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Customer asked me to hide a cable behind a baseboard that wasn't even attached
Had a install last Thursday in a older house over in Maplewood. Lady pointed at a loose baseboard and said just tuck the coax behind it, it'll look clean. I gave it a slight tug and the whole thing fell off the wall. She just stared at me like I broke her house. Then asked if I could nail it back on for free. How do you handle people who think we do carpentry too?
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colesanchez27d ago
HOLD UP @avery629 you're telling me this lady had a baseboard that was literally just leaning against the wall held up by nothing but denial and you think I should have just nailed it back on for free? That's like someone handing me a pile of toothpicks and saying "my fence fell down, can you fix it real quick." If I start doing free carpentry every time a customer's loose trim falls off I'm basically a handyman now, not a cable guy. She probably had that baseboard held on with three rusty nails and a prayer and somehow it's my problem. Next thing you know she'll ask me to patch the drywall behind it too because I "made the mess.
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I mean, the phrase "just tuck it behind the baseboard" really is asking you to work with what's there, and it's not like she handed you a hammer and said rebuild the house. If the baseboard is loose, that's actually a pre-existing condition she's probably been ignoring for years, not something you created. You tugged on it, it fell off, that's on her for having a baseboard held on by hopes and dreams. Plus, if you're already there with tools, nailing a board back on takes like two minutes and a couple finish nails you definitely have in your van. I get that it's not your job on paper, but a little extra goodwill goes a long way in this business, and that five minute favor could turn into a referral for a full home run later.
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