with all the “professionals”
No call backs, missed meetings with no call, never ever showing up when you say you will????????
I got plumbers, trussman, a/c guys, etc ;reputable, and less than reputable acting in the above ways.
I don’t get it, most of America can’t survive under those circumstances. Why are these guys different?
Does my money not spend the same to them????
How is a person supposed to handle this?
Just venting
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“Have you seen my baseball?”
Edited 7/7/2005 12:35 pm ET by sailfish
Replies
plumbers and a/c guys are either busy on their big boats hangin' out with supermodels, or golfing.
thought you'd've known this by now.
Krap, I thought that was just the masons??
My bad.-----------------------------------------------------------------------------
"Have you seen my baseball?"
are either busy on their big boats hangin' out with supermodels, or golfing
And, it's the reverse of last year, now AL & MS are evac-ing to Fla to get away from the storms.Occupational hazard of my occupation not being around (sorry Bubba)
you got that right
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"Have you seen my baseball?"
you got that right
You better believe most folks around here know that path almost as well as folks in Mobile or the RNR.
July rainfall is 0.00" Off a 1/2" from normal. Current rain is coming up on 5" behind normal. Round bale of hay was $35, now $50, will be $60 in a eek or two. There's no more hay to cut, either. The state has been putting water in the weed-spraying trucks to keep the verges at least part damp to cut down on grass fires.
So, Cindy was a big giant disapointment, followed by Denis. The storms that have torn through Ok & northern Texas have them drowning--we can't get more than dew to form.Occupational hazard of my occupation not being around (sorry Bubba)
Round bale of hay was $35, now $50, will be $60 in a eek or two. There's no more hay to cut, either.
How much do the regular sized square (rectangle) bales go for?jt8
In an underdeveloped country don't drink the water. In a developed country don't breathe the air --Jonathan Raban
How much do the regular sized square (rectangle) bales go for?
Last I heard, square bale coastal was $9-10 and is now $14-15 (and there's a lot of highway "verge" in that "coastal" nowadays, too).Occupational hazard of my occupation not being around (sorry Bubba)
$6.50 fo a sq. bale here. Sounds like the Dog food plants going to be busy in your neck this fall!
$6.50 fo a sq. bale here.
Hmm, 'bout 20-25 hours driving, callit 300gal of diesel at $2.50/gal is $750, for half-price coastal . . . naw, OK wil lbe closer
Sounds like the Dog food plants going to be busy in your neck this fall!
Actually not so, already almost too expensive to drive stock to the auction barn for how little they sell for right now. If it gets like five years ago, the buzzards will need aerobics.Occupational hazard of my occupation not being around (sorry Bubba)
I agree completely. Cannot understand how these guys stay in business.
My ultimate example, well known to all the owners, is Cape May, NJ, where I have a summer place. When referrring to any contractor (painters, and even landscapers included), the place is referred to as "Cape Maybe".
Rick
Thats funny, I'll be in Cape May next week. Should I bring my pouch?
That's why I moved here to the islands years ago! Everyone complained about the trades not showing up, charging too much, etc. The "surf is up" or "We're on Hawaiian time here, Bra"(that's not a typo, instead of Bro over here) was the normal excuse, if they even bothered to call. I make it a point to be there at the appointed time and have not even put the business name on the truck in 13 years. Word of mouth only. I'm still busier than I want to be!!!!!
If you don't feel pride when you are done, do it again.
on the serious side, i went thru more than half a dozen potential masons before i could finally find one, a year later, who showed up and did a decent job.
finding one good one was like finding gold in my backyard.
i suspect this all has to do with the booming housing industry, fueled by low mortgage rates, as many folks pull money from the stock market to buy more houses...
here's what I heard my buddy Joe explain to a customer in the middle of a nervous breakdown ...
he was the project lead ... I was subbing ...
and she was virtually crying because someone didn't show up that day.
"Do you remember back in HS, there was a group of guys that wore leather jackets and smoked in the bathrooms? Well ... they've all grown up ... and are now all subcontractors and carpenters ....
So ... we can't really expect all of them to always show up on time and as scheduled.
We just have to be patient, and know that sooner or later ... and it's sooner with this bunch ... that they will indeed show up ... and work quick once they get here and help build you a beautiful home."
she said ... well why can't we just fire them all and get who ever can get here the quickest?
"Because those guys are out there too ... and they're the worst of the bunch. The punks from HS that we work with may have a bit more attitude as far as their own freedom goes ... but they do much better work than the guys that show up even if they are still drunk from the night before!"
there's really not good response to that! Can't argue that logic ... mayb have stretched the truth a bit ... but he told her what she wanted to hear ....
I always thot that one a funny tactic ... start with the old ... "there's no hope"!
then bring them down from there.
In that one case ... it was a simple case of the company owner making their expectations way too high. Joe fixed that ...
Jeff
Buck Construction
Artistry In Carpentry
Pittsburgh Pa
The thing that I try to do most is do what I say I'm going to do, and answering my phone every time is a big part of this. Sadly it seems that this is not the norm.
