Customers From Hell

[Cumbria Handyma]

Have you had any? If so tell us about them, what happened and how you resolved it or...

Mine (the only one) was a woman who asked me to quote to replace her bath. Did the job, got paid and left.

About two weeks later, she phoned me to say that she had returned from weekend at mums and water was leaking through her ceiling. Rushed round and found big bulge in kitchen ceiling. To stop ceiling collapsing I pierced it with broom handle, got soaked, and isolated at stop tap.

Went up stairs and found radiator in bedroom leaking due to rust at base, (must have been leaking for a few days) so drained system. Told her what the problem was and offered to fit new rad. No price asked. Purchased rad and inhibitor and fitted new rad filled system adding inhib, and charged her £180.00.

Told her that she would now need to get someone in to replace ceiling.

She refused to pay me as she insisted I must have caused the leak when I fitted the bath. Tried to explain, but got nowhere. In fact, she wanted me to pay for a new ceiling and kitchen floor which had been ruined.

I just walked out. Never heard from her again.

A year later, I returned having confirmed she was not at home, turned off her water supply in the street and then filled the void with postcrete. Don't know how much it cost her o get it put right, but was probably 20 times what she refused to pay me.

 

[GQuigley67]

all customers are from hell, usually try and get them to go out for the day while we are working in the house as they are just an accident waiting to happen

 

[Helpfulplumber]

You muppet, stop tap in the road Is water boards!!!!!:smartass:

 

[desrob]

Have you had any? If so tell us about them, what happened and how you resolved it or...

Mine (the only one) was a woman who asked me to quote to replace her bath. Did the job, got paid and left.

About two weeks later, she phoned me to say that she had returned from weekend at mums and water was leaking through her ceiling. Rushed round and found big bulge in kitchen ceiling. To stop ceiling collapsing I pierced it with broom handle, got soaked, and isolated at stop tap.

Went up stairs and found radiator in bedroom leaking due to rust at base, (must have been leaking for a few days) so drained system. Told her what the problem was and offered to fit new rad. No price asked. Purchased rad and inhibitor and fitted new rad filled system adding inhib, and charged her £180.00.

Told her that she would now need to get someone in to replace ceiling.

She refused to pay me as she insisted I must have caused the leak when I fitted the bath. Tried to explain, but got nowhere. In fact, she wanted me to pay for a new ceiling and kitchen floor which had been ruined.

I just walked out. Never heard from her again.

A year later, I returned having confirmed she was not at home, turned off her water supply in the street and then filled the void with postcrete. Don't know how much it cost her o get it put right, but was probably 20 times what she refused to pay me.

immature and not funny.

 

[Koogatubac]

You have to laugh at the fact of sum1 doing what he did... Turning the water off and pouring concrete down XD LOL

 

[gavinwilson]

would she have had to pay to get it sorted seeing as its the water authorities ?

 

[hammers4spanner]

would she have had to pay to get it sorted seeing as its the water authorities ?

aparently you do

 

[Koogatubac]

Still got to keep the relationship professional, even if this situation does happen

 

[Mike Jackson]

Very dodgy thing to do. I'd view it as criminal damage.

 

[SafeGasInstall]

op you might get in deep trouble for a such a thing ! delete you post before some one trace you down


you do realise this site is watched !!! and threads never get deleted from here !!!

 

[Helpfulplumber]

The stop tap in the street is nothing to do with the customer, the waterbard would ave popped out and repaired it. It might be that they would have paid her or her water being off!!!!

 

[dontknowitall]

While tempting it can be a really dangerous practice. Imagine if someone was on a course of medicinal drugs that required water ...

 

[Koogatubac]

Hes probably said it as 'banter' just like what we all are like on a building site... 🙂 hes a professional, friendly plumber who wouldnt dream of doing any such act 🙂

 

[SafeGasInstall]

op are you electrician by trade ?????

 

[Millsy 82]

Had many, will have many more but thats part of the job.

What you should have done is taken the rad back out or just agreed the price before starting

 

[AaronC]

I would have walked upstairs and pulled the radiator off the wall and walked out the door with it......I have no patience for ignorant customers like that

 

[Mike Jackson]

The unprofessional attitude of some of the posters on this thread beggars belief. The correct course of action would have been to discuss the issue of payment before starting work and there would be no need for childish reactions like filling holes with postcrete or ripping radiators off walls. If you are in the right then use the small claims court to get your money. It's nice to imagine having all sorts of nasty revenge against people but your reputation of being professional is more important.

Is it any wonder that people won't employ a professional plumber with the attitude of some of the posters on here.

 

[hammers4spanner]

The unprofessional attitude of some of the posters on this thread beggars belief. The correct course of action would have been to discuss the issue of payment before starting work and there would be no need for childish reactions like filling holes with postcrete or ripping radiators off walls. If you are in the right then use the small claims court to get your money. It's nice to imagine having all sorts of nasty revenge against people but your reputation of being professional is more important.


Wrong small claims court not worth anything and you would need a bullet proof case to get your money , which if you win they may offer to pay tenner a week then not make first payment prompting a 2 year process to start again , note if you lose you incur costs .,

As having been in this position before i would take the rad off as its still rightfully yours , leave the house with it still attached and your never getting inside the house to reclaim it as its trespassing .

besisdes seen many a posts on here from reg users on here stating to poor compo down stopcock etc ,,,,pot kettle here methinks

 

[Cumbria Handyma]

No need for me to delete, as it happened some time ago and not in the area where I now reside.

Small claims court, waste of space. Revenge tastes best when served cold. :8:

 

[Mike Jackson]

You will never see a post on here from me advocating vandalising someone's property. I would rather lose money than sully my reputation. What I will do to a bad payer is make sure that everyone that I know is told about them so they struggle to get a decent tradesman to do any more work for them.

Had a customer a good few years ago refuse to pay the full bill for a water heater repair saying that there was no way that the spares could have cost that much despite us charging the spares at cost because they were expensive and showing her the bill. We ended up being out of pocket on 2 hours labour so I put the word about that she was a bad payer. About a month later someone bricked the double glazed unit in her front window, probably a drunk because it happened late at night. She lived opposite a glazing company but they refused to come out and mend it because of her bad payment record, I knew the company director and had worked for him in the past. That window remained broken until she sold up and moved on. I retained the moral high ground but she suffered for her actions.