No Roger, my customer base are fantastic customer's all from word of mouth,, I'm a lone worker so usually bathroom's from boarded to tiled to installation take me longer,, but because I'm doing it all thing's run smoothly and the customer always sees your expended time as value,, during covid it's been difficult but I'm not belly up yet 👍❤️ love watching your videos here in the UK and I wish we had some of the fantastic plumbing tackle you have there in the USA,,, we need a trade deal,, can't wait,, I'm just hoping Pelosi isn't going to screw that up,,
Never needed a plumber but I had to call an HVAC tech a few years ago when my AC went out in the middle of a heat wave. They were slammed and couldn't fit me in for a couple days. I felt bad but asked him some questions over the phone to try and troubleshoot the issue myself cause I couldn't wait that long. This guy helped me diagnosis the issue over the phone while driving from call to call. Turned out an O-ring had degraded and clogged the condensate pump. Thanked him profusely and said I'd order a new one. This dude showed up at my door unexpected a couple hours later and dropped off the O-ring I needed for free. What a legend. I ordered his whole office pizza the next day and made sure his manager knew why.
@Sylvia isgod yes but I dont think it was that big of a deal it probably wasnt even that much money and buying pizza is like saving them money for lunch or paying them back.
I've been there. I pulled up to a job and two plumbers were on the customers front porch arguing over prices already. I didn't even get out of the van and backed out. The customer left a bad review on my companies profile and tried reporting us to the Board. It took a while to fix this issue.
We lost two children in our community last year due to an overzealous exterminator and his chemical spraying. Customers are justified in asking the question and you are a fool for joking back at them.
“Your plumber was only here 5 mins. Why did he charge me so much?” As they say in I.T. you don’t pay me to flip a switch, you pay me to know which switch to flip.
Only part of the problem. The main point is the job takes x time, the admin takes x time, the travel takes x time, and it all needs to be accounted for.
Editor Grayson well dude you’re one of the better editors I’ve seen. Even compared to big channels with millions of subscribers. There’s just something about the way the videos are done with good jokes and memes placed perfectly in them. It’s noticeable how well it’s done. I don’t know anything about editing but I do know I’ve laughed pretty hard at some of the edits alone in the videos. Keep up the good work.
Jacob Noethens Comments like these are why I love to edit!! Thank you so much for your awesome compliment, Jacob! You and your kindness will not be forgotten 💪🏻😎
Editor Grayson no problem, I don’t even know anything about plumbing but I kept watching the videos because for one he’s pretty funny and educational and for two, the way they’re edited are also really enjoyable. You guys make a good team.
I actually liked it when people watched me work, I enjoyed explaining what I was doing and why, those people usually found a new appreciation and understanding of the service and how it worked.
I agree and typically while learning about it they themselves figure out that “this is not something I really want to mess with”. And honestly if it’s something so easy that they can learn to do it while watching me it’s not worth my time messing around with it.
How to trigger plumbers: - How long is this going to take? - Your hourly rate is too much - Why do you have to drill there? - Do you really have to open the wall? - Are you going to patch the wall? - Do you have xyz part in your truck? I need it for xyz but i can do that myself - Well my brother in laws cousins sisters boyfriend is a plumber and he said its actually this - Can you explain to my wife what youre doing i got her on the phone *Stares at you the entire time never leaves your side* *Main shutoff doesnt hold shut somehow its our fault* *Entire work area is an episode of hoarders*
hoarders are bad. I pulled a dead mouse out of a computer once... Never got paid for the job. Guy was broke, home full of crap yet he kept calling all sorts of technicians and workers in to fix his junk...
Ive seen animal hoarders ive seen junk hoarders ive even seen a small basketball sized feces in the toilet i never thought that was possible but apparently it is.
I’m sorry about the staring... but I like to learn. But it is usually because I know what the problem is, and it is out of my wheelhouse of repairs. I’m a sparky at heart, but do basic plumbing work as needed (toilet replace, faucet repair, drain clearing). As it stands I am in a no water situation because the well pump controller is repeatedly resetting. So I am calling in the pros to fix it after sending in details and photos.
The explaining over the phone is the worst. I'm an electrician and trying to explain why and what an AFCI is to the ladies husband over the phone, good god. To be followed up with a "why are you installing things than can cause an arc fault".... Come on man.. ugh.
One customer I provided service for found out that I am the son of the business owner and no joke, straight faced asked me for a family discount.......I don't know in what world anyone would expect a discount based off who my father is our isn't. I thought the customer was joking, I laughed and they didn't and looked upset that I laughed. I asked "are you serious?" They said yes, "your father is the owner of the business, would it be possible I could have a family discount?" I said no, you are not family.
I've said a few of these things before owning my own business. The people who need to see these types of videos aren't going to watch these types of videos. The types of people who need to be shown that the job is WAY bigger than what they think it is, think that they already know everything. They are the type of people who, after being in quarantine for the bulk of 2020, didn't learn a new skill. The people who are watching this video are the ones who are constantly improving. That's why there is sure a huge gulf between the best and the worst. The best keep getting better the worst just stay stagnant. Thank you for posting this. It will make me a better customer.
Byron, I started out using lead wool! Right now I have 4 rentals and the tanks were put in in 96, still working great and have never even installed a new element! So you know how it goes, yea, I bought extra elements expecting trouble 10 years ago. Don't know if I could find them now!
That's not something to dislike, rather it is a repeat business opportunity informing them that they should have you come back every so often to put a new anode in to prolong the life of the new heater, because that is a short life for a well maintained, good quality water heater.
As a carpenter, when someone says they have someone who can do it cheaper, I say “ you should hire them because that’s a really good price.” Then they usually say” Oh but I would prefer you do it” 😂
"They stand over you and watch to make sure you don't do anything wrong" Not me. I stand over and watch so I can learn how it's done. It's like watching a home-repair youtube video, but with your own equipment. Excellent when it is really a 5-minute fix that I can do myself next time it comes up.
I know, almost a year later, but exactly. I just had an oil boiler installed for a ton of money. If I am spending that money, I am also getting an education. I wont be installing boilers anytime soon, but I learned a lot watching and staying out of the way. My plumber was cool about it.
You are actually disrespecting any trade and tradesman by watching to see how you can do it yourself the next time. He spent time and money going to school and learning his craft and hours of on the job experience to be paid what he gets paid to do his job when he comes to your house and all your concerned about is getting a bird's-eye view of seeing him in action so you can see how it's done so you don't have to call him out for the next time. First of all, if anyone asks me to watch so they can learn, I would say sure, but since my estimate for the job was just for labor and repair costs and NOT instructional lessons costs, I'm marking up the total of the bill by 15%. So I can either be left alone or add to the bill by becoming a paid instructor while fixing your problem. You decide.
@@Eddie-In-Las-Vegas If you do that, I expect the full lecture on how and why you are doing things, why you chose specific brands of materials, what you would have done differently should conditions be slightly different, etc...
@@Acaykath If you wanted a Q and A session then I would mark up the total bill by 40 percent then we can have that discussion. Realistically we deserve the same respect as all the other professionals you hire or pay for throughout your life, when was the last time you conducted yourself in this manner with your doctor or dentist?
My most dreaded comment from customers. "I could do this myself but I dont have the tools." I tell them its their lucky day because I will gladly deliver the tools and watch for a small 100 dollar fee
Lol same thing happen to me (I could of done the job myself but I don't have the tools it should take u 10mins to do) I was ... ok heres all my tools that u need u do it in 10 mins its free but if not my price doubles... (kitchen faucet)🤣😂🤣😂 he didn't clear under the sink yet...lol start the timer I got paid double lol
Sometimes that really is true (time as well). I had wanted to re-pex my house for a while, but I didn't have a crimper. Didn't really wanna buy one so I considered a plumber, though I knew it would have been much cheaper to suck it up and buy the tool so I did.
@@DEmersonJMFM glad u did it. Plumbing is getting easier every year cause they make it diy friendly just don't panic or overthink it ull would be fine 🙂
Nothing worse than false male bravado. You know they can't do it themselves or they would borrow the tools. I love it when they try and phuck it up, because then they know there's some skill involved. Honestly, unless you're working for a big company, get whomever is in the office to try and screen calls better or at least explain to the customers how it's gonna go down. I worked for companies that would send you out to anyone that called in and I've worked with companies that screened their calls....which do you think worked out better in the long term?
I wish more guys were like you, because it is very often that what keeps me from DIY is not having specialized tools that I'd only need once or twice in a lifetime, and I'd LOVE it if someone would deliver the tools for me to use just to get the job done, I mean for tools I can't get from the local tool rental places
"are you charging me $50 for screwing 1 bolt on my car?" no, that is free, im charging you $50 for 15 years of learning my job so today I come here knowing what bolt to screw to fix your problem
Imagine if a guy charged $5,000 for screwing in a bolt? Customer: 5k for a bolt? I can do that myself Worker: Sure, put on a harness and climb to the top of the Burj Khalifa and tighten it if it comes loose again. Make sure the weather is right too and that you have all the permits. But obviously that's an exaggeration, in Dubai they'll probably go like "Only 5k? Heres a Lamborghini as a tip"
A lot of people don't realize that the "get 3 quotes" doesn't apply to troubleshooting, service work, or smaller jobs. Diagnosis IS the job. In a lot of cases by the time you drive to the job site and figure out what's wrong, that's 75% of the work. You can try to tell people best case/worst case but they say "I've read that you should get 3 quotes". Or worse, some jobs require design which can take hours of time and some people expect that to be done for free so they can take your design and shop it around with other contractors who didn't do the leg work.
You can do that though if you tell them in advance though. At work, we deal with many contractors and we pretty much always split diagnostics and the fix into separate jobs, it's an extra step to ensure we're not being fleeced, no incentive to diagnose a fault that doesn't exist since they know they're not getting paid to fix it after.
The multi quote thing only applies over a certain price tag if you ask me.. I got three quotes on my water heater and I'm glad I did. Prices ranged from $2400, to $2700 and then $3500 Yes all three quotes had the same items...only difference was the $3500 quote used a brand of water heater I never heard of and came with a 2 year warranty. The other quotes came with Rheem water heaters and a 7(?) Year warranty.
@@steakwilliams4448 Hey Steak, Looked through my emails from back in February.. it was an 'AO Smith' WH. And to be clear, I largely agree with OP as well.. I have a trusted plumbing company and usually don't gawk at their prices but the WH really caught me off guard. Then again, half the cost was in all the various code upgrades that I needed such as a drip pan, expansion tank, and pressure regulator. House pressure was 95 psi!
Great Channel Rodger!...Retired master plumber here...Two of the worst things I've heard...#1 Is it going to leak? They never ask an electrician...Is it going to short out? Or a finish carpenter...Is it going to split out?...or a drywaller...Is it going to crack? #2 I give them a budget, in new home construction, to buy their own fixtures, because they want to make their own purchases (to save money usually)....Months later, they call and say this or that is leaking, or is cracked because the faucet or fixture was defective,and expect me to replace/repair it...I'm sorry, but if I purchased the item, I would honor the warranty...NOW, you chose and bought the item...YOU have to deal with the company warranty yourself....not me....I always made sure that was expressly said, and written into their contract/bid...
I love it when they complain " you guys were just here a few weeeeeks agooooo😭😭 now my sink is leakiiiiing...." check a back logs, you were there 3 years ago and worked on the toilet... 🙄🙄
Yeah....many people are pathological liars about repairs. I usually refuse to work on something that has been repaired by others....especially multiple times repaired. Memories get short and pretty soon you get the blame for previous issues you had nothing to do with. Man...the stories I could tell you about what's inside people's homes and how they live. The messes, the hoarders...the folks who won't lift a finger to make your job easier. All comes with that 'big' price, right?!
