Customer watched me work for 20 minutes, then asked what I was doing

Last Tuesday in Akron, I was swapping out a dead dishwasher pump on a KitchenAid. Homeowner stood right behind me, arms crossed, not saying a word. After 20 minutes he goes, 'So what are you actually doing?' I almost laughed. Told him the pump was seized, showed him the burned windings. He nodded and then asked if I could do it faster. This is why I charge a flat rate now, not by the hour. Anyone else get the stare-down treatment on routine calls?

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nancy2757d ago

Does he stand behind his dentist and ask why a filling takes so long too? Here is what works for me. When someone starts hovering, I hand them a flashlight and tell them I need them to hold it right there on the part I'm working on. Nine times out of ten they back off in a minute because standing still is boring, and the ones who stay actually feel like they are helping. If they keep pushing on time, I just tell them up front that some jobs have steps you cannot skip, and rushing a pump swap is how you end up paying me twice. The flat rate already solved the money side of it, the flashlight trick solved the rest.

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