That feeling when the work order says one thing but the house says another

Got sent to a job labeled as a simple outlet swap, but found old cloth wiring that made it a full re-pull. The dispatch notes had no warning, so I was stuck choosing between doing the extra work unpaid or calling it in and delaying the customer. Some crews say we should always flag these for a new ticket, but others just handle it to keep the schedule moving. How do you all deal with when the paper trail doesn't match the actual job?

3 comments

3 Comments

holly2561d ago

Does dispatch think we're magicians who can guess what's behind the walls? (I mean, come on.) You show up for a simple swap and suddenly it's a horror movie with cloth wiring from the stone age. Now you're stuck doing free work or being the bad guy who delays everything. My favorite part is how the paperwork never mentions the 'surprises' until you're already there. It's like they expect us to fix decades of neglect with a wave of a wand. So much for keeping the schedule moving when reality has other plans.

keith_kelly791d ago

Cloth wiring from the stone age is no joke. I had a job last month where the place was full of it, and the quote was for modern stuff. Now you're either eating the cost or telling the client bad news, and neither feels fair.

reese_patel1d ago

You know, I used to believe sticking to the original quote was just how business worked, even with surprises. Then a pal had his kitchen redo delayed by ancient cloth wiring, and the electrician lost money on the job. It really opened my eyes to how broken that system is for both sides. Now I get why taking more time to inspect old places beforehand matters. It avoids putting folks in a spot where they have to choose between being fair and going broke.