A big part of bathroom remodeling is coordination, scheduling, and the logistics of obtaining materials and parts for the job. Our biggest ‘oops’ moment occurred during a project we were working on involving a special order bathtub that had a 4 to 6 week lead time.
This tub had a very particular size and design, and our project had a detailed timeline for completion. Unfortunately, the logistics involved with delivery and manufacturing of the tub were out of our hands. The expected delivery timeframe came and passed, and the tub wouldn’t arrive until three weeks later. If we would have waited until then, we would have fallen way behind schedule.
Having the job completed on schedule is extremely important to us, so we ordered the tub through another manufacturer for $1,000 extra. It was much more costly for us to do this, but we needed to honor our commitment regardless of the monetary expense we would incur.
Even though we’re prepared for Murphy’s Law whenever we’re working on a remodeling project (things will go wrong), we try to do everything in our power to prevent any unnecessary complications from arising. Whenever anything unexpected does happen, we think that the most important thing is to communicate openly and honestly with our clients. We won’t push anything under the rug—everything is out on the table.
Once we became aware of the delay for the bathtub order, we kept our client updated with the job’s progress and said exactly what we would do to solve the problem. We also adjusted the job schedule as necessary so we would still meet the timeline as best we could.
At the end of the day, we ended up eating the extra $1,000 cost for the replacement tub. Why? Because we felt it was our responsibility. The consequences of the circumstances could not fall on our client. It had to fall on us.
As always, we didn’t charge the client until the job was completely done. We have great pride in our work, and we stand behind it with a 100% satisfaction guarantee. Even though it’s not always easy (in fact, sometimes it’s rather embarrassing) to talk about our ‘oops’ moments, we know that having integrity means being open and honest. The important thing to do is move forward, not dwell on the ‘oops’, and find out how we can do everything in our power to learn from the situation.
If you ever have an ‘oops’ moment, you can call us any time at Wisler Plumbing and Air for help. You can reach us at (540) 685-0366.
