Leak in customer house.

[Ryooo]

Hi what's the best advice in dealing with a leak in a customers house?

1. Stripped out bathroom suite, installed 1st fix shower pipes in stud wall.
2. Turned water on, cheeked all joints.
3. Show customer completed works. Happy with job and paid me
4. Get a phone call 3 days later saying there is a leak. I get him to discuss over the phone. He idtenifies it as the shower pipes, precisely the speed fit cap I've capped the end off with. Job done. Call me back later to say its not its the soldered elbow at the wall.
5. I arrange to go there a couple days later, call him on the day before no answer. Texts me in the middle night saying he has forgot to leave me a key. Can I come the following day?
6. The following day I get shingles confirmed and decided to take a few day off. He is now not happy.
7. After taking two days off, I make contact. He has now fixed my leak, cracked on with the job because he could not wait and sent me an estimated damage cost of £350.
8. Try to resolve over messages, he lift the water on while property was empty, no one went to house till 2 days after plumbing work was done etc
Now it's getting pretty heated.

To summarise, this is my first unhappy customer. I went self employed in May. I have insurance etc. He wanted the job done cheap as chips. He was plumbing in the kitchen sink to a 1st year level. One of his DIY moments could have caused this.

What is the correct procedure you experienced guys go through when this sort of things happened?

Cheers Ryan

 

[OffshoreGas]

Read the thread again he went out but the customer forgot to leave a key so he did attend. He then fell ill.

The original post says he tired to go out 2 days later. If I was contacted saying my work was leaking I’d be there if at all possibly within a couple of hours. The OP being ill is unfortunate but not really the customers problem, it’s a foreseeable event a business should have a contingency plan for. If in either instance I or someone working for me couldn’t attend pretty sharpish I’d be calling in a favour from a different firm I respect even if it meant paying for it. It’s not worth risking your reputation/liability insurance etc etc.

The customers trying to pull a fast one no doubt but that’s just being in business. I’d offer him £200 as a goodwill gesture first possibly but it’s just not with the time/effort/risk fighting it. It’s business not personal.

 

[Gasmk1]

it seems to have gone quiet from the original poster so can we assume he's sorted it.

 

[Millsy 82]

The original post says he tired to go out 2 days later. If I was contacted saying my work was leaking I’d be there if at all possibly within a couple of hours. The OP being ill is unfortunate but not really the customers problem, it’s a foreseeable event a business should have a contingency plan for. If in either instance I or someone working for me couldn’t attend pretty sharpish I’d be calling in a favour from a different firm I respect even if it meant paying for it. It’s not worth risking your reputation/liability insurance etc etc.

The customers trying to pull a fast one no doubt but that’s just being in business. I’d offer him £200 as a goodwill gesture first possibly but it’s just not with the time/effort/risk fighting it. It’s business not personal.

View attachment 40064

I have said in one of my earlier posts that if it were me I would of gone out immediately to repair the leak

But

We dont know what the customer said!!!!!

As it's an empty house they may of said no rush I have turned the water off to stop the leak. I've had leaks I didnt spot and people have isolated the iso valve before hand and then happy days no rush I go out when its convenient to them not I'm coming now.

 

[centralheatking]

But why? I've asked for faulty fitting and or pictures and have heard a peep from him since. Over £200 damages to vinyl and flooring and £30 for ceiling damages. Come on, we all know leaks flood the ceiling, then wall and then flooring. The guy was at it. My guess was he wouldn't wait for me so thought he would have a go himself or most likely his first attempt at fitting kitchen sink didn't go to plan. It's kitchen flooring area he is/was claiming damages for. If I pay £350 I'm admitting liability.

Park it walk away and DO NOT PAY. centralheatking

 

[firemant]

Personally I'd pay the £350 and move on with your life. It's just business, its all tax deductible. Use it as a learning experience to spot the to**ers.

A single customer badmouthing a business can cost the business £1000's.

What has tax deductability got to do with anything? It is like saying don't bother billing someone as it attracts tax.

I would never pay a penny to a grasping idiot, unless there was a genuine fault.

