Do not defend the repair on the phone. Get the facts, get someone back out, and settle the cost question once you know what failed.

What to Say When a Customer Says the Last Repair Did Not Work

Book a return visit quickly and do not argue about the first repair on the phone, because nobody on the call knows yet whether it is the same fault. Say what the visit is for, who will come, and that the earlier work gets looked at before anyone talks about money. The two moves that lose this customer are defending the tech before anyone has seen it and quoting a new charge before you know what failed. A fast, calm return visit is what keeps the job yours.

The moment they say it is not fixed

Say

I am sorry it is still giving you trouble. Tell me what it is doing now, and I will get someone back out to look at it.

Not

Our tech fixed it, so it must be something else.

Say

I want the same tech if I can get them, because they know exactly what they found last time.

Not

You will need to book a new service call.

Say

Before anyone talks about cost, I want to know whether this is the same problem or a new one.

Not

There will be a charge for the visit.

Get these on the first call

When the tech finds a different problem

Say

The part replaced last time is working. This is a separate fault, and here is what the tech found.

Not

That is not our problem.

Say

Because the tech was out so recently, here is what I can do on this one.

Not

It is a new job, so it is full price.

The three ways this goes wrong

A repair that did not hold is a test of what happens next, not a verdict on the company. Answer fast, look before you argue, and settle the money once you know.

B

I answer the phones for contractors, and when a repair comes back I book the return visit on the same call. callbobai.com