The refrigerator from Hell

Apr 30, 2006 Last reply: 19 years ago 23 Replies

As a few of you on the board know, I do some appliance repair. Truck full of tools, and people think I can fix anything. Last September, I fixed a refrigerator about an hour drive from me.



Last week at 5:30 I got a page from the same fellow, it had warmed up again. He's got three kids and a wife, and he's in a hurry to get it fixed. I'm trying my best to get to a church meeting, and they don't let people in late. So, I'm talking on the cell phone while I'm driving to the temple, and hurrying up the walkway and steps.



He wants to know what's the problem. Against my judgement, I diagnosed the fridge over the phone. The next day, Friday, he called. I got the price of the part. He wasn't sure if it was in warranty, so he'd call me back. He did, I was out to lunch with a friend, and had left the card home with the model number and part number. I called the parts house, and they had already thrown away the slip with the part number. So, I called him back and got the model number, again. Called the parts house again, and and ordered a part. Not in stock. they can ship it across the state. Be at my place UPS on Monday or I can pick it up at the parts house on Tuesday. Ship it.



Monday I'm out, and I go install the part. Turns out to be the wrong one. I'll admit that was my screw up. I shoulda done the diagnostic. Figure out what was the bad part. My bad. So, I called him back. We compromised on I wrote him a store credit for a pile of money, and I'm now losing serious money on the job. And he's got me for the next couple jobs.



Saturday at 8:30 PM, and I'm home about to go to bed for church tomrorrow. So, his wife calls. The water line behind the ice maker has been leaking since Tuesday, and they have company and family coming tomorrow for thier daughter's confirmation. She wants it fixed.



I load what I can in the truck, and head for the hardware store. Shuck out bucks to buy a water hook up kit, and get back to the road. Pager goes off, and so I call. She's on the phone again. Said her husband is at the (other) hardware store, and he says they will take care of it, and cancell. By this time I'm about 45 minutes of my evening tied up on the job, and I'm about 20 miles from home. She closes the conversation with "I hope on the next refrigerator you repair, you are more careful, this has been a big inconvenience for us". Right, lady, you're the one calling me Saturday at 8:30 and you complain about inconvenience?



I guess there are customers from Hell, and then there are customers from SuperHell.


And there are customers that you fire because they're hard to deal with. These sure sound like it. Letting something leak for most of the work week, then wanting it fixed on a weekend evening because of their family family coming over. See how willing he is to work on a weekend evening. Blah.

Not a locksmith, don't even deal with customers now, but I used to, and there are some I was very tempted to tell to go to the dealership down the street.

thng

I've fired a couple customers over the years. One verbally abusive, and other one wrote bad checks. Sounds like this will be the next customer to get fired.

Thanks for the wisdom. You're right.

Yeah anybody who reads alt.HVAC knows what kind of "repair" you do.

Anyone who reads alt havoc would know the quality of the posters there. I don't consider them a source of information. Havn't read t hat group in many months.

They most all (except for that Dave guy)know enough to know that you didn't have a clue.

This post demonstrated that yet again.

Here it is:

"As a few of you on the board know, I do some appliance repair. Truck full of tools, and people think I can fix anything.

[That's because they haven't read alt.hvac or did and didn't associate you with your name there]

Last September, I fixed a refrigerator about an hour drive from me.

Last week at 5:30 I got a page from the same fellow, it had warmed up again.

[So much for it being fixed]

He's got three kids and a wife, and he's in a hurry to get it fixed.

[No. He's in a hurry to get you to do what he paid you for before, only right this time]

I'm trying my best to get to a church meeting, and they don't let people in late. So, I'm talking on the cell phone while I'm driving to the temple, and hurrying up the walkway and steps.

He wants to know what's the problem. Against my judgement, I diagnosed the fridge over the phone.

[How in the hell do you diagnose a problem you couldn't fix right the first time standing in front of the damn thing over the phone???]

The next day, Friday, he called. I got the price of the part. He wasn't sure if it was in warranty, so he'd call me back. He did, I was out to lunch with a friend, and had left the card home with the model number and part number. I called the parts house, and they had already thrown away the slip with the part number. So, I called him back and got the model number, again. Called the parts house again, and and ordered a part. Not in stock. they can ship it across the state. Be at my place UPS on Monday or I can pick it up at the parts house on Tuesday. Ship it.

