Poor Versus Cheap
May. 15th, 2013 02:43 pm![[personal profile]](https://www.dreamwidth.org/img/silk/identity/user.png){kind=small}
bloodsong1I warn you all now. If anyone is bothered or annoyed or angered or anything else about what I'm about to write, please do me the favor of NOT replying. I don't want a flame war started. Anyone who does not respect this will be banned so hard their FB account will feel it. (quote from ![[livejournal.com profile]](https://www.dreamwidth.org/img/external/lj-userinfo.gif)
ursulav)
...
I'm waiting for people to move on.
...
Okay, if you're with me this far, you have agreed to the above terms. Thank you.
I heard back from the furnace people today. Actually, I called them directly, but that's not the point. What's wrong with my furnace is a relay in the ignition control module. The intake receives power, but the gas isn't being ignited. It took the tech about 2 hours, including running out for parts to test other theories, and I was charged the diag fee. I felt it was justly earned.
To replace this relay and get everything working again will be around $450. They can't schedule me in until the part comes in, which would be tomorrow at the earliest. They will call me back.
Okay, says I. Sounds fair. Too bad the parts weren't under warranty, but most electrical things rarely are.
I explain this to SNB and he blows up.
Now.
This is the second time a service bill has elicited this reaction. The first time was over the car. He seems absolutely convinced that every tech and specialist out there is gunning for every penny they can wring from a gullible public. He also said "Call them back, tell them to get you the part at cost and I'll install it myself."
"Uh, no, you won't. I have yet to see you work on anything electrical, so I don't trust you to fix this," I said. He continued to rant for a minute, then quieted. As we got closer to his shop, I asked him if we were always going to have this argument about service bills.
"Yes, yes we will." He says firmly. When I pulled into the parking lot, I made the observation that if he was a trained tech in such things, he wouldn't be arguing with me.
Now, this may or may not be true. At first I thought his reaction was a result of being poor. I understand being poor, I've been poor, I have friends who still are. It's always harder to pay for such things when you either don't have the money at all or must scrape it together.
Then I remembered some of my old "problem" customers. These were the doctors, lawyers and businessmen who could afford Mercedes Benz or Audis or BMWs and would grind us for as much as they could so their service or repairs wouldn't cost so much. These men HAD plenty of money, but they begrudged us our labor rate, our parts costs, all of it. These were the men who, if you didn't factor in the tax when you called them, would bitch you out at pickup for charging them more.
SNB does not seem to care that most service jobs require years of training and/or formal schooling to do the job right, well, on time, and be properly insured. Anyone can change the oil on a car, but only trained techs can translate a computer code from a car's black box. Anyone can replace a faucet, but only trained service people can install complete bathroom plumbing. Not that you can actually trust some plumbers, as Holmes on Homes has proven time and time again, but it's always better to call in an expert.
Well, that's how I feel at least. The company I'm going through were the ones who installed the furnace back in '08. I had a service contract with them until '11, which I haven't renewed. I will consider it after the repairs are done.
I suppose I could do research and call another HVAC company and get more quotes and show SNB that this isn't unreasonable, but what would that prove? That's not going to stop him from blowing a gasket every time something like this comes up. It didn't help that the tech forgot to plug the hot water heater back in yesterday, which I didn't discover until this morning. SNB found out last night trying to shower, but apparently all he did was scream a lot. I didn't hear it. I went down to the basement, investigated, and fixed the problem this morning. It took me about 10 minutes. He didn't do anything.
I love him to bits, but it's times like these when I remember how YOUNG he is. Or maybe it's just his personality and it's not going to change. Wolf was cheap, but when it came to something he didn't know about, he was all for calling in experts. Handy BIL can't touch anything electrical, he gets shocked with the power shut off and properly grounded. I suspect my handy friends would fall into the same category of "If I don't know how to take it apart and put it back together, I'm calling someone in who can". Am I right?
*peers into the interwebs*
Well, we'll see what he says tonight after he's had time to cool off. I really don't want this headache.
ursulav)...
I'm waiting for people to move on.
...
Okay, if you're with me this far, you have agreed to the above terms. Thank you.
I heard back from the furnace people today. Actually, I called them directly, but that's not the point. What's wrong with my furnace is a relay in the ignition control module. The intake receives power, but the gas isn't being ignited. It took the tech about 2 hours, including running out for parts to test other theories, and I was charged the diag fee. I felt it was justly earned.