@@TheReal1953 man I've been in some houses that people live in that aren't fit for a dog... there was one meth house that I had a call at. They abandoned the place over the winter, and complained about leaks that summer.. there was litterly a bucket of piss in the doorway to the bathroom. Took a walk around, shut off the main, and told them we'de be back.... never went back
@@adamfranklin9410 LO! When I was a plumber in Dallas we got a call from a slumlord for a sewer relay job. There was a back story of course that he didn't tell us. Gypsies were living in there from NYC and the house was stacked inside with stolen goods in new boxes. We didn't know who was in there and we were told 'nobody'.....there was no answer at the door either....obviously. So we turned the water off, dug down to the sewer line and plugged it. We came back in a few days. The tenants had used the facilities until the toilet was overflowing and had a five gal bucket next to it full of S*it. After that they fled the scene....house was vacant except for the bucket of s*it. So we had to unplug that sewer at some point for the new relay and it made me and my older partner throw up. I remember that job like yesterday.
This is why when I call I tell them the symptoms, just like when you go to the doctor. Water is leaking from blank that I know of; water is clogged at these sinks; no water pressure at these faucets. Give the worker information and facts, not possibles and solutions. I always ask to watch because I want to learn something; even if I know I will never attempt to do it. My plumber has come out and not charged me for small things because he has done major work at my house. Having said all this, I do a lot of minor stuff myself. Respect the tradesmen just like you would any other professional.
Was at a apartment complex for retired older people replacing a furnace and fixing the AC in one of the units. After i finished the job i was sent there to do, I spent about an hour extra removing metal bits from the locked up garbage disposal, installing a toilet seat and replaced 2 light switches and an outlet. 🤣
I blacklisted an entire town because I'd had a dozen jobs in a row where people would treat my quote for a job as an all-you-can-eat buffet and would add hundreds' worth of work on and refuse to pay for it later. And the haggling after the fact, oh my god! I still occasionally get phone calls from over that way. I make sure I'm too busy.
Had a mechanic tell me something that stuck with me. Took my truck in and he looked at it. Reached under the dash for 3 minutes. Problem fixed. Said that would be $25. I asked why he was charging $25 for 3 minutes of work. He told me the $25 wasn't for the 3 minutes it took to fix the problem. It was for the 20 years experience that allowed him to fix it in 3 minutes
You are paying for the ins, license, truck, parts, and a lot of stuff that you dont see, office workers answering phone and tax stuff, there are a lot, not to mention rental of the building.
I sure as hell wouldn't be questioning only a $25 bill for fixing anything under my dash. I don't care how easy it was. Even if it was just a blown fuse, I would just chalk that up as the cost of skipping one of the first couple trouble shooting steps.
@@colbymanning7270 I would love to get a mechanic bill for 25 bucks. Experience is valuable. You don't want just a part swapper at the dealership. You want a critical thinking troubleshooter working on your car.
As you get more experience with potential customers, you get better at figuring out who to do work for, and who to just pass on. The ballpark section was right on, just had that happen for a roof job I did a week ago. Customer did that exact thing and I should have known better. Very accurate representation of customer behavior.
As a carpenter my favorite thing is "Skilled labor isnt cheap and cheap labor isn't skilled" Great videos Roger! Love watching them on my commute to and from work!
I get that all the time. Customers usually aren't great at describing the actual problem over the phone, so when I get there it's something completely different.
@@corsicacommander8371 We also have like half our tooling extra in every single one of our vehicles... just in case. We are no plumbers and we are like on the other side of the planet but customers still are the same🤷
@@AlleyTrashBoards What I tend to ask customers like that is one simple question: Of course I could do it like that. But do you want it to be done somehow or do you want that I don't have to come again for the next 20 years?
Flip side of that is if you get asked that often, you may be understocked and better off maintaining some instead of having to drive to home depot as often.
I appreciate it when the service provider I hired takes the time to teach me about the problem and how to prevent it in the future. That's the main reason I ask to watch.
I really like when the homeowner/landlord asks to watch, I can point out the problem, go step by step what it will take, give time estimates and arrive at why it costs the amount of money it does. Because I've done it for 20+ years I'm not 'caught off guard' by any question or anything that comes up.
I live in Mexico Customer: I got a problem with my toilet, since you're here can you chek it up? Me: I'm an electrician, you should really call a plumber for that
When customers ask, “Are you sure you know what your doing?” You say, “no, but I watched a RUclips video last night, so I think I have a pretty good shot!”
@@xthumpx1 I saw a lineman suggest an alternative to a power company engineer, and the engineer took offense and said, "are you an engineer?" the response: "no, but I did stay at a holiday in express last night."
I had a home owner ask me that. I responded with, no, but i did stay at a holiday inn last night. I got a goofy look and a phone call not 2 mins later. lol
I usually ask for a price range so that I can get some money from the ATM if needed I also ask them what I need to do to make it easier for them such as moving something out of their way
I’m in hvac as well. I love taking a call on the weekend and their response is “ well we noticed it not working right since Tuesday”. Well hell if you waited since Tuesday to call what’s 2 more days. Lol
As an HVAC guy, they do it here also. Both commercial and residential... I find the "no heat" calls as midnight rather amusing when I show up and they have a wood stove going and the house is about 30 degrees; but they needed that furnace repaired that night to keep them from freezing to death.
lol ive done that, and ive done it to myself and people do it to me. If you cant fit it in, then reschedule not a giant deal. But I have had people that try to force you to complete ZYX and you have to call the cops to be released crazy ppl out there
Here in teh UK we call it the J word ..... JUST.... Could you just.... It's the worst 4 letter word in a plumber's vocabulary, and we know quite a few.
I used to be an auto mechanic and along with the "Can I watch" question came a million other questions such as "Why did you do that?". "How does this thing work?" etc. I'd tell them "I can't fix your car AND give you a class on automotive engineering at the same time". Especially aggravating when you're trying to diagnose a tough problem and you're waiting for possible answers to bubble up from that quiet little voice of your subconscious.
So, I really like to watch, to learn from professionals, but I can understand where this would be a major pain. So, I first do and intense amount of background research (I'm an engineer for a living, so digesting large sums of info isn't too hard), and then I ask them if I can watch while they work. I try to keep my questions to a minimum, but might ask them to reinforce the learning I have already done, or ask them about preference (i.e. - Sharkbite, crimp, or clamp?). I also ask them how I can help them. One AC tech was so happy, because his light stand had broken that day, and I just hung out and held his light so he could see to work. I know you have a job to do, and you have other expenses to pay, and other customers to serve. I realize there is a price for your professionalism, and if I call you out, I am willing to pay that. But if you'll allow me, I just want to be humble, help how you might need, and try to learn something in the process. If you don't want me to help, I do understand. I just find every technical skill fascinating, and love learning so much!
I will say though, some techs like it when I do some leg work for them. I don't try to tell them how to do their job, but I just submit my diagnosis and hypothesis to them. Like when my old AC unit went out. It wouldn't turn on, even thought I had 24 VAC on the line requesting cooling. I went out to the outside unit, pulled the panel off. With a little diagnosis, I bypassed the low refrigerant pressure switch and the unit came on. So when he arrived, I led him through my process real quick and said "I know you have to check it, but I think either I have a low pressure switch, or a significant amount of refrigerant has leaked out of the system. Depending on what you find, could you confirm if my diagnosis was correct?" The guy smiled, told me I had basically no refrigerant left (I had a leak in the system somewhere, system was 25 years old), and that he would send out a sales guy. He then told me "I've had a pretty tight schedule today, and you've just freed up some of my time. You have failing capacitor for your upstairs fan." He hands me a new capacitor, no charge. "As smart as you are, I have no doubt that you know or will know how to install this". I will honestly say, it was a nice gesture.
Pretty early on when I opened up my old computer shop I had to make a sign about this. I almost when out of business before it even got started because I wouldn't work on a customer's stuff if they insisted on standing behind me and breathing on my neck. SOOOOO many people threw a tantrum and went to my competition (who also didn't put up with that, oddly). But, after a while, the locals figured out that there wasn't anyone else who would take the jobs I was willing to do that the long established shops turned down. They didn't like it, all the way up until I closed, and complained, but they finally backed off for the most part. People suck. They really suck. I'm doing something completely different now and I ONLY do business with businesses. The new customers would still demand that they sit in my chair and I sit on their lap while they breath on my neck the entire time while telling me how to do my job, but fortunately - they literally don't have time to do that. It's the only saving grace.
I really don't mind having people watch me. In my experience, most are just curious. Almost every extremely satisfied customer I've had was one that was watching and asking questions
@akallio9000 When I was fixing computers, I had customers ask if it was alright if they watched or if they were bothering me. I told them no. I spent a lot of time waiting for things to load, etc. It was kind of boring, and I didn't mind having someone to talk to while I was doing it. And I did teach them some things while I was working. Which they seemed to like. Some of them, though, just left me alone to do my work. That was fine too. And there have been a few times the client actually had a pretty useful suggestion that helped me solve the problem or to set up the computer better than I had originally planned. Even the customers who didn't know that much about computers sometimes came up with something out of the blue that turned out to be surprisingly helpful.
40+ years in the trade, 30 of them in service and repair, the rest new construction. I have worked every level from tech, to management, to owner, and now a trainer. I have heard these lines so many times I can almost tell by a customer's body language what the next question will be. Somethings never change. Younger people have seen their parents ask these questions so they think it's the right way to go about dealing with us or a friend tells them to ask these same questions like they have a grip on what's going on. We all know, they don't. I like your videos Roger. Thank you for taking the time to do them. They can make me laugh and make my blood boil. Keep them coming! Also the comments from other tradesmen... Holy crap we are a comedic bunch, aren't we!
Ever since the pandemic, I haven't been able to get ANY plumber to show up inside of a week, at least where I live. Even the licensed, legit guy who's been handling this exact house across multiple owners and multiple decades -- great guy, always super nice to deal with -- but he's so busy, it takes at least a week to get onto his schedule at all. Given the choice between having a leak running onto my hardwood floor for a week and doing it myself, I'm going on RUclips (learning just enough to be dangerous) and doing it myself. This is ZERO judgment on plumbers, just the realities of supply and demand. From what tradespeople I know personally are telling me, there's just a huge amount of "deferred maintenance" from the pandemic, and they're busy as hell. The most recent instance of this cost me $350 in tools and parts, 6 trips to Home Depot, probably 3 or 4 hours watching RUclips, etc. I would MUCH rather have paid a licensed plumber to 'hit it and quit it', I just couldn't get one here in time.
As a plumber your right emergency calls should always come first before being a plumber I am always hearing this from customers sorry like you have a leak why in the world would you wait a week for service the company I work for only has a few plumbers in 3 or 4 counties in our but almost always get to call within 24 hours unless it's a non emergency any kind of water leak in a home causing damage or main sewer blockage should be considered a emergency
I remember when I was little (like 1st grade I think), my dad changed the breaks on this woman's car. The next day, her dome light went out. She was convinced it was because of something he did while changing her breaks. I got beat up on the school bus by her son who was a few years older than me as he screamed at me how my grease monkey dad was a con man piece of shit. Now, as an adult, I tell every customer who starts to loose their mind in a tantrum to cut their shit or leave on a stretcher.
i had a main waste replacement job recently and the customer was convinved us replacing the rotted pipe stopped her kitchen sink.. ONLY THE KITCHEN SINK... from draining... but it turned out the whole waste pipe from that sink was completely clogged with grease and other shit... she wouldnt concede and say she was wrong too
On old HVAC systems I always say we can only warranty this one part we replaced, nothing else, and will have to charge when something else breaks. Your 1965 furnace (saw it last week!) is at the end of its service life.
Its crazy how ppl do not understand when u pay a tradesmen to come out to your house your not just paying for Labour ur paying for exsperiance. Killer vid rodger. Keep up the great vids love them 👊
I'm in the first year of training as a plumber in europe. And I got told: NEVER install parts or stuff customers bought. They might not be licensed to be installed and if something goes wrong the plumber is fault. ALWAYS get your own parts. The worst thing you could do is installing a water heater bought by a customer, and the water heater is made in china quality and has 0 licenses and was no tested at all.