[So now you are ordering a part that has to be shipped for a problem you diagnosed over the phone]

Monday I'm out, and I go install the part. Turns out to be the wrong one.

[Wow who would have thought?]

I'll admit that was my screw up.

[Another shock]

I shoulda done the diagnostic.

[No you should have called somebody who knows something about refrigeration and had them do the diagnostic]

Figure out what was the bad part.

[Probably the only thing left you haven't already swapped out]

My bad. So, I called him back. We compromised on I wrote him a store credit for a pile of money, and I'm now losing serious money on the job. And he's got me for the next couple jobs.

[It will take at least that many to fix everything you broke on their fridge + the original problem you still haven't figured out yet]

Saturday at 8:30 PM, and I'm home about to go to bed for church tomrorrow. So, his wife calls. The water line behind the ice maker has been leaking since Tuesday, and they have company and family coming tomorrow for thier daughter's confirmation. She wants it fixed.

[Funny how you worked on it and now suddenly the water line leaks huh?]

I load what I can in the truck, and head for the hardware store. Shuck out bucks to buy a water hook up kit, and get back to the road. Pager goes off, and so I call. She's on the phone again. Said her husband is at the (other) hardware store, and he says they will take care of it, and cancell.

[They figured out what the alt.hvac folks have known for a long time: You don't know what the hell you are doing]

By this time I'm about 45 minutes of my evening tied up on the job, and I'm about 20 miles from home. She closes the conversation with "I hope on the next refrigerator you repair, you are more careful, this has been a big inconvenience for us".

[She was that nice about it was she?, She should have asked for your NY HVAC contractors license or your 608 Cert number and listened to you really stutter and stammer].

Right, lady, you're the one calling me Saturday at 8:30 and you complain about inconvenience?

[Stop breaking their stuff and they'll stop calling, although I don't imagine you'll be hearing from them again now]

I guess there are customers from Hell, and then there are customers from SuperHell.

[Yeah damn those inconsiderate SOB's that actually expect you to fix the problem they pay you to fix without causing 6 more] "

I don't consider them a source of information. Havn't read t

That's the best contribution you ever made to that group. If only your customers read the group before they hire you.

HAHAHA ROTFLMAO - good stuff!

Some folks create their own hell on earth...and then share it with others.

snip the bs

The one thing funnier than the made up post of SM is the two retards who think its real.

I mean its true that SM is a retard but that frige post was pure BS made up by another retard with no life to be read and laughed at by other retards.

Mikey, Some times I REALLY wonder about you.................. Bubba

Yes, amazing how retards post retarded stuff. Said to be written, rather retardely so, by a retard. And said to be reposted later by a retard who thinks that other retards will get a good retard laugh, much after the fact. Sounds like a good retarded time was had by all retards. Someday I'll give up working, go on social security, and then I can be retard.

Stormy, this is the best post I have ever heard from you. Your'll awesome and so intelectually deep.

your Pinto needs to be retard. dangerous to drive all that copper junk to the metal salvage yard on melons.

if that made any sense at all, just means I didn't drink enough tonight with (for) dinner. hic

Careful, or I'll throw a bottle of beer out the window at you.

\ \

I guess some activity is better than no activity.

you a mormon or a muslim terrorist?

That this story was a joke appeared pretty clear early on. I found the dissection was funny, sorry you don't agree.

You just may be "staring at your hand" too much. <Try enjoying life without compulsively analyzing it>

Well, we each throw what's guaranteed to be offensive. Terrs throw bombs, Mormons throw beer, or coffee. Same difference.

You scared of me, yet? I didn't think so.

I am terrorized..

By the way, if you were serious in your other post about exercise equip, it is Nordic Trak.

Mormons throw beer? throw me a Beck's and throw Warren Jeffs in jail for life.

I am Weldor, of the planet Zorkon--pleased to have met you....

Or prehaps Schwinn Airdyne ?

If you ever get stuck taking one fishing, make sure he brings along another Mormon friend of his--otherwise, he'll drink all your beer.

Toss me one too while your at it...

Bailiff, whack his pee pee...

\ Looks real to me. The original is archived here:

formatting link
Doesn't look like it was crossposted to HVAC till the other guy decided to make fun of it. Headers on it match SM's other posts.

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