Spouses fighting over the bill

Ken C.

Have any of you ever had a problem doing work for a husband and wife household, when one spouse approves the work, and the other spouse (who is not home at the time) comes home later and feels the first spouse was charged too much/taken advantage of/etc? One of my coworkers ran into that situation recently. It seems the homeowner husband liked to tinker with his boiler. Finally, the frustrated wife called our company so she could get the boiler running properly. My coworker found multiple problems with the boiler. It was apparent some so-called "handyman" had been working on it (for instance, the boiler drain had been replaced with a male adapter with a stub of copper tubing with a cap soldered on it). Anyway, he got the heat working and the wife paid the bill. When the husband got home later, he had a fit and stopped payment on the check. Have any of you had a problem like this? How do/did you deal with it?

[Deleted User]

you take him to court

cause what he wants is for your company to cut the price down...if its fair i'd just as soon sue him for it..fair is fair and does not necessarily mean inexpensive either..it means justifiable..altho the judge will ask you to do just that and justify the charge, so be prepared to do so...and if you can you will win..

Mad Dog

Been there a few times Ken

What we do now is: "would you like to discuss this with your husband?." Then always get your signitures. That will stand up in court. A couple of times I had to go back that night to put the handy husband or father in law back in his place, make them look like the idiots - politely but VERY firmly, and stand there in the kitchen until they paid. They always do. Then there are the ones who say after the fact: "....my brother is a union plumber and he doesn't get that much blah blah." Most people can be shamed in to paying when you tell them that they "are obviously not an honorable person since you already agreed, blah balh. Works every time: "NO...really..I'm a nice guy..I really am..." Then they pay and you never work for them again. Mad Dog

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Bruce_6

also a very

good reason to keep a camera in your truck at all times. you simply take a picture of the before (problems or code violations) and some after pictures.

this will win your case in court every time, judges LOVE pictures, and signitures!

get them before you start!!!!

Robert O'Connor_7

Sounds like a job for Judge Judy. Be careful what you say. Look what happened to Judge Woppner...Get your $$ and don't take no ?+*^&. And above all always get the signature...BoC

Joel_3

oh yaa

one of my faves!! ihad 1 guy tell me "But I could have done it myself". sure but you didn't buddy which means you pay. I put it in the hands of a collection agency that typically does the trick. Most of these people are just cheap SOB's that don't want to pay for anything it's a game to them and you shouldn't let them win or next week it's gonna be the guy who fixes thier car or roof or whatever.

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GaryDidier

Charges

Ken,
I used to have this problem as a general contractor with change orders for additions and new home construction.Usually the wife would approve the change and charges and the husband would scream about the costs and budgett. Guess who allways won those fights and I allways got paid.
Gaty from Granville

Greg Swob

This happened last Sept.

A customer had procrastinated all summer with a failing AC unit. Husband is a custom harvestor and is gone most all summer long. She called him, on his way home from cutting the 'High Country Barley' used in Coors. We hustled to finish before he arrived, but missed it by 15 minutes. He couldn't understand why we waited until summer was almost over to put the unit in, questioned price (she chose R410A over R-22), whether it was needed, you name it. They did pay, but she returned the customer quesionaire with several comments about 'reservations' on quality of the new equipment, price, etc. Yet she was in a hurry in mid Sept. to sign the order! Greg

Mad Dog

What DID??? Happen To Judge Joesph Wapner

and his bailiff, Rusty? MD

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Mad Dog

Nice, what state are you in????

Oh yeah how's your boy doin'? Mad Dog

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Grumpy

My lawyer put me wise to this- In Ohio, if an individual stops payment on a check for any reason, you go to the prosecutors office and file a "theft of services" charge against them. They will be arrested, and it is classified as a felony charge. They (the customer)have many avenues of arbitration open to them to address the issue, but only after they have paid the bill. Any other excuse is just that an excuse not to pay. We have prosecuted successfully EVERY case via the courts when it comes to bad checks. In some states it is called "unjust enrichment." Go after them no matter what the dollar value is. I personally will at ties spend $500 to a $1000 in legal fees to collect a miserable $250 or so debt. It is to me, at least, a matter of principle, not one of money. Then I sue them for legal fees and expenses. After they have been spanked the first time by the courts, they usually settle the second suit out of court.

Boiler Guy

Had a good one last spring

Completed some remedial repair on an old HRT boiler late last winter. Customer balked at the quoted price AFTER the repairs were complete. After the system was off for the season he asked me to fix something else. I gladly agreed (because it got me back in the buiding) I removed all of my newly machined orifices and inserted plugs. This fall he had the nerve to call asking for a start up. I "unfortunately was unavailable" unless full payment including interest was received first. I am sure you guessed what happened. THe other (CHEAP)contractor called to ask how to set up this burner because he could not get any gas. He was obviously VERY OBSERVANT!! Well, to make a long story short I have been paid in full and actually continue to service this customer on strictly a COD basis.

Mad Dog

Good for you.....

nobody's fool. MD

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Mark Hunt

One of the most embarrassing scenes


I ever encountered.

Went on a sales call to give a proposal for a replacement boiler.

Quoted a Burnham Revolution.

Husband was ready to approve the work when the misses comes home. She stands behind the chair he is sitting in and looks at the price. She gently pokes his shoulder and says, "We're just getting estimates, right?"

The guy just stiffened.

She DRIVES her finger into his shoulder on EVERY syllable and repeats through clenched teeth, "WE'RE JUST GETTING ESTIMATED R I G H T!!!!"

I walked out without closing the sale. I couldn't even look the guy in the eye when I said goodnight.

The next morniing I get the call from him giving me the approval for the work.

As much as I's like to take credit for the sale, I believe that his wife closed the sale for me. She embarrassed him so much that he had to choose me.

Regardless, they got a heck of a system!

Mark H

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Boiler Guy

EH MD

Thought you'd like that approach

Tim

jackchips_2

Nice story, Mark.

Something all of us have probably gone through in one fashion or another.

I do have another take on his being embarressed. Maybe he was just to much of a gentleman to give her a piece of his mind before a stanger and your pitch to him was good enough for him to convince her.

In any case, all these stories help to bring back memories.