The termite inspector reports a pipe leak under a house.
The owner of the house calls me to check it out.
I crawl under the house for the better part of an hour getting dusty, dirty and tired.
About 80% of the time I don’t find a leak.
I’m guessing that termite inspectors lie about 80% of the time
but what do you think?
I tell the owner of the house that I couldn’t find a leak.
If my policy is that I don’t charge for estimates,
should I charge the owner for the termite inspectors wild goose chase?
What would you do?

wrote:
The termite inspector reports a pipe leak under a house.
The owner of the house calls me to check it out.
I crawl under the house for the better part of an hour getting dusty, dirty and tired.
About 80% of the time I don’t find a leak.
I’m guessing that termite inspectors lie about 80% of the time
but what do you think?
I tell the owner of the house that I couldn’t find a leak.
If my policy is that I don’t charge for estimates,
should I charge the owner for the termite inspectors wild goose chase?
What would you do?

Hi,
Time is money. You did your job.
Either you can charge for the time you spent or your minimum
charge rate per call regardless. I think that is fair.

On Thu, 27 Dec 2012 10:00:45 -0800 (PST),
wrote:

The termite inspector reports a pipe leak under a house.
The owner of the house calls me to check it out.
I crawl under the house for the better part of an hour getting dusty, dirty and tired.
About 80% of the time I don’t find a leak.
I’m guessing that termite inspectors lie about 80% of the time
but what do you think?
I tell the owner of the house that I couldn’t find a leak.
If my policy is that I don’t charge for estimates,
should I charge the owner for the termite inspectors wild goose chase?
What would you do?


Well let me tell you what an Engineer I respect once told me. He said
and I quote, " Doug, the last time I did anything for free was when I
did my homework ". And he wasn't kidding.

wrote in message
...

The termite inspector reports a pipe leak under a house.
The owner of the house calls me to check it out.
I crawl under the house for the better part of an hour getting dusty,
dirty and tired.
About 80% of the time I don’t find a leak. . . .
should I charge the owner for the termite inspectors wild goose chase?

1. When the houseowner calls you (as a tradesman) he is obliged
to pay your standard rate.
2. When a specific problem is reported, it saves time all round to locate
it
(e.g. 5 feet right of centre, 15 feet back from the front sill.)

--
Don Phillipson
Carlsbad Springs
(Ottawa, Canada)

"Doug" wrote in message
...
On Thu, 27 Dec 2012 10:00:45 -0800 (PST),
wrote:

The termite inspector reports a pipe leak under a house.
The owner of the house calls me to check it out.
I crawl under the house for the better part of an hour getting dusty,
dirty and tired.
About 80% of the time I don't find a leak.
I'm guessing that termite inspectors lie about 80% of the time
but what do you think?
I tell the owner of the house that I couldn't find a leak.
If my policy is that I don't charge for estimates,
should I charge the owner for the termite inspectors wild goose chase?
What would you do?


Well let me tell you what an Engineer I respect once told me. He said
and I quote, " Doug, the last time I did anything for free was when I
did my homework ". And he wasn't kidding.

Yeah, he sounds like a real peach.

To the OP, an estimate and a leak-hunt are two different things. You may or
may not have to eat this one -- the home-moaner should at least OFFER
something -- but next time apprise the homemoaner of Plans A, B, and C, and
charges thereof.
--
EA

On Dec 27, 1:00*pm, wrote:
The termite inspector reports a pipe leak under a house.
The owner of the house calls me to check it out.
I crawl under the house for the better part of an hour getting dusty, dirty and tired.
About 80% of the time I don’t find a leak.
I’m guessing that termite inspectors lie about 80% of the time
but what do you think?

I think anyone who would go crawling around under a house looking for
some indiscriminate "pipe leak" wouldn't find it unless it dripped on
their head.

I tell the owner of the house that I couldn’t find a leak.
If my policy is that I don’t charge for estimates,
should I charge the owner for the termite inspectors wild goose chase?

It sounds to me like the homeowner reported the leak to you, not the
termite inspector, and you chose to look for wild geese of your own
accord.

What would you do?

If I didn't ask which pipe was supposedly leaking, and from where, I'd
eat it and remember to do so next time.
-----

- gpsman

On Thu, 27 Dec 2012 10:00:45 -0800 (PST),
wrote:

The termite inspector reports a pipe leak under a house.
The owner of the house calls me to check it out.
I crawl under the house for the better part of an hour getting dusty, dirty and tired.
About 80% of the time I dont find a leak.
Im guessing that termite inspectors lie about 80% of the time
but what do you think?
I tell the owner of the house that I couldnt find a leak.
If my policy is that I dont charge for estimates,
should I charge the owner for the termite inspectors wild goose chase?
What would you do?

