Always a good story!

Only I heard it as something more critical than a heat valve - What
would not work was the toilet in a boarding house. Had everybody backed up.

A single smack with a rawhide mallet brought relief to everyone.

Bill was similar.

Regards,

John Rodgers
88 GL Driver

Bj�rn Ratjen wrote:
> That reminds me of a story:
>
> Some time ago there was a big apartment complex that had some
> recurring heating problems. The steam heating system would work for a
> while and then stop again. Many technicians were called in and many
> parts were replaced however the system would stall again. At some
> point it came to a complete stop. A complete replacement was discussed
> as the temperatures dropped, however, the company who owned the
> buildings hesitated due to the anticipated cost. It was clear though
> that something needed to be done soon.
>
> One of technicians who had worked on the system suggested to ask an
> old and very experienced installer and technician who had actually
> years ago taken him on as an apprentice. It was agreed that they
> should contact the old man before serious replacements of equipment
> and plumbing were to take place. The old man came, carefully listened
> to the noises in the system and followed some pipes. Then he took out
> a small hammer and tapped a valve. With hissing and groaning the
> system began to work again. Everyone was grateful and full of
> admiration as the whole procedure had barely taken 15 minutes.
>
> Then the bill came for $310. The manager of the buildings was not
> amused as the old gentleman had only been there for a very short time
> and asked for an itemized invoice.
>
> It read:
> tapping valve $10
> knowing where to tap $300
>
> Bj�rn
>
> P.S. Now read this story form a customer or service provider perspective.
>
>
> At 02:16 PM 16/01/2007, you wrote:
>> Ok, in a question with no bearing on the Boston Bob scandal of late,
>> here's
>> a situation I've been in many times and have yet to find an answer for.
>>
>> You hire a tradesperson by the hour to fix a problem. He or she puts
>> in the
>> hours, but does not fix the problem. Do you pay?
>>
>> Sounds simple, but it rarely is. Case #1: I took a '93 Saab to a
>> reputable
>> local mech to have the vacuum cruise control fixed, something which I
>> now
>> know is by definition impossible. After five hours of labor at something
>> like $85 per hour, the mech came back with a kind of sheepish look
>> and said
>> he just couldn't figure it out.
>>
>> He put in the time, so he should be paid. I didn't get the problem
>> fixed, so
>> he shouldn't be paid. What's the answer?
>>
>> Case #2: an HVAC installer put in a $4,500 water heater in one of our
>> buildings, but could not get it to start. After countless hours on
>> the phone
>> with the manufacturer and other information sources, we had our
>> maintenance
>> guy reverse the polarity on the AC supply. Five minutes and it worked
>> fine.
>> We paid the installer around $2K for his labor but balked at the
>> second bill
>> he sent for his (worthless) hours troubleshooting.
>>
>> He put in the hours. Should he be paid? Should we, for the damage to our
>> company's reputation from irate tenants without hot water? For the
>> hours we
>> put in?
>>
>> I think this happens all the time, especially in diagnostic situations
>> involving things like intermittent electrical problems.
>>
>> In Vanagons.
>>
>> Any mechanics out there care to comment?
>>
>> Geza
>
> Bj�rn Ratjen, Ph.D.
> Cobble Hill, B.C.
> phone/fax (250) 743-7575
>