At Garvin’s we created a Code of Conduct that includes 6 Core Values. Today we want to explain Accountability and what it means to us.
We define Accountability as:
Holding yourself and others responsible and accountable for actions and activities. We take immediate and appropriate action, and we own our actions start to finish.
Real Life Examples of Accountability
Here’s an example of this core value at work:
Garvin’s Sewer Service has been in business for over 80 years. In those 80 years, we have made mistakes, however we wouldn’t have our longevity if we didn’t make things right to the best of our ability. This is where accountability is best demonstrated, and I’d like to give two examples.
Hold Harmless Clause
As plumbers, we are often called onto jobs where there is existing water damage and breaks. Because of this, we have a hold harmless clause on all our invoices that says we aren’t responsible for pre-existing or unforeseen conditions such as broken pipes, plumbing code violations, or lead piping.
We had one customer who we serviced for nearly ten years and every year we told her that she had galvanized pipe which needed to be replaced. On the eleventh year, when we cleaned the sink line with galvanized pipe, the pipe finally had corroded and caused a leak. She felt we were responsible for the damages. We disagreed.
We felt it was our responsibility to inform the homeowner, year over year, that she needed to replace the pipe, which we did. But the pipes were never replaced. I tried to explain it this way… if you take your car in to have the tires rotated and the mechanic tells you that you need an oil change, and you never do it, you can’t blame the mechanic when the engine seizes simply because they are the ones who rotated your tires.
We own our part and expect others to own theirs. Here’s a second example:
Drain Line Replacement
We recently had a customer who had just bought a home and three months later discovered the sewer line had backed up and filled her crawlspace with sewage – yuck! Before we could do any work, she had to have a restoration company out to mitigate the sewage.
Once that was done, we sent a plumber out to repair and clean the line. Unfortunately, the repair he made wasn’t sufficient and the cap blew off, resulting in another flooding of the crawlspace. The homeowner called us irate (and rightfully so), I listened to her and expressed empathy because I understood how frustrating and devastating plumbing problems can be. We refunded her money, redid the work, and paid the insurance company for the damages we caused.
We were paid to fix the problem, and when we didn’t do it effectively, we owed it. We don’t like to make mistakes, especially when it causes such a heartache and physical damages to a customer. However, when we do, and it is really because of something we did, we hold ourselves accountable and make it right.
If you are looking for a plumbing in Englewood who holds themselves to code of conduct that includes accountability, Garvin’s Sewer Service would like to earn your business.
