"Gideon" wrote in message
...
Better yet, ask for references for work which the contractor
hasn't completed
yet or work which hasn't even started yet. Talk to those
customers after the
work has been completed. That way, the contractor can't
cherrypick by just
give you the names of extremely satisfied customers. For
exterior work and
additions, you should be able to stop by once or twice and
observe the work in
progress.
References of course are a good thing..however Ive seen in
this area a very high percentage of utterly ill informed and
often nasty customers what whine to me about what a loser his
last contractor was....and since I know most of these guys I
can say in many cases the complaints are bogus. No job is
perfect.
Many good contractors are trashed to the max on almost totally
irrelevant or unavoidable minor issues.
So when getting refferences Id also ask if the person could
detail any problems..... if they start off with '''ya ... and
their men parked RIGHT IN MY DRIVWAY to unload the material...
etc."
You have your first clue... that customer was nutz. I tell Id
be glad to do thier work but am booked up until 2008,
there is no shortage of those in some areas.
and they do it to chizzle the bills also.
Many customers in this area seem to think they have hired you
8 am to 5 pm daily until the job is finished.. they have no
clue that the work is simple contracted to meet a completion
schedule even after you point that out ,,,
Some will say... 'ya and he showed up at 10 am some days and
was gone by 2 ... some days he didnt show up at all...'...
so it pays to ask for the details.
also ask about the price too... many customers will shop a
$30,000 job until they find someone that will do it for 15,000
dollars on a part time as available schedule... or beat the
price down to 10,000 then complain when they didnt get the
materials specified in the higher priced contracts.
A very good percentage of the general public has no clue...
and many are abusive or terminally impatient and unrealistic a
about construction logistics and mess etc.
Ive had some demand a thousand dollars worth of dust
prevention, fans, sealed doors, floors and walls etc... be
placed in order to shield a 20 second saw cut in dry wall on a
job quoted at $200.
Myself I interview the customer before the job starts we chat
about thier experience with other tradesman, and if they whine
a lot I decline to quote them. Others fool me... I quote
them.. then if they can find a fingerprint on the wall
somewhere they want to deduct 600 dollars from a 1200 bill to
cover repainting the entire room.or they will 'sue'...or call
the mafia..
Im sure there are bad contractors around, Ive ruin into more
than a few. Most are fair to OK though and the abuse they get
from customers is not warranted.
I asked one ****ing and moaning home owner why they called me
if their last contractor was so good...
The customer said.... ' he way too high, he rip us off'...'you
recommended by my friend, he say you the best one in whole
area'.
Then after the work starts he complains about me...
the complaint with me exact quote "You soww up 9 okwok!!!
You NOT sow up at 8 okwok..I pay I pay I pay... you not sow
up.. den you LEEEBE at 2 okwok.. .. I no pay .... I no pay...
you charge me $1.98 for calking...I buy $1.92...1.92 .
1.92.... YOU *CHEAT ME.. 6 cent... 6 cent....you not
finish... you not finish...I call police, I call police.."
So much for being the best in the whole area I guess.
My last commercial restaurant customer was whining about 15
minutes travel time even though I gave him the drive back in
traffic (45 minutes free)... I handed him a 50 dollar bill ..
he was still whining ...it was an integrity thing he said..
He didnt want to pay for all of my work time since I had to
park so far away from his store in downtown San Francisco...
(no parking during rush hour).., alley parking they tow first,
then ticket,,, cost 300 dollars or more.... he felt that ran
up the bill... he wanted me to deduct some of the time to get
the bill down to what thinks is fair. and was a well meaning
guy too... he was sincere in his remarks
he sells 8 dollar sandwiches... two slices of bread, some
sprouts and a turkey slice. Not bad. A good sandwich.
No reference from those guys though....damn.
I do industrial controls mostly now
I tell the other
customers that I do the best I can, and thats usually very
good but seldom perfect in every detail as that costs more
than a job warrants in many cases.. and that they are to watch
me closely, and the first instant that they see the work is
not going according to their expectations they are to fire me
and I will leave and collect my hourly rate and materials to
date.
That tactic has stopped most of the complaining..
Phil Scott
www.philscott.net