To replace this relay and get everything working again will be around $450. They can't schedule me in until the part comes in, which would be tomorrow at the earliest. They will call me back.
Okay, says I. Sounds fair. Too bad the parts weren't under warranty, but most electrical things rarely are.
I explain this to SNB and he blows up.
Now.
This is the second time a service bill has elicited this reaction. The first time was over the car. He seems absolutely convinced that every tech and specialist out there is gunning for every penny they can wring from a gullible public. He also said "Call them back, tell them to get you the part at cost and I'll install it myself."
"Uh, no, you won't. I have yet to see you work on anything electrical, so I don't trust you to fix this," I said. He continued to rant for a minute, then quieted. As we got closer to his shop, I asked him if we were always going to have this argument about service bills.
"Yes, yes we will." He says firmly. When I pulled into the parking lot, I made the observation that if he was a trained tech in such things, he wouldn't be arguing with me.
Now, this may or may not be true. At first I thought his reaction was a result of being poor. I understand being poor, I've been poor, I have friends who still are. It's always harder to pay for such things when you either don't have the money at all or must scrape it together.
Then I remembered some of my old "problem" customers. These were the doctors, lawyers and businessmen who could afford Mercedes Benz or Audis or BMWs and would grind us for as much as they could so their service or repairs wouldn't cost so much. These men HAD plenty of money, but they begrudged us our labor rate, our parts costs, all of it. These were the men who, if you didn't factor in the tax when you called them, would bitch you out at pickup for charging them more.
SNB does not seem to care that most service jobs require years of training and/or formal schooling to do the job right, well, on time, and be properly insured. Anyone can change the oil on a car, but only trained techs can translate a computer code from a car's black box. Anyone can replace a faucet, but only trained service people can install complete bathroom plumbing. Not that you can actually trust some plumbers, as Holmes on Homes has proven time and time again, but it's always better to call in an expert.
Well, that's how I feel at least. The company I'm going through were the ones who installed the furnace back in '08. I had a service contract with them until '11, which I haven't renewed. I will consider it after the repairs are done.
I suppose I could do research and call another HVAC company and get more quotes and show SNB that this isn't unreasonable, but what would that prove? That's not going to stop him from blowing a gasket every time something like this comes up. It didn't help that the tech forgot to plug the hot water heater back in yesterday, which I didn't discover until this morning. SNB found out last night trying to shower, but apparently all he did was scream a lot. I didn't hear it. I went down to the basement, investigated, and fixed the problem this morning. It took me about 10 minutes. He didn't do anything.
I love him to bits, but it's times like these when I remember how YOUNG he is. Or maybe it's just his personality and it's not going to change. Wolf was cheap, but when it came to something he didn't know about, he was all for calling in experts. Handy BIL can't touch anything electrical, he gets shocked with the power shut off and properly grounded. I suspect my handy friends would fall into the same category of "If I don't know how to take it apart and put it back together, I'm calling someone in who can". Am I right?
*peers into the interwebs*
Well, we'll see what he says tonight after he's had time to cool off. I really don't want this headache.
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no subject
Date: 2013-05-16 12:07 am (UTC)Actually un-learning the "Cheap" skills was a major bone of contention in a very similar way with an ex-gf of mine. It's something I still struggle with from time to time. The angst buying the new car caused was just ridiculous.
Most professionals are not out to scam you. He should consider reading the "No assholes rule" which talks about this. Referrals are the best ways of building a business, being fair is the most important way to generate referrals. Yes you should be guarded, but overall if someone takes you to the cleaners when you are stuck, you won't refer them to anyone else and you will tell far more people "Watch out for Ronnie, don't use him."
The other thing is that it takes time to do these tasks. I don't want to live in a construction zone for months.
What people don't talk about is the amount of money wasted sometimes on being cheap for no good reason. When the resulting gas leak blows up the house, or poor wiring burns down the house. Or having to do the "Push of shame" with the car to the mechanic. Or when I get asked to try and fix something, that they messed up.
If he wants to learn to do these things, then he's in a great position to learn them. Maybe it can be a step to a career in HVAC or something. That has plumbing, electrical, gas, oil, ammonia (This is Buddha bait and I know it), etc.