Just because

DanHolohan

Have you ever decided not to charge the customer after you finished the job? If so, what made you do that?

STEVEusaPA

More times than I care to count. Sometimes just charge for parts. Usually it's someone I know is a good person on hard times or unfortunate circumstances.
A number of times it's been an elderly person/couple and a battery for their thermostat. Or a person accidentally turning off their service switch instead of the light switch. Wouldn't even think to charge them. Although I always like talking to my elderly customers. Sometimes I feel like I'm the only one they get to talk with.

Another time I had a guy who wanted his oil furnace cleaned in the fall (didn't need it, but some people have to have it done every year). So after a couple of reschedules, and a harsh winter, I finally came out in the spring to clean it. When I was done and he was coming at me with his check book, I apologized (again) for not getting to this in the fall. Explained he's been a great customer for over 20 years, and I wished I had 100 more just like him. So I thanked him for his patience and understanding and told him there would be no charge.

DanHolohan

That's beautiful, Steve. Thanks for sharing your story.

EBEBRATT-Ed

I have done many freebies. Most of the time it is not charging all the hours the job took (sometime because I screwed up), sometimes because I knew they couldn't afford it. No matter how many troubles you think you have there are many in a much worse condition.

Larry Weingarten

Hi, I think my very most fun freebie was this job: https://forum.heatinghelp.com/discussion/160828/help-a-nurse-out-please-heart-surgery-is-easier-than-this#latest ! I had to drive a bit over 100 miles to her place, but after all the grief she suffered at the hands of others, I felt she had earned a break. It was all about the generosity of people here that made things right for her.

Yours, Larry

Tom_133

I have a soft spot for single moms. I typically lose on those jobs. Must be a reflection on my own single Mom, she got stuck with 3 energetic boys! At times single moms dont have someone to guide them on mechanical decisions and because of that get taken advantage of.

rick in Alaska

What everyone else has said.
I am pretty sure this is why we struggle financially, but I sleep ok for doing it.
I believe it is because of jobs like these that I am still working. People realize you are being as fair as you can be, and they will give your name out to others as a referral.
Some times I wish I was not born such a softy. I would be financially better off, but would not enjoy life as much.
Rick

woodrow

Yes many times mostly older or people in need sometimes a warranty that only covers the part with no labor its hard to charge sometimes when you change out a system that gave 30 yrs of service and the new one cant make 2 . I would bet most guys on this forum do because there here giving advice and knowledge to help others

Jellis

It feels great to help people so I try to whenever i can.

One that I remember well was a family of 5,
the call was to replace a faucet, however when I got there the lady of the house said that they had no heat upstairs and asked if i could look at that instead.

Turns out her and her husband had been saving up to have the faucet replaced and they would not have enough to repair the heat and faucet.

She told me to fix the heat and leave the faucet broken, while I was packing up my tools I couldn't help but notice her try to wash some dishes with the broken sink. Water was getting everywhere... I had seen enough, I installed the new faucet, billed her for the faucet and "forgot" to bill for the labor and heat system repair.

the 4 year old that "helped" me while I was under the sink told me I was a superhero since I wore a costume and helped people

MikeL_2

I started volunteering for habitat for humanity projects early in my career so I could work along side contractors who were successful. I learned a lot from them including the satisfaction that comes from volunteering. The less fortunate are almost always the most sincerely grateful.
I've had people resist gratis work or materials even though they could not afford the real costs; they were willing to do without rather than except a " handout ". I would tell them the faucet or replacement parts were so new that the manufacturer provided them for a free trial and there would be no charge......

dopey27177

Many years ago I had an old couple for a customer. They were Italian and spoke poor English. I received a call for no heat Dec. 24. 3 PM. got to the job 6 Pm and found a broken circ pump on the hw heating system.

I had a friend that worked for David and Warsaw plumbing supply, called him at home, he came out and opened up the supply house at 7 P.M. I installed the pump and finished the job at 10 P.M.

I did not get a chance to write the service ticket when the the old lady came to me with a stack of one dollar bills and her hands were shaking.

I took all the money and counted a $101.00. I was flabergasted so Took $100.00 and told the lady she gave me to much money and I kept $1.00.

Told the old couple have a MERRY XMAS and I left.

That kindness got me many new customers.

