Oh, how polarized we’ve become! I don’t care which news network you watch or which political flavor you prefer; you’ll hear buzzwords used with the sole purpose of making viewers angry, scared and frustrated. It’s divisive by design. The gap between the American people is widening. Think it’s bad now? Just wait. It’s an election year. Sadly, this dichotomization isn’t only in the media. It’s so pervasive in our everyday surroundings that we’ve adopted many of its characteristics, even in the trades. 

Here’s one example: A heating technician posts an image to social media of a boiler retrofit they recently completed. Half the commenters are supportive, mentioning specific things they appreciate. The other half has nothing constructive to say. They type negative comments, at times even rude. Most of these are armchair quarterbacks who haven’t spun a pipe wrench since George W.’s second term. 

A few comments may mix constructive criticism with praise, but it’s not common. Facebook is worse than Instagram, by the way. Maybe that says something about baby boomers and Gen Xers (I’m allowed to say that).

Subpar Work Seems Widespread

Division is showing up in the trades in other ways, too, and arguably in more worrisome ways. I see the division in the pride and value of workmanship. There’s less middle ground in product quality now than ever before. Let me explain.

I see super high-end projects. These include diamond plate, LED backlighting, polished copper, intricate patterns woven with PEX, handmade sheet metal ductwork, and labels on every system component. These fancy jobs are awesome, and my hat is off to the techs who make them, but they are few and far between.

Growing in prevalence are the jobs that aren’t sized right, piped correctly, vented to code, don’t meet manufacturer minimum standards, and won’t provide the comfort and efficiency that today’s mechanical equipment is capable of. You can tell the contractor gave a low bid, got the job, banged it out and left. I get many calls to fix systems like this; usually, the customer tells me, “The installer won’t call me back.” 

Subpar work has existed since tools were invented. It seems more widespread now than ever before. So, I say, the mechanical middle class is dying. 

What used to occupy the void between super high-end work and the “low bid” guy? That space used to be filled with installers who knew their stuff, did good work, honored their word and charged good money for their product. Sure, there was no dramatic LED boiler lighting, and maybe you’d find a spare wire nut on the floor after the installer left, but the system was solid and ran well for 25 years. Oh, and they called to remind the customer to have the system serviced annually. 

The mechanical middle class is made up of busy professionals. The key word here is professional.

I think more shoddy work is out there today because I see a lot more of it. I get more calls now to fix newer systems than at any other point in my career. These calls come from old couples on fixed incomes, from massive commercial facilities and everyone in between. I have an unproven theory on why this is.

With the flood of low-cost money during the pandemic, paired with the skilled labor deficit, many unqualified, untrained people got involved in some mechanical work. They jumped on the bandwagon and started installing equipment out of their minivans. 

“I can do it tomorrow for half the price of Reputable Plumbing & Heating Co.” I’m sure those words, or words like them, were mumbled across the country in 2020 and 2021. And customers took the low bid. Some of the folks who did the mumbling are undoubtedly still in the business. 

Now, several years post-pandemic, the bitterness of poor quality remains long after the sweetness of low price has faded.

Vetting Customers

Before I risk sounding arrogant, I think it’s important to note that none of us are perfect. My company isn’t perfect, and I’ll bet a new service van yours isn’t either. However, it’s how we act after our mistakes that define us as professionals. 

Why do pro athletes get paid so much? It’s not because they never drop the ball. They make big money because they drop the ball rarely and they pick it back up afterwards. They know how to recover, and they learn from their mistakes. We’re professionals and we must do the same. Doing the right thing after a mistake is better than any marketing campaign.

Is this problem 100 percent our fault (the fault of tradespeople)? No. It’s not. Homeowners willing to disregard reputation for the sake of a lower bid open themselves up to issues. Worse yet are the customers who complain and haggle over price. That’s where we need to stand our ground. 

Last year, I walked away from a boiler install at a high-end residence. The customer ended up taking a lower bid, even though he knew me personally and knew my company’s reputation. Recently, he called me to fix the new system. With his initial investment and the cost for us to fix it, he’ll have a lot more money in the project than if he’d hired us to install it from the beginning. And it would have saved him headaches and discomfort, to boot. 

Customers can use national websites to vet contractors. As contractors, we need to vet our customers. This happens during the initial conversation. In 20 minutes, you can see whether the customer will be a good fit for your company. It needs to work both ways. If the client doesn’t want to pay your price, it’s OK to shake hands and walk away. 

“The best job you ever got was the one you walked away from,” my grandfather used to say. I didn’t understand what he meant until 15 years after he passed away.