paul286•16d agoProlific Poster

I finally had a perfect service call after 15 years of this trade

Last Tuesday I got a call about a tripping breaker in a house built in 1972. Showed up, found the problem in under 5 minutes: a loose neutral in the main panel, arcing just enough to heat up but not pop. Tightened it down, tested everything, whole job took 40 minutes and the guy paid me $150 cash. It never goes that smooth. Usually you chase a phantom issue for 3 hours, find a chewed wire in a wall, and have to cut drywall. Has anyone else had one of those unicorn calls where everything just works out?

3 comments

3 Comments

rubys8016d ago

150 cash for 40 minutes of work sounds like you overcharged him honestly.

david56216d ago

Wait, 150 bucks for 40 minutes? That's wild. I mean around here people are lucky to get 30 for a full hour of any kind of cash work. Was this like a specialized plumbing emergency or something?

nancythomas15d ago

Wait you actually think 150 is too much for a quick job like that? That kind of thing really gets to me because people don't see the whole picture. The guy had a ruptured pipe in his basement and water was spraying everywhere. I had to drop everything, drive 20 minutes each way, and use a specialty clamp that costs 40 bucks at the supply house. Plus I carry a bunch of tools and insurance just to be able to do any job at all. 150 for 40 minutes sounds like a lot but when you factor in drive time, parts, and the fact that I might not get another call for hours, it's barely worth getting out of bed for. I feel for the homeowner because nobody likes unexpected expenses, but that's just the reality of running a service business these days.