So I got a 7am no heat call this morning. It was freezing out, snow everywhere, classic winter chaos. I showed up, took a look, and yeah old unit, worn parts, ignition failing. Pretty clear what was going on.
But the second I started explaining, the customer hit me with “it was working perfectly before you touched it”. Guess I broke it by just existing. They stood right behind me the whole time, questioning every move, while I had to keep stepping outside into the cold to check vents and lines, and dealing with their rants at the same time.
Honestly, I was really glad I went heavy on layers today. Thermals, a puffer, a down jacket, and a heated vest as part of my base layers. Not for comfort, just to stay functional while standing outside and going in and out all morning. Otherwise I would have turned into an ice statue while they stayed inside warm and telling me to hurry up.
Please tell me I am not the only one dealing with this kind of situation every winter.
If it was working perfectly fine before you touched it then why in the world did they call you for a no heat call?? Lmmfao, people are funny 😁
As soon as they said that I would have left. You have the record of a no heat request. Just let the crazy person call someone else.
Exactly, turn around and roll to the next call.
Amen to That See Y A
That’s winter service calls in a nutshell.
I’ve had a customer call for a PM. Their gas furnace had cobwebs in the burners. Bad thermocouple.
Customer said “it was working this morning”
I showed them the cobwebs 🤣
Sounds like highly productive spiders! Lol
This is why I follow the same process to avoid these traps.
When I get to site confirm what I'm there for. "I'm here today to look at a furnace, sounds like it's not working at all?" If they confirm it's not working they can't come back at you saying it was working before you touched it.
If they say it is working, further clarify the reason for their call. First thing is to use the thermostat to test for operation. Not working? I tell them before I even crack into the panels.
If they want to play games I'll just walk. They need me a lot more than I need them.
Being able to just walk off is best part of being independent. I have plenty of work and valued clients.
I'm fine with explaining things as I go. But not repeating myself 4+ times because they don't know how to listen. Then if customer wants to pull an attitude I'll pack right up.
Or when you explain everything clearly, and then the spouse shows up and asks all the same damn questions all over again. Or you explain everything and the customer goes, hang on, let me call my husband/wife/brother/dad/mom and have you explain it to them. Are you paying me to talk or fix your damn problem?
Bonus points when the neighbor or random cousin or whoever the fuck walks through the front door and they are super interested in what’s happening. You don’t live here and you’re not paying.
Sometimes they ask you to do the impossible, but in the end, we HVAC techs can’t fix stupid
You’re definitely not alone. Winter no heat calls are rough enough without someone hovering the whole time. Staying warm enough to think straight is half the battle for me. I usually layer up and use a heated vest underneath. I’ve been wearing a Venustas one this winter and it’s helped on those early calls.
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Oh shit. How did you get out? Call the cops I hope!
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They should have been charged with kidnapping, false imprisonment, or something.
Dude the "it was working perfectly before you touched it" line is like a universal constant or something, happens every damn time
The worst part is when they're breathing down your neck while you're trying to work in freezing temps - like maybe let me actually fix your heat instead of making me explain every wrench turn
Anyone breathing down my neck I stop working and explain to them that I'm billing by the minute and you are interrupting my train of thought.
Exactly. Freezing temps plus someone breathing down your neck is brutal. Half the battle on those calls is just staying warm enough to think straight.
Heavy layers help, and having a heated vest under everything has honestly saved me on mornings like that.
That combo is brutal. Cold weather plus a hover customer makes everything harder. A buddy suggested a heated vest under the layers since it’s easy to take on and off when going in and out. I’ve been using a Venustas one on low this winter and it’s helped on those early calls without adding bulk.
"I can fix it, or i can explain it to you. Either way the hourly rate is the same."
Right now I am just waiting for the reddit post from that customer about how they got ripped off by a shady tech who broke their system. They will post about how they had to watch you because you were shady, and that they saw you break something.
If it was working perfectly then why’d you call me pal
Always confirm what the reason is for you to be there. I always ask them if the furnace isnt working from the get go and take it from there
For me. Someone helps me out. Fixes my problem and it’s frozen out? I wouldn’t nag them. Question them. I’d be appreciative. And hand them a cash tip. But that’s me.
