Customers in the buff

9 years ago

I worked for a cable company a few years back. Every so often a tech would report back that the customer answered the door naked and remained naked the whole time the tech was there trying to get free HBO, Showtime and service fee waived.

Have you ever had a customer want to pay you with "natures credit card"? Or any other amusing stories?

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PRO

Austin Air Companie

9 years ago

I wouldn't know where to start... these kinds of things aren't really all that common... I can tell you I don't have the proper swipe machine to accept 'nature's credit card'.

I have more ugly stories than good ones... you know like I escaped death by that much and so on... that attic had to be 500 degrees...

It more common for people not wanting to pay anything at all. They don't have a nature's credit card or real money or just feel they are somehow special, I don't know the real answer after 22+ years.

How many complaints on this board about money? (ugly stories)

However, there was one a long time ago that was kind of odd.... the last name of the customer was provocative. I was working for a big Service company at the time. The lady was older probably a good 30 years older than me at the time. She answered the door in a silk robe. Pictures and statues through out the home had older naked women. There was no nature credit card though. Just an odd call from someone with a provocative name. I joked around with dispatch, telling them I was having trouble pronouncing the customer's last name. Trying to get them to announce it over the radio... dispatch told me... we think you're going to have to ask the customer to pronounce it for you....... It was quite funny. It was so long ago it's almost like another lifetime ago.

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Comments (7)

User
Original Author
9 years ago
Has anyone refused service?

I've heard stories of dog & cat feces everywhere & our techs wouldn't enter.

One time a tech picked up a DVR box to replace and roaches came out of every opening.

Or the hoarders. Can't get to the equipment. One guy pulled the entertainment center out to access the coax & there was a dead cat smashed between the wall & entertainment center.
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User
Original Author
9 years ago
last modified: 9 years ago
I remember another funny call. The bar owners Cable TV went down during a football game. She said for me to tell ALL the techs, whoever can get out there the fastest to get her TVs working again gets free beer, dinner AND her afterwards since all the customers were walking out, costing her a fortune!! She said desperate times call for desperate measures!

I relayed the message to our emergency dispatch. Hopefully she got serviced.
klem1
9 years ago
I should stir clear of this discussion but I can't resist asking how refunds are handled in these situations if customer isn't pleased,,,,,,,,,,,,with the repair?
User
Original Author
9 years ago
last modified: 9 years ago
You ask a very good question. We have some very business savvy customers today who are willing to accept less than quality "repair" service for more free stuff.

A few of our techs have returned to customers house after their shift ended. Some got a relationship out of it others found a husband at home!
User
Original Author
9 years ago
With the high prices of HVAC repair, I think people would be willing to bargain most anything for a cheaper price. Especially if you've sat in a hot house for a few days waiting on a tech to fix the AC. Desperate times call for desperate measures this summer.
PRO
Austin Air Companie
9 years ago
yeah I've been in a few hoarder homes over the years. The excuse is we are moving or we don't actually live here we just use this house as a storage facility.

The worst one, there were boxes and boxes of stuff stacked to the ceiling only enough room for one person to walk thru a small path thru the house. Luckily there wasn't a thing in the attic for some reason?

No refunds. I will fix it - over 22 years should tell you I know what I am doing. Refunds are for those who can't fix it. Has your boss ever approached you for a refund after you worked all week?

Refused Service: well kind of but not exactly. If a customer is repeatedly tongue lashing me over price I tend to write a letter after repeated instances to explain the situation. If they continue after that their price goes up. *It pays you to be nice. I hear price complaints all day long... you think I want to hear it at your house too?

HVAC prices tend to be in relation with what you are buying and the features of such product. But many times people are just looking at equipment as the comparison. It's the same on this board as well as others. Brand of equipment has nothing to do really with design of the system, but brand is often what is deemed as what is required to get a better system.... which is not true.

Cat / Dog kennels: These are typically customers for life, because they've been refused by others and have no where else to go. If they aren't tongue lashing me over price I don't have any problem taking care of their HVAC needs.

Free Service: Nothing is free. 'Enter how much time you're wasting here.'

I come ready to work, ready to fix it (Katy, Texas area) that costs money but well over 80% of the time I can have your system back up and running within 3 hours or less from the time you call me. 832-475-6895.

Some advertise 1 hour. But then they give you a window 1 hour wide many hours away when they can be there. Fast means slow in this industry.

Perception about how this business works is extremely clouded. You have manufacturer's that want equipment sales... and you have people who want cheap prices. Somebody is not going to be happy.

Only when the stars align and people want a quality system installed realize a fix it guy is a good guy to have (they all break) Then the customer is happy and so too is the manufacturer. With home ownership at all time lows... good luck with that. It would be easier to find a needle in a haystack.

So in the meantime I continue to fix AC units. Costs are what they are. You could do far worse than me I can tell you that much.
User thanked Austin Air Companie