Ever get the feeling customers think your out to rip them off?

[lloyd1980]

ive been there commercially
was in a shop replacing 24 flurecents
i undid the last screw on the last one with my battery drill and water starts to **** out all over the shop floor as in pools of it
im thinking ive nicked a pipe as ive unscrewed the last screw
the last screw was 3 inches long - yes 3 inches!!! god knows what muppet put that up!!
we chipped away the cieling to find that when the lights were put up whoever fitted them with the 3 inch screw had screwed straight through a plastic water pipe sealing it when the screw was in, as soon as i un screwed it psssssssssssssssss all over the shop floor!!!
that sinking feeling was horrible when it happened!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

and I hate the am i being ripped off look!!!
i get it every time i get called to estimate for a cu change and for eg the water or gas isnt earthed and i tell them its a legal requirment so have to do this as well

people as in general public do not have a CLUE

NEVER do work for family or friends

they expect the earth for nothing and take the **** more than paying customers

 

[cbw]

Yep, agreed, 3 days work at a 'mates', total net profit about £70, waited months for payment............

 

[wattsup]

I must add I've dropped a -------...years and years ago rewiring houses for the then YEB on estates in south yorks (must admit worst job I ever had)
Screwing new pendant up in living room, I hear a loud hisssss, then smells gas, **** I thinks...I turn screw another turn, no hiss, undo slightly big hiss. **** I've hit a gas pipe.

Yep lead gas pipe to bedroom gas fire still live (although the gas fire is removed, the pipe just capped off under floor)

YEB tells me I should always b careful when rewiring, err you get ****ed yeb that pipe should not be live...end of yeb career

 

[DurhamSparky]

lol. i quoted for a full rewire, job and alone it was costing me £800 in parts for what the guy wanted .

woul dtake me 4 days i recon plus with a second set of hands so 2x labour i worked out £2250 ball park!!

this was 3 bed Victorian terrace!!

i never got job aparently i was well off the mark and he went with a quote for 1k??? i never asked any questions! goo dluck to mr Validmer or XQerrihikhukyhjhcnjkld ..

 

[lloyd1980]

hands up whos hit a pipe?!!!
we had an aprentice who was a bit too over enthusiastic with a wall chaser and would inevetably cut pipes when you werent in the room or would always seem to put his fut through the plasterboard ceiling!!
or a guy i used to work with we nicknamed greame gaspipe

ive done it on water pipes, when pulling through cable through joists pulling it up and kinked a water pipe psssssssssssssssss

its never intentional but always a pain in the ---

 

[wattsup]

My mate once did a favour for a neigghbour...pull cord in bathroom sticking...just change it, simple no bother...except several years of paint made it difficult to remove the pattress, it needed a tap with a hammer. So no bother, done it...except when all done the hammer falls off the step ladder and cracks the nice new wash basin...ooops

 

[lloyd1980]

hahahahahah ooooohhhhhh

you could just caulk the cracks and scarper

wasnt me guv!!!

 

[DurhamSparky]

except when all done the hammer falls off the step ladder and cracks the nice new wash basin...ooops

INSURANCE!!!!! thank god..!

so far no pipes!!!

 

[wattsup]

Don't think insurance would cover (look at small print) due care and attention....don't trust insurance

 

[5-Week-Wonder]

hands up whos hit a pipe?!!!

Yeah, I've hit a gas pipe. Last screw to fix a bit of trunking and then I was on the home straight. Bloody cowboy builder had built a lean-to extension with gas pipes hidden where they shouldn't be (according to gas engineer who put it right).

Bang goes the profit on that job.

 

[Des 56]

We bury anything in the wall and its do this, do that,or else

How can gas pipes still be permitted to be under the plaster unprotected
We cant get electrics taken seriously by the powers that be,( when we all know they consider gas much more serious an issue) yet they make our practices tighter than theirs

 

[MarcT]

Lets not forget the clients who leave a £20 note under the carpet that you lifted the day before as a test. The last guy who did it to me is probably still trying to scrape it off the floorboards, cyanoacrylate is a wonderful thing.

 

[rocker]

Lets not forget the clients who leave a £20 note under the carpet that you lifted the day before as a test. The last guy who did it to me is probably still trying to scrape it off the floorboards, cyanoacrylate is a wonderful thing.

Ha that's proper. Superglue going in the toolbox tomorrow.

 

[offshorealex]

We bury anything in the wall and its do this, do that,or else

How can gas pipes still be permitted to be under the plaster unprotected
We cant get electrics taken seriously by the powers that be,( when we all know they consider gas much more serious an issue) yet they make our practices tighter than theirs

because gas smells, electricity is invisible. If you burst a gas pipe you'll know before it kills you. Not the same with electricity.

 

[Risteard]

because gas smells, electricity is invisible. If you burst a gas pipe you'll know before it kills you. Not the same with electricity.

Natural gas actually has no smell. An odour is added to it for safety reasons so that it can be detected.

 

[sparks72]

lol. i quoted for a full rewire, job and alone it was costing me £800 in parts for what the guy wanted .

woul dtake me 4 days i recon plus with a second set of hands so 2x labour i worked out £2250 ball park!!

this was 3 bed Victorian terrace!!

i never got job aparently i was well off the mark and he went with a quote for 1k??? i never asked any questions! goo dluck to mr Validmer or XQerrihikhukyhjhcnjkld ..

I've had that before!
lucky though my recent customer (rewire) never flintched when I told him the price,
"go ahead" he said.
Mate also ended up intalling a new kitchen & bathroom for them, never had such a good customer,
brews & biscuits thrown in by the customer, why can't they all be like this!

BTW, love the anti Mr Electric avatar.

 

[DurhamSparky]

you had some dealings with Mr Unethical/Electric..!!

 

[sparks72]

you had some dealings with Mr Unethical/Electric..!!

Had one, don't see them much around the Chester area though.........thank god!