# The Know it all



## UnclogNH (Mar 28, 2009)

Had a call at a dentist office thinks he is a know it all because he is a dentist? Trying to tell me how drain cleaning is done lol he has no clue.

He insisted his sink was backed up and tried to clear it with a hose
Calls me tells me what's wrong I get there tell him its his main Does not believe me. Flush toilets sure enough comes up in stand up shower in rear of building.

I remove a massive amount of roots and whipes from the sewer he now thinks I broke his pipe because roots don't grow into sewer pipes :laughing:

Pop cover on septic tank 90 feet away water runs but doe's not make it to tank cable massive black sludge ground in area is sagged jet sludge still not making it. Tell him pipe is probably sagged rotted our breached and water is flowing into ground needs to dig. Does not want camera to see what is wrong. Insists I broke his pipe because roots don't grow into sewers he's going to call the plumbing inspector bla bla bla told him go ahead. I'll wait I'm getting paid by the hour.
Plumbing inspector shows up he tells him What's going on and Inspector laughs told him I was correct in everything I said and he still refused the camera. Gave him a nice big bill and said I take cash, checks or credit cards. What a jack Azz.


----------



## Redwood (Sep 8, 2008)

Call the health inspector!:laughing:

He can't be drilling teeth with the drain backed up...:blink:


----------



## Airgap (Dec 18, 2008)

Yeah, those roots were just waitin' for somebody bust that pipe, so they could jump right in there These people are so much fun to deal with.


----------



## 22rifle (Jun 14, 2008)

Call the Health Department.


----------



## Redwood (Sep 8, 2008)

Yea, He better quit breaking your stones and have you fix it!:laughing:


----------



## SewerRatz (Apr 25, 2009)

I love people like that.. really I do. I had a lawyer hire me to unclog his main. After a half hour the rod would not pass 40' so I pulled out and the cutter was all shined up. So I sent a funnel auger in the line and pulled out a handful of gravel. I explained to the guy his line is broken. He then asked me to locate the break which I did was in the middle of his parking lot. So I wrote him a bill for my time to diagnose his trouble and locating the problem spot. He proceeded to tell me he is not paying me because I did not get the line open, for me to sue him. I tried to explain to him that he was paying me to stick my rod in his drain in attempt to clear an obstruction, which it was determined that the pipe was broken. Something he did not know till I stuck the rod in the line, plus he told me to locate the spot for him. He still said sue him.

Back then I did not know how to handle a situation like that and wrote it up as a loss. But since then I learned I can call the police and have them arrested for theft of services. Then put a lean on his building.


----------



## Plasticman (Oct 14, 2008)

Freekin lawyers. They take on the most ridiculous cases. Like the lady who spilled hot coffee on her lap.
Pull up to drive thru, " I'd like a cup of hot coffee please, with sugar".
Drive off, hit brakes, spill hot coffeee, sue McDonalds. Tell me what idiot attorney would consider taking that case, lots of them.
Put a tack under his Ferarri tire


----------



## PipeDreamer (Mar 26, 2009)

Nobody wants to sue an attorney. The threat of a lean on his building is usually enough to get paid. They're lawyers, they can look up the law.


----------



## Protech (Sep 22, 2008)

You know it's the darndest thing how a backflow can get hit by a drunk driver when you don't pay the plumber:whistling2:..............



SewerRatz said:


> I love people like that.. really I do. I had a lawyer hire me to unclog his main. After a half hour the rod would not pass 40' so I pulled out and the cutter was all shined up. So I sent a funnel auger in the line and pulled out a handful of gravel. I explained to the guy his line is broken. He then asked me to locate the break which I did was in the middle of his parking lot. So I wrote him a bill for my time to diagnose his trouble and locating the problem spot. He proceeded to tell me he is not paying me because I did not get the line open, for me to sue him. I tried to explain to him that he was paying me to stick my rod in his drain in attempt to clear an obstruction, which it was determined that the pipe was broken. Something he did not know till I stuck the rod in the line, plus he told me to locate the spot for him. He still said sue him.
> 
> Back then I did not know how to handle a situation like that and wrote it up as a loss. But since then I learned I can call the police and have them arrested for theft of services. Then put a lean on his building.