@izphuzzy It depends but the problem is when something goes wrong with the part or faucet or whatever, that can create problems. If i install something i get from my supplier and it has a defect i can go back or let them come over to take a look at it and i will get a new part or reimbursed or if other things get damaged i can get insurance to cover it or theirs does. I have had people wanting to use their own stuff that i kinda knew so i said to them okay but if anything goes wrong u handle it, if its not correct u get to figure out what needs to be done. I am not doing any legwork or phone calls to help u with it. Guy ended up driving to the place he got the stuff from all the time and so much wasted time that he had to pay in the end i dont think it was worth it.
Thank you Roger! This video has helped me to understand why I need to have and charge a service fee for my plumbing services and why I should stand behind it.
The worst thing when I was a painter and we’d get those customers who wanted to sit and watch . I didn’t mind except the ones who were like “you missed a spot there” “ ma’am/sir , it’s only the first coat”
" I have a plumber that can do it for half the price " -So why am I here ? THANK YOU RODGER... I have this problem always... I thought it was just me...
I have played service people against each other before with some success. Mostly roofers. So it does work at times. You want the job done right, but play Jose' against them. I don't want Jose to touch it, but I tell you my quote from him. I just don't tell you it's Jose'. You are in it to make money. I am in it to save money.
I watch a service professional mainly because I like to learn and am curious. Most don't mind and I am grateful to them. One day I will tell you about the 5 minute job... It took months... lol
Hey Roger. Joel, Journeyman Plumber from Wisconsin. I like the one I had. Had to repair a solder joint in a basement. So I shuit the water off, drain the system and make the repair. Took about a half an hour. The customer said "your done allready, My husband worked on that all weekend and could not mix it. That's when i said " Well that's why you called a Professional." We might be alittle pricey but we are Professionals. I've been a plumber for 37yrs now. Service work for the last12. I still love what I do. After you calm a customer down repair their problem and they thank you and sometimes give you a hug, it makes me feel good to help. Peace brother and Plumb on.
There's a goof channel here on youtube by a kid who makes how-tos on how to fix your own computer and network issues. The greatest part is that he's a master at keeping a straight face and nothing, anywhere, on his channel says he's just messing around. I've texted the link to his channel to soooooo many people to shut them up. :D
This happen in pretty much EVERY single consult with patients i have (doc) "i did my reaserch!" "Are you sure?" "Google says?" And so on.... Yes lady, you did read about vaccines on that blog. You did read the conclusion on that single vaccine trial paper.... you however do not have 8+ years of training letting you know the immunology required to understand that that blog is utter nonsense. You do not have the hundreds of hours of hands on experience in the lab to validate the immunology you learned in class. Also you do not have the training to realize thst that paper has huge design flaws which induced that result, most likely done on purpose to have a "scientific paper" to back up the bias some bs naturopathic "Doctor" already had. "I know my kid" yup, thats why i asked you for his birthday, but you dont know phisiology, pharmacology or pediatric care, thats why i dont ask you regarding treatment. I might consult with other docs, but you are not an umauthority on how to treat disease "My neighbor said that thisbis caused by eating xxxxxx" well, if your neighbor's name is followed by MD, DO or PhD in medicine then i'd like to compare case notes, otherwise shut up. "I looked it up on google......" Yes, but anyone can have results on google. Hell web md is a great source.... FOR ME, not for You! You do not have the training to understad that although you have all symptoms of thst disease, it cannot be what you have because your google diagnosis is incompatible with you having a fever
@@Fede_uyz I drive my doctor nuts with that, but here's the problem. I'm often right. My doctor was insistent that I go on diabetic medication. I listened to his arguments, considered the test results, and took into account everything that went into my mouth for the last three months. Then I told him no. With an AIC of 6.9, and a fasting glucose of 108, I clearly was eating far too much carbohydrates and could easily change the situation with a change in my diet alone. Three months later with no medications at all, I lost 20 pounds and had an AIC of 6.2. It dropped to 6.0 on the following checkup, and my fasting glucose has been under 100 since. He also changed my diagnosis from diabetes to prediabetes after I explained to him why he diagnosed me incorrectly. And, yes, I can understand the Mayo clinic and WebMD. If I had listened to my doctor without questioning it, I would have been on diabetic medication for the rest of my life. Now I just need to monitor my diet a bit and check my sugar levels a few times a week. So no, I'm not going to blindly do whatever my doctor says. He's a consultant who's advice I will carefully consider. But since it's my body he's trying put chemicals into, I'm going to be making the final decision about what happens. My doctor may not always like that, but too fricken bad.
@@TerryProthero my experience was similar to yours. Medical doctors are idiots. I improved my health when I started doing the exact opposite of everything they recommended. I taught one of them who was open minded on how to reverse Type II diabetes with keto and intermittent fasting.
I spent a decent amount on a shower head; I knew that if I messed up the install the wall would have to be ripped apart to fix it. So yes, I bought the parts and paid somebody to perform the install. Could I have done it myself yes, I choose to have somebody with better tools and better luck do it, my wall thanked me.
Roger I really appreciate your videos. Im a plumber in NC and you have not only helped me with things I was unsure of but have also validated my processes for how I approach jobs. Thank you!
My new favorite channel. I have been a plumber for 10 years . You have inspired me to stop using shark bites. It's what I was taught to use but not anymore. Keep'em coming! Thank you.
Regarding "Can I watch", It is my assumption the tradeperson knows what they are doing and will treat me fairly; I and I am sure others are sincerely interested in learning and understanding how it works. Generally I will say something like .. Thanks for coming out. Just so you know my background is in engineering and I like to know how stuff works and understand the process. You are the professional regarding topic and I presume you know what you are doing. So when I am watching and asking questions please understand that I trying to learn, understand, and appreciate your expertise. With this understanding and staying out of their way, it has gone very well.
Jason I've been a plumber in the service field for almost seventeen years now and I'd like to say thank you it's customers like you that I love dealing with those willing to learn what they should and shouldn't do. It makes my jobs so much easier if the customer had even a little bit of knowledge of how plumbing works so that they can describe their problem easier so I can make sure I have to right parts on the truck to fix the issue. Or something as simple as putting eggs shells in a garbage disposal doesn't sharpen the blades even if you seem it online IT DOESN'T ( replaced at very least a dozen ). Again thank you and every homeowner like you who is willing to learn just a little bit more.
Louis2963 ok since you mentioned egg shells I have to ask, what about used lemons (already cut from using)? I was told as a kid that it helped to reduce any smell that could come from the disposal. Is that a thing?
Dawn first thank you for asking a question like this I've been asked this before and have researched this even going so far as to talk manufacturer I'll say right now it does help with the smell however the problem is that most not all but most disposal parts are made out of steel and the acid in citrus fruits will degrade the disposal quicker however there are three things that i can suggest that will help workout shortening the life of the disposal in most grocery stores you can find find little balls that remind me of either paint balls or bath salt balls at least with the the size with there size but do the same thing that you are looking for other than that one thing that I was told and recommended that would work is essentially oils you can pick whatever scent you want without the extra acid and won't degrade your disposal however the best cheapest and easiest thing i can suggest rather you have a disposal or is once a week or month depending on how many dishes you do even if you have a dishwasher is a sink full of hot soapy grease fighting soap and just let it drain down your sink it'll not only help with the smell but help with future clogs one of the biggest problems I have with kitchen sinks is a grease clog I've replaced so many lines just because I couldn't unclog them a little preventive maintenance goes a long way and if you have more questions I'd more than happy to answer them if I can
@@Louis2963 thanks so much for the answer!!! I think I know what little ball things you’re talking about. I think I’ve seen them before. I hadn’t heard that about the soapy hot water but I actually do that sometimes because of having to wash mason jars for canning. So it’s just hot soapy water that goes down the drain. Thanks again!!!
This is so true for other at home service providers as well. Drives me crazy daily ...so on point. Drives me crazy when they use the word JUST period, maximizing what needs to be done.
Hey Roger! I've been watching your videos lately and this one is really impressive. As a fellow blue collar tradesman, I understand the amount of patience it takes to just keep your thoughts to yourself and be honest and upfront. I work as a high and low voltage technician. Anything from running Romex and low voltage cables on roughs, to old work installs and commercial fire. I work along side many other trades, plumbers, hvac, carpenters, masons etc. Some customers don't realize how long it can take to perfect a skillset. Skills that legit tradesman have aquired by working hands on in their field and perfecting it. As a professional in my trade, hats off to you sir.
I’ve been a plumber for 20+ years. The one thing that pisses me off is when a potential customer asks for a “favor” after getting a free estimate/consultation.
Should have added a zero to the total 100 now is 1000 and when he bawks, say you wanted the best service money could buy. A guy like you NEEDS the best, right?
lol. I met a dude who lived in a million-dollar house (in a city where the median price is about $300,000) with a 30-foot high vaulted ceiling and needed a few of the recessed bulbless LED lights replaced. $100 was apparently "very high".
As a working man, this video is golden, and I think you nailed it. Pride, honour and integrity. 'have fun and do it yourself' honestly, I laughed out loud at that point.
Man.. I'm not a plumber. But I was talked into changing a garbage disposal under the sink once by a woman I was dating at the time. I got to see first hand what a true "can of worms" is for a plumber. In changing it, the pipes where so old they, along with the seals, disintegrated. So another trip to lowes. Got it installed and it worked. For an hour. Took it back and got a replacement, installed that. It worked. For an hour. Noticing how hot the second one was when I pulled it out (and actually thinking about it), I plugged my multimeter into the outlet it was plugged into. 260 volts. Strange, eh? In a 110 plug. Hit the breaker for that outlet, put my multimeter in, 180 volts. Killed every breaker (so I thought) to that section of the building, including the main breaker. 180 volts. Flipped every breaker and main breaker I could find. Had I a light saber, I would have severed all power lines going the monstrosity of a building. 115 volts. Took the plate off the outlet to find a rat's nest of wire in a garbled mess. Ancient wire with cloth insulation tangled with wire with no insulation (and not because it was ground) tangled with wire from every generation up to the current one. Untangled everything, capped off the still live wires. Capped off the rest of them one at a time as I turned the breakers on. Finally, had a good-ish ground, a good-ish neutral and the most stable hot I could find (It only bounced 10 volts and was the slowest in fluctuation). Hooked it all up and it lasted until the next chump got stuck with the building as far as I know. If that's the kind of shit you guys have to deal with on a daily basis, then my hat's off to you! You, gentlemen, are true warriors.
I asked my regular plumber if I could watch what he did to repair a jacked up toilet flange and he was ok with it. The previous home owner before me did a lot of DIY stuff in the house. I installed several toilets myself before so I was confident until I removed this one. The flange was all jacked up and the drainage pipe wasn't secure and sitting a good 2 or so inches above level ground. I was like "uhhhh" lol. Called my guy and explained the situation. I had him come out a few days ago too since he replaced the cut off valve on the same toilet a few days prior so that I could replace the toilet. The plumber was like "Hey I was just there" and was super excited to see my cat again haha.
I had something similar. I was planning on just replacing the bathroom floor tiles after we bought our house and when I ripped up the old ones I found half the subflooring was rotted from old water leaks and the toilet was on a floor drain instead of a toilet flange. Spent an extra day replacing the subflooring and installing an actual flange before I could get started on the original project.
Not just customers lol, dispatch takes a call and gets the info, tells the tech "Sounds like X, should be a quick one." is basically a guarantee that the tech will be stuck for 6 hours fixing the problem.
Love it when they buy their own faucet or fixture and first thing I Do even if I have installed what They bought a hundred times is Pull the directions out of the box And look at them.99 out of 100 times they always say "don't you Already know how to install that"!
@@danieldawson222 yep lol. I always hand them over. I usually tell them to take a picture of the box if it has the serial or model # on it. Could save them a headache later on. Ain't no shame in being informed and doing it right.
