A customer told me my old way of checking fridge seals was a waste of their time

About six months ago, I was at a house call for a fridge not cooling right. I did my usual thing, feeling the seal and talking about ordering a new gasket. The homeowner, an older guy, just said 'You didn't even check the dollar bill.' I was confused, so he showed me. He shut the door on a dollar bill, and I could pull it right out with no drag on one whole side. He said, 'You were ready to sell me a part and a service call without the five-second test. That's my time and money.' I felt pretty dumb. Now, the dollar bill test is the first thing I do, every single time. It's saved me from ordering wrong parts at least four times since then. Anyone else have a simple trick a customer taught you that you now use all the time?

2 comments

2 Comments

sean_dixon964d ago

Classic case of the customer knowing the five dollar fix while you're already pricing out the fifty dollar part. That dollar bill trick is so stupid simple it feels like you're getting away with something. Bet that old guy has a whole book of those little hacks for every appliance in his house.

terry_hayes184d ago

Man, that dollar bill trick is a lifesaver... had a similar thing with a washing machine making a godawful noise. Lady asked if I checked for coins in the drain pump filter before I started quoting a new motor. I hadn't, and sure enough, there was a quarter jammed in there. Felt like a total rookie. Now that's my first stop on any noisy wash.