# Got to love when customers call at 2am for a sewer rod



## Affordable (May 22, 2012)

u know u got to love when people call at 2 am and its for sewer cleaning.. its like u cant not use your toilet till 7 or 8 am its a rush ? u know its a emergency fee.. . customer response .. why? cause its 2 am what do u mean why .. im in bed.. lol .. but ok illl come if u gonna pay that extra 75.00
besides i think im too cheap anyways at 180.00 a main rod. aint bad.. i called around and other companys are saying 250 and up!


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## AssTyme (May 15, 2010)

Affordable said:


> u know u got to love when people call at 2 am and its for sewer cleaning.. its like u cant not use your toilet till 7 or 8 am its a rush ? u know its a emergency fee.. . customer response .. why? cause its 2 am what do u mean why .. im in bed.. lol .. but ok illl come if u gonna pay that extra 75.00
> besides i think im too cheap anyways at 180.00 a main rod. aint bad.. i called around and other companys are saying 250 and up!




If you promote as a 24/7 company you have to expect some odd hour calls :yes:


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## Affordable (May 22, 2012)

AssTyme said:


> If you promote as a 24/7 company you have to expect some odd hour calls :yes:


yes but thats not a emergency call.. thats a minor call.. emergency is your house is flooding cause your main supply is pouring out water or something of that nature.. or your pipes are frozen .. but ya i dont mind but at them hours i do charge a lil more. for any hours after 10pm


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## AssTyme (May 15, 2010)

Affordable said:


> *yes but thats not a emergency call.. thats a minor call*.. emergency is your house is flooding cause your main supply is pouring out water or something of that nature.. or your pipes are frozen .. but ya i dont mind but at them hours i do charge a lil more. for any hours after 10pm




That depends on who you ask. Everybody handles situations differently.

I just turned down a call 25 minutes ago. Everything was going out except the basement bathroom. I told him I couldn't do it until tomorrow morning but he couldn't wait and wanted it done RFN.


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## Plumb Bob (Mar 9, 2011)

Affordable said:


> u know u got to love when people call at 2 am and its for sewer cleaning.. its like u cant not use your toilet till 7 or 8 am its a rush ? u know its a emergency fee.. . customer response .. why? cause its 2 am what do u mean why .. im in bed.. lol .. but ok illl come if u gonna pay that extra 75.00
> besides i think im too cheap anyways at 180.00 a main rod. aint bad.. i called around and other companys are saying 250 and up!


I had a customer call me 2 weeks ago at 11: pm cause they had no hot water. 
I sold them a new one but I waited until the morning.


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## victoryplbaz (May 19, 2012)

got to love them 911 calls like that. I had a guy once call at 3 am because he couldnt get his kitchen faucet installed. He wanted us to come out and install it for him. told him its a overtime rate and he balked and said its a emergancy. I told him also that a 911 is when your home is flooding, a kitchen faucet is not a 911. But the ones that abuse the 24/7 are the restaurants and bars. One we used to service would call at 11:50 on a saturday every week. It was always we have a stopped up toilet we ben plunging all night and cant clear it and we need it cleared now. Got to love those calls.


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## Affordable (May 22, 2012)

AssTyme said:


> That depends on who you ask. Everybody handles situations differently.
> 
> I just turned down a call 25 minutes ago. Everything was going out except the basement bathroom. I told him I couldn't do it until tomorrow morning but he couldn't wait and wanted it done RFN.


 Well in that situation i would prob suggest its the ejector pump cause most of the time if the house is working.. but the basement aint.. 9 out or 10 times its a over head sewer and the pump has to push it to the main going out witch is higher the the floor.. so .. i would start with the pump on that one.. before i draged my machine in ...simple test.. home owners dont do.. lol open the pit its like 6 to 8 screws unless they open it before and screwed them up.. but pull the float up........ check the check valve check the power / and or outlet..


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## Affordable (May 22, 2012)

victoryplbaz said:


> got to love them 911 calls like that. I had a guy once call at 3 am because he couldnt get his kitchen faucet installed. He wanted us to come out and install it for him. told him its a overtime rate and he balked and said its a emergancy. I told him also that a 911 is when your home is flooding, a kitchen faucet is not a 911. But the ones that abuse the 24/7 are the restaurants and bars. One we used to service would call at 11:50 on a saturday every week. It was always we have a stopped up toilet we ben plunging all night and cant clear it and we need it cleared now. Got to love those calls.


u know i love them calls too.. when they call and ask u a price and then they say like oh well so and so said they do it for this price.. im like better hurry up and call em back .. cause thats a hell of a deal.. then about 20 mins later.. hey its me from so and so i called earlier .. can u still come out... lmfao im like ya but the price is still the same as i told u 20 mins ago.


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## Affordable (May 22, 2012)

Plumb Bob said:


> I had a customer call me 2 weeks ago at 11: pm cause they had no hot water.
> I sold them a new one but I waited until the morning.


ya see i dont see the point of installing hot water heaters that late at night.. like u cant wait till 7am for hot water.. i can come as early as 6 and have a new one installed in a half hour. if i got one in stock that matches.