Jake

clammy

I never sweat the small stuff but I run into a lot of older couples who are usually being taken advantage of in one of two ways one being overcharged and or just garbage workmanship . It really makes me sick to see some of the greatest generation being taken advantage of by the worst generation . I also have to make a living but there’s always a difference between doing a job n just plain taking advantage of some one and doing the min. I guess that’s just the human nature of some . I m a do it like it’s yours and you ll be looking at it every day it really puts things like crappy workmanship in perspective unless you truely just about the money then toss in as you drive by ,I call that type of job a drive by toss in . The worse install jobs are usually by flat rate type businesses you know big ads on both radio ,tv and flyers I guess they gotta make money some where to pay for all that advertising . Buddy looked at one yesterday 2 coupling that’s it 10 g not even new prv backflow ,flue nothing just 2 coupling they called him cause of a leak and non working zone . Weird world racing to the lower road in a hurry . Peace and good luck clammy

Zman

I have an elderly neighbor who pays in chocolate chip cookies.
I couldn't be happier with the arrangement

SuperTech

I've done this quite a few times for elderly customers on a fixed income. I definitely have a weakness for struggling single moms since I was raised by one.
It feels good to make money for the company but sometimes it feels like the right thing to do is to help out someone who desperately needs it. I had one lady actually start crying because she was so grateful for what I did.
Recently I changed a repair to a no charge call for a woman who's husband died from covid-19.

Jamie Hall

God bless you all... one of the main reasons I truly love The Wall is the good people like you who are on it.

Erin Holohan Haskell

Jamie Hall said:

God bless you all... one of the main reasons I truly love The Wall is the good people like you who are on it.

Well said, @Jamie Hall. I agree.

DanHolohan

What Jamie said. Bless you all.

unclejohn

Thats the way to say it, not God Bless You but God bless us all.
Had a very old lady who had a service contract with a Co. I worked for. She had about a dozen empty coffee cans stacked up near the basement door on a chair to act as a burglar alarm.
She had a clogged tap - o- line valve which I took apart and cleaned and told her there was no charge since she had a contract. She said that never happen before and was very thankful. Got chewed out by the boss. One of the many reasons to start your own company. I was there less then 1/2 hour. People do not realize that a ounce of goodwill gives back pounds of referrals. And who doesn't need some NRBQ and Joey Spampinato.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=fxofzPXP4m8

Mad Dog_2

Two maxims always guided me. 1) Do the right job. 2) Do the right thing. You usually can tell who's hurtin' and can use a break. I've done it many times and never regretted it. Mad Dog

NYBudman

Had a service for a stinky house. Bitter upstate NY day. Had to wait for the customer to show up from work. Single Mom, 2 kids, husband walked out on her 2 months prior. She shows up, we go down to the basement and I see a red glow on the back of the firebox on this old dry base boiler. Examination shows the back of the box was gone. Sides and front was holding up the boiler. I told her it was new boiler time and the tears started. Just didnt have the money for it when I quoted her the changeput price. Mon and Dad had passed, no relatives, only child. You could tell she was trying to keep her home but,this kind of the final straw. As luck would have it I had coverted a system from oil to gas a day before. Hadnt gotten around to take out the oil boiler out of the basement of the customers as the snow was about a foot deep and he agreed I could remove it come warm weather. So I got hold of a friend, we shoveled a path and horsed the oil unit oit of the cellar. Went back the next day as she had left the cellar door unlocked on the pretext I might possibly patch it to get her by. Spent the day installing the new/old boiler. To say she was grateful doesn't begin to defy ne it. She insisted on paying me labor so I charged her $200. She paid me $10 a week for 20 weeks and was always prompt. Every week that check for $1was in the mail. Never had an installation job that went so smooth or gave me as much satisfaction.

Joe_Dunham

Sometimes we have a customer that gave us a nice job and then they want something a little extra or they need something they are not aware of like a better sump pump in a pump pit that will protect their investment (but they think were just trying to sell something) and we'll just do it, but we always let the manager know we did it.

hvacr

Done a number at reduced or no charge due to customers attitude or situation.
Funny one- elderly customer called wanting estimate to "add ac to other end of duct" because not cooling house. No air flow at return, minimal at outlets, 20+ yr old package. Opened craw space door, wiped out spider webs, crawled a few feet under and felt skin crawling with fleas. Backed out was covered in fleas and had possum feces on my pants from knees down. Told customer the problem and that I or anyone else would not go under there until extermination. He was so nice though that I pulled the top off the package to inspect, return flex duct was torn off and possums had nested in the return duct. Coil and blower wheel had a 1/4" blanket of dust, dirt, and hair. Cleaned the coil and blower, told customer he could repair the duct or call back after pest removal. Went to truck and was making out a ticket for $25 to cover cost when he comes out with 2 gallons of frozen shrimp. Threw by bill on the truck floorboard and went home to shower, change clothes and put my shrimp in the freezer

