No good deed goes unpunished

[ken56]

Here's the story. I had a friend ask me to come over and look at why his battery was not charging. He has a 2012 model travel trailer. He was plugged into shore power at his home so I just popped off the battery cables and put the meter on them and it showed nothing. I told him his converter was not charging and he likely needed a new one. He buys one and changes it out and we look again at the battery cable charging output and voila, he has 14 volts.

NOW he says he also changed out the circuit breakers on the tongue and he now thinks that was the problem and not the converter. I explained that the battery cables came right from the converter and the current doesn't pass through those breakers to charge the battery. He says I'm wrong. AM I??

[schlep1967]

"I explained that the battery cables came right from the converter and the current doesn't pass through those breakers to charge the battery. He says I'm wrong. AM I??"

Simple test. Unhook the breakers and do another voltage measurement. You don't do this to say who is right. You do it for the knowledge to fix these things in the future.

Your post doesn't really say he was angry at you for helping. The problem is fixed and he didn't pay an RV shop $150 an hour to troubleshoot and replace parts until they guessed right.

[bucky]

How did he get so smart all of a sudden? Sounds to me he was too lazy to take care of his own problem and dumped it on you. Then he catches heck from the treasurer of the family and puts the blame on you.
I'd ghost him. Start calling him Weasel.

[bgiroux]

I always help friends and strangers when I can. Life is better when we can lift up those around us.

[Bobbo]

ken56 wrote:
Here's the story. I had a friend ask me to come over and look at why his battery was not charging. He has a 2012 model travel trailer. He was plugged into shore power at his home so I just popped off the battery cables and put the meter on them and it showed nothing. I told him his converter was not charging and he likely needed a new one. He buys one and changes it out and we look again at the battery cable charging output and voila, he has 14 volts.

NOW he says he also changed out the circuit breakers on the tongue and he now thinks that was the problem and not the converter. I explained that the battery cables came right from the converter and the current doesn't pass through those breakers to charge the battery. He says I'm wrong. AM I??

Just say "OK" and change the subject. If he wants you to pay for the new converter, say "OK, pull it out of your camper and give it to me, and I will pay for it."

[ferndaleflyer]

I am 80 and have always helped others. Went bad a few times but l never let those stop me from helping someone else. What goes around comes around

[gbopp]

2 many 2 wrote:

Etc., Etc..........

I am obviously a slow learner...............

:B :B

[2_many_2]

After several negative experience's helping friends and strangers, I finally learned my lesson after 40 years. Now I play ignorant, sorry, but that is how it is.

When I help someone change a tire and then they blame me because their car will not start, well, that was the end of it.............

When I jump start their car and then they blame me because the radiator is leaking, well, that was he end of it...........

When I changed a fuse for a stranded motorist and they blamed me because they ran out of gas, that was the end of it............

Etc., Etc..........

I am obviously a slow learner...............

[LouLawrence]

Some friend! No matter the outcome, be sure to let him know that asking for your help in the future will be a non-starter!

[bgum]

As said "plug in the old converter and test the 12v output. "

[ScottG]

Easy enough to plug in the old converter and see what happens.
Your friend is immensely ungrateful either way though..

[time2roll]

He is probably correct that there is a circuit breaker. Best would have been a voltage check right at the converter. However since power was restored with a new converter the breaker could have had an intermittent fault. And now it is he said she said because you did not observe the work. And we still don't know exactly what was done during the swap or what breakers were replaced.

Otherwise it is on him for agreeing with you on the diagnosis.

Offer to buy the beer next trip...

[nickthehunter]

Most likely answer, yes.
Plug in the old converter and test the 12v output.