Potential Nightmare Customer

[cr0ft]

Hi all.

To date I have really been getting on with these customers, they bought us a bottle of wine each after their electrical work recently.

It's going downhill a bit now. We are fitting 9x new rads in their rather large house. We sent them photos of the rads before ordering and the invoice specified double radiators throughout the house. We had an email dialogue that this type of rad comes with no side or top panels i.e. it is a bare older style rad.

Money paid for rads. Fitted 2 for him today before he decides he doesn't like them, asks me if they have panels to be fitted lol.

Speaks with his wife, she doesn't mind them. I ask him again, are you happy, I want all of my customers to be happy, if not please let me know.

Email this morning, not happy, he is also saying the rads appear to be double the size for the rooms according to his 'calculations'.

They are the correct size, I suspect his calculator doesn't allow for anything like thickness of loft insulation, the fact the outside walls are solid rather than cavity, the high ceilings, single glazed windows etc. This I can show him easily enough today.

I am thinking of charging a 10% restocking fee on the rads to cover time returning and reordering, I will lose the best part of half a day between my apprentice and I today. Also charging half a day yesterday to first and second fix 2 of the rads that are up already (flooring had to be lifted in both cases to adjust pipework etc). Plus he would have to repurchase new rads to replace the 2 that are opened as they can't be returned.

Money isn't an issue for them, they are absolutely loaded. How would you guys handle this please?

Leaving in 20 mins and would really appreciate some advice before my meeting with them today.

Thanks in advance for all replies.

 

[WaterTight]

Regain your loses via big smiles, ingratiating tones and feigned humility. Pride costs cashish.

 

[WaterTight]

If there's any hint a customer might be in anyway choosy about anything I insist they buy it. Mind you, I'd never considered rads before.

 

[galaxy_plumbing]

stick to your plan. what else can you do?just one of these plonkers i guess

 

[hammers4spanner]

i would inform him your calcs cover this and that did his and its better to have more kilowatts than less etc etc

regarding your time/money sometimes i find its less hassle to keep your mouth shut and go with the bull of the cust as long as you still make soild money from it .

You dont always win them all frommy experience

 

[cr0ft]

On a personal level they are both really nice, some of the nicest people I have worked with. The problem is that his wife lets him make all the decisions, when really she should be the one making them lol.

He is a scientist with a doctorate, typical academic. A ponderer, never makes a decision lol.

 

[Ermintrude]

Just tell him that these are the right size if he wants smaller he needs to tell you exactly the size as you can not be held responsible when heating performs poorly!

 

[cr0ft]

That's not a bad plan. TBH everything will be in writing from now on, as it has been before, so that if it does get tricky I have that rather handy audit trail.

 

[cr0ft]

i would inform him your calcs cover this and that did his and its better to have more kilowatts than less etc etc

regarding your time/money sometimes i find its less hassle to keep your mouth shut and go with the bull of the cust as long as you still make soild money from it .

You dont always win them all frommy experience

By the time we refill, bleed and add inhibitor this morning instead of cracking on with the job we will have lost in the region of a day of labour due to his dithering. I do see your point but I'm not hugely keen to throw that away, especially when rad choices where confirmed in writing and panels specifically addressed in the email chain prior to ordering you know?

 

[hammers4spanner]

if it was agreed then hold them to it in a polite manner some custs dont understand time/cost hassle

 

[lame plumber]

if your there and working and its outside your quote it becomes an extra, its that simple in my book, you cant work for fre

 

[lame plumber]

e........

 

[tamz]

Depending on what make rads they are, you can buy panels and grills seperately.

 

[TBServices]

Take the rads back, and fit stelrad softlines. Everyone loves them.

Charge him for the 2 you've fitted explaining you can't return them

 

[WaterTight]

you'll probably find they've every intention paying extra and are tacitly presuming they have to

 

[stevetheplumber]

sometimes its best to let customers feel theyve won a little then just load the extra on somewhere else

 

[cr0ft]

Well we ended up meeting half way, he paid for an extra half day's labour and I agreed to install another rad for him which we've supplied. Ended the day with us laughing and having a joke so I guess it was a result.

My new found diplomacy skills, I've never been very good at it and the temptation for me is still to walk off but that doesn't really help anyone I guess.

Had to bite my lip a bit though when he suggested that I didn't know how to size rads and wanted to put an 800W rad in a room that the calculator said needed a 1900W one..

 

[galaxy_plumbing]

very done.