'JUST DO THE TEST': Entitled customer gets into fight with technician and goes against advice, fiery compliance ensues

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Ben Weiss • Writer and Editor
Mar 23, 2023 2:00 PM EDT

Whoever came up with the saying "the customer is always right" should be seriously questioned.

 

In this instance, we have an intense conflict between a technician and a so-called "engineer" customer. This guy went against the technician's advice several times and insisted that the technician perform what he knew would be a destructive test. The technician shared his story via this thread on Reddit's r/MaliciousCompliance subreddit. He tried to explain to the customer that this was a mistake, even asking him to sign a form stating that he was going against professional advice. Nevertheless, the entitlement persisted, and of course, by the time the test began, the customer would ultimately regret his decision-making. 

 

I know we're preaching to the choir here, but let's all take a moment to remind ourselves that if we are hiring someone to do a job, it's probably because we don't know enough to be able to call the shots and do it ourselves. Keep scrolling below for the full story!

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  • 01
    Hand - ILL "Destroy your equipment? Let me gather an audience® S
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  • 02
    Font - Destroy your equipment? Let me gather an audience M OC TL;DR: a customer thought he knew better than me and insisted I perform a destructive test to prove me wrong. I wasn't wrong. Background: I used to test circuit breakers for a living. The large industrial versions of what you have in your home electric panel. Like the ones at home, most industrial circuit breakers have two means of detecting an over-current condition: thermal (literally an element that heats up for seconds or minutes
    via u/JohnDGardner
  • 03
    Font - Out tale: I was testing a large number of circuit breakers at a customer facility. Customer rep (C) got used to my pattern of testing a group of thermal elements, allowing them to cool down, and only then testing the magnetic elements. When the fire pump circuit breaker came to my test station and I only tested it for magnetic trip, he objected. (C) Hey, why did you skip the thermal? (Me) This is a magnetic only breaker. (C) There's no such thing (Me) Here's the manufacturer data showing
    via u/JohnDGardner
  • 04
    Font - Having failed my first attempt to scare him off this foolish path, I try another tactic (Me, on radio) Hey, coworker, I'm about to test the thermal element on a fire pump breaker, you want to watch? (Coworker) It doesn't have one, idiot, you're gonna destroy the customer's breaker! (Me) Yeah, I told him that, he doesn't believe me (Coworker) ...... I'm on my way Coworker arrives and goes to explain to the customer but.....
    via u/JohnDGardner
  • 05
    Font - (C) You're both wrong, I'm an engineer and you're just technicians, do the test (Coworker) We're gonna need you to sign... (C) I ALREADY SIGNED, JUST DO THE TEST So I start the test. All morning, the previous thermal tests have been running 8 to 10 seconds before tripping. For this test, 10 seconds pass, then 20, then at 30 the breaker starts to smoke a little, and by 40 seconds the smoke is pouring out of it and my hand is hovering over the STOP button. But I'm not stopping until he admi
    via u/JohnDGardner
  • 06
    Font - Then I ask "Can you bring me the spare breaker from inventory please, this one cannot go back into service" and his face takes on a panicked expression. THEY DIDN'T HAVE A SPARE! Good thing the local electrical distributor was open on a Saturday
    via u/JohnDGardner
  • 07
    Font - +1.18 hr. ago That's an electrifying game of chicken. I'm surprised he lasted 60 seconds before blinking. The funniest part is the multiple levels of "don't do this" that you and your coworker gave him, that he just refused to listen to. baka-tari
    via u/JohnDGardner
  • 08
    Font - AssumptionSome4201. 17 hr. ago Engineers are smarter than everyone. If engineers had some hubris and not just social awkwardness we'd be cooking with gas!
    via u/JohnDGardner
  • 09
    Font - FrankExchange Of Views. 18 hr. ago I despise the "I'm an engineer, you're a technician, I know better than you, do as I say" mindset.
    via u/JohnDGardner
  • 10
    Font - atheist1963 18 hr. ago Not a true engineer if he didn't make them do the same test on any other similar breakers. Lacks conviction and confidence.
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  • 11
    Gesture - slightlyassholic - 18 hr. ago Please tell me that you asked him if he wanted a thermal element test for the new breaker.
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  • 12
    Font - CoderJoe1 18 hr. ago Sometimes the best option is not to play thermonuclear war.
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  • 13
    Font - Cybermagetx 17 hr. ago Once anyone asks you to sign something saying your ordering them to do it, STOP. And really think if this is what should be done.
    via u/JohnDGardner
  • 14
    Font - theb00kmancometh 14 hr. ago I had an incident too. . I was the Site Manager for a 400 KV Grid Substation. the 132 KV cabling from the transformer secondary to the 132 KV GIS was done by a sub Contractor. Before the High Voltage tests, the pre- commissioning tests and checks were being done. The last item on the checklist was the 132 KV Link Boxes.
    via u/JohnDGardner
  • 15
    Font - I asked the Sub Contractor's engineer to check the Link boxes to ensure that the links were in place. He told me that he had personally checked the link boxes (he was bluffing. He was assuming that the technicians had installed the links). i asked him to re- check. He got worked up saying he has been in this business for quite a lot of years and he knows what he is doing and there is no need to inspect the link boxes as the links were already in place.
    via u/JohnDGardner
  • 16
    Font - I informed consultant who was along with me that I am putting a note on the checklist that the link boxes were not inspected by us since the subcontractor had insisted that the links were in place. I informed him that it was best to verify everything rather than assuming that the links were in place. He started behaving very condescendingly. I asked him to sign the checklist with the note. him as well as the
    via u/JohnDGardner
  • 17
    Font - During the High Voltage Test the following week, during a Very high Fluctuation in the test voltage, the test Rig shut down (automatic emergency shutdown). But, during the duration of the fluctuation, the cable termination end at the 132 KV side started to burn and smoke filled the 132 KV Switchgert room as well as the basement. We somehow managed to get the burn to stop and force-ventilated the switchgear room and the basement. During a detailed incident inspection and analysis of the ch
    via u/JohnDGardner
  • 18
    Rectangle - The subcontractor got from all quarters & was blacklisted by the utility for 5 years. If only he had checked he would have avoided all that.
    via u/JohnDGardner
  • 19
    Font - Ecstatic-Ask-2636 18 hr. ago Too bad you couldn't have gotten the 'engineer's *boss* to be watching this little vignette ;-)
    via u/JohnDGardner

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malicious compliance customers engineering technician entitled reddit thread Reddit entitled people
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