customers and shoe removal

ed wallace

ok what would you pros do when a customer request that you remove your shoes and leave them in the entry hall when you go to check out a boiler in the basement had this happen to me today i told customer i would not remove my shoes and then walk around the boiler room in my stocking feet

Steve Paul

In the Japanese style

We will remove our shoes at the request of the customer. But if we have to go down to an unfinished basement or into any area under construction, renovation or potentially un safe footsy wise we must put on our shoes. We do this as a courtesy for the customer to protect their carpets. But we won't allow our people to risk injury in areas that are not carpeted.

Dave Faust

hhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhh

clammy

i know the feeling

It's happened to me quite a few times and it sucks cause nobodies boiler room seems to be as clean as the house .The management won't buy shoes covers so most of the time i just tell them it's against our insurance and they go for it alot of times a bring a pair of ten dollars slip on type dock shoes and pop my dirty shoes off and slide into my cold dockers it seems better then to hear it from the HO then to get a ear full at the shop .But i have found that when it's real cold and they don,t have heat and there waiting for you to show they don,t even look at the shoes to worried about frezing peace and good luck clammy

Mad Dog

When in Rome...................................

do as the Romans do. AS annoying as it is sometimes, you have to respect one's home - kooky ideas or not. You can usually tell straight out if they are "one of those' types of homes...white carpets..things just so. I usually try to beat them to the punch and take them off, but it can get repetitive. What we use now are SHUBEES...they are slip on covers for your boots...ho's wet their pants over them. In our newly restored Victorian, the wife has a shoes off policy (whcih I violate and suffer the consequences on a regulkar basis). It does make good sense. I have noticed that Indians (From South Asia) are big on this. In each "region" of the house, they have slippers that one changes in to as one goes about their business in the new space. Also, they like a tub spout in the stall shower about 12-16" off tye f.f. Foot-cleanliness! Mad Dog

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Dave Faust

jjjjjjjjjjjjjjj

Mad Dog

Speaking off shoes off

A few months ago, I went on a no-heat in severe weather. After many house trudging through snow, my feet socks and boots were drenched. The hosue had been w/out heat all day..and was about 15 degrees inside....ho's had vacated to nearest motel. As I diagnosed the problem, I took off my wet socks and hung them on the water heater flue---the onlt avail heat. Then I got a better idea...there was a gas dryer in the next room. Threw the socks in..was tempted to throw the boots - but didn't.... by the tikme heat was up, I had warm dry feet again. Mad Dog

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eleft_4

UUHHH?

would they let you carry them to the basement and then put them back on.

I see far to many guys at the supply houses wearing raggedy oil soaked sneakers (pee-yew) or work boots with snow tread soles.

Why not? You are there for repairs not more damage.

al

ed wallace

shoes

no they wanted me to leave them upstairs the shoes i had on are ankle lenth and have regular soles not meant for truging thru the snow but great for not dragging mud into the house
P.S. i flunked feng shue school

lchmb

Company policy

I recently had a customer demand the same thing. I am not allowed to remove my boot's and would wonder about what your insurance would say if you were hurt. I do however keep 8 brand new tarp's in my truck for just this occasion and boot cover's. I think the box of boot cover's cost about 8 buck's and figure it was a cheap cost to make a customer happy....

don_52

police report...

don_52

police report...

Well Officer, I've been runnin no heat calls since
3AM. I get to the ladies house an she sez, "thanks
for commin' on such a crummy day" oh an btw "would you
mind takin of them boots, I sez, "sure ma'am", that's
when I hear this loud "thuuud"!

That's when I called you g-- ..., Officer... Officer...

don_52

police report...

8:00PM

Well Officer, I've been runnin no heat calls since
3AM. I get to the ladies house an she sez, "thanks
for commin' on such a crummy day" oh an btw "would you
mind takin off them boots, I sez, "sure ma'am", that's
when I hear this loud "thuuud"!

That's when I called you g-- ..., Officer?... Officer?...

thfurnitureguy_4

Not the time to defend your dignity. Beat them to the punch and make a big deal about how you like the booties or the slip off of the shoes. Most people will say "dont Worry about it". I ware a pair of loafers for service calls and keep the steel toes in the truck for the heavy stuff. If they are the fussy type, and it was your idea first, It takes the fun out of making you crawl. It is after all their home.

Paul Pollets

Shake Yer Booties

We keep a case of booties on the truck to make it easy...and tarp the walkways. They fit over workboots, if you get the right size. Customers deserve clean. You'd be surprised at the "bootie" comments...

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lchmb

oh my

You have waaay to much time on your hands....:)

Weezbo

I have \"finish moccasins\"

these are great indoors on carpet and any Dirt on them i explain as well maybe you ought to clean the place up once in a while ..these are my "Finish shoes"...and you have a choise my sticky feet or my clean mocasins :)because i cant wear my socks on this carpet as it causes static electrical charges that could disrupt the integrity of the very expensive controls on your boiler

jim lockard

Bags

Not always having booties on the truck, I will stop at the C store and grab a couple of plastic bags to place over my shoes. You can kick the bags off at the basement entrance and the front door with no big deal.The best part is they are free. J.Lockard

Steve_35

We take our shoes off as soon as we're in the door before

the customer asks, carry them to the stairs and put them on there if it's a dirty basement. If it's clean enough we'll even take a look around down there with them off. When we go to work on the equipment we'll spread plastic out and wear the shoes on it. And we'll put runners to the door if it's an install.

jim lockard

Guess

That customer was not cold enough. Always found it amazing that the customer will have a house full of guests (all properly shod) then the repair guy walks in and the customer start some long list of do's and don't in thier house.

