By All Means, Speak Up!

Are you a quiet type of person that doesn't want to make waves?  Do you let people walk all over you and just pretend nothing is wrong?

Or do you speak up when something is not right and you are being taken advantage of?  Of course, there is a right way to do this and not be insulting or rude.  Be kind, but speak your mind when it is necessary.

Moms at home are often left to handle the day-to-day management of the entire household.  This can include repairs, bills, children, food, purchases large and small...the list goes on and on.  Sometimes a third party such as a repairman / serviceman is in error and to save your family $$ or to ensure that the job is done correctly, you must speak up.

This happened to me recently with RotoRooter.  We have used them for several years to put Root-X in our toilets. This product is excellent at keeping tree roots at bay.  In our dry season here in Florida, tree roots will often find their way into the underground pipes causing clogs or stop-ups that may require major excavation to clear.  It's a minimum of preventive maintenance that we have found to work well in warding off  what could be a major expense.    This product comes in a small granular form which requires the tech to use a mask and carefully put this in our toilets each summer. They will not sell it to a consumer unless THEY put it in.   We have had them do this for the last 3-4 years.

As a side note before we used RotoRooter we had a sweet neighbor who was a plumber GIVE  us copper sulfate crystals for this purpose.  He had snaked our lines a few times and told us that this would help us tremendously and we might not have to have the lines snaked for quite awhile if ever.  After he moved out of state,  I could not find the copper sulfate available for sale to the general public but RotoRooter recommended Root-X as an alternative.  I had no idea how much our old plumber  saved us over the years until he and his family moved away!  Wow!   Anyway, before he left he gave us a three year's supply of the blue crystals. The good thing about the crystals is there are no fumes and anyone can put them in.  1/4 cup of the crystals have to be put in each toilet once a month.

After three phone calls to RotoRooter (the tech was too late for the first appointment), a technician arrived at our home.  We had been quoted 3x that the price for the service call would be about $50.00 which is what is has been for the past few years.  This tech wanted an additional $40.00 for the application process.  I called the manager while the tech was here and explained that  there was no mention of an application fee during any of my phone conversations with his office.   All he would do is credit us $10.00 for the misunderstanding.  The tech then did his work and left.

A day or so later RotoRooter sent a customer service survey in which I explained what had happened and that I had been disappointed with the service and communication.  The manager called me and said he would credit the additional $30.00.

Particularly in a business situation, always speak up when you know something is not correct, and speak to the person who can actually make a difference.  In this case, it was the manager first, then the corporate office (via the email survey).  Be nice, but be firm, and state clearly and concisely what has happened.  There is no need to be silent when you are trying to be a good steward of the household income.