They are both the bane of our existence - and an opportunity. Let yesterdays' job illustrate the point.
I once had a major apartment complex as a customer. Well, times change, the property was sold, and the new mega-corp owners decided to use their maintenance guys. They stopped calling me.
Well, two years have gone by, and they call me yesterday. It seems that their guys have been unable to get some pole lights working. It seems that this problem has been persisting for over a year.
I remembers there being a little kiosk being near the entrance, that held the map of the complex. The familiar kiosk was no longer there - removed in their remodeling.
Would anyone care to guess where the power for the pole lights originated - or where the photocell was mounted?
It didn't take all that long to trace, and uncover, the buried cable end. Last night, the majority of the pole lights were working.
Today, I returned to troubleshoot the remaining lights. :ow and behold, they had installed new fixtures - with integral photo-eyes. It appears that, when the lights failed to light when the master eye was covered, the maintenance crew assumed the lights were not working, and 'harvested' the bulbs for use elsewhere. Problem solved.
Then fact is, I have better things to do with my time than to go around changing bulbs. Yet, when the problem requires tools, equipment, and training beyond that of the maintenance crew .... this is my chance to shine. I won't forget everyone's amazement when I painted a spot on the grass, said 'dig here' .... and they found the disconnected wire. They were first puzzled, then amused, as I paced around with my little "mine sweeper" toner ... now they BELIEVE!
The moral is: even the cheapest customer will eventually come across something he can't solve. This is your chance to shine.