----------



## breid1903 (Feb 8, 2009)

*lawyers*

don't work for them. period. i don't. all of them that call are so stupid the first thing they tell us is that they are lawyers. yes sir and i can't get there for 2 weeks or my machine is broke. i've also been known to tell them there is a $100.00 show fee, cod at door on arrival. most are cheap and refuse. piss on em. breid.


----------



## leak1 (Mar 25, 2009)

back in the 70s i installed a new kohler 1 pc. toilet for a lawyer,he could not understand why i couldnt use the old wax ring over again, what a MORAN!!!!!


----------



## KratzerPlumbing (Feb 23, 2009)

I did work for a religious lawyer (i never knew there was such a thing). He had a Grohe shower valve that was leaking and it was 12:00 am. I showed up and happened to have the right cartridge. Fixed it and gave him the bill for $450. He refused to pay and told me to "Get the hell out" I refused to leave and the cops came. I told them I was not leaving if he did not pay the bill. He still refused and the cop said "go get your part out and leave the assh... without water" After I started to take it back out the guy said he would pay and the cop said you now owe him for 2 extra hours. Ends up the cops Dad was a service plumber in San Francisco:thumbup:


----------



## SewerRatz (Apr 25, 2009)

KratzerPlumbing said:


> I did work for a religious lawyer (i never knew there was such a thing). He had a Grohe shower valve that was leaking and it was 12:00 am. I showed up and happened to have the right cartridge. Fixed it and gave him the bill for $450. He refused to pay and told me to "Get the hell out" I refused to leave and the cops came. I told them I was not leaving if he did not pay the bill. He still refused and the cop said "go get your part out and leave the assh... without water" After I started to take it back out the guy said he would pay and the cop said you now owe him for 2 extra hours. Ends up the cops Dad was a service plumber in San Francisco:thumbup:


 Nice. :thumbup:

I have most villages police office, and public works phone numbers on speed dial. Mostly for when I show up and find that the city sewer is backed up. I call public works, but if they are gone for the day then call the police and ask dispatch to page the public works guy on call. But it does come in handy when people refuse to pay I hand them my phone with the number predialed for them.


----------



## service guy (Jun 26, 2008)

double post


----------



## service guy (Jun 26, 2008)

KratzerPlumbing said:


> I did work for a religious lawyer (i never knew there was such a thing). He had a Grohe shower valve that was leaking and it was 12:00 am. I showed up and happened to have the right cartridge. Fixed it and gave him the bill for $450. He refused to pay and told me to "Get the hell out" I refused to leave and the cops came. I told them I was not leaving if he did not pay the bill. He still refused and the cop said "go get your part out and leave the assh... without water" After I started to take it back out the guy said he would pay and the cop said you now owe him for 2 extra hours. Ends up the cops Dad was a service plumber in San Francisco:thumbup:


I love stories with a happy ending. :thumbup:


----------



## Plumber Jim (Jun 19, 2008)

KratzerPlumbing said:


> I did work for a religious lawyer (i never knew there was such a thing). He had a Grohe shower valve that was leaking and it was 12:00 am. I showed up and happened to have the right cartridge. Fixed it and gave him the bill for $450. He refused to pay and told me to "Get the hell out" I refused to leave and the cops came. I told them I was not leaving if he did not pay the bill. He still refused and the cop said "go get your part out and leave the assh... without water" After I started to take it back out the guy said he would pay and the cop said you now owe him for 2 extra hours. Ends up the cops Dad was a service plumber in San Francisco:thumbup:


 
Lol. We had a similar thing happen at a village inn. their water heater went out and we put one in and when we got done they decided they would redo the price and pay less later. welp we said no, we are going to take the heater back. They said they would call the police so we did it for them. The cop told him untill you pay them it's their heater, So we began to pull it out and they decided to pay. lol.


