Craziest thing a customer ever told you
I was called by a brewer looking for a boiler. Only this boiler had to be special it had to discharge out the bottom lol I know. His plumber thought steam only rose and couldn’t go down He planned to run all the steam piping for the system on the ground I wanted to tell him my boiler was special as it generated steam which could go both up and down instead I suggested he find a new plumber
Boiler Lessons
Comments
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Ray,
Good call.
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I have an oil leak.
Not such a strange service call being that I worked on oil burners for a living, but this one was a little different.
Picture this: You are a Coast Guard enlisted man in your dress blues. You are 2 hours from reporting for duty. You are going to deploy for 30 days on a Coast Guard Cutter. Your wife and new baby are saying goodbye and as you are ready to get in your car, you happen to see a little rust under a paint chip on your oil tank. Just before getting in the car you decide to flick off that rust. Then a pin hole opens up and oil starts to trickle out in a steady stream. You put your finger on the hole and yell for your wife. She calls the oil company, and within minutes my phone rings.
Here is the rest of the story:
Edward Young Retired
After you make that expensive repair and you still have the same problem, What will you check next?
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stupidest one I ever heard, replaced a pump on a boiler after getting approval from the misses. Big ole house. Then finishing up and writing bill. Husband gets home and says after seeing bill, that’s way too much I don’t pay retail for anything. I said I gave price for approval to your wife, he responded “ she does not have the right to approve anything”!
I bet she now has 75% of their assets and he’s pushing daisies. This was 30 yrs ago, shocked me anyone could think that way. His nickname from there forward was Richard (the short version”.
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I looked at a boiler install because I was interested as my friend owned the house before the current owner and I was working across the street.
I looked at the boiler that the new owner installed and told him that the installation was incorrect. He said, "I don't want to hear any criticism of another contractor." So, I shut up and walked out, thinking that a more intelligent reply would have been, "Why do you think it was installed incorrectly?" Not crazy, just stupid.
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You only have 30 seconds. GO!
Edward Young Retired
After you make that expensive repair and you still have the same problem, What will you check next?
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did you ultimately get paid for that?
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I tried to rent boilers to apartment owners. An advantage to customers is that they can expense rent as opposed to depreciating purchase slowly. Tough sell. Later change to business tax was to allow expensing purchase if it "saved energy". But that too was a tough sell.
I don't know if crazy is the correct word but you'd suppose that businesspersons do arithmetic?
Looking back I think I was a little crazy to attempt unconventional enterprises.
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Started with an oil company fresh out of school. We had this old customer Mr. Callahan who was getting up there and probably had Alzheimer's although they didn't call it that back then. He used to drive to the office to pay his oil bill in a huge Cadilliac.
Anyhow he called for service late one afternoon because the "water was boiling in the pipes" and he had "dragons in his sink" Poor old guy.
He then asked our secretary if I could stop at the store on the way and get one roll of toilet paper and a quart of milk.
I don't remember what the actual problem with the boiler was. The secretary who sent me on the call was concerned enough so she called me when I was at the job.
She told me "get the hell out of there" LOL
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MATT, I did get paid after going around and around with Richard.
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I got one more, and elderly lady who we worked for years for called for a service call. While there she asked us to put another T87 thermostat on for her as hers was really old. We obliged, set the heat anticipator (yes in old mercury days) and checked operational, all ok and left. She ended up calling us over and over again saying we ruined her so efficient heating system. She use to brag to her lady friends how efficient her system was. She left it set at 64 and the house was oh so warm. Now shes freezing and has to turn it up to 70 and its costing her a fortune. We just ruined this and we must correct our mistake or she will report us to the better business bureau. We went back several time to appease her and make sure all working well. Nothing satisfied her. So finally we took are trusting T87F calibration wrench and adjusted stat to be 70 when set for 64. Whew, she finally got her most efficient system back. Never went back there I will tell you.
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Was the old one level?
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Back in the days when we were fixing vacuum pumps out in the field, we had one apartment building manager call us with the message " Can you come out right away and fix our pump? Its been making noises for 6 weeks and it just stopped today"
Dennis Pataki. Former Service Manager and Heating Pump Product Manager for Nash Engineering Company. Phone: 1-888 853 9963
Website: www.nashjenningspumps.com
The first step in solving any problem is TO IDENTIFY THE PROBLEM.
