I think we give customers too much leeway on changing their minds after the work is done

I run a small plumbing crew in the suburbs and I keep seeing posts here where people laugh about customers who call back a week later wanting a free adjustment. Everyone acts like it's part of the job to go back for free because the customer "changed their mind" on where the sink sits. I disagree. If I finish a job, clean up, and hand you an invoice, that's the agreement. Last Tuesday I got a call from a lady in Northbrook who wanted me to move her toilet six inches to the left after I already set it, and she expected no extra charge because she "didn't think it through." My guys spent three hours on that initial install with proper venting and leveling. Moving it means ripping out tile, new flange work, maybe drywall repair. That's not a quick tweak, that's a whole new job. I told her politely I'd do it for half my regular rate since we just did the work, but some folks on here act like you should eat those costs to keep the customer happy. Has anyone else set a firm boundary about revisions after the invoice is signed?

3 comments

3 Comments

rileyb6118d agoTop Commenter

So I had this guy in Evanston last fall who wanted me to move his kitchen sink about ten inches after I had already tied it all in. I told him straight up that's a three hundred dollar charge minimum and he said "that's ridiculous, you just did the work." I told him exactly, AND I did it right the first time so now you pay again. Nobody blinked when I gave the quote up front but suddenly I'm the jerk for not wanting to redo tile and drywall for free. I been doing this fifteen years and I had to learn the hard way that being nice about it just gets you walked on. You draw the line and you stick to it or word gets around that you'll come back for anything.

alice_hart18d ago

Drove an hour out to Naperville last spring for what was supposed to be a simple water heater swap, and the guy keeps walking around the basement pointing at pipes saying "could you maybe just shift that over here" while I'm literally draining the old tank. By the time I was done he wanted the new unit on the opposite wall with all new gas line and venting. I just packed my tools and told him to call back when he had a real plan. Never heard from him again, honestly no regrets.

sam_thomas18d ago

Man that Naperville thing is infuriating just to read. "Could you just shift that over here" while you're ALREADY draining the tank, like come on, have some respect for the guy doing the work. Good on you for walking, that's the only language some people understand.