Vent: Drove 2 hours for a 'quick' install and the customer hid the panel behind their new gym equipment

Got a call Thursday for a simple rewire in Fort Collins. Show up, and the whole breaker panel is buried behind a squat rack they bolted to the wall themselves. Took me 45 minutes just to unbolt and move the damn thing, plus another 20 to put it back. The homeowner just said 'oh, I figured you'd work around it.' Charged them an extra $75 for the labor and still felt like I was being nice. Has anyone else had to deal with customers who treat the panel like a decoration spot?

1 comments

1 Comment

drewsullivan20d ago

Last year I had a service call in Loveland where the homeowner had hung a giant flat screen TV right in front of the main panel. It was one of those big wall mounts that was a pain to take down, took me an hour just to get to the breakers. I told them straight up that this is a fire hazard and if there was ever an emergency, theyd be screwed. They ended up paying me to remount the TV on the wall to the left instead, which took another hour but honestly it was the right call. I started putting a little note in my work order after that about keeping a clear space around the panel, and I mention it on the phone when I book the job. It doesnt always stop people from doing dumb stuff, but it saves me from being the bad guy when I have to move their stuff. You handled it about right, I think charging them is fair since you did the extra work. Most of these folks just dont think about the panel at all until the day they need it.