Call Backs, Question

tzzzz216

Would you charge a customer a service call fee on a call back if 3 months have past by , for the same problem ? I sent one of my guys out to check out a leak on a W.C 3 months ago , it turned out to be the supply line on it , he installed a new supply line on the stop and the customer called back today and said it was leaking again, 3 months later ?? If he didn't tighten it i would think it would have shown up before this .


The only easy day was yesterday !!!

AirPro

Of course you charge a service call, even if the part failed. If the part failed, you may want/have to cover the part under warranty, but typically we only give a 30 day labor warranty on repairs, so the labor/trip charge would have to be billed out. You'll go broke relying on a part someone else manufactured to not fail. CYA.

Cole

Without a doubt charge a service charge.

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cmwacasey

If there was something you did that could have been done differently to prevent this leak from happening now,I would do it right at no charge and write it off as a lesson learned.Thats just me.

Mike Finley

Our warranty is 2 years. If it falls under the warranty no charge.

AirPro

Mike, you give a 2 year labor warranty on repairs? What if you get a bad toilet supply hose from your supplier, do they cover your labor cost to go back?
We offer a 1 year labor warranty on new installs plus whatever the manufacturers warranty is on their parts, but in the case of a new install we get a labor allowance from the manufacturer if a part fails.

Shamrock

No charge. If it was a part that failed, I'd replace it and deal with the manufacturer myself rather than place that burden on the customer.

mdshunk

Whether or not I charged a service call would depend on what I found when I went out there. "Leaking again" does not mean its the same leak you fixed the last time. I've gone out on a good many calls that were reported by the customer as being "exactly the same as before" to find a totally different issue.

Mike Finley

I just get it done, I just want happy customers. Call backs take precedence over everything else we are doing, I want them handled if not that day, then no later than the next. Of the call backs we have had, probably 50% of them aren't even legitimate, they involve confusion on the customers part or something unrelated, but we just fix it, explain it if needed, and use the time to cement our relationship with the customer. Last thing we tell them going out the door from a call back is, "If anything else comes up no matter how small, you make sure you call me right away."

POOLMANinCT

nice Finley, I like your style
ray

George Z

Agree with Mike.
A call back is not a problem.
It's a golden opportunity to show how we take care of customers.

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dougchips

I would say that I agree with Mike but I do not want to inflate his ego. We have never told a customer that their warranty is up and have never charged for a "trip charge". We will never charge, this cost us money----but we make customers happy and get repeat customers. A healthy profit margin can cover a $75 trip charge here and there. Nickel and diming cost time, customers and potential referals.

all vinyl

I agree we do the same thing happy customers have produced more work ,

Doug M

I would not charge a penny.3 Months is nothing.I can't tell you how many times I went back to a customer for a service call and ended up getting another kitchen or bathroom out of them or there friends just because of how I handled the service.Customers will test you to see how you handle it before they commit to another Job or referral.Seen it over and over.

Doug M