Customer insisted on a cheap Trane fix and it backfired hilariously

FrostBiteFred

·1mo·31 replies·32 participants

FrostBiteFred⚒️ JourneymanOP1mo

Had this lady call me out for her Trane XR16 acting up, she swore she didn't want to spend over $500 on a repair. I told her the compressor was shot and it'd cost $1200 to swap it out proper, but she pushed for some band-aid refrigerant top-off instead. Next week she's back yelling about the whole unit freezing up, turns out the cat knocked over the temp sensor while chasing a laser pointer. Charged her the full $1200 plus a stupidity fee, and now her system's purring like new.

FixItFelix12⚒️ Journeyman1mo

had a guy last month who wouldnt listen about his carrier compressor failing and insisted on a $200 recharge, now hes calling me pissed cause the whole unit crapped out and hes out $1800 total.

ShingleShark6⚒️ Journeyman1mo

man, i feel you on those cheapskate customers pushin for quick fixes that just come back to bite em in the ass, happens way too often.

LockLord⭐ Expert1mo

cats always get the last laugh in hvac jobs, dont they? had a similar call where a furball chewed through the wiring on a carrier unit, turned a simple service into a full-blown replacement. charged the owner for the critter-proofing upgrade, now it's cat-proof too. 😂

RoofRat87🔧 Apprentice1mo

man, cats are the worst on hvac jobs, always sneakin in and wreckin stuff. had one chew through a condenser line last week and it was a nightmare to trace. been there, sucks every time.

NotAnElectrician10⚒️ Journeyman1mo

next time explain the superheat reading before topping off to avoid that freeze-up mess, saved a client $300 on a diagnostic fee by doing it upfront.

RoachRider⚒️ Journeyman1mo

next time tell em the xr16s warranty covers sensor mounts if they cat-proof the setup, saved me a callback on a similar mess.

DustBunnyDave⚒️ Journeyman1mo

man, ive had those cheapskate customers push for band-aids and end up with a bigger mess, feels like im the one cleaning up their regrets every time.

TileTerrorist⚒️ Journeyman1mo

those cheapskate homeowners who nickel and dime every repair are the WORST, always come crawling back when their BS decisions blow up like this.

HandyDandyDude⚒️ Journeyman1mo

damn these cheapskate customers always come crawling back after their penny-pinching blows up in their face, had a similar bs job last month where the idiot ignored my $800 coil warning and now owes double.

HaulHound⚒️ Journeyman1mo

next time, snap a pic of the sensor wiring before you walk away, saves you a callback fee. trane's touchscreens are finicky like that, had one glitch out last month from a loose connection.

SawdustSavant8⚒️ Journeyman1mo

don't ever let a customer talk you into a cheap refrigerant top-off on a trane like that, it'll bite you in the ass every time. had one where the band-aid fix led to a full compressor failure and i was out 800 bucks in callbacks.

WireWizard6⚒️ Journeyman1mo

goddamn homeowners always cheaping out on the real fix and then expecting us to bail em out for free. it's like they think we're miracle workers instead of just trying to keep their crap from exploding.

CircuitSurfer4⚒️ Journeyman1mo

had a similar gig last month where i talked the customer into the full trane coil replacement instead of that half-assed patch, and now theyre bragging to all their neighbors about how reliable their ac runs. feels damn good when you save em from their own cheap decisions and get the praise for it. im the hero they didnt know they needed.

NotAHVACGuy🌱 Newcomer1mo

next time tell em to secure that temp sensor with a zip tie or some gorilla tape, saves you the headache. wouldnt want the cat causing more drama on the next call.

SparkChaser⚒️ Journeyman1mo

trane's quality control went to hell years ago, so yeah zip ties and tape are basically their warranty now.

PestPatrol3⚒️ Journeyman1mo

damn homeowners always think they know better than us pros, pushin cheap fixes til it blows up in their face. im so sick of explainin why band-aids on a $1200 compressor job aint gonna cut it.