Then there was the great freeze of 2021, and much to my chagrin, like the thousands (maybe millions) in my great state, I had a pipe freeze. So I called a master plumber (not a handyman). He put me in his queue, but no ETA. No problem, I understood. In the meantime, my water is shut off, and me and my family are miserable. As the days go by, I begin thinking about the problem, and my attention quickly turns from fixing the leak to isolating the leak. So I head up into my attic and determine that if he installs a shut off valve on the busted line which only supplies an outside bibcock, he can switch the water back on without fixing the leak. That should be simple. I reach out to the plumber again to see if he has an ETA (it's been a week). He responds back with no because each call requires crawling all over the house fixing multiple leaks, and on top of that, plumbing supplies are very limited. However, I am becoming more emboldened with each miserable day. I go online and order a sweat only, lead-free shut off valve. I then try to negotiate and say several of "THE WORST Things You Can Say to a Plumber..." at once, "I don't need you to fix the leak because it only supplies an outside bibcock that we rarely use. I just need you to sweat a shut off valve in a location very accessible which shouldn't take very long since the water has been shut off for over a week. And I have a shut off valve I ordered online. And you can resume restoring service to other homes, and we can just fix the leak at a later date." Well, long story short, I learned very quickly how to sweat a valve, and I never heard from that plumber again. I guess exigency makes master plumbers of us all, but if that plumber ghosted me because I sincerely offered an alternative to HIS replies, then screw him. Not every customer is a sheep and not every situation is identical. Learn to give people who are miserable and desperate a little slack and grow a thicker skin. In fact, the more I think about it, the madder I get. I think I will make a video of "THE WORST Things You Can Say to a Homeowner..." There's a another side to every story.
Got a question is it still holding pressure cause sweeting is a skill no Matter many videos you watch it takes time i prefabricated services and backflows and have for four years i still get leaks not many but some
“My engine is smoking, how much will it cost to repair?” Idk, is it a head gasket? Did you throw a rod? Is it overheating? Is your belt slipping? Is your clutch slipping? We don’t know the situation yet 😂 I don’t know if it happens in the automotive industry but the analogy is perfect to represent the same scenario in the plumbing industry.
Another one is when they say "oh I can shut the water off while your grabbing your things" and then they proceed to shut the water off to the sprinkler system outside. 😂
I had an older customer who wanted to watch. Like you, I didn't mind because I'm secure in my Plumbing hood. What agitated me is the guy trying to tell me how to do my work and to top it off he tripped over my tool bag and fell on me so I had to get his over-weight body off of me. I didn't even have to say anything... he got up and walked out the bathroom until I finished the job.
I like the video. A bit of a rebuttal. True, you cannot go into Walmart and ask for a discount. BUT....you (even plumbers and service people) do that at car dealerships when buying a vehicle. Also, you can do this at elecronics and appliance stores, flea markets, and in home buying. So it isn't unreasonable. Sometimes a discount is possible if the service person can earn a lifelong customer just by being a little flexible. You can get my $250 once, or my $225 for the rest of my life. So there is an argument to be made on that end.
I like when they call you for a leaking toilet and that’s all they say but when you get there it’s always while you are here can you fix these 5 other things as if I don’t already have 6 other jobs lined up
Don't run from those! Dispatch will get tired of telling customers you will be late and they should lighten the load after. I run 2-3calls a day and can make my 12-1700 everyday.
Finally somebody said this. Drives me up the wall especially when they get mad that you don’t have those materials on your truck at the time and they need to re schedule.
Exactly the same in the Uk for me as an electrical engineer. Had them say I’ve bought all new switches and sockets then they end up as cheap and nasty and wrong types of switch ect . I wonder what these people would say if there boss asked if he could pay them less as they are giving them so much work.
I love it when customers lie to you about something that they clearly did (even if it was just an accident) thinking it will be easier or cheaper to fix. Just be honest and don’t try to cover up. People that aren’t in the service and maintenance industry just never seem to get all the things that go on to fix something right. When people are straight forward with me, get to the point quickly and can make me laugh with a good story, then most of the time I’ll help them out a little bit with the price and or go the extra mile to do an extra fancy job. I’ve gained some really good customers like that.
You left out my favorite: “How much less will it cost if I help you do the job?“ Translation: “How much will it cost if I get in your way and you go half speed so you can teach me how to do plumbing?”
I can genuinely understand a lot of this. Biggest reason I'd personally ask to watch is so I can learn how to do something myself. I may interject and ask for an explanation on what's going on, or ask for a high level (not in-depth) overview on the steps that where taken. I love learning, and love being able to do things for myself.
I like your videos. It is hard to find honest and fair people today . Even if they are licensed bonded and insured. We caught a reputable plumbing company try to scam my elderly neighbor with a restoration company. Was really a sad situation.
I had to cut up my back patio and lay a whole new main line under my house after we bought it. It was a 3 day job and would have cost $10k plus. It was scary at first but I'm glad I did it myself.
@@rfarevalo I had to rent a saw and cut my whole patio up on the home we had just bought and I had pretty limited plumbing experience and no idea where the water and gas lines were. It was slow digging.
@@thisislargemouth5566 you can call a number and they'll mark the lines for free. Also, ever try dousing rods? Watched some videos and made a set ot of wire hanger and straw. I couldn't find my water main but it is crazy how they did work over most of the stuff. I stood over a known electric line underground and they kept spinning.
Exactly, which is why charging for a quote is a bad idea. Especially if its going to be a bigger job than say fixing a tap or something obvious. You should be going out doing the quote and being close to market, with the reviews / portfolio to hopefully get the job and then be someones go to for future jobs.
As a cable technician, I hear “how long will this take?”, “Do I have to be here while you work?”, “the last guy left it that way” as there is signs of them tampering with things
I just had that conversation today. Why so much you were only here for 30 minutes and someone else would have charged me half the price. I almost flipped out. Thank you for your videos.
@@pnkfld7892 Me too. I went to a lady's house, and she had an old computer that was giving her trouble. Each time I tried something, things only got worse. I told her the computer was beyond repair. There was nothing anyone could do. You need a new computer. So she accuses me of breaking the computer, because it was worse off then when I started. No lady. It had a boat load of problems before I started. The things I did just made them more evident. Sometimes messing with an old computer is like kicking a hornet's nest. She wasn't buying that explanation. So I just told her that I'm not charging her, and I'm leaving. From that point on, anytime someone had an old computer, I warned them ahead of time that attempting to fix it could make things worse if it's already far enough gone. I can move forward with that in mind provided that you understand the risks. Most customers get that and told me to go ahead and try it and we'll roll the dice. If it goes badly, they'll get a new computer. Other people told me to hold off until they were ready to get a new computer and asked me to help them pick out something better.
Have you ever said any of these things??
Roger Wakefield hii
Roger Wakefield no
Yes ive said a few times politely mam with all due respect or Sir with all due respect if it's that easy then how come you didn't do it lol
No
No Roger, my customer base are fantastic customer's all from word of mouth,, I'm a lone worker so usually bathroom's from boarded to tiled to installation take me longer,, but because I'm doing it all thing's run smoothly and the customer always sees your expended time as value,, during covid it's been difficult but I'm not belly up yet 👍❤️ love watching your videos here in the UK and I wish we had some of the fantastic plumbing tackle you have there in the USA,,, we need a trade deal,, can't wait,, I'm just hoping Pelosi isn't going to screw that up,,
Never needed a plumber but I had to call an HVAC tech a few years ago when my AC went out in the middle of a heat wave. They were slammed and couldn't fit me in for a couple days. I felt bad but asked him some questions over the phone to try and troubleshoot the issue myself cause I couldn't wait that long. This guy helped me diagnosis the issue over the phone while driving from call to call. Turned out an O-ring had degraded and clogged the condensate pump. Thanked him profusely and said I'd order a new one. This dude showed up at my door unexpected a couple hours later and dropped off the O-ring I needed for free. What a legend. I ordered his whole office pizza the next day and made sure his manager knew why.
Good on both of y'all the AC tech as well as yourself
@Sylvia isgod yes but I dont think it was that big of a deal it probably wasnt even that much money and buying pizza is like saving them money for lunch or paying them back.
And he probably got fired for letting such an easy job go for the cost of pizza, lol
@@drewt1717 if they didn't have time to do it in the first place it doesn't matter.
@@silentdrew7636 actually that's a good point! 👍
I've had a customer call myself and two other plumbers to come at the same time. Then said "who can do it cheapest".
I just left.
😂😂 sounds about right.
That’s just fucked up lol
Hopefully the other two did as well
I've been there. I pulled up to a job and two plumbers were on the customers front porch arguing over prices already. I didn't even get out of the van and backed out. The customer left a bad review on my companies profile and tried reporting us to the Board. It took a while to fix this issue.
That's never happened to me before! Holy crap I'd be pissed!
as a pest control professional i hear: is that stuff ganna kill me??? i say “i hope not, i can’t go back to prison”
That's a great answer
If you said that to me, I'd probably want to give you at tip, along with your actual fee!
We lost two children in our community last year due to an overzealous exterminator and his chemical spraying. Customers are justified in asking the question and you are a fool for joking back at them.
No that's extra
@@m.j.9627 - post a news link...
“Your plumber was only here 5 mins. Why did he charge me so much?”
As they say in I.T. you don’t pay me to flip a switch, you pay me to know which switch to flip.
Well said.
Only part of the problem. The main point is the job takes x time, the admin takes x time, the travel takes x time, and it all needs to be accounted for.
nice!
As an electrician,when I get a customer breathing down my neck I just flash a couple hot wires together and they usually disappear for a couple hours!
Lol.
I really like whoever edits these videos. If you have a hired editor don’t let them go.
I absolutely LOVE editing full time for Roger :) Definitely the coolest Boss and Job i've ever been blessed to have!
Editor Grayson well dude you’re one of the better editors I’ve seen. Even compared to big channels with millions of subscribers. There’s just something about the way the videos are done with good jokes and memes placed perfectly in them. It’s noticeable how well it’s done. I don’t know anything about editing but I do know I’ve laughed pretty hard at some of the edits alone in the videos. Keep up the good work.
Jacob Noethens Comments like these are why I love to edit!! Thank you so much for your awesome compliment, Jacob! You and your kindness will not be forgotten 💪🏻😎
Editor Grayson no problem, I don’t even know anything about plumbing but I kept watching the videos because for one he’s pretty funny and educational and for two, the way they’re edited are also really enjoyable. You guys make a good team.
Editor Grayson well done on your incredible editing work, you make these videos what they are (which is informative hilarity)!!
I actually liked it when people watched me work, I enjoyed explaining what I was doing and why, those people usually found a new appreciation and understanding of the service and how it worked.
i dont like them watching because they wont call again if it happen again, they will do it themself, you are cutting yourself out of a service call.
@@dangda-ww7de Not in my experience when it requires specialty tools that run thousands of dollars ;P
@@xXTECHxKNIGHTXx not every job requires specialty tools.
@@dangda-ww7de But does require skill, knowledge, and experience that can't be bought.
I agree and typically while learning about it they themselves figure out that “this is not something I really want to mess with”. And honestly if it’s something so easy that they can learn to do it while watching me it’s not worth my time messing around with it.
How to trigger plumbers:
- How long is this going to take?
- Your hourly rate is too much
- Why do you have to drill there?
- Do you really have to open the wall?
- Are you going to patch the wall?
- Do you have xyz part in your truck? I need it for xyz but i can do that myself
- Well my brother in laws cousins sisters boyfriend is a plumber and he said its actually this
- Can you explain to my wife what youre doing i got her on the phone
*Stares at you the entire time never leaves your side*
*Main shutoff doesnt hold shut somehow its our fault*
*Entire work area is an episode of hoarders*
hoarders are bad. I pulled a dead mouse out of a computer once... Never got paid for the job. Guy was broke, home full of crap yet he kept calling all sorts of technicians and workers in to fix his junk...
Ive seen animal hoarders ive seen junk hoarders ive even seen a small basketball sized feces in the toilet i never thought that was possible but apparently it is.
I’m sorry about the staring... but I like to learn. But it is usually because I know what the problem is, and it is out of my wheelhouse of repairs. I’m a sparky at heart, but do basic plumbing work as needed (toilet replace, faucet repair, drain clearing). As it stands I am in a no water situation because the well pump controller is repeatedly resetting. So I am calling in the pros to fix it after sending in details and photos.
