how should i answear

I am glad I am not a contractor.

When my former contractor installed my new boiler system, he had quite a collection of channel locks. I think they are great pliers, when you need pliers, but they are not wrenches. I asked why no wrenches, and one replied that they were obsolete, and channel locks worked for everything. Fearing the worst, I bought a torque wrench and an 11 mm socket for the nuts to the cover plate on my aluminum heat exchanger. I did not need it for my first service because the techie refused to open the heat exchanger as required by the Installation manual. Another reason why they became my former contractor.



My new contractor did inspect my heat exchanger, and even cleaned the pin side. He came prepared with new gaskets and a new igniter, but no torque wrench. So I leant him mine. I know the importance of torque wrenches on aluminum castings; I had several cars with aluminum cylinder heads and steel spark plugs. If they were too loose, the plugs fried; if too tight, the threads of the head stripped. I have remonstrated to the owner of the contracting firm, and the technician who knows about combustion analyzers is coming tomorrow. At least, the new contractor seems willing to listen.



Somehow, a customer needs to know an incompetent technician when he sees one, and to show him the door. It takes some nerve for me to do that, but the alternative can be very expensive. I think it a shame that I am willing to pay the price a qualified technician commands, but have so much trouble finding one. I should not have to teach them their business.

How Should I Answer:

I have all the tools. Including channel locks and a torque wrench. I can't clean 8 oil boilers in 8 hours.

I cost more.

The guys that clean 8 boilers a day get the work.

You get what you pay for.

A good answer:

If someone told me that, I might take it as a slight. I might reply to them, "When you take your new car to the dealer, do you expect their auto techs to fix your car with a pair of channel locks and a 6-way screwdriver? I'm like the auto tech. Lots of training, lots of tools and lots of experience. Those other guys must be farmers. Sometimes, you can fix a farm tractor with a pair of channel locks and a 6-way,"