After reading the Customer Sayings I couldn’t resist:
“I can get my crew on it right away once I get 1/3 down” (meaning sometime later this year)
“Oh I’ve done that many times” (that’s why I’m standing here dumbfounded)
“Piece of cake”
“I was waiting for you to call me”
“The following is not included…” (this list is usually longer than what will be done)
“It’s up to you, we can do it anyway you want” ($!)
Replies
One from just this morning:
"I might be able to start in August....are you kids in year round school?"
"A completed home is a listed home."
Time to fight back! Here's the usual reply to a customer with champagne tastes on a beer budget.....with one more "could we"????
"All it takes is time and money".
OR....after being asked if "this"(which no other contractor has wanted to touch) can be fixed....
"Throw enough money at it and I can fix most anything".
Jeff "That's like hypnotizing chickens........."
"I've got to make a run to the hardware store. In case of bad traffic I'll come back in the morning." (sun came out and all his buddies are having a beer)
"Truck broke down, it will be a couple of days" (Good weather coming up, chance to get some golf in)
"Damn sub screwed that up" (subs?)
"This remodel is going to take more time than I thought. Some idiot did this all wrong." (these things come up all the time but I always forget to include them in the bid.)
Dang, Steve, you've done some remodelling, haven't you. What about "have to special order that, I'll get back to you when it comes in" (probably some insignificant item like the front door, or maybe the kitchen sink).
Back in March just before we had that snow and it was damn cold, this plumber finally shows up two hours late. This was after several days of "I was waiting for you to call". We were supposed to fix an outside sewer line. So we were all standing outside shivering in the cold surveying the situation when he says he forgot his diamond blade and needed to run to Lowes to get one. I wait for two hours and decide to call his cell phone to see if he needed help finding his way back, Lowes is less than a half mile away. He said he was going to do it tomorrow morning.
Needless to say, he didn't show and I didn't call to ask why...
My fav is " Ill get back to you" and " I left you a message on your voice mail" Darkworksite4: When the job is to small for everyone else, Its just about right for me"
Two of my fav's are, when asked why I did something a certain way I'll tell them "It's code" or "Trust me, I know what I'm doing, I'm a licensed contractor".
Dave
Your right dave. thats code . Now they cant argue with that. I love using it when I have to. I love it when a plan comes together.
Tim Mooney
A contator dad always said ; boys Im losing money, hurry. Not gonna make any money on this job.
I say from every job he was ever on ,that I was on , he never made any money.
We can fix anything, but a broken heart, and thats just 'cause our wives won't let us!
"You're first on the list"