Mr. Grabowski,
Excuse the top-posting. Thanks *much* for the professionalism and
kindness. Everything you say is true, but as one lady who responded
also said, Try finding someone to do a job *when* you need it done!
This is vacation time; my scalped DYI-er was trying to do home repair
work for an elderly relative. These days, professionals can be
extremely picky-and-choosy. They drive by your house and if it's not
a 200K bourgeois palace, they keep driving. Just the week before, the
same elderly family member called plumbers all day long from the
yellow pages and newspaper line ads trying to get someone to reapair
what he thought was a relay box to a well pump gone bad. Nobody would
take the time cause the job wasn't "big" enough.
Anyway, thanks again. I've heard more hair-in-chuck stories in the
past forty-eight hours than I expected to, and the family *will*
follow the advice in your excellent post.
Cow
"John Grabowski" wrote in message . ..
The same thing happened to me 31 years ago. I was a teenager working in
construction for the Summer. I had to drill some holes through some ceiling
joists using a name brand heavy duty angle drill with an extension bit. I
had very long hair at the time. I climbed up on the ladder and found it
awkward to hold the drill while balancing myself. The most comfortable
position was having the drill on the side of my head against my shoulder.
Next thing I know my head is getting pulled into the drill. Fortunately the
trigger did not lock as in your case. After releasing the trigger I
realized what had happened. Most of the hair on one side of my head got
yanked out by the roots. I tied my hair back until the bald spot started to
grow again and then had all of my hair cut off. For many years after that
the part of my hair that grew back had a better texture than the other side.
Many hairstylists commented on the difference in my hair from one side to
the other.
Now whenever I do ANY work I remove ALL jewelry including my wedding ring
and wris****ch and I never wear anything around my neck and I always wear
steel toe high back work shoes. I also keep a pair of gloves hooked on my
belt using a clip that releases if excessive force is applied to them.
In my case it was operator error.
You could send a letter to the Federal Trade Commission. Be sure to include
the model number, serial number, and name and address of the manufacturer.
If they get enough complaints about the same thing they will look into the
matter. I think that they have an online form for complaints such as these.
I know many people prefer to do things themselves for various reasons such
as saving money, enjoyment of working with tools, can't find someone to do
the work etc. I have been in the electrical trade for 30+ years and still
do not know everything. Getting information to do something from a posting
on the internet is not a substitute for my experience. You may look at
something in your home or watch a home improvement show and think to
yourself "I can do that". It may look easy, but don't discount the fact
that you do not have a truck full of tools for that trade nor do you have
all of the materials needed on hand. Also, do you know what to do when
something goes wrong? As an electrician I never know what I will find when
I get to a job. Every house is different. One set of instructions does not
apply to every situation. To put things in perspective consider this: Each
of you has a profession. You work at a job that you have experience in.
You work hard to make a living and have the necessary tools on hand to do
your job correctly. Do you think that a person from off the street without
any formal training and experience could watch a 30 minute TV show or read a
book and know how to do everything as well as you?
I should say thank you to all of the Do-it-Yourselfers out there. They have
been good for my business. After they get too deep into a wiring project I
will get a phone call. When someone moves into a house that a
Do-it-Yourselfer has worked on I will get a phone call. After the fire has
been put out as a result of someone doing something the wrong way, I will
get a phone call. After someone has been cited by the building department
or some other govenment agency, I will get a phone call. When someone is
trying to sell their house and the home inspector found some things that
were not safe, I will get a phone call.
Don't get me wrong. I am not telling you not to do work around your house.
You can do many things safely and correctly and legally. Take the time to
find out how to do it right. Make sure that you have the proper tools.
Consider all of the things that could go wrong. This forum should only be
one of many sources of information that you use to research your project.
If it is a big job, consider hiring a professional for consultation
purposes.
Safety first.
John Grabowski
http://www.mrelectrician.tv
"Cowa Bungie" wrote in message
om...
Thanks to everyone who answered, even the miserable folks. I posted
in the heat of the moment and except for investigating this model and
why it was sold so cheaply, i.e., in case there *was* a problem with
the lock sticking, will let the matter drop.
By "ditching the drill," I meant she had a split second decision to
make as the bit rotated up from the deadbolt toward her skull. She
litterally scalped herself, because she knew it she didn't she was
going to die or be blinded.
Thanks again. To those of you who felt it necessary to point out
my/our stupidity, well, sort of reminded me mercy is shown to those
who show mercy. To those of you with kind condolences, hope your day
shines, cause you helped a lot.