touching a homeowner property

[huggytree]

I had a problem customer yesterday.

it was an insurance call and 1/2 way through the repair the price was given ($200) and the homeowner refused to pay. I called the insurance company and they covered my expenses up to that point.

so i left the house with the pipe cut wide open, mess on the floor and walked out the door. the wife said im sorry (husband was on the phone at work)

The wife is handicapped in some way(seems like an 8 year old in the head). Very hard to comunicate...they had all their belongings piled right where i had to work.

I had to move a few things to the other side of the room.

got a call from the insurance company today with the warning...husband says you yelled repeatidly at the wife and did secondary damages to his house. He said he is calling the police on you.

oh how nice.....what a dream customer....the wife was arguing with the husband on the phone over just paying me and getting it done...she was on my side...and i dont yell at handicapped people..i treat them very well....no such thing happened....and he's saying i damaged his guitar....i moved it, along with some furniture....i was veeeery careful....

I did touch his Belongings...now anything they find they can blame me for...yea its made up...but how can i prove anything....now im stuck paying just to get rid of him or spending time in court or putting a claim in to my insurance...

do any of you have policies against touching a homeowner belongings?

i work in basements all the time, ontop of junk every day...i cant make the homeowners move it all for me...i am at risk of jerks like this every day...

any idea's?

[Steve B]

Let them take you to court.

You don't need a policy about touching stuff, just continue to use common sense. You can't have policies to prevent this kind of weird stuff. I guess it's just gonna happen - you'll appear a thousand times more credible to the judge (it will only be small claims court so it won't require a lot of time or an attorney).

[vangogh]

I would think they have to actually prove you did damage. I don't think they could just say it. Steve is right too. You're going to come across as the professional one.

You were in a no-win position. You know if you refused to move the stuff they would have yelled at you for not being willing to do the job or something like that. That's the only policy I can think of. You tell customers they need to move their stuff. The other option is having them sign something releasing you from responsibility. I'm not sure either is a good option.

Are there signs before you start the job that something like this might happen? If so maybe it will come down to training your instincts a little and getting a good sense when to walk away before something does happen.

[SteveC]

If they cannot afford to pay you $200 how can they afford to take you to court, you have done nothing wrong... and most certainly nothing they can prove... so they are simply trying it on, ignore them and move on.

[Dan Furman]

Yea, let them take you to court. 99% of the time it's just talk.

Now, ask yourself a question.... the ins. company covered you for halfway through. The repair was $200, so they covered you for $100 then.... I'm assuming from the price (and your hourly rate) that this was a slam-bang, in and out job.

So was any of this aggrevation worth $100? I probably would have taken the $100 from the ins. company, finished the job, and left. You were out there anyway.

I realize that "eating it" is not always the best solution, but you gotta pick your battles. I would not have left a pipe undone, etc (at least solder a cap). Not over $100. Right or wrong, your rep is the one that gets hurt.

[Spider]

Why start work without a price having been agreed?

The policy to always get an agreed price and a signature before commencement is the policy that would have prevented this situation.

[huggytree]

The insurance company covers leaks, but they dont cover leaks from frozen/burst pipes.

this was a hose bib which was turned off all winter...when they turned it back on(valve in the wall) it sprayed inside the wall.

It was an outside wall, so i figured it was a burst pipe...but the homeowner insisted it wasnt....they knew if it was a burst pipe it wouldnt be covered by the insurance....so i had to spend 1 hour to find the location and cut out the piece of pipe to see it was indeed a frozen/burst pipe.....they knew from the start it may be an item they have to pay out of pocket for...i think they are mad i didnt lie for them..

the insurance work has been going very well for months now, but once in a while i get horrible customers like this....home warranty insurance attracts a certain type of customer...the cheapest person on earth. I will probably get $10k in work from them this year..ive had a few which turned out to be 1/2 day projects now....most are 1 hour minor repairs.

They have medium sized dogs in the house....they had dog poop/pee all over the floors...i wonder if the dogs jumped on it after i left because it was laying flat on the floor..im curious to hear of what the damage was....if it becomes a legal issue i may take it to small claims court just to see how the system works...its my word against his word and i did touch it....i can draw a good picture about the type of customer he is though.

hope nothing comes of it....

[cocoy]

You said you left the guitar flat on the floor. Is that how you found it?

I would make it a policy that the area you are working in would be cleared of items/personal belongings. i.e. "accessible"

[huggytree]

it was in a guitar stand...i knew it was important, so i put it all by itself with nothing around it...im 110% sure i did no damage...i took special care

i have never worked in a house where i didnt have to move the homeowners belongings.

i work under a sink-i have to move all their junk out

I pull a toilet- i have to move their doo-dads and plunger and garbage can

today i added a washing machine hookup...i moved tons of stuff in the basement to be able to work...

its impossible for the homeowner to move this stuff for me...i would have to call w/ reminders and they still wouldnt...its just part of the job...working in basements with tons of junk in them....opening up walls in the living spaces and moving furniture & lamps

i should consider not moving things of high value though..the guitar fits that catagory.

im waiting to see what happens next...im sure the odds are slim anything will come from it

im waiting to see if the insurance company dumps me...right now im torn if i care...50% of their customers are horrible....ive had checks bounce, been yelled at.....they are probably worth $10k a year in business...around 3% of my gross....10k is 10k though

[huggytree]

insurance company called tonight and said the homeowner asked for a reciept.

they paid $55 deductable..i never give a reciept for this and ive never been asked for one either....

i am wondering if they need it because they have no proof i was even in their house? maybe the insurance company wont give my name out?.....im just looking for angles

i am going to wait until the insurance company gives me a 2nd or 3rd call for it....the check hasnt even cleared yet...i wont give a reciept until the check clears...im hoping they give up and dont ask a 2nd time for a reciept....i dont want to give them a reciept because im afraid it gives them some evidence...im paranoid