[Bollinger plumber]

Do you lie to your customers? In 2000 I started working for this company. the first 2 yrs were great as I was doing commercial plumbing and I had a really great boss. When work slowed down in 2002 they ask me to go work in a different department. (sewer and water line repairs) Well this guy knew very little about plumbing he was hired to be a salesmen and to get jobs for the company. Well we would go into peoples homes to unstop a kitchen sink that was full of grease and he would tell them that all thier waste pipe was bad and had to be replaced even after I told him that the plumbing was ok. Another example I went into a house to fix a leaking solder joint on a water heater. He came in there and told the people that all thier copper pipe was rotten and needed to be replaced. when i told him that there was nothing wrong with the pipe he told me not to say anything to them. After he left the homeowner approached me and and ask me about the pipe. Well I don't like lying so I reluctantly told him that I saw nothing wrong with the pipe. So I just fixed the leak and the owner thanked me for my honesty I went back to the shop. When my supervisor ask me why I was back so soon I told him that the owner ask me what I thought about the pipe and that he decided not to replace it. Well my supervisor jumped all over me telling me I made him look bad in front of that customer. My question is was I wrong in telling the customer the truth? When I approached my supervisors boss and told him what happened he just made a joke about it. This is just one instant there are many more. I won't even mention what he would do when we started doing sewer lateral lining.

 

[Plumber Jim]

I think you did the right thing. If a customer really needs something replaced the sure sell it the best you can to get them to buy it. If they don't need it then just make the fix give them your card and ask them to remember you when the need thier next repair or replacement. I would look for a job with a company that won't make you be dishonest.

Plumber Jim

 

[Bollinger plumber]

I think you did the right thing. If a customer really needs something replaced the sure sell it the best you can to get them to buy it. If they don't need it then just make the fix give them your card and ask them to remember you when the need thier next repair or replacement. I would look for a job with a company that won't make you be dishonest.

Plumber Jim

did better than that I opened my own business. thanks for replying

 

[ROCKSTARPLUMBER]

Karma.Karma.Karma. You did the right thing. Most normal people that can afford a plumber to begin with, work just as hard for their money as we do.

 

[Plumber]

I'm a consumer, too. I hate getting ripped off and it happens all too often.

There's enough real plumbing problems out there that we don't have to lie. I've never done that.

 

[Plumber Jim]

You find the ones that sell people stuff they don't need tend to either not be a plumber ( hack ) or a very bad one.

 

[leak1]

honesty and quality is the name of the game fellas ! the crooks and bullshitters dont last long around my area !!!!!!!

 

[gplumb]

you did the right thing. when i worked for a service shop this is what i hated, that boss was looking for salesmen plumbers, not good mechanics. i remember he would send inexperienced plumber out because they would usually sell rather than fix the issue.

 

[UnclogNH]

You did the rite thing. Back when I worked for Roto- you know who?
I was on commission. At Roto- you pay for everything and only got 30% So we had to lie because you had bills to pay Van, gas,ins, everything
Lying was part of the job with them. made me feel bad had to do what you had to do. But where I'm in business for myself now I tell the truth get a to of repeat call just on trust plus word of mouth.
Since I left Roto- I am proud to say I have been poop free in everyone's basement lol. :thumbsup:

 

[pcplumber]

Oliver Twist

This remind me of the story Oliver Twist where the children are sent out to pick pockets and then punished when they return with nothing.

Before we attempt to close a sale we always clean the drain and solve the customer's problem, first. We do encounter drains that we cannot clear and the customer always gets upset and tells us their other plumbers never had a problem. So, clean the drain, show the customer that it is working, and look for something to sell. If there is nothing to sell, write the receipt as fast as possible and move on to the next job. Maybe, this customer will call you for something else.

I see nothing wrong with clearning a stoppage, ask how often the drain clogs, talk about the mess, inconvenience, loss of work (if applicable) embarassment when having a party, etc., and selling an entire drainage system. As mentioned in many posts, you should not feel empowered to make decisions for your customer.