Yo for real dude lol
The explaining over the phone is the worst. I'm an electrician and trying to explain why and what an AFCI is to the ladies husband over the phone, good god. To be followed up with a "why are you installing things than can cause an arc fault".... Come on man.. ugh.
“While you’re here”
The most accursed words ever spoken to an overworked and overbooked service plumber
Even worse while you're doing an emergency repair at 3
am and they drop that.
Music to my ears, added profits.
Sometimes it can suck when you are backed up with work but other times it is awesome and making you more money per customer when you add on extra work
One customer I provided service for found out that I am the son of the business owner and no joke, straight faced asked me for a family discount.......I don't know in what world anyone would expect a discount based off who my father is our isn't. I thought the customer was joking, I laughed and they didn't and looked upset that I laughed. I asked "are you serious?" They said yes, "your father is the owner of the business, would it be possible I could have a family discount?" I said no, you are not family.
@@waterheaterservices well that’s if you’re low on work during a slow season
I've said a few of these things before owning my own business. The people who need to see these types of videos aren't going to watch these types of videos. The types of people who need to be shown that the job is WAY bigger than what they think it is, think that they already know everything. They are the type of people who, after being in quarantine for the bulk of 2020, didn't learn a new skill. The people who are watching this video are the ones who are constantly improving. That's why there is sure a huge gulf between the best and the worst. The best keep getting better the worst just stay stagnant. Thank you for posting this. It will make me a better customer.
Hvac tech here, favorite thing "i changed my filter yesterday" then I pull it out and its 4 years old
I know someone with a bunch of big dogs and her air filter looks old af in a few weeks
The worst is when that person turns out to be your mother in law, and you have offered to service her furnace for those past 4 years.
lol imy case she is my MIL 😅
@@mandacole8703 try having 3 dogs and 5 cats in the house plus living in the desert and having dust everywhere we have to change ours every 2 weeks
Hahahahaha I can relate to this some customers are just special
"But this water heater is only a few years old!" Build date 2003.
@Daniel Howell I think you kinda missed the joke there
@@byronsteez8253 a chance to ruine a good joke with dry factual accuracy should never be passed up
Byron, I started out using lead wool! Right now I have 4 rentals and the tanks were put in in 96, still working great and have never even installed a new element! So you know how it goes, yea, I bought extra elements expecting trouble 10 years ago. Don't know if I could find them now!
That's not something to dislike, rather it is a repeat business opportunity informing them that they should have you come back every so often to put a new anode in to prolong the life of the new heater, because that is a short life for a well maintained, good quality water heater.
another one is, It's still under warranty. Right, a 30 year old AC unit.
The worst things you can say to a plumber:
Me: “Its a me Mario”
Na man, i believe you get punched in the face for sayn that.
Lmao I'm a plumber and this shits hilarious good one 😂
@@frankcass1047 so, what are the benefits of being plumber? Do you get to fight a big spiky turtle and his army of mushroom dudes?
@@lordkermit4657 Mario is the plumber, bowser is the customer... bowser was the original Karen.
As an Italian plumber, I try and say it before anyone else gets the chance. That is my right to own those words!
“I have a guy that can do it cheaper, but he isn’t returning my calls!” 🤣
"I can just buy new material and do it myself if its going to be expensive"
As a carpenter, when someone says they have someone who can do it cheaper, I say “ you should hire them because that’s a really good price.” Then they usually say” Oh but I would prefer you do it” 😂
"They stand over you and watch to make sure you don't do anything wrong"
Not me. I stand over and watch so I can learn how it's done. It's like watching a home-repair youtube video, but with your own equipment. Excellent when it is really a 5-minute fix that I can do myself next time it comes up.
Me too.
I know, almost a year later, but exactly. I just had an oil boiler installed for a ton of money. If I am spending that money, I am also getting an education. I wont be installing boilers anytime soon, but I learned a lot watching and staying out of the way. My plumber was cool about it.
You are actually disrespecting any trade and tradesman by watching to see how you can do it yourself the next time. He spent time and money going to school and learning his craft and hours of on the job experience to be paid what he gets paid to do his job when he comes to your house and all your concerned about is getting a bird's-eye view of seeing him in action so you can see how it's done so you don't have to call him out for the next time. First of all, if anyone asks me to watch so they can learn, I would say sure, but since my estimate for the job was just for labor and repair costs and NOT instructional lessons costs, I'm marking up the total of the bill by 15%. So I can either be left alone or add to the bill by becoming a paid instructor while fixing your problem. You decide.
@@Eddie-In-Las-Vegas If you do that, I expect the full lecture on how and why you are doing things, why you chose specific brands of materials, what you would have done differently should conditions be slightly different, etc...
@@Acaykath If you wanted a Q and A session then I would mark up the total bill by 40 percent then we can have that discussion. Realistically we deserve the same respect as all
the other professionals you hire or pay for throughout your life, when was the last time you conducted yourself in this manner with your doctor or dentist?
My most dreaded comment from customers.
"I could do this myself but I dont have the tools."
I tell them its their lucky day because I will gladly deliver the tools and watch for a small 100 dollar fee
Lol same thing happen to me (I could of done the job myself but I don't have the tools it should take u 10mins to do) I was ... ok heres all my tools that u need u do it in 10 mins its free but if not my price doubles... (kitchen faucet)🤣😂🤣😂 he didn't clear under the sink yet...lol start the timer I got paid double lol
Sometimes that really is true (time as well). I had wanted to re-pex my house for a while, but I didn't have a crimper. Didn't really wanna buy one so I considered a plumber, though I knew it would have been much cheaper to suck it up and buy the tool so I did.
@@DEmersonJMFM glad u did it. Plumbing is getting easier every year cause they make it diy friendly just don't panic or overthink it ull would be fine 🙂
Nothing worse than false male bravado. You know they can't do it themselves or they would borrow the tools. I love it when they try and phuck it up, because then they know there's some skill involved. Honestly, unless you're working for a big company, get whomever is in the office to try and screen calls better or at least explain to the customers how it's gonna go down. I worked for companies that would send you out to anyone that called in and I've worked with companies that screened their calls....which do you think worked out better in the long term?
I wish more guys were like you, because it is very often that what keeps me from DIY is not having specialized tools that I'd only need once or twice in a lifetime, and I'd LOVE it if someone would deliver the tools for me to use just to get the job done, I mean for tools I can't get from the local tool rental places
"are you charging me $50 for screwing 1 bolt on my car?"
no, that is free, im charging you $50 for 15 years of learning my job so today I come here knowing what bolt to screw to fix your problem
Imagine if a guy charged $5,000 for screwing in a bolt?
Customer: 5k for a bolt? I can do that myself
Worker: Sure, put on a harness and climb to the top of the Burj Khalifa and tighten it if it comes loose again. Make sure the weather is right too and that you have all the permits.
But obviously that's an exaggeration, in Dubai they'll probably go like "Only 5k? Heres a Lamborghini as a tip"
@@Jack-tu5zf a manual worker in Dubai would be lucky to get $5.
Henry Ford 👍🏼
@@JL-fq3jc I always wanted to know where that came from. I've heard it in many ways but never knew the original source
4444Ferris Well it’s rumored that he said that or something to that effect...check out the handyman’s invoice on Snopes
A lot of people don't realize that the "get 3 quotes" doesn't apply to troubleshooting, service work, or smaller jobs. Diagnosis IS the job. In a lot of cases by the time you drive to the job site and figure out what's wrong, that's 75% of the work. You can try to tell people best case/worst case but they say "I've read that you should get 3 quotes". Or worse, some jobs require design which can take hours of time and some people expect that to be done for free so they can take your design and shop it around with other contractors who didn't do the leg work.
You can do that though if you tell them in advance though. At work, we deal with many contractors and we pretty much always split diagnostics and the fix into separate jobs, it's an extra step to ensure we're not being fleeced, no incentive to diagnose a fault that doesn't exist since they know they're not getting paid to fix it after.
Well said
The multi quote thing only applies over a certain price tag if you ask me..
I got three quotes on my water heater and I'm glad I did. Prices ranged from $2400, to $2700 and then $3500
Yes all three quotes had the same items...only difference was the $3500 quote used a brand of water heater I never heard of and came with a 2 year warranty.
The other quotes came with Rheem water heaters and a 7(?) Year warranty.
Brady Wells I’m curious if you remember what brand the 2 year warranty WH was.
And I agree with OP
@@steakwilliams4448 Hey Steak,
Looked through my emails from back in February.. it was an 'AO Smith' WH.
And to be clear, I largely agree with OP as well.. I have a trusted plumbing company and usually don't gawk at their prices but the WH really caught me off guard. Then again, half the cost was in all the various code upgrades that I needed such as a drip pan, expansion tank, and pressure regulator.
House pressure was 95 psi!
Great Channel Rodger!...Retired master plumber here...Two of the worst things I've heard...#1 Is it going to leak? They never ask an electrician...Is it going to short out? Or a finish carpenter...Is it going to split out?...or a drywaller...Is it going to crack? #2 I give them a budget, in new home construction, to buy their own fixtures, because they want to make their own purchases (to save money usually)....Months later, they call and say this or that is leaking, or is cracked because the faucet or fixture was defective,and expect me to replace/repair it...I'm sorry, but if I purchased the item, I would honor the warranty...NOW, you chose and bought the item...YOU have to deal with the company warranty yourself....not me....I always made sure that was expressly said, and written into their contract/bid...
I love it when they complain " you guys were just here a few weeeeeks agooooo😭😭 now my sink is leakiiiiing...." check a back logs, you were there 3 years ago and worked on the toilet... 🙄🙄
Yeah....many people are pathological liars about repairs. I usually refuse to work on something that has been repaired by others....especially multiple times repaired. Memories get short and pretty soon you get the blame for previous issues you had nothing to do with. Man...the stories I could tell you about what's inside people's homes and how they live. The messes, the hoarders...the folks who won't lift a finger to make your job easier. All comes with that 'big' price, right?!
@@TheReal1953 man I've been in some houses that people live in that aren't fit for a dog... there was one meth house that I had a call at. They abandoned the place over the winter, and complained about leaks that summer.. there was litterly a bucket of piss in the doorway to the bathroom. Took a walk around, shut off the main, and told them we'de be back.... never went back
@@adamfranklin9410 LO! When I was a plumber in Dallas we got a call from a slumlord for a sewer relay job. There was a back story of course that he didn't tell us. Gypsies were living in there from NYC and the house was stacked inside with stolen goods in new boxes. We didn't know who was in there and we were told 'nobody'.....there was no answer at the door either....obviously. So we turned the water off, dug down to the sewer line and plugged it. We came back in a few days. The tenants had used the facilities until the toilet was overflowing and had a five gal bucket next to it full of S*it. After that they fled the scene....house was vacant except for the bucket of s*it. So we had to
unplug that sewer at some point for the new relay and it made me and my older partner throw up. I remember that job like yesterday.
Been there. Worked on AC unit 5 years later water heater starts leaking. Oh you guys must have caused it to leak.
@@johnd4348 Oh that must suck when customers blame you for stupid crap.
This is why when I call I tell them the symptoms, just like when you go to the doctor. Water is leaking from blank that I know of; water is clogged at these sinks; no water pressure at these faucets. Give the worker information and facts, not possibles and solutions. I always ask to watch because I want to learn something; even if I know I will never attempt to do it.
My plumber has come out and not charged me for small things because he has done major work at my house. Having said all this, I do a lot of minor stuff myself.
Respect the tradesmen just like you would any other professional.
“Oh while you’re here I’ve got a few other problems”... proceeds to add a half day job to what was scheduled as “one little leak” at a outside faucet
Especially love it when they wait until you've already written up the invoice and taken their payment to break out this one.
