Got a call for a 'sensor issue' that turned out to be a cat with a vendetta

Drove 45 minutes out to a house last week for a motion sensor that kept going off. The homeowner said it was random, day and night. I spent over an hour checking the wiring, the alignment, the zone programming, the whole deal. Finally, I see the family's huge orange cat staring at me from the top of a bookshelf. The little jerk was jumping down right in front of the sensor to get treats from the kitchen. Charged a $95 service call for that, but I felt kinda dumb. Anyone else had a pet cause a wild goose chase like that?

3 comments

3 Comments

jennifer_west1mo ago

Wait but isn't that exactly what they pay you for, to find the problem? You drove 45 minutes, spent over an hour troubleshooting, and the issue was a cat jumping down for treats. That's not a sensor issue, that's a behavioral issue with the homeowner leaving food out. You charged $95 for a service call that basically ended with "hey, stop feeding your cat in front of the sensor." If they had just told you about the cat's routine, you could have saved everyone the trip. The homeowner probably thinks you're the one who's dumb for not asking basic questions first. Honestly, that hour of checking wiring and programming was wasted because you could have solved it in five minutes by asking "do you have a cat that likes to jump off high places near the kitchen?

hugo503mo ago

So did the homeowner at least stop leaving the treats out, or are you gonna get a callback next week for the same cat?

the_zara3mo ago

Honestly, that's just part of the job and you shouldn't feel dumb. Tbh, finding the real cause, even if it's a cat, is what they pay you for. You still had to use your skills to rule everything else out first. That hour of checking wasn't wasted, it was you doing your job right. The fee is for your time and knowing what to look for, not just for fixing a broken wire.