Replies

1. 
   Don_Minter | Nov 17, 1999 03:39pm | #11

   *
   Although I also tend toward the "crooked" diagnosis, it is possible that until the plumber started the work to actually prepare for the switch that he noticed no power to the unit. For example, he may have checked the outlet, found power, checked for current to the pump with "power applied," and found no current. Therefore, the pump motor windings are bad.... Except when you go to change it, you notice the plug is not seated properly, and hear the pump kick on when you reseat it. This is a possibility for the "just stupid" category.

   A quick story, told to me by the engineer who diagnosed the problem...

   NASA (yes, the space folks) had the best and the brightest up on the moon when trouble developed with the lunar rover. After years of training, and months of preparation for this specific, well-publicized drive, the crew was having problems. The assembly of the rover had gone well, but there was evidently something wrong with the workings. The astronauts were told to make a few checks, with the diagnosis being, "Turn it on."

   When told that the radio conversations between Houston and the moon were being broadcast worldwide, and that they couldn't tell the best and the brightest to "turn it on," they told them to "Recycle the input breaker."

2. 
   Guest_ | Jan 04, 2000 11:33pm | #12

   *
   "Somewhere this (sump pump) should plug in. There should be two plugs, one plugged into the other piggy back. The one that is plugged into the wall outlet is the switch, the other one is the pump. Unplug the pump from the switch, if it runs without the switch you need a new switch, if it doesn't then the problem is the pump."
   I posted that in response to clayBee's question on sump pumps. Simple enough, ok?

   Well, I was out of town for a couple of weeks and the ejector pump on my mother-in-law's attached apartment quit working. My wife called me. I said I'd fix it when I got home. She wanted to keep her mother happy, so I told her to call a plumber. The plumber CAME OUT, looked at it, called back and said it needed a new pump. $500 materials + $250 labor. My wife agreed. He came out to fix it and she said, "my husband's a contractor and will be home today." Well, he then discovered that it was unplugged. He plugged it in, it worked, no charge.

   Question 1: If she hadn't told him I'd be home that day, would he have charged $750 to plug the thing in?

   Question 2: How did he determine that it was the pump and not the switch?

   Question 3: Could he have actually gone ahead and replaced the thing and not noticed that it was unplugged?

1. 
   Guest_ | Nov 14, 1999 02:15am | #1

   *crooked.

1. 
   Guest_ | Nov 14, 1999 02:31am | #2

   *when I was working in hotels as a head of maintenance, we would get a call down from the front office to fix something that for some reason had several people baffled. we would always write on the repair ticket to document our time as level one diagnostic, had everbody fooled. They thought it was some big important test, and all it was to check for power first.sounds to me that mr. plumber was trying to fool your wife with big important words, untill he was told that somebody in the house knew those big words. Wow, he was also gonna get her on the price to, it does not take long to swap out a pump, it may be a shitty job(ha ha) but it does not take more than an hour. that is unless he charges 250.00 an hour.

1. 
   Guest_ | Nov 14, 1999 03:57am | #3

   *Hey Mike,Consider yourself lucky, I had i all thatinformation, but thought I couldn't working before the basement tenet's toilets started to overflow, that and the fact that I was a wee bit daunted by the task of cleaning it out, plus the fact that I have no plumbing tools (but can set a nice toilet) so I called a plumber as well. Actually I called four, two wouldn't touch it and didn't know of anybody that would, Roto Rooter would damn sure get into it but not until three days from then. i The fourth guycame out right away, said $650 to clean, around twelve hundred if it needed a new motor. He also said it would be significantly cheaper if I could do it in cash, I couldn't. So I took "screwins'." Yeah, yeah, call me a chump but the thing had been overflowing for about four days (if not longer) going god knows where. I guess I'm just lucky that it was only a clogged motor. Guess I woulda got covered in shit either way.

1. 
   Guest_ | Nov 14, 1999 04:03am | #4

   *If he "CAME OUT, looked at it,"... he should have caught the loose plug that day. Fix is free, $50 or so for his time to make the house call.Either he needs a review in diagnostic techniques or he was looking for a quick buck. Lucky for you, but sad that it happens.Good save by your wife. Several years back my wife got a flat tire, right in front of a garage. She drove into the lot and asked them for a new tire. After she was introduced to the waiting room and they started on the tire, a solemn-faced mechanic came in with the bad new. Rim is shot, rotors need replacement, tie rod was bent, the car was unsafe to drive, but he could work through his lunch hour and fix it NOW. All these things could be fixed for just under $1100 dollars.My bride said "great, just save the parts...my husband is an auto mechanic. He'll want to see them." She said he looked a bit nervous and went back into the office. A few minutes later another guy came out..."You're the lady with the flat tire? Sorry, we confused your car with the other car. New tire is on, that'll be $xx.xx".Actually, this was when I was in the USAF, I was out of town flying in an exercise out in Vegas. I know near nothing about auto mechanics. It's guys like these that give the trades a bad name.

2. 
   Guest_ | Nov 14, 1999 05:01am | #5

   *Crooked. As a witch's nose. Sam

3. 
   Guest_ | Nov 14, 1999 06:01am | #6

   *Wonder what he would have done if she'd told him after he'd done the "work"? Maybe you ought to call him and ask what happened. Maybe you ought to called the state licensing board and see if they're interested in his sudden revelation.

4. 
   Ralph_Wicklund | Nov 14, 1999 06:27am | #7

   *No wonder some of their trucks are so much newer and better looking than mine.Ralph

5. 
   Guest_ | Nov 14, 1999 06:58am | #8

   *You know what? Most days I would have read this, filed it away with a knowing chuckle, and walked on. But this pisses me right the hell off; stupid f@#!&* con artists ripping off people in vulnerable situations. I bust my hump to give good , honest service; and it's assholes like this that put that wary look in customers eyes. I hope they burn in hell.

6. 
   Guest_ | Nov 15, 1999 04:57am | #9

   *Adrian...Ditto!Pete Draganic

7. 
   Guest_ | Nov 15, 1999 05:46am | #10

   *Adrian-I couldn't agree more.....!!!!Sam