Was at a apartment complex for retired older people replacing a furnace and fixing the AC in one of the units. After i finished the job i was sent there to do, I spent about an hour extra removing metal bits from the locked up garbage disposal, installing a toilet seat and replaced 2 light switches and an outlet. 🤣
Charge them!
I blacklisted an entire town because I'd had a dozen jobs in a row where people would treat my quote for a job as an all-you-can-eat buffet and would add hundreds' worth of work on and refuse to pay for it later. And the haggling after the fact, oh my god! I still occasionally get phone calls from over that way. I make sure I'm too busy.
@@dasnomaden Hell yeah, Black
Listed a whole town! Right On.
Had a mechanic tell me something that stuck with me. Took my truck in and he looked at it. Reached under the dash for 3 minutes. Problem fixed. Said that would be $25. I asked why he was charging $25 for 3 minutes of work. He told me the $25 wasn't for the 3 minutes it took to fix the problem. It was for the 20 years experience that allowed him to fix it in 3 minutes
You are paying for the ins, license, truck, parts, and a lot of stuff that you dont see, office workers answering phone and tax stuff, there are a lot, not to mention rental of the building.
I sure as hell wouldn't be questioning only a $25 bill for fixing anything under my dash. I don't care how easy it was. Even if it was just a blown fuse, I would just chalk that up as the cost of skipping one of the first couple trouble shooting steps.
I'll pay 25 bucks all day long for that. Everytime I take my diesel in its $2500
You gotta wonder about people. Like what are they expecting? Oh that will be $3 sir! Like???
@@colbymanning7270 I would love to get a mechanic bill for 25 bucks. Experience is valuable. You don't want just a part swapper at the dealership. You want a critical thinking troubleshooter working on your car.
I’m a 32 year old master plumber and I still get the “You don’t look old enough to be a plumber”. 😆
My name makes me sound older than I am as well.
Actually as an appliance repair tech who is 26 years old, I get that a lot too.
Customers tell me I don't look like a plumber. I say thank you. LOL
I get that a lot too Jim. Lol
This guy is a King of the Hill character
I’m 25 and been Plumbing since I was 17. 8 yrs of experience and only 25? Ya, i get this a lot 🙄
As you get more experience with potential customers, you get better at figuring out who to do work for, and who to just pass on. The ballpark section was right on, just had that happen for a roof job I did a week ago. Customer did that exact thing and I should have known better. Very accurate representation of customer behavior.
As a carpenter my favorite thing is "Skilled labor isnt cheap and cheap labor isn't skilled"
Great videos Roger! Love watching them on my commute to and from work!
"you don't have that on your truck?" like I carry home Depot with me.
I get that all the time. Customers usually aren't great at describing the actual problem over the phone, so when I get there it's something completely different.
Most do
@@corsicacommander8371 We also have like half our tooling extra in every single one of our vehicles... just in case.
We are no plumbers and we are like on the other side of the planet but customers still are the same🤷
@@AlleyTrashBoards What I tend to ask customers like that is one simple question:
Of course I could do it like that. But do you want it to be done somehow or do you want that I don't have to come again for the next 20 years?
Flip side of that is if you get asked that often, you may be understocked and better off maintaining some instead of having to drive to home depot as often.
I appreciate it when the service provider I hired takes the time to teach me about the problem and how to prevent it in the future. That's the main reason I ask to watch.
Some job you can watch but some i dont like them there.
I always ask if it was something I did to cause the problem! Prevention is cheaper than repairing.
I really like when the homeowner/landlord asks to watch, I can point out the problem, go step by step what it will take, give time estimates and arrive at why it costs the amount of money it does. Because I've done it for 20+ years I'm not 'caught off guard' by any question or anything that comes up.
I'm an electrician and I've had this a few times.
"I already fixed it but can you check I did I right"
Everybody thinks they're an electrician until their house burns down.
That's usually what you hear right before you see the ground being used as a neutral
I live in Mexico
Customer: I got a problem with my toilet, since you're here can you chek it up?
Me: I'm an electrician, you should really call a plumber for that
Lmao
Nah look at it, say well, I can wire some power to it, but I think you need a new one. And you should clean the pipes.
When customers ask, “Are you sure you know what your doing?”
You say, “no, but I watched a RUclips video last night, so I think I have a pretty good shot!”
That! is my favorite dumb reply to a dumb question!
Gotta be careful when ya use that one, but the look on a customers face is sometimes worth it
I don't think I've ever been asked that. I've owned a HVAC company since 2002
@@xthumpx1 I saw a lineman suggest an alternative to a power company engineer, and the engineer took offense and said, "are you an engineer?"
the response: "no, but I did stay at a holiday in express last night."
I had a home owner ask me that. I responded with, no, but i did stay at a holiday inn last night. I got a goofy look and a phone call not 2 mins later. lol
When I ask for a range of the price, I do not listen to the lowest price I always hear the highest.
I usually ask for a price range so that I can get some money from the ATM if needed I also ask them what I need to do to make it easier for them such as moving something out of their way
That's why I always ask for the worst case, not a range.
I'm in HVAC and man my favorite call at midnight is "Well it's been out since noon we just forgot to call."
Man that gets me worked up every time.
You’re not alone brother. 👍
I get that call at least 3 times a week
as a plumber we dont get that, if their toilet is not working they cant dump so they will call asap, they are not waiting until midnight.
I’m in hvac as well. I love taking a call on the weekend and their response is “ well we noticed it not working right since Tuesday”. Well hell if you waited since Tuesday to call what’s 2 more days. Lol
As an HVAC guy, they do it here also. Both commercial and residential... I find the "no heat" calls as midnight rather amusing when I show up and they have a wood stove going and the house is about 30 degrees; but they needed that furnace repaired that night to keep them from freezing to death.
When your customer says “while you’re here” and adds three more things to fix and you have a schedule to keep.
lol ive done that, and ive done it to myself and people do it to me. If you cant fit it in, then reschedule not a giant deal. But I have had people that try to force you to complete ZYX and you have to call the cops to be released crazy ppl out there
I usually tell them "okay" then charge them more when im done, thats if they have attitude. If not, i warn them before i do these "extra things"
Here in teh UK we call it the J word ..... JUST.... Could you just.... It's the worst 4 letter word in a plumber's vocabulary, and we know quite a few.
I worked security and would do this to contractors and facilities all the time only because if I didn’t it would never be done
When someone tells me how to do the job they hired me to do. Gotta love it.
Don’t call multiple plumbers and schedule all of us at the same time!
thats funny
Lol
I used to be an auto mechanic and along with the "Can I watch" question came a million other questions such as "Why did you do that?". "How does this thing work?" etc. I'd tell them "I can't fix your car AND give you a class on automotive engineering at the same time". Especially aggravating when you're trying to diagnose a tough problem and you're waiting for possible answers to bubble up from that quiet little voice of your subconscious.
So, I really like to watch, to learn from professionals, but I can understand where this would be a major pain. So, I first do and intense amount of background research (I'm an engineer for a living, so digesting large sums of info isn't too hard), and then I ask them if I can watch while they work. I try to keep my questions to a minimum, but might ask them to reinforce the learning I have already done, or ask them about preference (i.e. - Sharkbite, crimp, or clamp?). I also ask them how I can help them. One AC tech was so happy, because his light stand had broken that day, and I just hung out and held his light so he could see to work. I know you have a job to do, and you have other expenses to pay, and other customers to serve. I realize there is a price for your professionalism, and if I call you out, I am willing to pay that. But if you'll allow me, I just want to be humble, help how you might need, and try to learn something in the process. If you don't want me to help, I do understand. I just find every technical skill fascinating, and love learning so much!
I will say though, some techs like it when I do some leg work for them. I don't try to tell them how to do their job, but I just submit my diagnosis and hypothesis to them. Like when my old AC unit went out. It wouldn't turn on, even thought I had 24 VAC on the line requesting cooling. I went out to the outside unit, pulled the panel off. With a little diagnosis, I bypassed the low refrigerant pressure switch and the unit came on.
So when he arrived, I led him through my process real quick and said "I know you have to check it, but I think either I have a low pressure switch, or a significant amount of refrigerant has leaked out of the system. Depending on what you find, could you confirm if my diagnosis was correct?" The guy smiled, told me I had basically no refrigerant left (I had a leak in the system somewhere, system was 25 years old), and that he would send out a sales guy.
He then told me "I've had a pretty tight schedule today, and you've just freed up some of my time. You have failing capacitor for your upstairs fan." He hands me a new capacitor, no charge. "As smart as you are, I have no doubt that you know or will know how to install this". I will honestly say, it was a nice gesture.
Pretty early on when I opened up my old computer shop I had to make a sign about this. I almost when out of business before it even got started because I wouldn't work on a customer's stuff if they insisted on standing behind me and breathing on my neck. SOOOOO many people threw a tantrum and went to my competition (who also didn't put up with that, oddly). But, after a while, the locals figured out that there wasn't anyone else who would take the jobs I was willing to do that the long established shops turned down. They didn't like it, all the way up until I closed, and complained, but they finally backed off for the most part. People suck. They really suck. I'm doing something completely different now and I ONLY do business with businesses. The new customers would still demand that they sit in my chair and I sit on their lap while they breath on my neck the entire time while telling me how to do my job, but fortunately - they literally don't have time to do that. It's the only saving grace.
I really don't mind having people watch me. In my experience, most are just curious. Almost every extremely satisfied customer I've had was one that was watching and asking questions
@akallio9000
When I was fixing computers, I had customers ask if it was alright if they watched or if they were bothering me. I told them no. I spent a lot of time waiting for things to load, etc. It was kind of boring, and I didn't mind having someone to talk to while I was doing it. And I did teach them some things while I was working. Which they seemed to like. Some of them, though, just left me alone to do my work. That was fine too. And there have been a few times the client actually had a pretty useful suggestion that helped me solve the problem or to set up the computer better than I had originally planned. Even the customers who didn't know that much about computers sometimes came up with something out of the blue that turned out to be surprisingly helpful.
He makes a lot of good points that are also applicable to other trades and service providers.
40+ years in the trade, 30 of them in service and repair, the rest new construction. I have worked every level from tech, to management, to owner, and now a trainer. I have heard these lines so many times I can almost tell by a customer's body language what the next question will be. Somethings never change. Younger people have seen their parents ask these questions so they think it's the right way to go about dealing with us or a friend tells them to ask these same questions like they have a grip on what's going on. We all know, they don't. I like your videos Roger. Thank you for taking the time to do them. They can make me laugh and make my blood boil. Keep them coming! Also the comments from other tradesmen... Holy crap we are a comedic bunch, aren't we!
Ever since the pandemic, I haven't been able to get ANY plumber to show up inside of a week, at least where I live. Even the licensed, legit guy who's been handling this exact house across multiple owners and multiple decades -- great guy, always super nice to deal with -- but he's so busy, it takes at least a week to get onto his schedule at all. Given the choice between having a leak running onto my hardwood floor for a week and doing it myself, I'm going on RUclips (learning just enough to be dangerous) and doing it myself. This is ZERO judgment on plumbers, just the realities of supply and demand. From what tradespeople I know personally are telling me, there's just a huge amount of "deferred maintenance" from the pandemic, and they're busy as hell. The most recent instance of this cost me $350 in tools and parts, 6 trips to Home Depot, probably 3 or 4 hours watching RUclips, etc. I would MUCH rather have paid a licensed plumber to 'hit it and quit it', I just couldn't get one here in time.
As a plumber your right emergency calls should always come first before being a plumber I am always hearing this from customers sorry like you have a leak why in the world would you wait a week for service the company I work for only has a few plumbers in 3 or 4 counties in our but almost always get to call within 24 hours unless it's a non emergency any kind of water leak in a home causing damage or main sewer blockage should be considered a emergency
When unrelated problems pops up and the customer is absolutely convince that you did it by fixing the original problem
I remember when I was little (like 1st grade I think), my dad changed the breaks on this woman's car. The next day, her dome light went out. She was convinced it was because of something he did while changing her breaks. I got beat up on the school bus by her son who was a few years older than me as he screamed at me how my grease monkey dad was a con man piece of shit. Now, as an adult, I tell every customer who starts to loose their mind in a tantrum to cut their shit or leave on a stretcher.
i had a main waste replacement job recently and the customer was convinved us replacing the rotted pipe stopped her kitchen sink.. ONLY THE KITCHEN SINK... from draining... but it turned out the whole waste pipe from that sink was completely clogged with grease and other shit... she wouldnt concede and say she was wrong too
On old HVAC systems I always say we can only warranty this one part we replaced, nothing else, and will have to charge when something else breaks. Your 1965 furnace (saw it last week!) is at the end of its service life.