----------



## Down N Dirty (Mar 12, 2009)

Wow I love the police spin. Not being much in service work I never knew you could do that. Interesting read.


----------



## Plumber (Jan 18, 2009)

Plumber Jim said:


> Lol. We had a similar thing happen at a village inn. their water heater went out and we put one in and when we got done they decided they would redo the price and pay less later. welp we said no, we are going to take the heater back. They said they would call the police so we did it for them. The cop told him untill you pay them it's their heater, So we began to pull it out and they decided to pay. lol.


We had one yesterday at the local crack hotel. The price was approved with a signature and COD was written on the contract. Mr. Sun Lee, the owner, pulls up and starts with "I don't have my checkbook, my credit card, or cash" bit and we just stared at him...didn't say a word. 

The manager said he'd pay the bill, but the owner finally said he'd pay by check that he just remembered he had.

We would've pulled off and left them without water in a _ing heartbeat.


----------



## Redwood (Sep 8, 2008)

Plumber Jim said:


> Lol. We had a similar thing happen at a village inn. their water heater went out and we put one in and when we got done they decided they would redo the price and pay less later. welp we said no, we are going to take the heater back. They said they would call the police so we did it for them. The cop told him untill you pay them it's their heater, So we began to pull it out and they decided to pay. lol.


Mr. Patel is that you? :laughing:


----------



## para1 (Jun 17, 2008)

*"that too much, that too much!"*


----------



## Pipedoc (Jun 14, 2009)

SewerRatz said:


> Back then I did not know how to handle a situation like that and wrote it up as a loss. But since then I learned I can call the police and have them arrested for theft of services. Then put a lean on his building.


Rock on Sewer Rat!:thumbsup:

I tried that a few years ago and I was told "it is a civil matter, take him to court." 

By the way, I changed the way I write up my quote for rodding work now. Now I write,

_Power rod mainsewer line from [insert location here] _
_Includes up to 1 hour of rodding time._
_Equipment and Labor $xxx.00_

If I can't open the line in that time I let the client know I can continue to rod for $xxx.00 an hour or we can [insert other remedy here] for $xxxx.00. It puts the onous back on them. If they don't want to do the repair or pay for more work they must pay me for what I have done already. If they say "Well, you haven't opened the sewer!" I reply that I will continue to rod but they must pay for the service. If you want me to stop here, you still must pay me for what I have already done. Afterall, they are paying for our time and knowledge when we rod - not a guarantee of success by mechanical rodding only!

Ever since I started this pricing policy, I no longer have problems with this issue and it works out as a great selling tool to help the client decide that the repair work is in their best interest. 

Where I live, the city does free camera jobs for the residents. 
Hence, we do not sell a lot of camera jobs in this town. This policy also helps when a client calls me back because they refused to pay me for a camera inspection to ensure I have done a complete rodding, and the city says I need to come back and "finish the job" after the client calls them to camera for free. I explain it would be my pleasure to come back and rod some more but new rodding fees will apply. :whistling2:


----------



## Associated Plum (Nov 4, 2008)

Our pricing manual and when it is wrote up on the workorder which the client signs it state this is an "Attempt to clear stoppage"


----------



## TheMaster (Jun 12, 2009)

What if the client is not at the job location?


----------



## breid1903 (Feb 8, 2009)

*no check no work*

i get a service fee to show up and diagnose the problem. not cod but "catd". check at the door. no check i just book. we are arguing over money and i'm not even in the door. time to leave. my wife's plumbing works. no heartburn for me that way. every single customer that paid the show fee was a good one. 100%. breid


----------



## Pipedoc (Jun 14, 2009)

I won't even consider showing up if the client isn't there. Putting the liability issue aside, how do you sell work to clients over the phone? How do you get a signed contract? How do you add value to the job if they are not there to appreciate it? How do you offer a free plumbing inspection and show the client other plumbing issues and close that sale if they are not there? How do you make cross sales or add on sales?
I could go on for days.


----------

