Appreciation post: that one homeowner who actually read the manual

I was installing a new panel in a house in Maplewood last Tuesday and the guy came out with his manual already bookmarked. He asked me why I wasn't running the siren wire parallel to the power line, and I realized he actually studied the diagram. It made me slow down and explain the whole zoning setup instead of rushing through it. He even offered me coffee while I was running the loops. Has anyone else had a customer who knew more than they let on?

3 comments

3 Comments

alicehernandez18d ago

Oh, a homeowner who actually reads the manual? That's like finding a unicorn that also brews coffee. I had one guy once who watched a YouTube video on panel wiring and then tried to tell me I was doing the grounds wrong. I just handed him my tools and asked if he wanted to finish the job. He went quiet real fast. Your guy sounds like a keeper, did he at least tip you with extra coffee beans?

lily7018d ago

Trust @sarah_patel25 on that, curiosity is better than pretending you know everything already.

sarah_patel2518d ago

Love that story. It reminds me of something I've noticed more and more lately. People either want to be totally hands off or they want to understand every detail. There's not much middle ground anymore. I think it comes from how much information is out there now. You can look up anything in five minutes, but that doesn't mean you know what to do with it. That homeowner read the manual, which takes patience most people don't have. He wasn't trying to show off, he just wanted to learn. That kind of curiosity goes a long way in anything you do, not just home repairs.