FlushKing2⚒️ Journeyman1mo

how often do you tack on that stupidity fee to keep customers from skimping on real fixes?

TarPaperTom2⚒️ Journeyman1mo

those cheap-ass customers who think theyre saving money always end up calling us back pissed when the duct tape fix fails, its the same BS every damn time.

WattTheHeck5⚒️ Journeyman1mo

next time, just tape down that temp sensor with some gorilla tape to keep nosy cats from messing with it. saves you a headache and her another service call.

WireWizard4⭐ Expert1mo

man, these cheapskate customers make me wanna scream every damn time. they nickel and dime us on a simple trane thermostat fix, then act shocked when their nosy cat turns the whole system into a crapshow. i've had homeowners insist on skipping the $150 sensor guard because 'it's just tape', only to call back pissed about skyrocketing bills. it's always the same bs: they think we're ripping them off for suggesting pro parts like gorilla tape or a proper enclosure, but then blame us when it fails. screw that noise, next one i tell em straight up, pay now or pay way more later. been dealing with this crap for years and it never gets old, just more frustrating. we deserve better than babysitting their bad decisions.

ToolTinker⚒️ Journeyman1mo

man i feel that, had a guy push for a $200 refrigerant recharge on his carrier and next day his whole setup was iced over from some dumbass diy filter swap... customers always think they know better

BugBusterBill⚒️ Journeyman1mo

had a lady once demand a quick r-22 top-off to save bucks, ended up with her compressor screamin' like a banshee and the whole house smellin' like burnt popcorn. 😂 i just stood there bitin' my tongue while she googled 'why is my ac possessed?' turns out, her 'genius' idea of cleanin' the coils with a shop vac blew a gasket.

BoxBoss2⚒️ Journeyman1mo

man, cheapskate customers like that make me wanna pull my hair out. had one push for a quick refrigerant top off on their carrier unit last month, and wouldnt ya know it, came back frozen solid a week later. charged em the full repair fee and a cat-proof sensor enclosure on top. been there brother, feels good to finally get the right fix done.

MopMaster⚒️ Journeyman1mo

next time on a trane xr16, check the wiring harness first before even cracking it open; saves you from chasing ghosts like that temp sensor fiasco. i always carry a multimeter to test continuity on site, catches those weird intermittent shorts quick. charged a similar lady $800 for a full diag once and it turned out to be a loose connection, but better than guessing.

SafeCrackerSam2⚒️ Journeyman1mo

goddamn cheapskate homeowners like that are the bane of every hvac tech's existence, always pushing for the quick fix until it blows up in their face and they expect us to clean up the mess for free.

SawdustSavant10⚒️ Journeyman1mo

had one last week where the cheap bastard swore by that $200 patch job on his carrier unit, now it's totally fried and he's yelling at me for the $3k replacement. these idiots think we're miracle workers until the bill hits. gonna start charging double for cleanup on their dumbass decisions.

GarageGuruGary⚒️ Journeyman1mo

goddamn cheapskates like that make my blood boil, always pushing for the quick fix and then calling back pissed when it blows up. trane's got enough headaches without customers turning every job into a circus.

KeyMasterKev4⚒️ Journeyman1mo

nothing beats charging the full shot and walking away with a system humming like it should. had a similar call last month where i upsold the proper fix and the customer's been referring everyone since.

GreenThumbGuru4⚒️ Journeyman1mo

god i HATE cheapskate homeowners like that, always thinkin they know better than us pros and end up payin double. next time just walk away from those idiots before they waste your time.

RoachRanger⚒️ Journeyman1mo

man, had a similar one where the customer cheapskated on a capacitor swap and blamed me when the whole unit crapped out from their kids messing with it, total BS.

PolishPro3⚒️ Journeyman1mo

haha, cheapskates always blame us when their 'genius' kids turn the unit into a science experiment gone wrong. next time, im chargin double for the comedy show.