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View Full Version : have you ever refused to work with a product a customer purchased?



huggytree
04-24-2009, 05:33 PM
i had a customer purchase a tub mixing valve from a home discount store in the area. its a unknown -generic brand.....i told them i will not install it and priced out the bid with a Kohler valve...very basic...they said the valve i spec'd was too expensive...i told them it was not. its a basic price valve $125

theirs was $40

they own duplex's which are very run down...they said my prices were too high for labor too....they drove a brand new lexus...i told them i must be paid before i leave the house if i do the work...0 trust in them.

anyone turned down work by refusing to work with poor quality, homeowner bought products?

orion_joel
04-24-2009, 08:39 PM
I think that this would happen quite often, turning down work because of the supplied equipment. There are many mechanic that will not install or work with parts that you supply. While there are other industries that tend to have to work with owner supplied equipment as the normal course.

I once or twice tried to do PC work using owner supplied equipment, it only led to headaches for me, because inevitably the things don't all work together perfect, or maybe they got one part that was not the correct part they needed. Just end sup it can cause to many night mares and painful drawn out problems later on.

Maybe you should keep the number of one of those half price plumbers you had to bid against not to long ago handy, to give to people like this, they may be a good match of customer to contractor.

Steve B
04-24-2009, 10:33 PM
If you want to be the high end plumber in town, I think you should avoid working with someone like that. You should just tell him I'm not the plumber for you and give him the card or name of a couple of the bargain guys. I'll bet he recomends you to his rich friends for their personal plumbing work.

phanio
04-25-2009, 08:45 AM
Do you have a lot of customers that drive Lexus? I have two thoughts on this. First, many people that become rich do so by holding onto their money - thus, they end up being very cheap people. Others, while they drive Lexus and have big houses and such - are in debt past their eyeballs. But, if you work with them on their terms - they will continue to send you their business. On the other hand, if something went wrong - due to the part and not your labor - they could also tell all of their friend that your service was bad (probably are more inclined to tell bad news than good news).

Will this customer provide you other business or is this a one time only deal (i.e. do they have other property)? Might want to base your decision on the potential of a long-term relationship - if it exist.

It would seem they do not want to put a lot of money in their duplex - feel sorry for their tenents.

huggytree
04-25-2009, 08:52 AM
they were a referral from another duplex owner...one of the bath tubs was pure orange w/orange tile...the tub had been dripping for so long that it wore through the finish...horrible condition...not quite a slum, but close


if i had installed the bad valve and it leaked in 2 weeks, who would they call? would they like me charging $175 to fix it? when i didnt have parts and had to find them and come back would they like to pay $175 - 2 times for the 2 trips? would they bad mouth me?

we all know those answers.....better off losing the job...replace 2 mixers + some other minor repairs was $1100......a 1 day project....i hated to lose it

they were the definition of a bad customer....they couldnt hardly speak english and i dont know if they even understood anything i said...i couldnt understand them...i think collecting my $ would have been a problem...i told them i have to be paid when i finish the work (that day!)...no credit

Spider
04-25-2009, 12:36 PM
I think there are several reasons for not doing this work, but the price of a fitting is not one of them. I'm guessing that the valve you want to supply is a $125 retail valve that would actually cost you, let's say, $80 after trade discount. $80 on a $1,100 job amounts to 7½%

I would have (if this were the only consideration) supplied the better valve at no charge. I would have told the landlord that I was giving him the better valve just to prove the point. He will see how much better it is in the long run. I would expect to make - what? $200 profit? or more on the $1100 job - so now it's only $120 profit. But $120 profit is better than no profit and no income either. (I have used some guess-figures that are probably not accurate but the principle is explained, I hope.)

Nevertheless, the general bad state of repairs of the property, the doubt about getting paid and the apparent poor communications were all far better reasons for refusing the job.