That one job where the customer's 'simple upgrade' turned into a full system rebuild

Got called out to a house in Tempe last Tuesday for what the owner said was a panel swap. Showed up and found a 25 year old system with cloth wrapped wire, half the zones dead, and a battery so old it was leaking. The quote went from $400 to over $2,000 real fast. Spent the next three days pulling new wire through finished walls and explaining why his old motion sensors were basically just expensive night lights. Anyone else get those calls where the customer has no idea what they're really asking for?

3 comments

3 Comments

black.beth2mo ago

Isn't it crazy how often people don't know the true cost of the thing they're asking for? Happens with everything from home repairs to software updates.

emmam982mo ago

Ugh, tell me about it. Always get three quotes first.

charles_chen931mo ago

Yeah, saw a thing about how hidden fees in tech services add up way more than people expect (like those "free" trials that aren't really free).