As a customer of HVAC, I'm embarrassed at how the public acts. I have a great HVAC company that I've used for over 30 years and I will cry when the last owner leaves.
If it was working perfectly fine you wouldn't have been called out
I’m not a hvac tech but I do simple repairs on my units. I acknowledge that a homeowner is playing losing odds on keeping any system more than 20 years old.
Yep. Stuff has a life expectancy
You aren't the only one. People in general are just getting worse to deal with. If you can do it just add that house to your do not rush to or do not go back list.
I watch and ask questions that I couldn’t ask the YouTube video I tried watching before I had to call you 😂. I now know how to test the draft inducer with a multimeter
This is why I ALWAYS take a Delta T before I touch anything and when that shit shows a 1 degree temp rise/drop, I bring the homeowner to the furnace and show them that it’s not working lol You avoid 99% of these people. I won’t even open the furnace cabinet before I do my Delta T.
I don't know. Maybe I'm lucky.
If I'm working outside in the freezing, then the customers arent with me.
If I'm working inside, the customer is there, but at least its warm.
I dont mind answering some questions. Maybe next time when its an onslaught of no heat calls, they'll in the percentage of people who could maintain heat and wait through the extreme busy spike.
If they get uncomfortably close. Start turning around suddenly borderline ramming into them and they'll give you space.
If the questions start to get distracting. Ask for something to drink.
That whole "It was working fine before you touched it." Yeah. It sucks. But between private equity buying companies and turning them into salesmen, "techs" that changed capacitors for 1300, and bad misinfo on reddit, you should understand their worries as well.
I encounter these regularly, but they are usually easy to calm down. And some that are impossible. Just sigh, scratch off the time spent as a waste, and leave.
The things you described are real, but I wouldn't call them the end of the world.
My sincere praises to you; you seem to be a very level headed and understanding person - especially in what are high stress situations for homeowners. Keep it up- the world needs more of you!
the customer hit me with “it was working perfectly before you touched it”
then why did the call you. tell them to find another tech.
I was doing a maintenance on an old FHW unit. Completely rusted just waiting for the right moment to start leaking. I go talk to the customer and she has a breakdown and tells me to just put it back the way it was. I’m looking at her thinking “yeah I’ll just take the whole block of rust and put it back” took me a while to explain that I didn’t cause this and it was impossible to fix without replacing it.
When you do residential service you work really hard to learn commercial to get out from doing residential service; it works. The “normal” time is about 4 years; for me anyway.
1998, working for the largest HVAC company in town. Ice storm hits and I’m the on call guy. Almost 48 hrs later I get home to help my family stay warm as they haven’t had power or heat. I was driving around to houses that were 70 but wondering if there was anything I could do (nope, power lines don’t exist). Home was below 60. 7 days later we get power back and I leave the entire HVAC career behind 9 months later. That week broke me of people bitching.
“Worked until you touched it” = “I’m going to buy a new igniter on Amazon and fix it myself.” If Karma is working, they buy a 120v SiCarb because it’s cheap yet they have an 80v Trane.
Then why did you call me out saying you had no heat? They are trying to get free stuff and did it completely wrong.
Hey man, I salute the grind of the work you do. Not all homeowners are like this jagoff. If you were at my house, I'd offer you food & drink, and give you a 2 hour tip.
the ever so famous it worked perfectly fine yesterday. No no it didn’t and it hasn’t for awhile.
"hey, would you like me to pull up the recorded phone call of you asking me to come out because it wasn't working?" That usually shuts them up really quick. Also when I'm at the home for a maintenance, I always take a temp rise/drop before opening up the system. That way within a minute or two of arriving, if there is a problem I can say right away that it's not working and I haven't touched it yet.
So, it was a "winter, I have heat and I don't want it" call?
Customer asked me my hourly rate. $25.00 an hour at the time but $55.00 for any customer interaction while performing my job
Plus extra for baby sitting! Please put your pets and kids up and away while the techs are working.
You should raise your price
Yep, that’s why when you go to recruiting fairs and people say that employees quit bad managers. I watched people come and go for the last three or four years at our company and technicians leave the industry because they’re sick and tired of entitled clients.