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## rocksteady (Oct 8, 2008)

How does the specific problem matter? If they're willing to pay the fee that you as an owner have decided your after hours time is worth, why not go do it. I'd much rather get woken up at 3am to finish installing a kitchen faucet for double time vs. a water leak pouring through the ceiling of a 50 unit apartment complex. 







Paul


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## victoryplbaz (May 19, 2012)

I dont mind being called out... Its the stupid things HO do and wait till stupid hours to call. If your working on a faucet and its been 5 hours and you cant do it. You would think they would know 5 hrs ago they were over their head. But your right reguardless of the hours we should put on our big boy pants and do it.


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## MTDUNN (Oct 9, 2011)

Even if you can determine on the phone whether or not if it is an emergency, it's really the customers call. If they are willing to pay for the fee get your boots on and go. 

One exception though. If you think it can wait until the next day because your wife or girlfriend is waiting in bed wearing sexy launderay tell them it can wait.


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## affordabledrain (Nov 24, 2009)

I use to get a ton of late night calls frm the property mangement company. We worked for. I guess they offered 24 hour service for a few select houses. I would let them go to voice mail. They didn't want to pay the after hours charge.

Now When I get calls from a homeowner. I will explain the charge and if they want service. I inform them that there is a mim 50 cash due at the time we pull up. Usually they wait til morning


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## victoryplbaz (May 19, 2012)

"Failure to plan on your part. Does not consitute a emergancy on my part." My old boss had that sign above her desk. Guess it says it all!


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## user2090 (Sep 26, 2009)

victoryplbaz said:


> "Failure to plan on your part. Does not consitute a emergancy on my part." My old boss had that sign above her desk. Guess it says it all!


No buy it sure does make for a great opportunity to charge extra. 😊


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## abtwidwell (May 25, 2012)

We stopped offering 24/7 service about 5 years ago. I lost to many good techs that hated those evening calls. I saw a small dip in biz, but 5 years later we're having the best month ever in our 11 years in biz. Plus I don't get those calls at 2am anymore, win- win.


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## smellslike$tome (Jun 16, 2008)

The phone gets turned down every afternoon when I walk in the door. I may or may not check for messages before I get in bed. I sure as heck am not getting out of bed to go work on your plumbing, ... you don't have enough money. If I do happen to check messages and you do have a flooding situation I will tell you how to get your water shut off and be there first thing in the morning, ... or you can call someone else. If you are one of my very oldest, best, clients I will come if you tell me it's a true emergency but not for the money (although your going to take a big hit and we are not talking $75 either) , but because I like you.


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## Redwood (Sep 8, 2008)

MTDUNN said:


> One exception though. If you think it can wait until the next day because your wife or girlfriend is waiting in bed wearing sexy launderay tell them it can wait.


Yea...
That *Sexy Launderay* will keep me home too...:laughing:


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## RW Plumbing (Aug 16, 2010)

Redwood said:


> Yea...
> That Sexy Launderay will keep me home too...:laughing:


Oh I thought launderay was like a stingray... and the only emergency calls i do are something wrong with the work I just did during that day. Other than that no customer call is an emergency for me. I'm a one man shop.


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## BuckeyeBowhunte (May 4, 2011)

i bet the "affordable" part flew out the window on the 3 am calls...


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## affordabledrain (Nov 24, 2009)

BuckeyeBowhunte said:


> i bet the "affordable" part flew out the window on the 3 am calls...


I became Expensive drain cleaning :laughing::laughing::laughing:


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## Affordable (May 22, 2012)

BuckeyeBowhunte said:


> i bet the "affordable" part flew out the window on the 3 am calls...


u know it.. **** man i mean i dont mind going out making money but look at the fact .. i got to get out my nice cozy bed and go and do god knows what at them hours.. and then get up a few hours later and start the day off again..


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## retired rooter (Dec 31, 2008)

victoryplbaz said:


> I dont mind being called out... Its the stupid things HO do and wait till stupid hours to call. If your working on a faucet and its been 5 hours and you cant do it. You would think they would know 5 hrs ago they were over their head. But your right reguardless of the hours we should put on our big boy pants and do it.


 I will never forget a after midnite call yrs ago that ended up being a stopped uo arerator on kitchen faucet.I told her 2 hr minimum at 150 per hr ,she paid cash I left smilling:thumbsup:


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## deerslayer (Mar 29, 2012)

I only get OT rate to go to a afterhours call and it is getting old! Our secretary doesn't even question if it can wait what a PITA. I got called out on the 4th for a SU kitchen sink. Pissed me off! I left charged the job the time + travel which was 2 hrs of doubletime wrote 4 hrs of Doubletime on my timecard. Owner wasn't happy with me but union rules 4 hr minimum if I get the tools out:laughing:


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