Home/Rants/⚡ Electrical/that time I won big on a subpanel job but lost the client forever
that time I won big on a subpanel job but lost the client forever
T
TenYearVet7
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T
TenYearVet7⚒️ JourneymanOP4h
14
been in the Chicago area my whole career, and last month I got called out to this old Victorian house where the main panel was maxed out at 100 amps, no room for the EV charger the homeowner wanted. I quoted them a full subpanel install with a 200 amp feeder using 2/0 copper from the meter base, threw in some AFCI breakers for the bedrooms since NEC 210.12 is a pain in zone 5 winters anyway. They loved it, paid the $4500 without flinching, and I even upsold them on some LED recessed lights with the Lutron dimmers. But get this, the wife posts the before and after on Facebook in the Electricians Network group, and now every neighbor wants a quote but hates my rates because she called it 'insanely expensive' in the comments. Saw a similar story on r/electricians about client bragging gone wrong. Moral of the story, folks: get a clause in the contract about not badmouthing the work online, or at least coach them on what to say. Funny how one win turns into a loss real quick.