the last day the shop stole my helper so I was alone. I worked 15 hrs that day and at 9 pm I was loading my van. The last thing in was the pipe threader, oiler and the plywood I had under the oiler. Their was a small spot of oil under the plywood (this was a commercial boiler room and not the cleanest). I asked maintenance for some rags as all my stuff was loaded in the van 3 floors down.

"That little spot, don't worry about that. that's nothing . We will clean that up. You did a great job!) 



When I got to the shop at 7 am they had already called complaining about the mess I left.

Lesson learned

Ed