Plumber

American Home Shield (ServiceMaster) is using credit cards to pay their bills. They have a 335 million dollar credit limit. I read in another filing where they borrowed 250 million at 15% for a cash reserve.

Hey, I applied twice and was rejected twice over a fight I got into with a home owner years and years ago. The price I pay for being me.....

DUNBAR PLUMBING

It'll never happen in my company.

My phone rings without strings attached. Being around this system years ago for another company clued me in to what it was all about.


That and those people don't give two ****'s about you, just that deductible and you fix everything else.

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ROCKSTARPLUMBER

Oh believe me, there are a few that i would love to tell like it really is. Because after all, I am just a plumber.(The numbers on the invoice say otherwise)

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user823

Let's put it this way. Can you pay ALL your supply bills, truck payments, living expenses, all of it, the day the bills arrive? Does your checkbook balance grow every month after paying ALL the bills and taking your draws?
I know that you can't say yes if you're doing that many AHS calls for the peanuts they pay you.
Some of us have learned it the hard way. There wasn't any message boards back then. It was called the school of hard knocks. You might think it's all cool and great that you're making a profit but in the long run you're only hurting yourself.
With the business attitude you have and from the messages I have read on this board I know for a fact you could be doing much more.
If I told you right now that instead of doing 40 calls a week you could be doing 15 and make three times what you're making right now would you listen? It's really not that hard but you can't do it while being married to AHS.

Redwood

Actually Iron Ranger, In his area what AHS pays might be better than the local rate. From what I have seen Florida is hurtin...

Of course getting them to pay the rate around here was like pulling teeth...
And frequently was the cause of sweaty ear...

Plumber

The "going rate" for our expenses are pretty darn standardized nationwide. Insurances, labor, etc., may fluctuate with 10%, but not much more.

What's different is what the plumbers are willing to take. Anything below 100/hour is an insult to me and I will sit around rather than take less. Homeowners know a plumber is a luxury and not a right and if they call us, they are expecting to pay big.

40 calls a week would average out to 40,000.00 to me in my humble neighborhood and I would have a cute little strawberry blonde typing this from the comfort of my lap as I'm dictating to her.

DUNBAR PLUMBING

One of the employees I worked with, who got "comfy" with AHS has been working for them for years, and has made quite a living off of them, but that's not the rule.


He lives in a rather pristine area too..shocking.

Bottom line though; it was a unique situation for him, can't say it any better than that.

Him and I clashed on a job a couple years ago where I was called in to take care of a problem on a water heater...there was a PRV but no expansion tank..???

SO, I sold the customer that install for sure, that guy had to eat the cost of my time along with me reworking the top with dielectric unions instead of FIP's.

Now right when him and I went out on our own, this guy had me help him on a job. It was a 2 bathroom install at a theater,

everything I did, copper and pvc, no leaks.

He had 3, 2 on the PVC when we did the test.

Had to hustle him pretty hard to get paid as he fell off the face of the earth when he was suppose to pay.

Karma felt pretty good, and I wasn't going to back down when he was charged $360 for that expansion tank install. Treat me a little better and I won't be that way.

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ROCKSTARPLUMBER

You guys have to remeber that i am a fairly new business. I would rather do more regular calls than AHS calls for sure. The regular calls are stepping up every month. It will take some time, I dont really feel married to AHS, but the numbers are good.

"Let's put it this way. Can you pay ALL your supply bills, truck payments, living expenses, all of it, the day the bills arrive? Does your checkbook balance grow every month after paying ALL the bills and taking your draws?
I know that you can't say yes if you're doing that many AHS calls for the peanuts they pay you.
Some of us have learned it the hard way. There wasn't any message boards back then. It was called the school of hard knocks. You might think it's all cool and great that you're making a profit but in the long run you're only hurting yourself.
With the business attitude you have and from the messages I have read on this board I know for a fact you could be doing much more.
If I told you right now that instead of doing 40 calls a week you could be doing 15 and make three times what you're making right now would you listen? It's really not that hard but you can't do it while being married to AHS. "

Ironranger, I totaly agree with your statement there. But the balance does grow, and I am very comfortable with my numbers. The bills are paid on time. AHS is only a part of my business. I do new construciton, remodels, and alot of gas work as well. Thanks for the advice. It will take time, but hopefully sooner than later the regular customers will overtake the AHS ones.

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Plumber

I think what bothers everyone is the numbers. Even if you're lying by half, 20 jobs a week that could have been in the open market at market prices and to what Roasted eluded to.

20 jobs could keep a plumbing company busy for weeks, 40 jobs a whole month and you're burning through them in a week...with 1 man!

You're "enabling" AHS in this dirty business. In my Anger Management classes, that means you're helping them do wrong while profiting somehow.

ROCKSTARPLUMBER

I dont mean to anger you. Most of the calls take less than an hour. Does that help any? Maybe one or two calls a week are non-coverd items. Rember plumber, "Groose fraba"

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