A customer pointed out my wire runs looked messy, so I reworked my whole approach

Honestly, I used to just run wires along the path of least resistance and call it good. Then a customer in Charlotte, a retired electrician, told me my work looked like a spider web. He wasn't mean about it, just said neat routing makes future troubleshooting way easier. That stuck with me. Now I spend an extra 15 minutes per job using cable ties and following joist lines cleanly. It takes a bit longer, but I've had fewer callbacks for false alarms since then too. Anyone else had a customer's comment change how you install?

2 comments

2 Comments

viola_cooper627d ago

Oh man, 'routing along the path of least resistance' - that's basically the story of my entire life before I got called out. I had one customer walk by my panel, squint at it, and go 'Looks like a cat tried to untangle a knitting project.' Didn't even say it mean, just matter of fact. I was so embarrassed I went back the next day and redid the whole thing. Now I'm a little too into cable ties, maybe it's a problem.

patricia_king237d ago

Wait, are you saying you went back the next day and re did the whole thing for free? Because that's what it sounds like, and honestly that's a bit much. It's nice you care so much (I get it, pride in your work and all), but you're giving away labor that you should be billing for. The customer made a comment, sure, but that doesn't mean you have to eat the cost of your time. I learned this the hard way myself a few years back. You can always offer to clean it up on the next service call, or even just take the feedback and use it going forward. But going back the next day on your own dime sets a bad standard for everyone, including yourself.