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"Yeah just go ahead and do it, I don't care what it costs"
-Easily the craziest thing I've ever heard from a customer.
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Hi @GroundUp , I've had clients say that to me. I always took it as a sign that they trusted me to take care of them, which I always did. I think that customer was giving you a compliment! 🤩
Yours, Larry
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Sometimes the "go ahead and do it I don't care what it costs" bites you in the butt. You don't get the job in writing and you do what they need and charge them a fair price …not gouging and then Mr. NICE GUY refuses to pay.
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I had a customer once who told me that the price was too high and he was only going to pay half of it. Since we hadn't actually given him the price yet, the office just doubled it. AFAIK it was paid at its 'discounted' rate.
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Did you stop and get him milk and TP?
Single pipe 392sqft system with an EG-40 rated for 325sqft and it's silent and balanced at all times.
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I have many stories, I'll start with this one.
We serviced a GE oil burner/boiler in this elderly couples home. They ran out of oil and called us once they added one hundred dollars worth of fuel to their underground oil tank. Of course they hit the reset button a few times before I arrived. I assumed the filters were clogged and decided to clean them before attempting to start the burner, I was correct. We used a spray solvent to clean filters and oil burner parts. This took place in the hallway, where the boiler was located (slab house, no basement). The smell was strong and the filters were pretty gummed up, so I used about half a can.
It was cold outside and I was focused on getting the heat and dhw back on so I worked on starting the burner and left the stinky coffee can with the solvent just outside the front door. While I was working the lady would not stop talking to me while I was trying to focus on the task. The husband was chewing his cigar the whole time and telling her to shut up. She got louder, so he got louder. Mind you The Price is Right was at full volume on their Zenith black and white console television, so they really had to shout. I noticed his hearing aids were sitting on the coffee table with the Duracell batteries sitting next to them. This loud conversation went on for about thirty minutes as I did my work.
Finally I start the burner and it fires up immediately. I wrapped up my tools and yell to the couple that I am just about done. I tell the couple that I wanted to check the oil level in the underground oil tank before I leave. Apparently, this was a trigger for the lady. She began to tell me that she sees large black snakes going into and out of the oil tank fill on a regular basis. The husband is again shouting at her telling her she has lost her marbles. It got so ugly that pieces of his stogie were flying out of his mouth at this point as he yelled. Wife keeps warning me that I should use a net to get those snakes (I like to fish, but I don't carry a net in the service truck). The lady was convinced that the oil company was delivering oil and snakes to her.
I went outside and stuck the tank and the husband followed after replacing the batteries and installing his hearing aids in his ears. He very politely asked me to tell his aging wife that I eradicated all of the snakes. Apparently, his nearly ninety year old wife was slowly losing it. He apologized for his and her behavior, but he told me it happens daily and he can only take so much. I agreed with his plan and went back inside to tell her the snakes were now gone and would not come back. She gave me a hug and I went to my next service call.
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"The check is in the mail." (t was not)
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I was sure that was going to end with an explosion.
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Mattmia, it was level but way out of calibration, the reason we replaced is she wanted one that looked newer as old was really faded plastic finish.
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That’s a column, Scott. 👏
Retired and loving it.0 -
"We paid all this money for floor heat so the floors would be warm and they are cold." Stat was set at 72* with air temp 72*. I said if you are cold turn the thermostat higher. "I don't want it warmer but I want the floor warmer." I said, "Then open the windows."
I tried to explain the floor temp is only as high as needed to warm the room to the thermostat setting. She coudn't grasp it but her husband understood. She told the boss, "I think his cancer has gone to his brain". (I had cancer at the time) That wasn't the only item I couldn't get across to her, but 20yrs later I still do service for them. To my knowledge she never opened the windows for warmer floors!
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We're all still waiting for this minute to finish....
Long story coming?
