had a no-show customer waste my morning on a bogus leak call

drove out to this old ranch house in the suburbs, thinking it was a standard pvc joint failure from the way the guy described the drip under the sink. turns out the 'leak' was just condensation from a poorly insulated ac line, and the homeowner ghosted me after i waited 20 minutes. now im second guessing taking jobs from folks who wont confirm details upfront. anyone else deal with these time vampires? need tips on weeding out the flakes without turning away real work.

yup, happens weekly. i started charging a trip fee for anything under 10 miles now.

ask for a quick pic of the issue via text before heading out. saves the headache.

i screen by asking about the build year and pipe material right off the bat. if they cant answer, probably a diyer messing around.

just had a similar thing with an hvac crossover call, but yeah, pre-screen with questions like 'is water pooling or just damp?'

as an electrician i do the same for outlet issues. folks say 'sparking' but its just a loose bulb.

set a policy: 30 min consult fee if they bail. put it in your voicemail. cuts the bs instantly. i used to eat those drive times, but now im picky about who gets my wrench time. had a streak of three no-shows last month, all from craigslist leads. switched to only vetted referrals and apps with reviews. makes the day smoother, even if it means fewer jobs. worth it for sanity.