Last week the connection from my cell phone to my charger quit working and I was out of touch for part of two days. I was able to get a partial charge by pressing the charger a little with my fingers. I thought, 'man I'm about to be called hypocritical here. I'm out of touch'. I got a new phone shipped overnight and am back up now.
When I run into people who don't call back or miss an appointment without a call. I immediately let my boss know and if it persists I call their company and tell them flatly I want to deal with someone else. I did this with our lumber vendor and was assigned another sales person and I get the best service ever.
I don't have time and my schedule doesn't have room for people like this.
One of the caretakers of an estate here has a place in Florida. He suffered some damage from hurricanes last year and had to deal with that. He flew down for appointments with subs. Guess how many showed up?
He spent the better part of the winter down there cranking their tails, amazed at the attitudes he got, but understanding that they were behind because of soo much work brought on by the storms.
I notice that the younger generation has much more trouble showing up regularly. They are also the ones who seem to complain the most that they are not making enough money. They have not yet figured out that work = money, I guess.
Around here, the good guys know each other. I have had some troubles getting people occasionally, but not bad. The subs I have know that they will get paid promptly. Word gets around. if a sub has a choice of going to a job where he knows the work will go smooth and he will get his money when he wants it, or to a job with a bunch of jacklegs or where the pay scedule is an unknown quantiy, guess which one he will get done first. This is not anything against you. but as an individual HO, you are an unknown, competing for help in a sea filled with work opportunities down there.
Welcome to the
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where ...
Excellence is its own reward!
The key to success: Just Show Up!
Piffin..." The subs I have know they will get paid promptly."......Works every time and is good for the next time and call backs. The subs know I have the check book in the truck and it's not a big thing for me to take the time to cut them a check a smile and a Coke and all is well. As a sub in the past , in the never ending war of cash flow, I learned that sometimes "happiness is making the payroll", and the GC's turn around saves the day.
how is a person supposed to handle this?
your comparison to "professionals" is apt.
simply offer to pay them for their time to assess what needs to be done and prepare their quote.
That simple act of respect for their time, while they may not take you up on the offer, at least labels you with a "serious person" label.
After all, their time spent quoting your job, which they may not get, represents "lost income" for them.
That may help you handle this, or at least get their attention by treating them with the same respect that you would your Dr. or Lawyer, any of which are not exactly known for keeping appointments promptly either. ......
Eric
in Calgary
I know. I know. We are bums.
Perhaps we could learn something from doctors and politicians. I know every time I show up at the doctors office I'm in the exam room and talking to the doctor within minutes of my scheduled appointment time.
And we know how the Shrub promised in his first campaign to limit CO2 emissions after announcing it a global threat and, as we all know, he jumped right on it and pushed it through.
Their examples of reliable punctuality are an example to us all.
They make us look so shabby I feel the need to skulk off to my yacht and commiserate with the supermdels. Take at least a week of Caribbean sun to stop feeling cretinous.
Part of the problem is the fact that the young people are not encouraged to go into the trades. They are suposed to go to a four year college and get a degree. They are told you don't want to be a " " ( you fill in the blank). Yet everyone complains about how much money these guys make. Of course most of these people have never tried to survive in the small business world. Our vocational schools have become a dumping ground for our problem kids(get them out of the school for a haldf a day--let someone else watch them). I've been in the trades for all of my life. I will always at leastcall a potential client or a client to keep them informed. Also on the jobsite I will trry to keep the client updated on the progress of the project.
ps The kids that are encouraged to go to a fouryear college are some of the ones that should go into the trades
I'm with Pif on this one. The problem arises long before they get to college. Too many parents want to give their kids everything, and the desire of many parents is to have free (LEISURE) time. They let the kids have all the leisure time in the world. Kids don't have responsibility any more. When they hit 18 and go out to work, a good percentage (can't say all) don't get that equation WORK=MONEY.
Contractors are people too. Just because they get a truck or a toolbelt doesn't automatically mean they get responsible. In some cases, after a few years of scraping by, they go to work for somebody else; in some cases they smarten up. Some just keep doing what they do.
As far as the money issue - pay for the estimate - I don't know that would work. Putting aside my own objections to the concept, if they aren't interested enough to come when they might get a job, what good is it going to be to pay for an estimate? If they won't get there for the first meeting, I don't really want them.
There are reputable, punctual people out there. Sometimes, it's hard to get them because they are either expensive or booked up for the next twelve years, or both.
All good and valid points.
If it were presented to the youth that they had another option other than college, and trade school was an option (along with regular HS courses) we may have a different breed of builders.
With that bing said, all of them currently do know how to work a phone, so a quick call during their busy, costly days isn't too difficult.
I think the largest issue was stated above: Who am I to them, and The amount of work here. Those factors work against me.
However, today is a new day. The sun is shining, my baby is smiling, and I have a great cup of coffee. Yesterday's vent was a culmination of a weeks worth of frustration.
ENJOY the weekend all!-----------------------------------------------------------------------------
"Have you seen my baseball?"