Contract Terminated Today

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dustermaniac

dustermaniac

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Well I lost a contract today. Beware of Home Warranty Companies that expect their contractors to repair gas appliances and use used parts. My refusal to do this resulted in my contract being terminated. I will never lower my standards to put the lives of people in danger so an insurance company can save a buck. I will find other work.
 
I have an install contract with another vendor. It will suffice and private gigs until I line up a new contract.
 
They (Insurance Company) would rather troll E Bay for obsolete parts than just replace an outdated appliance. I will not be responsible for repairing any gas appliances with parts that are not new. I personally think this is illegal but am not sure of this.
 
Damn Tom! I applaud you 100% for sticking to your guns on this one. Used junk on gas lines...:violent1:. So sorry that it's happening now. Running a business these days just seems to get tougher & tougher. I know you'll get by just as you did before, but it still sucks.
 
Stick to your guns. More people should. The bitterness of poor quality remains long after the sweetness of low price is forgotten.. Especially when someones safety is involved. I hope your integrity is rewarded with sweeter business..
 
Stick to your guns. How could you live with yourself if someone died?

Mopower to ya!!!
 
I don't know how ANYBODY makes money on warrantee contracts. Hell, way back in the eighties, I was part of a large store that amoungst other things repaired (mostly) Miller welders. Some outfit wanted us to do warranty work for other gasoline powered equipment. "Their terms" were such that the only way I could see you making any money is if you already magically owned all special tools for every model ever made, but were some "retired guy" who didn't actually need to make wages.

Many people seel themselves short. I look back and realize I sure as hell wasn't paid enough. When you start adding up actual operating costs, transportation, insurance, and all the rest, it gets "big" pretty fast.

The hell of it is,............and these companies know this.........is that there's always a certain amount of 'hungry' out there who don't realize just how far they are getting short changed.

I ACTUALLY had a warranty rep tell me one time, when I told him we needed more labor, that "they can't justify us (meaning me) making a PROFIT on warranty work!!!!!"
 
I know it's done in the auto industry, guess I'm not surprised it's in other trades too.
Insurance company's suck. :banghead:
 
I have bought new obsolete parts from Ebay to keep my old furnace running. I dont see a problem if the parts are new but used is wrong.
 
Ben Drinkin said:
Stick to your guns. More people should. The bitterness of poor quality remains long after the sweetness of low price is forgotten.. Especially when someones safety is involved. I hope your integrity is rewarded with sweeter business..
Click to expand...

x2, as stated more people should.
 
It is going to be a rough next month or so but I am working on getting more jobs. I just will not put anybody's safety at risk.
 
Good call. Standards are not meant to be deviated from.
 
Tom, your contract might have been terminated, but your integrity remains intact. Good for you buddy.
 
dustermaniac said:
It is going to be a rough next month or so but I am working on getting more jobs. I just will not put anybody's safety at risk.
Click to expand...

I don't have any idea of your situation. Any future in subbing with a heating contractor to do service calls? Out here, they are always buried in the winter months.
 
Sorry to read this. I think you did the right thing. I know that doesn't help you pay your bills, but, I can't imagine living with the thought of installing used parts in a residential natural gas system. The lack of ethics of such a practice is baffling to me.

My old business partner lost his home to a natural gas fire (explosion). Luckily for him and his family, it happened during the day while everyone was at work or school. The house was leveled. According to the fire and insurance investigators had anyone been in or near the house at the time, they would have been killed. The explosion also damaged 5 or 5 other homes in the area.

Natural gas systems are nothing to screw with if you don't know what you're doing, and they are certainly nothing to compromise on when replacing parts.
 
There were deaths at some sort of school some years back, a big water tank blew the entire front corner out of the building and killed some kids in the lunch room

"Word we got" was that the typically untrained maintenance folks had noticed the T / P was blowing off, and replaced it, but there was some issue of shelving? having been built around it so they CUT OFF the temp probe to get the new T/ P to fit.

Next they noticed that the gas valve was not shutting off, so they put a USED valve on that was on premises. Yeah. bad

Look it up. "Star Elementary." 7 killed, 35 or more injured

A detailed investigative report

[ame]http://www.waterheatersafety.com/files/Spencer_Oklahoma_Hot_water_heater_in_school_kills_seven.pdf[/ame]

3712a.jpg
 
I have a home warranty.
Costs about 500 a year.
I have only had it for three years & have been fortunate to have come out on top every year.
But it can be a hassle, went thru 2 microwaves & 3 installers before it got mounted correct.
I still have the last one, they screwed up one of the mounting insert holes, looks to be an easy fix.
The warranty company never asked for it back or my 50.00 deductable.
Also had my upstairs a/c unit replaced two years ago.
Most of my appliances are 20 years old, so It has been worth it.
Just hope you can get a good contractor.
 
Good for you! I wish my place of employment would turn down some of the work we get due to the rediculousness of the jobs. Pickins are slim these days in job shop work, lol.
 
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