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Debate: do you call the customer or fix it first when a door sensor keeps acting up? | Elevator Mechanics - Vivisector

Debate: do you call the customer or fix it first when a door sensor keeps acting up?

I was working a service call in a condo building last month in Phoenix and the owner was standing right there watching me... kept asking if I could just bypass the sensor to get the elevator running faster. I told him I couldn't do that, safety first. But part of me wondered if sometimes on a slow day you just tweak it to get them off your back and fix it later. Which side do you guys fall on when the customer is breathing down your neck?

3 comments

3 Comments

kai_chen24mo ago

Respectfully, I see it the other way. Bypassing a safety sensor just to make a customer happy is asking for trouble down the line. You fix the problem first so it stays fixed, not patch it up and hope it holds until you get back. What happens if something goes wrong while you're gone and the elevator hurts someone? That's on you, not the customer who was rushing you.

brooket434mo ago

Wait, have you ever had a customer basically watch you work and complain the whole time because the elevator was down? I had a situation in a busy hospital where the safety sensor was acting up, and the maintenance director was literally breathing down my neck. Instead of bypassing it though, I just walked him through the actual problem and showed him the part that needed to ship in. Told him exactly when I'd be back and that it was the safest way. He calmed down once he understood why the temporary fix was a bad idea, and that's what saved me from making a mistake I'd regret.

alicer534mo ago

Hold up, @kai_chen2, but what if the real risk is losing the job entirely? I'm not saying bypass it completely, but sometimes you tweak it so the door closes properly right then. You still plan to come back and do the full fix. The customer sees you solving their problem now, not just saying "parts ship in a week." If you walk away and the elevator is still acting up, they'll call another company tomorrow. You lose the account, and that sensor still isn't fixed. Meeting them halfway keeps their trust and gives you time to do it right.