Weighed replacing a dryer belt against a whole new motor last week

Had a customer's dryer not tumbling but the drum spun free by hand. I figured it was the belt, but after pulling it apart I found the motor was starting to seize up too. Customer wanted the cheap fix, so I went with just the belt, but it's already making noise again after three loads. Has anyone else had to talk a customer into the bigger repair when they only wanted the band-aid?

2 comments

2 Comments

wendy_park761mo ago

Oh man, that's the classic "I'm saving money NOW but paying for it LATER" dance. I've been there before, and lemme tell ya, I've got the scars to prove it. One time a customer insisted on just the belt for their squeaky dryer, and three weeks later they were back with the whole motor seized up and a bigger bill from me having to take it apart twice. I told 'em upfront the motor was gonna be the next thing to go, but they wanted the cheap fix so bad I felt like I was trying to sell 'em a Ferrari when they wanted a used bicycle. I guess I'm just not good at convincing people to spend money, which is funny since I do concrete work all day and people always want the cheap pour that cracks in six months.

andrew_miller901mo ago

Sell em the band-aid, they come back crying when it falls off in three loads. Did you give them a heads up that the motor was gonna quit next?