A customer told me my 'quick fix' on a leaky faucet was actually making it worse

I was on a lunch break last Tuesday, just sitting in the truck eating a sandwich, when the homeowner came out. He said, 'Hey, I don't mean to bug you, but that drip is back and it sounds different now. Louder, like a tap dance.' I'd just swapped a washer, my usual go-to. Went back in, and sure enough, the whole cartridge was shot. The washer was just a band-aid. He wasn't mad, just pointed it out. Now I always check the whole assembly first, even if it adds ten minutes to the job. Saved me a callback yesterday on a similar job in the same neighborhood. Anyone else have a simple piece of advice from a client that actually stuck with you?

3 comments

3 Comments

the_eric1mo ago

Yeah, a customer once told me to check the whole line.

karen_roberts41mo ago

Oh man, that is so true! I had a lady once tell me her toilet kept running "like it was nervous." I was ready to just adjust the flapper, but she kept saying it happened after every single flush. Turns out the fill valve was totally worn out and the flapper was just a symptom. She saved me a second trip for sure. Listening to how they describe the problem really points you right to it sometimes.

emmag221mo ago

That "band-aid" thing happens everywhere. In my experience, people will often point out the real problem if you just listen, even when they don't know the technical terms.