@@bikerbobcat that's always the best. Explain all the pros and cons..
"Since you serviced my boiler last week, my toilet hasn't flushed properly.."
"Oh right.."
Its crazy how ppl do not understand when u pay a tradesmen to come out to your house your not just paying for Labour ur paying for exsperiance. Killer vid rodger. Keep up the great vids love them 👊
Exsperiance??????????? Wtf????
You’re exactly right on the money brotha
I'm in the first year of training as a plumber in europe.
And I got told: NEVER install parts or stuff customers bought. They might not be licensed to be installed and if something goes wrong the plumber is fault. ALWAYS get your own parts. The worst thing you could do is installing a water heater bought by a customer, and the water heater is made in china quality and has 0 licenses and was no tested at all.
@izphuzzy It depends but the problem is when something goes wrong with the part or faucet or whatever, that can create problems. If i install something i get from my supplier and it has a defect i can go back or let them come over to take a look at it and i will get a new part or reimbursed or if other things get damaged i can get insurance to cover it or theirs does. I have had people wanting to use their own stuff that i kinda knew so i said to them okay but if anything goes wrong u handle it, if its not correct u get to figure out what needs to be done. I am not doing any legwork or phone calls to help u with it. Guy ended up driving to the place he got the stuff from all the time and so much wasted time that he had to pay in the end i dont think it was worth it.
Man I gotta be honest, I love your logo. Very original, cool, and just different than most plumbing companies.
But he can never shave it off now.
Thank you Roger! This video has helped me to understand why I need to have and charge a service fee for my plumbing services and why I should stand behind it.
I love the “can you re-caulk this tub since you’re already here” routine.
I'm on your dime.
If had a dollar for every time
better yet, after you finish writing the ticket and get paid, oh by the way can you check this for me...
The worst thing when I was a painter and we’d get those customers who wanted to sit and watch . I didn’t mind except the ones who were like
“you missed a spot there”
“ ma’am/sir , it’s only the first coat”
" I have a plumber that can do it for half the price "
-So why am I here ?
THANK YOU RODGER... I have this problem always... I thought it was just me...
I have played service people against each other before with some success. Mostly roofers. So it does work at times. You want the job done right, but play Jose' against them. I don't want Jose to touch it, but I tell you my quote from him. I just don't tell you it's Jose'. You are in it to make money. I am in it to save money.
I watch a service professional mainly because I like to learn and am curious. Most don't mind and I am grateful to them. One day I will tell you about the 5 minute job... It took months... lol
Hey Roger. Joel, Journeyman Plumber from Wisconsin. I like the one I had. Had to repair a solder joint in a basement. So I shuit the water off, drain the system and make the repair. Took about a half an hour. The customer said "your done allready, My husband worked on that all weekend and could not mix it. That's when i said " Well that's why you called a Professional." We might be alittle pricey but we are Professionals. I've been a plumber for 37yrs now. Service work for the last12. I still love what I do. After you calm a customer down repair their problem and they thank you and sometimes give you a hug, it makes me feel good to help. Peace brother and Plumb on.
I’d say worst question is “Are you sure? I looked it up on the internet/RUclips and it said...”
There's a goof channel here on youtube by a kid who makes how-tos on how to fix your own computer and network issues. The greatest part is that he's a master at keeping a straight face and nothing, anywhere, on his channel says he's just messing around. I've texted the link to his channel to soooooo many people to shut them up. :D
This is one of my most hated ones.
This happen in pretty much EVERY single consult with patients i have (doc) "i did my reaserch!" "Are you sure?" "Google says?" And so on....
Yes lady, you did read about vaccines on that blog. You did read the conclusion on that single vaccine trial paper.... you however do not have 8+ years of training letting you know the immunology required to understand that that blog is utter nonsense. You do not have the hundreds of hours of hands on experience in the lab to validate the immunology you learned in class. Also you do not have the training to realize thst that paper has huge design flaws which induced that result, most likely done on purpose to have a "scientific paper" to back up the bias some bs naturopathic "Doctor" already had.
"I know my kid" yup, thats why i asked you for his birthday, but you dont know phisiology, pharmacology or pediatric care, thats why i dont ask you regarding treatment. I might consult with other docs, but you are not an umauthority on how to treat disease
"My neighbor said that thisbis caused by eating xxxxxx" well, if your neighbor's name is followed by MD, DO or PhD in medicine then i'd like to compare case notes, otherwise shut up.
"I looked it up on google......"
Yes, but anyone can have results on google. Hell web md is a great source.... FOR ME, not for You! You do not have the training to understad that although you have all symptoms of thst disease, it cannot be what you have because your google diagnosis is incompatible with you having a fever
@@Fede_uyz
I drive my doctor nuts with that, but here's the problem. I'm often right. My doctor was insistent that I go on diabetic medication. I listened to his arguments, considered the test results, and took into account everything that went into my mouth for the last three months. Then I told him no. With an AIC of 6.9, and a fasting glucose of 108, I clearly was eating far too much carbohydrates and could easily change the situation with a change in my diet alone. Three months later with no medications at all, I lost 20 pounds and had an AIC of 6.2. It dropped to 6.0 on the following checkup, and my fasting glucose has been under 100 since. He also changed my diagnosis from diabetes to prediabetes after I explained to him why he diagnosed me incorrectly. And, yes, I can understand the Mayo clinic and WebMD. If I had listened to my doctor without questioning it, I would have been on diabetic medication for the rest of my life. Now I just need to monitor my diet a bit and check my sugar levels a few times a week. So no, I'm not going to blindly do whatever my doctor says. He's a consultant who's advice I will carefully consider. But since it's my body he's trying put chemicals into, I'm going to be making the final decision about what happens. My doctor may not always like that, but too fricken bad.
@@TerryProthero my experience was similar to yours. Medical doctors are idiots. I improved my health when I started doing the exact opposite of everything they recommended. I taught one of them who was open minded on how to reverse Type II diabetes with keto and intermittent fasting.
"What do you think it could be?" Number 1 question I get asked even before the snake is down the drain. Usually reply "dunno what ya flush down there"
🤣 yes!
Steve Lavimoniere enters the chat.
I spent a decent amount on a shower head; I knew that if I messed up the install the wall would have to be ripped apart to fix it. So yes, I bought the parts and paid somebody to perform the install. Could I have done it myself yes, I choose to have somebody with better tools and better luck do it, my wall thanked me.
Roger I really appreciate your videos. Im a plumber in NC and you have not only helped me with things I was unsure of but have also validated my processes for how I approach jobs. Thank you!
I'm a journeyman plumber from Oregon and you are so spot on
The "Have a cousin that's cheaper," line always got me. Cool call him. It's gonna cost twice as much when you call me back to fix what he fucked up.
My new favorite channel. I have been a plumber for 10 years . You have inspired me to stop using shark bites. It's what I was taught to use but not anymore. Keep'em coming! Thank you.
Regarding "Can I watch", It is my assumption the tradeperson knows what they are doing and will treat me fairly; I and I am sure others are sincerely interested in learning and understanding how it works.
Generally I will say something like .. Thanks for coming out. Just so you know my background is in engineering and I like to know how stuff works and understand the process. You are the professional regarding topic and I presume you know what you are doing. So when I am watching and asking questions please understand that I trying to learn, understand, and appreciate your expertise.
With this understanding and staying out of their way, it has gone very well.
Jason I've been a plumber in the service field for almost seventeen years now and I'd like to say thank you it's customers like you that I love dealing with those willing to learn what they should and shouldn't do. It makes my jobs so much easier if the customer had even a little bit of knowledge of how plumbing works so that they can describe their problem easier so I can make sure I have to right parts on the truck to fix the issue. Or something as simple as putting eggs shells in a garbage disposal doesn't sharpen the blades even if you seem it online IT DOESN'T ( replaced at very least a dozen ). Again thank you and every homeowner like you who is willing to learn just a little bit more.
Louis2963 ok since you mentioned egg shells I have to ask, what about used lemons (already cut from using)? I was told as a kid that it helped to reduce any smell that could come from the disposal. Is that a thing?
Dawn first thank you for asking a question like this I've been asked this before and have researched this even going so far as to talk manufacturer I'll say right now it does help with the smell however the problem is that most not all but most disposal parts are made out of steel and the acid in citrus fruits will degrade the disposal quicker however there are three things that i can suggest that will help workout shortening the life of the disposal in most grocery stores you can find find little balls that remind me of either paint balls or bath salt balls at least with the the size with there size but do the same thing that you are looking for other than that one thing that I was told and recommended that would work is essentially oils you can pick whatever scent you want without the extra acid and won't degrade your disposal however the best cheapest and easiest thing i can suggest rather you have a disposal or is once a week or month depending on how many dishes you do even if you have a dishwasher is a sink full of hot soapy grease fighting soap and just let it drain down your sink it'll not only help with the smell but help with future clogs one of the biggest problems I have with kitchen sinks is a grease clog I've replaced so many lines just because I couldn't unclog them a little preventive maintenance goes a long way and if you have more questions I'd more than happy to answer them if I can
@@Louis2963 thanks so much for the answer!!! I think I know what little ball things you’re talking about. I think I’ve seen them before. I hadn’t heard that about the soapy hot water but I actually do that sometimes because of having to wash mason jars for canning. So it’s just hot soapy water that goes down the drain. Thanks again!!!
This is so true for other at home service providers as well. Drives me crazy daily ...so on point. Drives me crazy when they use the word JUST period, maximizing what needs to be done.
Hey Roger! I've been watching your videos lately and this one is really impressive. As a fellow blue collar tradesman, I understand the amount of patience it takes to just keep your thoughts to yourself and be honest and upfront. I work as a high and low voltage technician. Anything from running Romex and low voltage cables on roughs, to old work installs and commercial fire. I work along side many other trades, plumbers, hvac, carpenters, masons etc. Some customers don't realize how long it can take to perfect a skillset. Skills that legit tradesman have aquired by working hands on in their field and perfecting it. As a professional in my trade, hats off to you sir.
I love it when they tell me, "It's super easy, it will take you like 10 minutes for sure" 😐
Right? If you're such a professional and know how long it takes why don't you do it. lol
5 minutes always turns into 6 hours. Easy jobs are rarely easy jobs.
I thought your profile pic was a bug on my screen :)
I’ve been a plumber for 20+ years. The one thing that pisses me off is when a potential customer asks for a “favor” after getting a free estimate/consultation.
Customer wanted a discount. I immediately looked at his Ferrari, looked back at him and said " are you serious "?
Umm I don't see a problem with that
Tony Bruno 10% discount costs an extra 20%
Should have added a zero to the total 100 now is 1000 and when he bawks, say you wanted the best service money could buy. A guy like you NEEDS the best, right?
Most people dont get ferraris by being dumb with their money. At least they didnt before the internet.
lol. I met a dude who lived in a million-dollar house (in a city where the median price is about $300,000) with a 30-foot high vaulted ceiling and needed a few of the recessed bulbless LED lights replaced. $100 was apparently "very high".
As a working man, this video is golden, and I think you nailed it. Pride, honour and integrity. 'have fun and do it yourself' honestly, I laughed out loud at that point.
PREACH! I do HVAC work and hear this ALL the time! Thanks for the 4am wake call/ drive to your house to tell me how to do my job and cost of the part.
Yup. I've had customers tell me it took them 4 hours or more for a disposal. People won't understand until they do it themselves, and most won't.