Of course, if a copper water pipe system is perfect, we walk away. On the other side, we sell many copper repipes to people who have 100% copper. In fact, this morning we got a call from a customer who has a pinhole leak in a copper pipe. We had a customer, last year, who had leaks in his copper pipes on three separate occassions and he had to call a restoration company three times to dry the structure underneath the house.

But, to answer your question. I would never, never, ever ask or tell an employee to lie to a customer.

 

[user823]

Isn't selling something they don't need a form of a lie? If a customer has a single branch drain line problem, why would they need an entire new drainage system? Wouldn't you replace the single line?

 

[ILPlumber]

We are supposed to be the professionals. People look to us for expert repairs as well as expert advice. If we starting acting like a stereotypical used car salesman. We will be treated as such.

It's not about gross sales or upselling. In my mind it is about entering the clients home and giving them our honest professional opinion. As we are trusted to do. Once we look at the problem(s), then we should give them reasonable options.

We shouldn't sell repipes when we know, based on our training and years of experience, the problem does not call for such a knee jerk reaction.

How many years has/is it taking us to buck the butt-crack image?

Do you really want to have to buck the used car salesman image?

All you little guys are paying the price for the big boys with their scripts and high pressure sales. The HO is in the defensive bracing position before you even walk in the door.

 

[PLUMB TIME]

Prov. 28:6:thumbsup:

 

[ILPlumber]

We use the NIV at our house:

Better a poor man whose walk is blameless
than a rich man whose ways are perverse.

 

[PLUMB TIME]

Ditto, I'm just old school Missouri Synod (kinda) Happy Palm Sunday

 

[Phat Cat]

I would not work for a company that would expect me to lie. However, if I saw something that didn't appear right, I would not address it in front of the customer and risk embarrassing the company I worked for. A call should have been made to the office as soon as possible to speak with someone in charge. I would have insisted the service manager come take a look, if he knew it was a slick con job and wanted me to go along with it, that would have been my last day. At that point, I would have suggested the HO get a second opinion. My principles are not for sale.

As much as possible and to a fault, I try to give everyone the benefit of the doubt until they have proved otherwise. Sometimes things aren't always as they appear.

I.E. - The salesman was not properly trained and really believed a re-pipe was in order

 

[Bollinger plumber]

I would not work for a company that would expect me to lie. However, if I saw something that didn't appear right, I would not address it in front of the customer and risk embarrassing the company I worked for. A call should have been made to the office as soon as possible to speak with someone in charge. I would have insisted the service manager come take a look, if he knew it was a slick con job and wanted me to go along with it, that would have been my last day. At that point, I would have suggested the HO get a second opinion. My principles are not for sale.

As much as possible and to a fault, I try to give everyone the benefit of the doubt until they have proved otherwise. Sometimes things aren't always as they appear.

I.E. - The salesman was not properly trained and really believed a re-pipe was in order

First thing here is I did not discuss it in front of the customers. I told my supervisor in privacy that there was nothing wrong with the pipes. The homeowner was wise enough to realize on his own that there was something not right with what he was saying and the homeowner approached me. I did not lie to him so if that is wrong then I am guilty. Secondly I did approach the owner of the company and told him how i felt about replacing perfedctly good plumbing and all he did was make a joke about it. Thirdly it is easy to say you would not work there anymore but jobs around here are not that easy to find. Trust me I know this I tried for 6 months to find one but with the recession and so many plumbers getting laid off I finally gave up and decided to open my own business. The home owner did get a second opinion and it was me that gave it to him. And finally you are right the salesman (supervisor) was not experienced enough to tell if the pipes were bad but with my 30 yrs experience I feel I was qualified and I told him that and he still told the owner that all the pipe needed replaced. And lastly this is only a couple of examples he did this on a daily basis it wasn't the first or the last time.

 

[KratzerPlumbing]

Plumber hacks lieing to customers to bulk up their paycheck is one of my biggest industry pet peeves. That and all the cheap crap parts coming from China:furious:

 

[Bollinger plumber]

:thumbup:

Plumber hacks lieing to customers to bulk up their paycheck is one of my biggest industry pet peeves. That and all the cheap crap parts coming from China:furious:

:thumbup::thumbup:

 

[leak1]

ill drink to that! hell ill drink to anything,