Re: [RE-wrenches] What would you do/say?

2021-02-26 Thread Chris Mason
The most important thing with these types of jobs and customers is to clarify the terms of engagement. If you want to take on the job, make it very clear that you charge by the hour and guarantee no results. Bill frequently and get paid before you move on. Get a substantial deposit, it will probabl

Re: [RE-wrenches] What would you do/say?

2021-02-26 Thread Jeremy Coxon
Oops forgot subject on first try. Wow! Ray I think you definitely get the gold star for that one. Great answers everyone, thanks again for confirming my stance. Most of us didn’t get into this industry to become rich, I know I didn’t. There’s always that side of me that wants to help, but t

Re: [RE-wrenches] What would you do/say?

2021-02-26 Thread Kirk Herander, VSE
Man, I agree. The soot factor wins the prize. What did the inverters look like inside? I'm surprised they still worked, or did they? Kirk Herander / kirkh@vermont.solar [mailto:kirkh@vermont.solar] Owner|Principal, VT Solar, LLC Celebrating our 30th Anniversary 1991-2021!! www.vermont.solar [ht

Re: [RE-wrenches] What would you do/say?

2021-02-26 Thread Ray
Ok, Nick wins.  That's definitely the worst I've ever seen.  That took years of dedication to make that look that bad. The soot? just insuring you maintain your top spot for years to come.  This brings up another part of this: the customer has to be willing not only to allow you to completely r

Re: [RE-wrenches] What would you do/say?

2021-02-25 Thread Dave Angelini Offgrid Solar
Hmm, I thought I deleted the large pix file. Dave Angelini Offgrid Solar "we go where powerlines don't" http://members.sti.net/offgridsolar/ [1] e-mail offgridso...@sti.net [2] text 209 813 0060 On Thu, 25 Feb 2021 15:48:47 -0500, Ray wrote: This is why I have folks send me pics first,

Re: [RE-wrenches] What would you do/say?

2021-02-25 Thread Dave Angelini Offgrid Solar
Definitely have done some customer firing. My off time is extremely valuable to me at this stage of life. If they can't follow the instructions, it is in the contract and we part ways. The same with manufacturers, If they can't get me product that lasts and has built-in quality I do not want t

Re: [RE-wrenches] What would you do/say?

2021-02-25 Thread Kirk Herander, VSE
And did you ever walk away from from a longstanding PITA? I call it "firing" a customer. You took them on years ago 'cause maybe you needed the work, or just felt sorry for them. But have been nothing but a pain for all the reasons you mentioned. And they get upset when you finally tell them, ni

Re: [RE-wrenches] What would you do/say?

2021-02-25 Thread Dana Orzel
hes On Behalf Of Hilton Dier Sent: Wednesday, February 24, 2021 6:20 PM To: re-wrenches@lists.re-wrenches.org Subject: [RE-wrenches] What would you do/say? I’ll say it again: The most important clients are the ones you turn away. The penny pinching, pound foolish, never satisfied, paranoid, DIY-wit

Re: [RE-wrenches] What would you do/say? (Dave Angelini Offgrid Solar)

2021-02-24 Thread Chris Sparadeo
Hi Jeremy, I run into situations this this all am the time. Misinformed DIY work strikes again. Luckily, as PV installers, we have an out. We can quickly and easily point to the NEC and tell the customer that there are certain codes and standers we must adhere to. Siting code infractions and givin

[RE-wrenches] What would you do/say?

2021-02-24 Thread Hilton Dier
I’ll say it again: The most important clients are the ones you turn away. The penny pinching, pound foolish, never satisfied, paranoid, DIY-without-asking, ear bending, time sucking, slow paying nightmares that we have all had. The key is to see the warning signs on the way in, a skill that come

Re: [RE-wrenches] What would you do/say?

2021-02-24 Thread Dan Fink
I tackle this sort of work frequently, as I only work off the grid and mostly deal with smaller systems for cabins, fishing and hunting lodges, and such, often for land buyers/sellers, Realtors, and insurance agents. By far the most common violation I see out in the bush is lack of a vented battery

Re: [RE-wrenches] What would you do/say?

2021-02-24 Thread Jesse Dahl
Many moons ago I asked this same list the same question and got about the same answer. I tried to help one customer, got sued for not “listening” to them when they told me what to do, even though we fixed the issue. Spent money on attorneys, missed days of work. That was it for me ever doin

Re: [RE-wrenches] What would you do/say?

2021-02-24 Thread Tump
It shows you have been in business for 15 years? RUN don’t walk. REDO once you put a wrench to this YOU and your 15 years can quickly find yourself out of biz. > On Feb 24, 2021, at 1:13 PM, Jeremy Coxon wrote: > > Hi all, > > I’m sure we’re not alone in this so I thought I’d find out what you

Re: [RE-wrenches] What would you do/say? (Dave Angelini Offgrid Solar)

2021-02-24 Thread Jeremy Coxon
Thanks guys, it was more of a check to see if I’m just being too, oh I don’t know - cautious. We get a fair number of these calls and we do exactly as you all do, i.e. either start over or pass more often (these types of systems are done in shoe strings anyway so they don’t want to hear our ans

Re: [RE-wrenches] What would you do/say?

2021-02-24 Thread Jason Szumlanski
Ditto to Ray and I would add that you have no idea how the batteries were treated or mistreated. I would insist on replacing the batteries or having a very clear and strong disclaimer that you take no responsibility for the condition of the batteries or their longevity. Unfortunately, I had a simi

Re: [RE-wrenches] What would you do/say?

2021-02-24 Thread Ray
I concur with Dave: Delete and start over.  Its actually faster and cheaper than trying to figure out why they did things the way they did, and having callbacks where you discover more problems you didn't see the first time, etc.  I'll reuse as much of the stuff as I can, even cable, but that n

Re: [RE-wrenches] What would you do/say?

2021-02-24 Thread Dave Angelini Offgrid Solar
Since it would not pass a home insurance or building department inspection, it would have to be start fresh. Once you get your hands on it, it is yours. Good Luck! Dave Angelini Offgrid Solar "we go where powerlines don't" http://members.sti.net/offgridsolar/ [1] e-mail offgridso...@sti.net [2

Re: [RE-wrenches] What would you do/say?

2021-02-24 Thread Glenn Burt
Time and materials, or quote a replacement...-GlennSent from my 'smart'phone, so please excuse typos and spelling errors.-- Original message--From: Jeremy CoxonDate: Wed, Feb 24, 2021 1:17 PMTo: RE-wrenches;Cc: Subject:[RE-wrenches] What would you do/say?Hi all,I’m sure we’re