how do you avoid answering ?'s

[secret squirrel]

The issue I have is this:

Today, I have priced a job which the owner of the house has messed up. The problem is the waste is about 4.5 metres long and is having problems clearing.

I know the solution to the problem and have checked a couple of things with the building regs through the local council (just to clear the mud a little further).

Whilst there and on a brief phone call later on I was being pumped (no pun intended buffy) for answers. I was desperately trying to be vague, so as not to give this avid diyer (no insults to diyer"s intended or implied) any answers.

I also know the amount of phone calls we all do, research etc. re-reading posts checking with suppliers etc goes unpaid.

However, HOW do you all cope with this being vague and not giving out the answers so people can do it themselves whilst you've done the leg work.

 

[migoplumber]

just be straight with the bloke, explain that the reason your charging him 30 quid an hour is because your not a diy'er youve had to go to college and learn the rules, and then paid your own way through the rest of your life as a plumber, retraining, insurance appropriate tools etc. still learning through experience and somebody's has to pay for it.

 

[bobpape]

Just tell them you also operate a consultancy service whereby you visit the premises
and talk them through the job...for a fee...

 

[P4ULT]

i know the feeling i have had this a few times you go there tell them whats wrong what needs to be done. they say ok ill be in touch will they hell they diy.

 

[stevetheplumber]

i had a similar thing today a landlord rang to ask if i would look at a heating failure in a flat and give him a price as it turned out it was just a fuses so was done i 10 mins he has promised to send me a call out but i will wait and see

 

[radswilldo]

Just be straight, dont go into detail, he pays for your knowledge. There is no way to give other advice on this isue, you'll devolope your own way of handling this as there will be more

 

[HTB]

You can honestly say that you don't wish to give "verbal guidance" in case by doing so, and the "client" misunderstands what is said, problems are made worse or unforeseen damage is done.

 

[P4ULT]

You can honestly say that you don't wish to give "verbal guidance" in case by doing so, and the "client" misunderstands what is said, problems are made worse or unforeseen damage is done.

this seems like the way forward to me

 

[Dan]

Some sound advice there.

 

[buffy27]

ways to avoid being pumped!!!!!
1.just make up stuff that he wont know about ie.. over energized water molecules due to trantrification[causes air locks??????}
2. he can help!! by holding something really heavy and awkward [be innovative]
3.pretend to have a very bad speech impediment and/or severe laryngitis!!
4.tell him about the dead plumbers poets society and how u would be in breach of your sworn in rules by disclosing info![whisper and look around for anyone who may hear as u tell him]
5.tell him this is thirsty work [put the f~ckin kettle on !!} -chance for u to prepare your answer for no. 1 above.
6.finally ..... lure him to the back yard with a promise of, a -"walk through the situation/problem" starting from outside ..there then u lay in wait with the hammer , Vaseline and gimp suit...u pump him before he pumps u!!!!!! buf.

 

[Bernie]

haha, i just read this AFTER trying to pump for info (im not a diy'er) but I love Buffys answer - get 'em outside!!! LOL

Have to agree though, people are paying for your knowledge - not just your handiwork - apart from me who is shamelessly begging

 

[heinz57]

I simply dont do free quotes, this tends to put off the pi##takers who just want to get you round, get the info they want and then send you on your way. Tell him to purchase a copy of the water regs and remind him that if he does cut corners and the work isnt done exactly to regs, he might have a problem selling his house without all the right paperwork etc.

 

[bgec]

ways to avoid being pumped!!!!!
1.just make up stuff that he wont know about ie.. over energized water molecules due to trantrification[causes air locks??????}
2. he can help!! by holding something really heavy and awkward [be innovative]
3.pretend to have a very bad speech impediment and/or severe laryngitis!!
4.tell him about the dead plumbers poets society and how u would be in breach of your sworn in rules by disclosing info![whisper and look around for anyone who may hear as u tell him]
5.tell him this is thirsty work [put the f~ckin kettle on !!} -chance for u to prepare your answer for no. 1 above.
6.finally ..... lure him to the back yard with a promise of, a -"walk through the situation/problem" starting from outside ..there then u lay in wait with the hammer , Vaseline and gimp suit...u pump him before he pumps u!!!!!! buf.