It appears that he has no evidence, and these days it is SO easy to take a photograph or video. I do not beleive one would move forward without doing just that.

 

[OffshoreGas]

What has tax deductability got to do with anything? It is like saying don't bother billing someone as it attracts tax.

I would never pay a penny to a grasping idiot, unless there was a genuine fault.

It appears that he has no evidence, and these days it is SO easy to take a photograph or video. I do not beleive one would move forward without doing just that.

Because in real terms that £350 is closer to £200 when you take into account tax.

How much time are you willing to waste for £200 - 250?

Personally I’d offer them a lower amount as a goodwills gesture, if they refuse that pay them, move on and do something more productive. It’s a life lesson.

 

[Harvest Fields]

I’m surprised anyone earns any money if you are all offering compensation for every little niggle that pops up

 

[OffshoreGas]

I’m surprised anyone earns any money if you are all offering compensation for every little niggle that pops up

Wouldn’t you always aim to leave every customer feeling they’ve had good service?

Returning quickly to fix a niggle or doing a little bit extra often pays back massively in my experience.

If 1 in 1000 jobs try’s to scam you how much time do you dedicate to it?

 

[Harvest Fields]

Wouldn’t you always aim to leave every customer feeling they’ve had good service?

Returning quickly to fix a niggle or doing a little bit extra often pays back massively in my experience.

If 1 in 1000 jobs try’s to scam you how much time do you dedicate to it?

As much time as the OP already has. He has done what he needs to do. Job done.

 

[Millsy 82]

I’m surprised anyone earns any money if you are all offering compensation for every little niggle that pops up

Especially if your going to offer more than what the job was worth.

 

[Sharp Point]

My penneth worth. In the OP initial post( number 4) he says the customer rang him to say it’s the elbow that’s leaking and they both arranged for Ryoo to go a couple of days later. So the customer is aware that there is a leak but left the water on... the onus is purely on the customer!

Ryoo, I’d say f@ck him. You’ll never make everyone happy...
Some people are just pure tossers

 

[gmartine]

My insurance policy...

 

[OffshoreGas]

My penneth worth. In the OP initial post( number 4) he says the customer rang him to say it’s the elbow that’s leaking and they both arranged for Ryoo to go a couple of days later. So the customer is aware that there is a leak but left the water on... the onus is purely on the customer!

Ryoo, I’d say f@ck him. You’ll never make everyone happy...
Some people are just pure tossers

Kind of depends on each parties definition of "agreed", if the OP said I'll be there in 20 mins and customer said it was OK for a few days is very different to a distressed customer being told the OP will be there in 2 days take it or leave it.

 

[Sharp Point]

Kind of depends on each parties definition of "agreed", if the OP said I'll be there in 20 mins and customer said it was OK for a few days is very different to a distressed customer being told the OP will be there in 2 days take it or leave it.

He left the water on.... nuff sed

 

[OffshoreGas]

He left the water on.. nuff sed

Again you're assuming the customer was competent to decide water should be isolated. You're confusing common sense with the law which rarely agree.

 

[Sharp Point]

Again you're assuming the customer was competent to decide water should be isolated. You're confusing common sense with the law which rarely agree.

If the customer is bright enough to repair the leak, he’s bright enough to isolate the water. He would’ve had to isolate the water to repair it.

 

[Millsy 82]

Kind of depends on each parties definition of "agreed", if the OP said I'll be there in 20 mins and customer said it was OK for a few days is very different to a distressed customer being told the OP will be there in 2 days take it or leave it.

If the customer was not happy then they should of got someone else to repair the leak quicker. Or turn the water off

 

[OffshoreGas]

If the customer was not happy then they should of got someone else to repair the leak quicker. Or turn the water off

Again not what the law says.

 

[Sharp Point]

Again not what the law says.

So you’re a lawyer as well now? Clever man really aren’t you? I’m amazed you’d lower yourself mingling with us mere lowly plumbers being a superior instrument technician and representative of commercial law

 

[Harvest Fields]

Thread closed. I think that this has now been sorted and debated enough.