Man.. I'm not a plumber. But I was talked into changing a garbage disposal under the sink once by a woman I was dating at the time. I got to see first hand what a true "can of worms" is for a plumber. In changing it, the pipes where so old they, along with the seals, disintegrated. So another trip to lowes. Got it installed and it worked. For an hour. Took it back and got a replacement, installed that. It worked. For an hour. Noticing how hot the second one was when I pulled it out (and actually thinking about it), I plugged my multimeter into the outlet it was plugged into. 260 volts. Strange, eh? In a 110 plug. Hit the breaker for that outlet, put my multimeter in, 180 volts. Killed every breaker (so I thought) to that section of the building, including the main breaker. 180 volts. Flipped every breaker and main breaker I could find. Had I a light saber, I would have severed all power lines going the monstrosity of a building. 115 volts. Took the plate off the outlet to find a rat's nest of wire in a garbled mess. Ancient wire with cloth insulation tangled with wire with no insulation (and not because it was ground) tangled with wire from every generation up to the current one. Untangled everything, capped off the still live wires. Capped off the rest of them one at a time as I turned the breakers on. Finally, had a good-ish ground, a good-ish neutral and the most stable hot I could find (It only bounced 10 volts and was the slowest in fluctuation). Hooked it all up and it lasted until the next chump got stuck with the building as far as I know. If that's the kind of shit you guys have to deal with on a daily basis, then my hat's off to you! You, gentlemen, are true warriors.
were they watching youtube videos on how to change a disposal? for 3-3/4th hours?..
I asked my regular plumber if I could watch what he did to repair a jacked up toilet flange and he was ok with it. The previous home owner before me did a lot of DIY stuff in the house. I installed several toilets myself before so I was confident until I removed this one. The flange was all jacked up and the drainage pipe wasn't secure and sitting a good 2 or so inches above level ground.
I was like "uhhhh" lol. Called my guy and explained the situation. I had him come out a few days ago too since he replaced the cut off valve on the same toilet a few days prior so that I could replace the toilet. The plumber was like "Hey I was just there" and was super excited to see my cat again haha.
I had something similar. I was planning on just replacing the bathroom floor tiles after we bought our house and when I ripped up the old ones I found half the subflooring was rotted from old water leaks and the toilet was on a floor drain instead of a toilet flange. Spent an extra day replacing the subflooring and installing an actual flange before I could get started on the original project.
Everytime a customer says, "it'll only take 5 minutes" a part of me dies inside.
when they said that to me, i said why didnt you do it then, why did you call me?
Not just customers lol, dispatch takes a call and gets the info, tells the tech "Sounds like X, should be a quick one." is basically a guarantee that the tech will be stuck for 6 hours fixing the problem.
Love your videos Mr. Wakefield. I own a small plumbing business in CA and hear this stuff ALL the time. “I have a simple job for you”
As a bicycle mechanic this entire video translates word for word. Its applicable to so many professions really.
Love it when they buy their own faucet or fixture and first thing I
Do even if I have installed what
They bought a hundred times is
Pull the directions out of the box
And look at them.99 out of 100 times they always say "don't you
Already know how to install that"!
I do the same thing. You never know when they decide to change the mounting hardware or something. I just tell them I always read them no matter what.
@@XSR_RUGGER I even leave them in a drawer and tell them not
To lose them!
@@danieldawson222 yep lol. I always hand them over. I usually tell them to take a picture of the box if it has the serial or model # on it. Could save them a headache later on. Ain't no shame in being informed and doing it right.
Then there was the great freeze of 2021, and much to my chagrin, like the thousands (maybe millions) in my great state, I had a pipe freeze. So I called a master plumber (not a handyman). He put me in his queue, but no ETA. No problem, I understood. In the meantime, my water is shut off, and me and my family are miserable. As the days go by, I begin thinking about the problem, and my attention quickly turns from fixing the leak to isolating the leak. So I head up into my attic and determine that if he installs a shut off valve on the busted line which only supplies an outside bibcock, he can switch the water back on without fixing the leak. That should be simple. I reach out to the plumber again to see if he has an ETA (it's been a week). He responds back with no because each call requires crawling all over the house fixing multiple leaks, and on top of that, plumbing supplies are very limited. However, I am becoming more emboldened with each miserable day. I go online and order a sweat only, lead-free shut off valve. I then try to negotiate and say several of "THE WORST Things You Can Say to a Plumber..." at once, "I don't need you to fix the leak because it only supplies an outside bibcock that we rarely use. I just need you to sweat a shut off valve in a location very accessible which shouldn't take very long since the water has been shut off for over a week. And I have a shut off valve I ordered online. And you can resume restoring service to other homes, and we can just fix the leak at a later date." Well, long story short, I learned very quickly how to sweat a valve, and I never heard from that plumber again. I guess exigency makes master plumbers of us all, but if that plumber ghosted me because I sincerely offered an alternative to HIS replies, then screw him. Not every customer is a sheep and not every situation is identical. Learn to give people who are miserable and desperate a little slack and grow a thicker skin. In fact, the more I think about it, the madder I get. I think I will make a video of "THE WORST Things You Can Say to a Homeowner..." There's a another side to every story.
Got a question is it still holding pressure cause sweeting is a skill no Matter many videos you watch it takes time i prefabricated services and backflows and have for four years i still get leaks not many but some
You kept your water shut off for a week because of a leak?
“My engine is smoking, how much will it cost to repair?”
Idk, is it a head gasket? Did you throw a rod? Is it overheating? Is your belt slipping? Is your clutch slipping? We don’t know the situation yet 😂
I don’t know if it happens in the automotive industry but the analogy is perfect to represent the same scenario in the plumbing industry.
Love the way you explain these ..this should be required to watch by customers before hand
I love your professionalism it symbolizes what your work is
“There was to be an easier/faster way to do this” alright bet let me know when you figure it out, i love learning things that make my job easier
Another one is when they say "oh I can shut the water off while your grabbing your things" and then they proceed to shut the water off to the sprinkler system outside. 😂
I had an older customer who wanted to watch. Like you, I didn't mind because I'm secure in my Plumbing hood. What agitated me is the guy trying to tell me how to do my work and to top it off he tripped over my tool bag and fell on me so I had to get his over-weight body off of me. I didn't even have to say anything... he got up and walked out the bathroom until I finished the job.
I found this absolutely hilarious!
I like the video. A bit of a rebuttal. True, you cannot go into Walmart and ask for a discount. BUT....you (even plumbers and service people) do that at car dealerships when buying a vehicle. Also, you can do this at elecronics and appliance stores, flea markets, and in home buying. So it isn't unreasonable. Sometimes a discount is possible if the service person can earn a lifelong customer just by being a little flexible. You can get my $250 once, or my $225 for the rest of my life. So there is an argument to be made on that end.
God Bless you sir. Your honesty in this Video is everything we plumbers feel. Respect from California.
I like when they call you for a leaking toilet and that’s all they say but when you get there it’s always while you are here can you fix these 5 other things as if I don’t already have 6 other jobs lined up
Pretty common. And they expect those five other things to be included in the bid for the one thing.
Don't run from those! Dispatch will get tired of telling customers you will be late and they should lighten the load after. I run 2-3calls a day and can make my 12-1700 everyday.
Finally somebody said this. Drives me up the wall especially when they get mad that you don’t have those materials on your truck at the time and they need to re schedule.
Omg yes... ever fn time and want to pay the same price.....
One customer called me at 4.00 am to tell me he had a leak in his cellar, I told him its ok its your cellar ....💩
Why are you answering your phone at 4am then?
Exactly the same in the Uk for me as an electrical engineer. Had them say I’ve bought all new switches and sockets then they end up as cheap and nasty and wrong types of switch ect . I wonder what these people would say if there boss asked if he could pay them less as they are giving them so much work.
Boy, he spoke a mouthful. And your spot on.
"How long is this going to take?" right as I've started troubleshooting
I love it when customers lie to you about something that they clearly did (even if it was just an accident) thinking it will be easier or cheaper to fix. Just be honest and don’t try to cover up. People that aren’t in the service and maintenance industry just never seem to get all the things that go on to fix something right. When people are straight forward with me, get to the point quickly and can make me laugh with a good story, then most of the time I’ll help them out a little bit with the price and or go the extra mile to do an extra fancy job. I’ve gained some really good customers like that.
You left out my favorite: “How much less will it cost if I help you do the job?“
Translation: “How much will it cost if I get in your way and you go half speed so you can teach me how to do plumbing?”
I can genuinely understand a lot of this. Biggest reason I'd personally ask to watch is so I can learn how to do something myself. I may interject and ask for an explanation on what's going on, or ask for a high level (not in-depth) overview on the steps that where taken. I love learning, and love being able to do things for myself.
I like your videos. It is hard to find honest and fair people today . Even if they are licensed bonded and insured. We caught a reputable plumbing company try to scam my elderly neighbor with a restoration company. Was really a sad situation.
I had to cut up my back patio and lay a whole new main line under my house after we bought it. It was a 3 day job and would have cost $10k plus. It was scary at first but I'm glad I did it myself.
Why was it scary?
@@rfarevalo I had to rent a saw and cut my whole patio up on the home we had just bought and I had pretty limited plumbing experience and no idea where the water and gas lines were. It was slow digging.
@@thisislargemouth5566 you can call a number and they'll mark the lines for free. Also, ever try dousing rods? Watched some videos and made a set ot of wire hanger and straw. I couldn't find my water main but it is crazy how they did work over most of the stuff. I stood over a known electric line underground and they kept spinning.
Having recently looked for a mechanic, from the customer's point of view, one of the big issues is, not everyone is a legit as you guys are.
Exactly, which is why charging for a quote is a bad idea. Especially if its going to be a bigger job than say fixing a tap or something obvious. You should be going out doing the quote and being close to market, with the reviews / portfolio to hopefully get the job and then be someones go to for future jobs.
As a cable technician, I hear “how long will this take?”, “Do I have to be here while you work?”, “the last guy left it that way” as there is signs of them tampering with things
The last time I used the line, "the last guy did that" was literally the last paid "professional" who came down and cut the wrong line.
What is a cable technician?
fish Bystander a technician that works on and installs cable, internet and phone services
@@bigdonnie624 very interesting, thanks for the reply.
We prefer the term broadband telecommunications service technician 😂🤣 network here buddy, keep at it brother
I just had that conversation today. Why so much you were only here for 30 minutes and someone else would have charged me half the price. I almost flipped out. Thank you for your videos.
Simply put...I love it! 😄😄😄Thanks for the education. 👍🏼👍🏼👍🏼
How long have you worked for the company? Daaaaaaaaang this puts me in a mood so fast.
“ I started to fix it myself....”
That’s when I tell them there’s gonna be a $100 fee for the headache I already know you’re giving me.
It was “fine” until you “fixed it” the other day.
Oh god, I heard this all the time in IT support......
@@pnkfld7892 preach IT brother 🙌
For real
@@pnkfld7892
Me too. I went to a lady's house, and she had an old computer that was giving her trouble. Each time I tried something, things only got worse. I told her the computer was beyond repair. There was nothing anyone could do. You need a new computer. So she accuses me of breaking the computer, because it was worse off then when I started. No lady. It had a boat load of problems before I started. The things I did just made them more evident. Sometimes messing with an old computer is like kicking a hornet's nest. She wasn't buying that explanation. So I just told her that I'm not charging her, and I'm leaving. From that point on, anytime someone had an old computer, I warned them ahead of time that attempting to fix it could make things worse if it's already far enough gone. I can move forward with that in mind provided that you understand the risks. Most customers get that and told me to go ahead and try it and we'll roll the dice. If it goes badly, they'll get a new computer. Other people told me to hold off until they were ready to get a new computer and asked me to help them pick out something better.
@@TerryProthero lol the 206 virus's were cancelling each other out enough to open internet explorer from 2009, NOW I CAN'T DO ANYTHING!?
I'm a master electrician and I am glad to hear I'm not the only one who deals with stuff like this. Great video.
Not a plumber or handyman, but I sure do love watching your videos, Roger