Sounds like you've been burned more than once with this.
Tell the homeowner to call the termite inspector and ask where the
leak is, then you'll get involved.
And tell him if you can't find a leak, they'll still be a "find the
leak that isn't there charge." Paid up front, but applied to labor
charges if you actually fix a leak.
Around here HVAC and plumbers charge for coming out.
The service "show up" fee is applied to work done.
Seems fair to me.
I paid a plumber 60 bucks to show up and look at my lift system and
catch basin system and explain it to me.
Didn't expect free advice or inspection.
And he didn't make much since we BS'ed for a couple hours.
But the first 15 minutes with him explaining what I had was worth the
$60 to me.

In a case like that, I think it's totally reasonable to charge some for
travel, and time. I'd tell the caller on the phone that due to price of gas,
and taking you away from other calls, you need "this much" money, regardless
of what you find.

For refrigeration, I get $75 diagnostic work up, regardless.

Christopher A. Young
Learn more about Jesus
www.lds.org
..

wrote in message
...
The termite inspector reports a pipe leak under a house.
The owner of the house calls me to check it out.
I crawl under the house for the better part of an hour getting dusty, dirty
and tired.
About 80% of the time I don’t find a leak.
I’m guessing that termite inspectors lie about 80% of the time
but what do you think?
I tell the owner of the house that I couldn’t find a leak.
If my policy is that I don’t charge for estimates,
should I charge the owner for the termite inspectors wild goose chase?
What would you do?

On Thu, 27 Dec 2012 16:08:18 -0600, Vic Smith
wrote:

On Thu, 27 Dec 2012 10:00:45 -0800 (PST),
wrote:

The termite inspector reports a pipe leak under a house.
The owner of the house calls me to check it out.
I crawl under the house for the better part of an hour getting dusty, dirty and tired.
About 80% of the time I don’t find a leak.
I’m guessing that termite inspectors lie about 80% of the time
but what do you think?
I tell the owner of the house that I couldn’t find a leak.
If my policy is that I don’t charge for estimates,
should I charge the owner for the termite inspectors wild goose chase?
What would you do?

Sounds like you've been burned more than once with this.
Tell the homeowner to call the termite inspector and ask where the
leak is, then you'll get involved.
And tell him if you can't find a leak, they'll still be a "find the
leak that isn't there charge." Paid up front, but applied to labor
charges if you actually fix a leak.
Around here HVAC and plumbers charge for coming out.
The service "show up" fee is applied to work done.
Seems fair to me.

The HVAC guy I had work on the system here applied the cost of the
first service call and his "patch" (freon charge) to the annual
service contract, if we bought it. Seemed like a good deal to me. We
had to have the evaporator replaced so that was a lot more but he got
us going. We'll have to have the entire system replaced (cheap
contractors special) eventually but hopefully we'll have the mortgage
paid off by then.


I paid a plumber 60 bucks to show up and look at my lift system and
catch basin system and explain it to me.
Didn't expect free advice or inspection.
And he didn't make much since we BS'ed for a couple hours.
But the first 15 minutes with him explaining what I had was worth the
$60 to me.

I'll say.

On Thu, 27 Dec 2012 10:00:45 -0800 (PST),
wrote:

The termite inspector reports a pipe leak under a house.
The owner of the house calls me to check it out.
I crawl under the house for the better part of an hour getting dusty, dirty and tired.
About 80% of the time I don’t find a leak.
I’m guessing that termite inspectors lie about 80% of the time
but what do you think?
I tell the owner of the house that I couldn’t find a leak.
If my policy is that I don’t charge for estimates,
should I charge the owner for the termite inspectors wild goose chase?
What would you do?

Termites are attracted to water in a house, be it a plumbing leak, a
roof leak or whatever. They will eat through walls and floors to
follow it. It doesn't have to be much of a leak either. You might ask
if termites were found and where. Someone talking about things that
attract termites might even call a pipe that weaps condensationt a
leak as that could attrackt termites too. Used to be they sprayed
enough clordane that termites never came back. Now it's more about
prevention and attrackting them to poison baits.

wrote:
The termite inspector reports a pipe leak under a house.
The owner of the house calls me to check it out.
I crawl under the house for the better part of an hour getting dusty,
dirty and tired.
About 80% of the time I don’t find a leak.
I’m guessing that termite inspectors lie about 80% of the time
but what do you think?
I tell the owner of the house that I couldn’t find a leak.
If my policy is that I don’t charge for estimates,
should I charge the owner for the termite inspectors wild goose chase?
What would you do?