Thanks
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Oh I had a similar one though I was not the installer and it was sort of backwards, they wanted to know why it was so hot in a room and wanted me to check the boiler installation because they suspect it was overheating the space. they had an entryway into a fairly small living room area and I noticed one of those electric floor heat thermostats on the wall, it was set to floor temp of 95, I think the max it would allow lol They did not believe me when i told them that the floor heat also heats the space and will over temp if left too high, fixed some thermostat time/schedule problems for the bedroom which made them happy. The guy took me out to show me his corvette after and even let me sell them a boiler for a new garage he built to keep the corvette clean, I just told him the floor was not going to be 95 lol He said that was fine because his wife wanted nothing to do with the corvette garage
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I have lots of Long stories, but a quick one. In my late 20s. I Enter the home on a Running toilet call. The Older Woman says follow me upstairs.
As We are going up the steps she says
: "OK what's this gonna cost me?"
Me: "Not sure, let me check it out."
Her: "Doesn't matter...all you plumbers are crooks anyway. "
Me: " Goodbye..."
Her: "where you think you're going? I need this fixed!!!"
Me...Driving away...
She probably kept her mouth shut for the next guy....Mad Dog
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I always take my shoes when I walk through a customers home.
A lady customer once told me
“If I could meet a man that always removed his shoes when he came into the house, I’d get married again”
That was my one and only trip to that address😯
Although she remained a good customer, my wife made sure that one of the other guys got the call
Bob "hot rod" Rohr
trainer for Caleffi NA
Living the hydronic dream
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There was a small 1100 sq ft house with full basement.
The owners eventually finished off 1/2 half of the basement. The 80% furnace and standard WH were in the other half. The wife would come home and start the dryer, exhaust hood and husband would come home and shower with exhaust fan on. The WH was cold the next morning as the pilot got snuffed out.
This only happen after finishing off 1/2 of the basement, the wife would not believe me that all of her exhausting was pulling air down the B-vent chimney.
I told the husband that we should experiment by cracking the basement window in the mechanical half of the basement for a few days.
See how the WH did with that air inlet and if it worked then I would cut in a comb air inlet.
Hubby agreed but wife said "We are not going to leave a window open in the basement or cut a hole in the side of the house!!"
So hubby had to get a second opinion. A week later he called back and said to cut the inlet.
The 2nd opinion guy had added a register/grill in the basement duct, but in the return duct.
The hubby knew this was counterproductive and dangerous.
They now have a 6" inlet with insulated flex hanging down near the WH.
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My older brother worked for the family business as a delivery driver and eventually took over running a second location (everyone called mini-boss). Eventually the family business was sold and my two brothers went to work for another fuel dealer, Ended up owning that oil dealer and ran that for over 20 years. After selling that business at a profit, my older brother was not ready to retire so he answered an job listing for a sales rep fot retail fuel oil accounts for a larger dealer in Bucks County PA.
He was very successful with the fuel dealer, expanding to Air Conditioning and Heating equipment sales. and had a long career with them. This fuel dealer also sold Generac home generators. Now nearly everyone who owns a home knows that their home can be heated with gas, oil or electricity. so why not the same options for Air Conditioning and generators. (AC can use a Gas Fired … remember Arlka Servel chillers?)
With that knowledge in hand, What do you tell a customer that wants a backup emergency generator, but does not want an oil tank or to connect it to the gas pipe? You guessed it, This customer wanted an electric powered backup generator…
Why do you need an electric powered generator? My brother asked.
For when the power goes out. Answered the customer. (Dah!)
How will you get electricity to the generator when the electricity goes out? Asked my brother.
That’s why we need a generator for when the electricity goes out. Answered the customer.
This went around in circles for almost 10 minutes before it clicked with the customer.
Edward Young Retired
After you make that expensive repair and you still have the same problem, What will you check next?
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All Steamed Up, Inc.
Towson, MD, USA
Steam, Vapor & Hot-Water Heating Specialists
Oil & Gas Burner Service
Consulting1 -
Wait a minute! Add a battery which can then run the generator which will charge the battery and power the house.
Perpetual free energy, where do I sign up!
:)4 -
I think we have a winner here…
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It was fun reading all of these. Thanks, Ray.
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Do you see it? Can you see it? Can you hear it? Can you?! CAN YOU ??!!
No, I'm very sorry I can't see the leak on that pipe you are pointing at. Yes, I see the pipe. There isn't a leak on that pipe or any other pipe. I'm sorry I can't help you. No, my eyesight is just fine. Yes, my hearing is fine too.
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