I was trying to build a team of professionals to call on when I had any service needs at my investment property which I rent out. As such, I chose to purchase an annual service contract with Lodder Brothers. They had explicit instructions NOT to talk prices or make suggestions to the tenant. He was to call me to discuss anything.
Instead, they sold the tenant on changing the washing machine hoses (in case they were to break in the future, these ones would never break or leak), and convinced them they need a water softener (which he could provide and install). The tenant, being young and inexperienced, said yes to the hoses and became very concerned about the hard water. The tenant could not afford the hoses, and had expected me to pay. She also requested that we install a water softener, and this became a contention point for the remainder of their tenancy.
When talking on the phone to the plumber, he first said he did not know it was a tenancy arrangement, then later said he had forgotten.
When complaining to the head office, the response was "oh". No apology, no comment.
If the plumber we had was an exception, I would have expected at least an apology and an attempt to ease relations.
- Approximate cost of services:
- $400.00
- Company Response
It is always our intention to provide the best service and advice which we believe was given in this case. however in this case there was an obvious disconnect and we should have given the advice directly to the home owner as requested. Thankyou for pointing this out