# Instruct her over the phone LOL no way.



## UnclogNH (Mar 28, 2009)

Had a woman call me last night. Local in town job she called me about 8:30ish. Asked me how much to come out and unclog her kitchen sink?
Tell her because she is local $75.00 maybe 7 min drive at best.

She say's I'm to expencive :laughing: That she can go to Walmart and buy a snake for $10.00. I tell her sorry you feel that I'm expensive and good luck with her drain.

She calls me up at 9:00am. She can't clear her drain. Can I instruct her how to use the snake and reinstall the pipes under the sink over the phone because of all the bends :laughing:
I told her sorry I cannot help you or instruct you in any way due to liability issues in instructing if something goes wrong or injury.
She she got all mad and called me a few choice words and hung up. 
Thanks for calling :laughing:


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## uaplumber (Jun 16, 2008)

I get those calls all the time.
Lady called and asked how to get "that round thing off the shower valve"

I told her we could dispatch a plumber to fix it for her. Nope we are too expensive. I told her how expensive it is for me to be on the phone dispensing free advice, however she could talk to me for an hour if she provided a CC number:laughing:.

She hung up....... Damn, guess I missed a sale oppourtunity there.


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## rocksteady (Oct 8, 2008)

"If you would like to schedule a service call, please press one. If you would like to receive technical assistance, please press two."


"You have selected technical assistance, if this is correct please press one"


"Please enter a valid Visa or MasterCard followed with the pound symbol"










paul


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## Plumber Jim (Jun 19, 2008)

I have had people want to know how much to rent my tools.. haha like I would rent my tools.


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## Pipedoc (Jun 14, 2009)

I feel your pain brother!





UnclogNH said:


> ......She say's I'm to expencive :laughing: That she can go to Walmart and buy a snake for $10.00. .........She calls me up at 9:00am. She can't clear her drain. Can I instruct her how to use the snake and reinstall the pipes under the sink over the phone because of all the bends ..........


 On the flip side, that reminds me of a great client I had about 15 years ago when I worked for a service company in Chicago.

Got a call on a Saturday for a blocked tub drain. When the lady answered the door she was on the phone with her freind. As she showed me to the bathroom and the problem she continued the girl talk on the phone. I shot her a price and likity split she said okay go ahead. I went to the truck and grabbed my tools and went to work. Easiest blocked tub drain in history!:thumbsup: It took all of 10 minutes. I put my tools away and walked into the kitchen and sat down across from her and starting writing up the bill. She looked at me and shockingly said "Don't tell me you are done already?" I said yep! She very quickly told the girlfreind she had to go and hung up the phone. I thought oh no! here we go. How much? But it only took you 10 minutes! Blah, blah, blah. Much to my surprise she said Wow! that reminds me of a great joke! Following is the joke she told me.



> A guy has a machine shop and one day one of his machines break down. He goes to the yellow pages and looks under "machine repair" and calls a guy to come fix his machine. An hour later the service man shows up. The owner takes him to the machine and says "I don't know what happened. It just stopped working all of the sudden" The service man stands back and looks at the machine for a minute then reaches into his tool box, grabs a hammer, hits the machine twice on the side and Whammo! It fires right up and starts working! A week goes by and the machine shop owner gets the bill. $125.00! The owner thought this was an outrage! He called the service man and demanded an itemized bill. A couple of days go by and he receives the itemized bill in the mail. It reads, ......Hit machine twice with hammer.......$25.00 .......Knowing where to hit the machine.........$100.00.


:thumbsup:

It really is nice when we are appreciated for skill and knowledge and not just our labor. I will never forget this lady as long as I live.

Sorry for the long read.


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## service guy (Jun 26, 2008)

Awesome post.:thumbsup:


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## HandsomeMike (Feb 8, 2009)

I hope I never forget that. That is right on up there with ,"If you don't have enough time to do it right the first time, you sure don't have time to come back".


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## para1 (Jun 17, 2008)

*PHONE PLUMBING*
*$79.95 1st minute $39.00 ea. additional min.*


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## hepco (Jul 29, 2008)

I agree 100% but sometimes i break down and will give advice just to keep from going. Never nothing too technical but enough to help them solve there problem so that i wont to listent to to them "you charge that much just to reset that breaker"

Then theres those that i tell because i know them and i absolutly dont even want to respond to there problems because they are headaches or the like. Dont get me wrong, if they are a no-pay then they get nothing from me.

Sometimes a little help goes a long way but i never reveal my techniques and secrets.


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## Turd Burglar (Sep 26, 2009)

I just say, "Oh you want free advice? Ok, but first I need your credit card number and physical address and and an exact description where do you leave the extra key at.":shifty:


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## uaplumber (Jun 16, 2008)

I got a new one today.

Lady calls to say that she had called the gas company to light her furnace.
They told her to call a plumber. She calles me and I say "Sure I can light it, I can be there right away"

Then she asks............ "There's no charge for that is there?"

....................................................................
I say's " We are not a charitable organization, I have to pay my guys, fuel, vehicle etc to get to your home to do this. Of course we charge for that"

She say's " I guess I will just keep calling around"


lol, ok Mrs. Patel!


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## UnclogNH (Mar 28, 2009)

uaplumber said:


> I got a new one today.
> 
> Lady calls to say that she had called the gas company to light her furnace.
> They told her to call a plumber. She calles me and I say "Sure I can light it, I can be there right away"
> ...


*Good Luck Lady !*


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## Pipedoc (Jun 14, 2009)

uaplumber said:


> She say's " I guess I will just keep calling around"
> 
> 
> quote]
> ...


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## Protech (Sep 22, 2008)

I would have responded "Oh course we don't charge. We pay you"


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## Turd Burglar (Sep 26, 2009)

uaplumber said:


> I got a new one today.
> 
> Lady calls to say that she had called the gas company to light her furnace.
> They told her to call a plumber. She calles me and I say "Sure I can light it, I can be there right away"
> ...


Priceless. Its amazing that people that stupid actually survive and are able to own homes. In caveman days she wouldn't have made it past childhood, would have been eaten by a rabid squirrel or something.


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