Jackmartin

Read your comments and I am almost liking the human race again,almost. I have done jobs for nothing because I remember when we bought our first house ate enough hot dogs to turn into one. We could starve or pay the mortgage; things are just fine now two excellent sons and been married for 44 years. I am ashamed of a lot of the service contractors and their overwhelming need to make an excessive buck for simple work. A women my wife works with had her lousy husband walk out will not grant her a devorce because he doesn't want to pay child support. Where in the world are these pieces of manure made? My wife tells me her HWT went and she was getting quotes for 1400 for a lousy tank install. In my city Winnipeg this HWT crap has become a total scam. I got her the tank for cost I stalled it for nothing. I just hope those lousey scam artists have to go to the dentist one day and he charges the same markup they are for single moms. Now you know why I hate the human race. Stay Well and Be Blessed by whatever higher power you believe in, God is only one Jack

delta T

Recently in fact (3 or 4 weeks ago I think?)

Got a call from a woman on a Friday afternoon, said her boiler was broken, she didn't go into detail. I get there and she is a a single mom with a small child (maybe 2) and she said she shut the boiler off when she heard the CO alarm go off (thank god she had one). She tells me that she had hired a handyman to come fix it the day previous, he spent 3 hrs and charged her enough that it hurt I could tell. Turns out what he did was replace the thermocouple, (the only problem as far as I can tell) and then proceeded to actually take the time to add a piece of carefully bent metal to remake the pilot bracket on an old american standard boiler so that it was lighting off the orifices.

I was flabbergasted. Never have I seen such criminal and dangerous negligence in my life. I got the pilot bracket back like it was supposed to be, positioned correctly, put another new thermocouple on for good measure and stayed for another 3 hours checking and re-checking every saftey aspect of the boiler I could. Checked the flue, got on the roof to check the integrity of the cap, checked the gas pressure, manifold pressure, checked the boiler for soot, checked combustion, combustion air, relief valve, wiring connections, etc, etc....

After all this (it was about 9:30 at this point, I explained what I did, why I was doing it and explained how dangerous it was and how lucky she was that the outcome was not worse. I am so glad she had the sense to turn off the boiler immediately.

She told me to wait in the kitchen and she left and came back with $250 in cash (I hadn't even filled a bill out yet) and told me that she could pay another 250 per month until the bill was paid off whatever it was. As she reached out to hand me the money, her son woke up and stated crying. I set the cash back on the counter and said why don't I just email you a bill tomorrow and we'll work out the payment details later.

Sent her an invoice for 0$ marked paid in big red letters.

She mailed me 2 dozen homemade cookies, I call it even.

The handyman is nowhere to found, however there is a pending criminal investigation trying to find him....I made sure of that.

bill_brooks

TOTALLY OFF THE HEATING TOPIC but.....
i have a sickly sugar maple that my late wife and i saved from under a hedge. this spring (after previous yrs. locust attacks) it
looked mighty poor and i felt the reaper was near.
i was talking to my elderly (94yo) neighbor i may have to whack it
and while i was at it, should i whack the dead ornamental in her yard.
she said yes. so......
i decided to severely prune back my sugar and see what happens. its got new leaves!
i cut down her ornamental at the ground so her lawn guy
wouldn't hit the stump.
2 days later i get this very nice thankyou letter with a sawbuck
in the envelop.
i called her up to say i couldn't accept the money. she quickly
flipped back "you'd better , i won't hear of it".
"i've been trying to get someone for a year to cut it". you're
the only one who's offered.
she said" good neighbors are hard to come by". " i don't want to
loose you"!
can't argue with that.

Grallert

These stories are so heart warming. I think it reinforces the reason I/ we are in this in the first place. I got into this trade because it turns out I'm good at it and I enjoy it. It's in interesting trade with plenty of challenges but I think what I enjoy the most is helping people out. I'll never get any richer than I am already.

fixitguy

Glad to read this, for 25 years, I've been telling everyone what a bad businessman I am. Guess I'm not the only one.

BillyO

Sometimes its just a gut feeling and an instinct that makes that decision for you, Many a times I said don't worry about it. Bad business? not even close. Sometimes that's the emotional hug we all need. Contractor and customer alike