Weezbo

i use the plastic bags as a vapor barrier

sort of over my socks in my mocasins or in my boots or muck luks when i wear muk luks i put my mocasins on the calfs on the outsideof my pants and inside the muklucks :)then i have dry shoes and finish shoes all in one fell swoop

Ken C.

A master plumber I used to work for....

...had some awfully ripe feet. If a woman customer asked him to take his boots off in her house, he would reply, "Maam, I've been working in these boots all day. Trust me, you don't want me to take them off."

Another master plumber, who was one of my plumbing instructors, used this excuse: "Sorry, but I can't - it's against OSHA regulations." He said it worked every time.

Ken C.

I've been lucky

In four years of plumbing and heating work, I've only had that request twice. The first time was a new house with white carpets, of course.

ScottMP

JMHO

I have not problem with it at all ... upstairs. In the basement is ridiculous.

Booties are a great idea.

When I was just starting out, my old boss came to see me on a job. I had just finished a boiler and was upstairs bleeding a radiator. He looked down at my stocking feet and said " where the hell are your shoes ? " I told him I took them off so I would'nt get dirt from the basemant on the customers floor. A slow smile crept over his face.

Scott

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Wayco Wayne_2

We take them off

and carry them to the space and put them back on where we are working. No biggie. We need them on while working in case of dropping a wrench on our toe bone. (remember the cartoon Deputy Dawg? Owwww, my Toe bone. Dag nabbit muskrat!):). WW

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Bob Harper

shoe policy

We are required to remove our shoes irregardless of what the homeowner says. We've bought too many carpets. Get some of that cardboard floor mat like you get from the car dealer. Have your company name printed on it and something about "as a courtesy". Bring mocs for basements inspections. However, when working in basement, must have on boots for OSHA. When working in new house still under construction, OSHA requires proper footware so either floor runners or booties. Keep in mind most booties were intended for use over light shoes in the OR--not combat boots with Vibram lug soles.
I know a service only company that has their logo not only on their drop cloths but the soles of their black and red socks. While kneeling down, you read,"Got Flame?" It always draws comment and people sure remember it.

It has become common around here in new construction/ punch list and all the trades know to do it without having to be told. Hell, we have our guys park their vans on the curb unless they are lifting something heavy. Builders want it and we get tired of frivolous lawsuits for asphalt repairs. They don't want it patched--they want a whole new driveway if there's an oil spot or it was soft where he turned his wheels.

John R. Hall

No brainer

A $.99 cent pair of booties are too much to pay for a happy customer? C'mon.

It gives the customer the impression that you are professional and that you care. There is no debate here.

ed wallace

shoes

it might seem like a no brainer about removing shoes or having booties but the customer had 2 days to tell me about thier no shoe policy in the house if i knew in advance i could have gone home and washed my smelly feet and changed socks

jim_14

osha requirement

Isnt it good policy to have shoes on your feet as a workman?

Think of it this way, if you got hurt and sued the first thing the homeowners lawyer will say is that you should of had your shoes on!

cant win,, go with the booties

Paul Mitchell_2

Brilliant

Need quick release boots....The perfect boot...Flat soles, no streak, and quick release. Just an idea. We have boot covers. Only use them if the house has light carpet or customer asks. I dont understand why you guys would take them off when you can get the boot covers.

Kal Row

try that in my sister's house...

and she will spray so much disinfectant in and around the drier, as to cough you right out the house

Jim_47

take shoes off?

How about putting a fee on the bill for the disposable booties? Maybe next time they may not ask.

jim lockard

bootie fee

I like the way that sounds, most would just build into overhead. A 20.00 dollar shoe fee would certainly stand out and be defendable.
Do not think it would make for good customer relations, then again maybe too busy for that customer next time. IMHO. J.Lockard

Aidan (UK)

Shoe policy

Some cultures regard outdoor shoes as dirty and they remove them when they go indoors. They have good reasons.

I was once involved in a project in a clean laboratory facility. Before being used, the building was cleaned and disinfected, and then fumigated with some very toxic chemical. They then had to prove that it was sterile, so they'd take swabs from all the surfaces and cultivate them to see what organisms grew. If the wrong bugs showed up, they'd do it all over again. I was told (I don't know the details) that, when they did this, they often had persistent problems in eradicating one organism that originated in dog excrement.

I not sure what the situation would be if you left your safety boots at the door and then dropped something on your toes. Legally, you wouldn't have a leg to stand on.

tommyoil

Boots are a safety issue

C. Faucher

Booties are the only way to go.
God forbid if one of your employees took a header down the stairs in stocking feet and you had a no shoe policy at the customers house. Boy would the lawyers have a field day.I bet Workers Compensation would have a problem with that claim also.