Jobs from heck

[Sam from WA]

Just finished up taking down a couple old barns and trees. The little ol" lady we were doing this for just called me yesterday to say that we didn"t take the right tree down. She also told me she wanted it to be replaced. I says "Hold on a minute, let me get the paperwork." We ALWAYS take pictures of the jobsite before we start and make note of any trees, sheds, barns, or otherwise. I personally walked around the place with this lady and she showed me what trees to take out and as she"d tell me what to take, I"d mark it.

Just makes me mad how many people want to try to get free handouts because the workers "screwed up".

 

[El Toro]

That's a smart move to take pictures before starting. Hal

 

[RobMD]

Oh yeah, documentation, pictures, and even cell phone pictures are GREAT evidence to pursue litigation.

Witnessing helps too, and signatures after surveying the property with the owner are a must.

 

[Stan in Oly, WA]

Hi Sam,

While this wasn't true 100% of the time, what I found was that people who were pretty well off were usually better customers than those who weren't. I worked for people with money in New Canaan, CT, for a few in Seattle, and a few in Mason County. Unless they had just gotten wealthy (which was sometimes the case in New Canaan) they were usually more interested in the quality of work I was able to do, and in knowing that I wasn't trying to take advantage of them than they were in the cost. The most difficult customers, by and large, were lower middle class working people. They were suspicious of any problems that came up, suspicious of any favors I did, and often expected any extras to be free.

On one of the first jobs I did in Seattle, the middle-aged daughter of the old woman who was my customer accused me of getting paint on the frame of one of her mother's oil paintings. My defense was that the painting had been face down on a table with a drop cloth covering it, and the paint on the frame was a completely different color than the paint I was using. The daughter treated me like a slippery customer for weaseling my way out of that one on such dubious evidence.

All the best, Stan

 

[big hunter]

A lady called me once to have me clear and cut a driveway up through her woods. It twisted and turned up a steep hill for about 800 feet. She is a green lover (not saying that is good or bad) so I asked her to mark the trees/route she wanted me to cut out. She insisted to point each one out as I was clearing and cutting up through the woods. I kept telling her to stay back...get back farther! And you know the end of the story. About a 1/3rd of the way in, after she started feeling more comfortable, I pushed a tree down that she told me to and it hit another tree and then a branch came down and slapped her smack in the head. I didn't see it happen, I was watching what I was doing. She came over to me and told me a limb hit her in the head, I said maybe you should move back father like I told you to. She knew it was her our fault. And then we went up the other 2/3rds. The only limb/tree that came down that she didn't want to come down was the one that hit her in the head. GOOD GRIEF

 

[Anonymous-0]

Doing landscaping and skid steer work, I've found that most people who own a business are usually better to deal with, but not always. I had a guy with a big fancy new house want a lot of work done to the tune of $1200.00. I wrote a list of everything he wanted. He was really happy with all my work right up until the day I would be finishing. He started complaining about everything and that it wasn't what he wanted. He even told me that he threatened to break both of his house builders arms for some reason or another. Some people are just shysters. My dad said I should just lower my price and get the heck out of there. Not worth the hassle. I cut my price in half and learned to be real leery of the people who want lots and lots of work done. I did commercial work for a couple of years with a project management firm. Do the job, give a bill, get paid, no problems! The guy appreciated my work and knew I wasn't trying to cheat him. Wish I could say that about all my customers. LoL Dave

 

[RusselAZ]

Pictures work great before and after on RV and auto/truck repairs. Reactions are priceless. RV carpets and fuel guages before doing fuel pumps are two of the ones shysters like to try best.

 

[Goose]

I've noticed it with the insurance inspections on real estate properties I do.

If I'm inspecting a $75,000 house, the owner will follow me around, watch every move I make, question every photo I take, etc. If I'm inspecting a $500,000 house, the owner will say, "There's the house, do what you need to do", and wander off.

 

[Bob - MI]

Wow,

I was waiting for the part where her lawyer showed up and she nows owns your house, car, equipment, dog....

What a mess. Nobody has to be responsible for themselves anymore. I bet our ancestors all bow their heads in shame.

 

[Stan in Oly, WA]

Hi Goose,

That's been my experience, as I noted in my posting below. I suppose part of it can be explained by the difference in the stakes as viewed by people of different income levels. Something going wrong on a job and costing more money is going to seem different to someone who earns $500 per week than it will to someone who can casually spend $500 on an impulse item and think nothing of it.

The part of it that took me a long time to figure out was that it was usually impossible to do a favor for anybody whose reduced circumstances made me want to give them a break. People who can barely afford your services often view you as the enemy rather than as a partner in the project. As someone they view as trying to get them, they frequently don't believe that anything you do or suggest doing to reduce the cost of the project is actually to their benefit---you've got a reason for doing it that benefits you more than them, even if they can't figure it out.

That's not always the case, of course. I once did a lot of work for a mill worker and his wife, billed by the hour. He worked along with me (very good, knowledgeable worker, by the way) and never tried to push the pace. Every day would start with having several cups of coffee in the kitchen nook. We would work for several hours then break for coffee and pastries. At noon we'd take about an hour for a big sit down meal. Then one more coffee break mid-afternoon. Of course I never put any of that time on the clock, but I got the feeling that it wouldn't have bothered them if I had (except maybe for the lunch break.) I rarely put on any weight when I'm doing a hard physical job, but I think I did on that one.

All the best, Stan

 

[Jeff-oh]

I'm sorry I may have missed something.

Did your workers screw-up? You never said the work was or was not done correctly.

Not to be contrary, but I have had "the workers" not follow the directions then the business owner not wanting to take responsibility for the fowl up.

Reasonibility goes both ways.

I will assume your job was done correctly. And yes it can be a real pain when the work order is signed and the job approved and it was what was ordered and not necessarily what was wanted...

Reminds me of the kid in Chigago with a miss-spelled Tattoo... He approved the work... OOPS.
Chi Tonw

 

[Stan in Oly, WA]

Hi Jeff,

I'm shaken. We expect a brain surgeon to mess up once in awhile, and rocket scientists still have the occasional rocket blow up on the launching pad. Even Red Adair couldn't always get an oil well fire out on the first try. But tattoo artists? When highly trained professionals like that make or allow such mistakes, you know the final days have to be near.

By the way, the "kid" who approved the misspelled tattoo was 38 years old. Matter of perspective, I suppose. My wife and I call her niece and her niece's husband kids, and they're about that age.

All the best, Stan

 

[JOHN908]

I had a restraunt owner want a break on the bill because he had cancer.The next day he told the dispatcher it still has a noise and to send the guy back.She told him it would cost him more money and then he said, forget about it.I have been dealing with this guy for year's and the same type of bull every time.

 

[rockyhawaii]

On a tow-job I had a guy insist I had scratched his car with the car I was towing. He was after a free paint job for his junky car, but I was positive I never went near his car and had multiple witnesses. He was a persistent cuss and called the cops. When the cop arrived he saw what was really going on, and instead, gave the guy a ticket for parking too close to my customer's driveway.

 

[Bernoulli/OZ]

I have a friend who used to be an independent shipwright. He refused to work on attorneys' boats because, as he put it, they went to school for three years to learn how not to pay for services.

 

[Jeff-oh]

And I'm Sure alcohol was NOT involved!!!!

 

[Jeff-oh]

Not Sure how this got placed here. I was referring to the Tattoo mis-spelling incodent below not to Stan's workers... Sorry about that...