its the customers who should be on the telly as well

[Timmyturtle]

Bloomin`ell I charged £140 yesterday to change a pump,valve and a small section of pipe including using a drain off kit to stop the water(floor standing boiler with pump inside casing)
I must be a mug..or too honest...or just stupid....or all three?

Rogue customers are certainly plentiful

 

[sooey]

i think you are being harsh on zimmer, if he said to the guy 'it'll be 250 quid to sort', BEFORE he did the work, then its the customer who has the choice.

Most customers have got no idea what the repair entails and in desperation will often just accept a quote in order to have their heating/hot water working again...they're only to gratefull someone's turned up. They have a misplaced trust in the installer to carry out the repair for a fair and honest price.

It appears that this repair took no more than an hour or two, given a quality pump is around £50.00 then £200.00 labour is nothing short of a rip off. This over-charging really p****s off the good installers out there since it continues the stereotypical image of the industry...full of cowboys out to scam.

As you say manortim, you are new to breakdowns.....you will learn to despise these charletans and have no tolerance for them as you come across customers that have been ripped off time and time again.

It is up to the installer to explain the costs, likely parts needed and possible problems that will be encountered. Its often impossible to give an accurate qoute but I've no doubt zimmers did not tell the customer he would be charged £200 for just a couple of hours work.

gasguru, I thought you said no comment (Couldn't agree more with you though).

 

[zimmers]

I am hardworking and dont make a fortune upto nown i have nothing in for the last working week this year,after a good november,4 full c/h installations, 5 combi changes and 3 conv changes,and a few repairs i done ok so i must be doing something right to get recomondations and get paid without 1 proplem. please what are your prices 1st one pump change xmas week 27th at 5pm

 

[chrishutt]

It all boils down to whether we want to be seen as Professionals (on a par with say surveyors) or opportunistic chancers like zimmers.

True professionals will operate according to ethical standards. That certainly doesn't mean being cheap, or allowing yourself to be taken advantage of, but it does mean charging in a way that is fair and reasonable. Above all it means not taking undue advantage of customers who are naive about costs or in desperate circumstances.

Professionals shouldn't sell themselves short. Their professionalism is of value and sets them apart from the chancers. Good customers will come to value their integrity and trustworthiness. Bad customers will always look for the cheapest deal and get what they deserve - the zimmers of this world.

 

[Stingray13]

Just a few pence worth

1. 27th December still a working day not aware of it being a NEW bank holiday, and 5pm don't know about your customers but mine work our standard working hours run until six, Yes you had the pump on board as do most people i know i carry 2 pumps (15-50/60) and 1 of each of the heads.

2. You said good pump valves, means should be better, a little bit of heat usual if the pump a few years old

3. its up to you what you charge, this is your choice nothing to do with me, but i think its very steep but once again he had the choice of getting someone else.

4. What he did was wrong and to what end who knows, but you saw him and was easily corrected.

5. what you did;
id left my tools upstairas so i loosend the air vent and it was going pretty well ,so i left anmd 30 min later "weve got water coming through the celing",my dad answered it and id told him about it all,and my dad said "he cant come back until next week so stick some bluetack in the hole you cheeky b*****d"

IS CRIMINAL DAMAGE and he will probably sue you just because you say he did something he has the proof.

I have to regularly visit Bodged installs, rubbish repairs or even worse jobs where people can't fix leave the boiler in bits and say call a "specialist" screws missing, wires out casing stripped you name it i went to one with a faulty thermistor over £1700 worth of bills for things ranging from gas valves to services to just labour, yet customer never saw a single spare part taken up. (Woman on her own)

Yes we are dealing with more and more customers out to rip us off i have good Standard terms (thanks to hard work and some member assistance here and always welcome additional terms to add), good insurance value and am an FSB member, if they want to try it were ready for them, you shouldn't wilfully destroy property for £250 you should of put it back told them what you'd seen and left then refused to go back, this could still come back to bite you.

As for what you charge this is your choice you value your time and experience as required but if 5 o clock is late i don't understand how you will ver get people that work, i even offer sat mornings at same rates as week days to help our working customers and if you book far enough in advance can have any time slot subject to fair timing and use at standard rates.

My main concern is your professionalism yes he was an idiot tried to screw you but you decided to damage his property and took MONEY over saying i caught you tuff. i am off home to my wife and kids.

 

[Agile]

I am already a little worried about Zimmer's technical competence.

Now I see him to be an opportunist chancer who rips off customers and then sabotages and damages their houses. There should be regulations to stop people like him.

If there are pump gate valves then we would charge £149 inclusive to replace the pump. Its a job which will be completed within an hour!

I cannot understand how anyone could do those things to his boiler but be unable to change the pump himself. But its not surprising that anyone being ripped off so badly would feel annoyed!

Tony

 

[Stingray13]

I cannot understand how anyone could do those things to his boiler but be unable to change the pump himself. But its not surprising that anyone being ripped off so badly would feel annoyed!

Tony
Yes you and me both, if they understand the working of the APS and its role as well as having the blue tack ready to do it, that's without the electrical connections and knowing which ones to disable it a pump change would be very easy..

 

[Agile]

Perhaps we will see him on Rogue Traders soon???

Can anyone advise me when its due as I never get to see them because I dont have time to scrutinise the listings.

Tony

 

[Stingray13]

Tony,

I think its due back on in the spring, but there is also one on ITV about the same time each year (Summer) called house of horrors, you should really see some of the stuff these people pull.

But one thing that still concerns me with regard to Zimmer is the fact he left the bleed valve open and just left, if he was being fitted up should of left, not open and leave he may as well just taken the gas meter with him, its just juvenile

i would of put the old pump back and left £250 isn't worth my reputation i haven't been doing it for long like some of you guys (Gods) but i have an ethical stance as well as always trying to do what's best for my customers, and if i don't know i ask or look it up

 

[zimmers]

didnt you see this story in the paper last month it did happen in the meseyside area but i just changed it a bit to make it a bit more intresting but as its backfired id rather be called daft than a conman,so i hold my hands up it wasny me and i charge £150 to change a pump ,£170 new valves ,

 

[ajs heating]

they all say that when their found out

 

[chrishutt]

they all say that when their found out

That's a bit rich coming from you "ajs".

 

[EliteHeat]

What I don't understand about this is that surely it would have been wisest to fire the boiler up for a few seconds as a first action.

This completely nullifies any argument afterwards along the lines of "it was working before you got here" etc etc

Obviously this method doesn't work for boiler breakdowns!

 

[DP]

I have just had one such customer who first wanted a free repair carried out to her system as she had with her a receipt I issued to previous house owner. Then she wanted me to give her a report of the defect when I told her the two faults were not related (receipted defect was blocked pilot injector, new fault permanent demand from the Boiler mate) for which she paid £65.00. This payment (cheque) was revoked because che felt I had ripped her off.

She is welcome to her £65.00 as hell would have to freeze over before I darnken her door step.

 

[Waterworxsw]

I always do my best to ensure appliances work before I do anything to them. Been cayghtout before.

As for £250 for a pump change, whether is was zimmers or what he read in the papers, that is disgusting, if pump valves are good then I generally charge around £100-120 dependant on the travel and I always fit a Grundfos.

As for the customer fiddling, maybe the best thing would to of walked in on him with his hands in the boiler, catch him red handed.

Al