Lost a $600 job last week because I skipped the final draft check

I was cleaning a flue in an old colonial up in Salem, New Hampshire last Tuesday. Got everything done, packed up, and the homeowner called me back Friday saying there was soot dust all over their living room furniture... I must have forgot to double check the seal on the cleanout door. Had to drive back and redo the whole thing for free. Has anyone else had a small mistake like that blow up into a full redo?

2 comments

2 Comments

betty_white391mo ago

Sucks when one tiny thing messes up the whole job like that...

sean_walker451mo ago

oh man tell me about it. i had a similar thing with a bike chain once, just a little kink in one link and the whole thing was skipping gears like crazy. i ended up just taking the whole chain off, soaking it in some degreaser, and working that kink out with a pair of pliers real gentle like. took forever but it worked, sometimes you just gotta dig in and fix the little thing before it gets worse.