Reining in the bad contractor

What do you do when you feel screwed by a contractor – especially when you think you are such a good, educated consumer? I had to eat crow. I hired a bad company. I did not do enough research. We all do such things, so I was hoping this story might illustrate what you can do when you do get into a bad situation with a bad contractor.
Our furnace broke in the middle of the night. It was nearly 20 years old. We were not really that surprised, just mad for not replacing it earlier. We got out the Yellow pages and called several companies. The first call back was a guy I knew as a kid. So we hired him to install the new furnace without doing any background checks.
Eight months later, on one of the coldest nights of the winter, it broke. At first, I was in denial. Then I flipped out, thinking my poor little daughter would freeze. So I screamed to my husband to fix it (like he could actually fix a broken furnace) and ran upstairs and covered our daughter under multiple blankets. I knew she would not freeze in a few hours. It was still 55 degrees inside the house. But I was angry. I paid dearly for my furnace, and I expected it to work. I expected peace of mind. I paid for it.
After multiple calls to the 24-hour line, screaming matches with the company’s owner, and repeated visits by an inept furnace repair guy from that very company (who assured me this problem was an Act of God since the venting pipe had frozen, forcing the furnace to just stop), I became an educated consumer once again. (By the way, after the repair guy fixed the problem, it broke again that very night.)
I needed help. I had to resolve this situation. I wanted to force him to fix this adequately without additional cost to us. But I wasn’t so sure that could happen. So I called a competitor company – Air Master of Berkley, Michigan – and started asking questions. I wanted to hire him to fix it. This is when I discovered the contractor had not pulled a permit, nor had he properly lined the fireplace. The owner came out to my home, at no cost, and inspected my furnace. The piping was installed improperly. We were lucky it froze. It could have exploded. There were other things. The work was sloppy. The humidifier was not installed.
The permits (air and furnace) could have been a few hundred bucks, and the liner for the chimney was $400. The competitor said he would fix it. But he thought I should try to get the other guy to do it without any cost. Now I had the upper hand.
I wrote a letter, telling the company I had hired that my unit was inspected. I outlined what needed to be fixed and highlighted the phrase, “at no cost to me.” I encouraged them to get the permits required at City Hall. I knew they would understand I meant business. They are required by law to get permits. If they did not, I would turn them in.
I said they had two weeks to fix the furnace, line the fireplace and pull the permit. I got a call the next day from a very pleasant company owner. They got permits and fixed my furnace. I had it inspected. Next time I need something, I am calling Air Master. I will never do business with the other company again.

Say no to bad customer service

It’s time to take back customer service



Welcome to Consumer Kim, my first blog which I will update on occasion, AKA whenever I feel like it. My goal is to rant about the horrible customer service I have seen, and create a forum for others to join. Along the way, I'd like to use my journalistic skills to interview large companies whose service baffles or disgusts me, find out what training they offer, if they know what it is like in the stores, and all that good stuff.

For now, I'll be happy empowering the masses (or at least the few friends of mine who read this thing). Together we can impact change -- nah. But maybe we can get the ball rolling and demand we get what we pay for.

So you know, I am toughest consumer I know. I expect good service every place I go, whether I am pumping gas or making a major purchase.

A few years ago, I canceled an order for a washer and dryer immediately after I purchased it because the store manager assured me it could not possibly be delivered at my convenience. I was to sit home for 8 hours just waiting. No way I was going to do that. I knew someone would deliver on my schedule. I went to the local Maytag store, and they gave me what I paid for, and then some.

I gave a horrible rating in a Zagat’s survey about the fanciest and highest rated restaurant in metro Detroit after the owner insulted me. A friend had pre-paid our meal with a credit card, and I requested to see the bill to check it, to make sure it was correct. He said, “Do you think we are going to screw you?” Not okay. My comments were published. I believe I called the place “Snobby. Uppity. Overrated.”

You see, the problem is – on a large scale – service basically sucks, and we just sit back and take it. It is time to say no to bad service. It is time to make right a wrong.

Here are the changes I’d like to see:

· Change in attitude behind the register. (Say thank you when I give you money.)
· Change in leadership (yes, the customer is still always right).
· Change in cooperation. (someone please put my grocery bags in the cart for me.)
· Change in facial expressions. (Please smile when I am giving you money.)
· Change in rudeness factor. (Do NOT talk on the phone while waiting on me.)
· Change in neighborliness. (Just ask if I need anything, and let me know where you will be.)
· Change in overall manners. (Act like you mean it when you say have a nice day.)

I can go on and on, and I will on this blog. I'd like to hear your beefs with service -- and what you did to improve things.

In the meantime, please memorize the following list of empowerment tools to become an advocate for better service.

· It is a buyer’s market.
· They need your business.
· You can shop anywhere you want.
· They must take care of you.
· The old adage, the customer is always right, is still true. (But you owe it to yourself and humanity to be polite.)
· Don’t be shy. Ask for what you want.
· Expect nothing less than professionalism.
· You are in the driver’s seat.
· Bad service. Don’t go back.

Thanks for humoring me. Keep reading. More to come. I promise.