I would've told the HO, you didn't find anything but termites. I'm sure the
inspector inspects for free, and wouldn't mind coming back out to check
again.

In reality, the term used when you request a service, be it check for leaks
or whatever, is called a _service call.

On Dec 27, 1:00*pm, wrote:
The termite inspector reports a pipe leak under a house.
The owner of the house calls me to check it out.
I crawl under the house for the better part of an hour getting dusty, dirty and tired.
About 80% of the time I don’t find a leak.
I’m guessing that termite inspectors lie about 80% of the time
but what do you think?
I tell the owner of the house that I couldn’t find a leak.
If my policy is that I don’t charge for estimates,
should I charge the owner for the termite inspectors wild goose chase?
What would you do?

home inspectors often try to find or create even non existent problems
to justify their fee...... had one supposedly find a brand new gas
water heater having a main control valve leak. The plumber who
installed the new valve said it was fine but a common ruse by home
inspectors

i would create a special inspection fee for this exact problem, say a
100 bucks with fee appied to any repairs needed.

even if you find nothing the new owner might you that refundable fee
to get you to install say a new faucet.

On Fri, 28 Dec 2012 14:22:08 -0500, "Kern" wrote:



wrote:
The termite inspector reports a pipe leak under a house.
The owner of the house calls me to check it out.
I crawl under the house for the better part of an hour getting dusty,
dirty and tired.
About 80% of the time I don’t find a leak.
I’m guessing that termite inspectors lie about 80% of the time
but what do you think?
I tell the owner of the house that I couldn’t find a leak.
If my policy is that I don’t charge for estimates,
should I charge the owner for the termite inspectors wild goose chase?
What would you do?

I would've told the HO, you didn't find anything but termites. I'm sure the
inspector inspects for free, and wouldn't mind coming back out to check
again.

In reality, the term used when you request a service, be it check for leaks
or whatever, is called a _service call.


Joe took a sick pet to the veternarian, who did tests and gave the pet
some medications. Later that day the animal died. Why should the vet
bill him?

There was a rattling sound in Joe's car, He took it to a mechanic, who
spent 2 hours checking over the whole car and could not find anything
wrong. Why should he bill Joe?

Joe went to the doctor and told him that he has not been feeling well.
The doctor did all kinds of exams and tests, and said he is perfectly
healthy, but suggested he eat better. Why should the doctor bill him
when he found nothing wrong?

[You'll love this one]
Joe went to a prostitute, but he could not get an erection. Why should
he have to pay her?

Joe bought a loaf of bread at the grocer, he forgot to take it in the
house, and it got all moldy sitting in his car trunk for a month. Why
should he have to pay for that bread?

On Sun, 30 Dec 2012 17:26:54 -0600, wrote:

On Fri, 28 Dec 2012 14:22:08 -0500, "Kern" wrote:



wrote:
The termite inspector reports a pipe leak under a house.
The owner of the house calls me to check it out.
I crawl under the house for the better part of an hour getting dusty,
dirty and tired.
About 80% of the time I don’t find a leak.
I’m guessing that termite inspectors lie about 80% of the time
but what do you think?
I tell the owner of the house that I couldn’t find a leak.
If my policy is that I don’t charge for estimates,
should I charge the owner for the termite inspectors wild goose chase?
What would you do?

I would've told the HO, you didn't find anything but termites. I'm sure the
inspector inspects for free, and wouldn't mind coming back out to check
again.

In reality, the term used when you request a service, be it check for leaks
or whatever, is called a _service call.


Joe took a sick pet to the veternarian, who did tests and gave the pet
some medications. Later that day the animal died. Why should the vet
bill him?

Just did that. $600.

There was a rattling sound in Joe's car, He took it to a mechanic, who
spent 2 hours checking over the whole car and could not find anything
wrong. Why should he bill Joe?

No, he didn't fix the problem. OTOH, I've paid it. We went two
months chasing a problem were the engine just quit. It *finally*
happened to the mechanic (he drove it for a week) so he could track it
down (and he had to walk home).

Joe went to the doctor and told him that he has not been feeling well.
The doctor did all kinds of exams and tests, and said he is perfectly
healthy, but suggested he eat better. Why should the doctor bill him
when he found nothing wrong?

[You'll love this one]
Joe went to a prostitute, but he could not get an erection. Why should
he have to pay her?

If she was that ugly he shouldn't have offered her the contract.

Joe bought a loaf of bread at the grocer, he forgot to take it in the
house, and it got all moldy sitting in his car trunk for a month. Why
should he have to pay for that bread?