My Heater Guy and My Instincts.

[hotajax 223]

Started with this guy about 7 years ago.  Back then, he  was responsive and energetic.  Last year I went through hell trying to get him to come out and do preventive maintenance, but he kept stalling me. He didn't show up until I said to be here or I'm getting a new guy.  This season, he's pulling the same song and dance routine.  I want to dump him, but my wife likes him.  He's a smooth-talking tap dancer.  She likes car salesmen, ticket scalpers, and all-around flim flam guys.   If I can't count on him to get his sorry self over here for the PM, I believe he'd drag his feet on a cold night in January.  I say get rid of him- he didn't learn his lesson last season.  Am I being a constipated, unreasonabble, cranky old curmudgeon, or am I right to find a new guy?  Opinions. please  Heater guys are all over my area.  Thanks in advance.

Edited September 12, 2023 by hotajax

[ebinmaine 67,421]

Folks are busy in some trades. 

Ridiculous busy. 

But common courtesy is not so common to the masses anymore. 

If I make a call or text I expect a return. 

If I call someone more than twice they RARELY get another chance. 

 

Contacting someone for a service or repair multiple times is drama and time spent I don't need and won't tolerate. 

 

He's out. 

[Mickwhitt 4,612]

Have the same trouble over here with tradesmen.

If you can get them to turn up for a quote, if they don't like the look of the job they either quote ridiculously high or just never get back to you.

Or they are just a labourer with some tools saying they are a builder etc.

My brother has just had some building work done, the guy used self levelling compound in an outdoor toilet and filled the sewer with it. Costly clean up bill.

A friend has had a big remodel done on her home, the builders are sloppy, messy and have been at this job since January.  Projected completion date? March. Now here she is in September with the house still a shambles. 

There are precious few tradesmen any more, mostly they are shysters who make a quick buck then disappear. 

[Pullstart 62,834]

4 hours ago, hotajax said:

my wife likes him.  He's a smooth-talking tap dancer.  She likes car salesmen, ticket scalpers, and all-around flim flam guys.

Is that how she nabbed you?    Sorry, that one was too easy 

[c-series don 8,688]

I’d say “next!” The older I get the less tolerance I have for things like that (and many other things for that matter!) Especially if you have plenty of others to choose from. Maybe you’ll find a smooth talking flim flam guy who will actually get the job done and then you’ll both be happy! 

[squonk 41,067]

You might have plenty of others around but they could be worse. Ask around. Get references. Especially if your appliance is oil fired. 

 

We have the same issue with our industrial boilers. There is one guy in our area. He wants to retire. No one else is worth the time. He's training someone. Hope it works out

 

Same thing with our Absorption chiller. One guy. If he can't be there we have to get a guy who's 2 hrs. away.

[ri702bill 8,316]

Do a little digging for less-than-satisfied customers comments on this guy. Kind of like reading the customer reviews on either Amazon or HFT.

Try Yelp, Angies, and even the Better Business Bureau. You may have your suspicions confirmed... or not.

Bill

[Ed Kennell 38,133]

My son Mike keeps two of his plumbers on call just to service old customers, but unless it's a real emergency, he has to turn away new service calls.

Most of his  guys are scheduled on new HVAC installation projects   It's a challenge to find any new people interested in the trade.    

 

[953 nut 55,188]

7 hours ago, hotajax said:

He didn't show up until I said to be here or I'm getting a new guy.  This season, he's pulling the same song and dance routine.  I want to dump him, but my wife likes him.

Perhaps you should have your wife take charge of having the heating system serviced. If he doesn't respond to her you can rest assured she will change her mind.

[OutdoorEnvy 1,522]

This is a business decision and should be based on facts, not feelings.  He doesn't value your business and certainly has no friendship respect for you, or your wife, either.  Tell your wife you don't owe him anything.  Your relationship is based on business and he is no longer a good business decision or time investment.  If he's banking on past success entitling him to poor service going forward he'll learn the hard way. 

Edited September 12, 2023 by OutdoorEnvy

[ri702bill 8,316]

31 minutes ago, OutdoorEnvy said:

If he's banking on past success entitling him to poor service going forward he'll learn the hard way. 

Those who rest on their laurels wind up on their butts..... 

[oliver2-44 9,731]

 There is an ap called "Next Door Neighbor"  While it has too many post about lost dogs and cats, there are post about tradesmen/companies all the time.  Who's good, who never showed up, who took advantage of someone.  You have to wade through the rants a bit, but its quick to show who's bad or ripping people off.  While there are comments about who's good, I find if the Company IS NOT commented on, they are the one to use.  They are quietly doing their job and taking care of business.  People are quick to comment about the bad, but less likely to comment about the good.   

 

There is an amazing amount of residential construction/remodel/repair work around the Lakes and Hill Country where I live. There is also an amazing amount of trades people running up and down the highway.  I see a new Plumbing ,AC, Stone Mason, Concrete company name very often.

Realtors say weekender or retiree's who "moved here" resell their lake houses, or Hill Country Ranchettes every 8-10 years. These "weekend lake houses are becoming McMansions. New owners want to personalize the house they just bought.  I see so so much sloppy/shoddy workmanship. 

For the work I don't do myself I tend to hire tradesmen outside the lake and city area, from the farming towns 30 miles away.    

So many of our young and middle age masses no longer grew up on a farm or had to do hands-on-work in their younger life.  So they never learned what good construction quality looks like.  I have a next door weekend neighbor that last year tore down the 1980's house and built a semi McMansion with a separate guest house (I feel I'm getting pushed out of the neighborhood)  Seeing every bit of the shoddy work right next door and it getting covered up with new paint was so sad.  They have two college age kids, a Senior and one in Graduate School.  These young adults /kids have never had a summer or part time job. It's sad, they've never mowed a lawn, etc,etc.    Sorry for my Rant!  

[JoeM 7,873]

6 hours ago, ebinmaine said:

If I call someone more than twice they RARELY get another chance.

[hotajax 223]

3 hours ago, 953 nut said:

Perhaps you should have your wife take charge of having the heating system serviced. If he doesn't respond to her you can rest assured she will change her mind.

No she can't pull herself away from the TV long enough to make the call

[ebinmaine 67,421]

1 minute ago, hotajax said:

No she can't pull herself away from the TV long enough to make the call

 

 

 

Cancel Cable and Satellite 

[hotajax 223]

Thanks for your collective opinions.  I noticed not one person said, "He's young give him another chance"  That would be for the second time.  But, trust me, he's gone. 

[ri702bill 8,316]

Tell us how that went....

[hotajax 223]

On 9/12/2023 at 6:32 PM, ri702bill said:

Tell us how that went....

It's simple.  Tassle toes said he'd get back to me by the end of September and tell me the date he would come to my house.  Of course, he never followed thru, so I called another company and they gladly scheduled a date in early October.  He has no clue he lost a customer that kept his appointments and paid his bills on time.  Fun to be fat, dumb, and happy, eh?

 

NOTE:  If you live around Phila area, the name of the Bozo the Clown show to avoid is called "Total Tech HVAC". 

Edited September 25, 2023 by hotajax

[ebinmaine 67,421]

 

3 minutes ago, hotajax said:

I called another company and they gladly scheduled a date in early October

Well done