Very good

 

[buffy27]

ways to avoid being pumped!!!!!
1.just make up stuff that he wont know about ie.. over energized water molecules due to trantrification[causes air locks??????}
2. he can help!! by holding something really heavy and awkward [be innovative]
3.pretend to have a very bad speech impediment and/or severe laryngitis!!
4.tell him about the dead plumbers poets society and how u would be in breach of your sworn in rules by disclosing info![whisper and look around for anyone who may hear as u tell him]
5.tell him this is thirsty work [put the f~ckin kettle on !!} -chance for u to prepare your answer for no. 1 above.
6.finally ..... lure him to the back yard with a promise of, a -"walk through the situation/problem" starting from outside ..there then u lay in wait with the hammer , Vaseline and gimp suit...u pump him before he pumps u!!!!!! buf.

got pumped myself today!!!thought i was on the weakest link,,she even looked like ann whateverhername is.

 

[newbie1]

2 jobs lately my son had
first replace fan on boiler/3 port/1 rad and 3 trvs was for a friend of a friend so 150.00 labour and they put him onto another friend faulty pcb 80.00 plus parts
guess what wasted 3 hours looking at both jobs second one said sorry found someone cheaper and first one phoned at 2145 day before saying can you do it next weekend
shelled out 170.00 for the parts and has since ignored his phone calls
and the general public wonder why you have to charge 200.00 a day
its because of the time wasting **** takers that you have to charge extra
gradually coming round to the idea thay deserve to be charged high prices

 

[REDSAW]

rock - on newbie

 

[radswilldo]

They deserve to be charged the going rate. Very few customers are truly loyal. You can have a customer for 5 years, doing the lot, but if you cant make the emergency on one day, they'll drop you, forgeting the reason they stuck with you in the first place. You do them a good turn by doing the job properly, they dont do favours, dont mug yourself off.Am glad thr reality is dawning for you.

 

[oldie]

I must be very unusual then, I've used the same plumber for 25years and the only reason I can't use him at the moment is the poor Bu--ger is in intensive care, once I know a Plumber/sparky/ chippyor painter&decorater and trust them and they know the standard of job I expect( ex Rolls Royce aero devision) I never even ask for a quote, I only ask if they can fit my requests in on thier work load. This way trust go's both ways and as a extra benifit all of the trades that I use are now my very good friends as well. So a two way win, they all know if I ask them the jobs theirs , I'll even wait till they can fit me in as a "inbetween job" as I know I'm going to get a good job done at a fair price, and they know that the job is theirs at the price they require, and there will be no questions asked if there are unseen extras to be done.Trust works both ways as far as I'm concerned and I always thought everybody worked this way : )
Oldie

 

[newbie1]

those days are long gone oldie my way of thinking has changed rapidly when i experience being mugged off by people..my son was left with 170.00 pounds of parts and they couldnt even give the courtesy to reply to phone calls
TO THE GENERAL PUBLIC
you reap what you sow and as such can not whine at what you are charged all the time you jerk trades people around

you tell me visit/diagnose and then fit boiler fan/3 port valve/radiator/and 3 trvs all for 150.00 as it was friend of friend only to get left 170.00 out of pocket and no phone call
can only hope their boiler packs up and they freeze their nuts of and get striped fro a emergency boiler repair

 

[oldie]

It's a sad sad day when trust breaks down between people and it can only end up to the detriment of all partys on both sides of the fence,with both believeing the other party is trying to rip them off before the job is even started. I'm sorry to hear what happend to your Son, Newbie, is it not possible for him to make a claim against the other party through the Small Claims Court, as I'm sure that in English Law ( not sure about Wales Scotland and Ireland) that there is such a thing as a "Verbal Contract" and your son can prove he entered into it in good faith by being able to prove he has already provided the parts to complete the job at his own expence. The only time I have Had a disagreement with the Builder/Decorator that I use, is when he completed a job quicker than expected, and I wanted to pay him what he originally told me the job would cost, and he told me that it was no F---ing business of mine, he decided what his cost werefor the job, and not to interfer, just to pay him what he asked for.
Now thats what I call trust, and long may it continue this way.I would not want to get into a situation where nether party trust the other even before a job was started
oldie

 

[buffy27]

I must be very unusual then, I've used the same plumber for 25years and the only reason I can't use him at the moment is the poor Bu--ger is in intensive care, once I know a Plumber/sparky/ chippyor painter&decorater and trust them and they know the standard of job I expect( ex Rolls Royce aero devision) I never even ask for a quote, I only ask if they can fit my requests in on thier work load. This way trust go's both ways and as a extra benifit all of the trades that I use are now my very good friends as well. So a two way win, they all know if I ask them the jobs theirs , I'll even wait till they can fit me in as a "inbetween job" as I know I'm going to get a good job done at a fair price, and they know that the job is theirs at the price they require, and there will be no questions asked if there are unseen extras to be done.Trust works both ways as far as I'm concerned and I always thought everybody worked this way : )
Oldie

i do work for people like u on a regular basis...but there are alot more awkward sods out there than decent people ....