On Tue, 25 Nov 2008 10:50:44 -0600, The Daring Dufas
wrote:

Not really, I have to deal with AAEs all the
time. It's a competency issue. If you read
Steve's post, his paperwork was not sent to
him as required. My guess is the AAE effect.
The truth always hurts.

Your guess is not necessarily the truth, and you're sounding like
quite the bigot. Incompetence is everywhere, trust me.

In The State of Washington, one needs the "government" permission to
feed, cloth and shelter his/her self by means of "self employment."
This permission includes requirements that one must, in addition to
having a license (permission to do what, otherwise, would be illegal),
have both a bond and insurance.

Bonds tend to be much cheaper than insurance, the rates of which have
sky rocketed in recent years. Bonds can be sued to recoup losses and
damages. If the bonding company must pay out, it goes after the
person it bonded to recoup its loss. Insurance, on the other hand,
pays on their behalf. A bond leaves the person bonded liable, but
insures the injured they will be paid up front (after a hell of a lot
of effort and legal expense).

An example application of a bond can be seen in its application to
government officials. They also must be bonded and that bond can be
attached for theft and such seven years after the person they left
office. They don't have to have insurance, though the municipal or
other entity will have insurance covering their acts and omissions.

From Wikapedia:

A surety bond is a contract among at least three parties:

* The principal - the primary party who will be performing a
contractual obligation
* The obligee - the party who is the recipient of the obligation,
and
* The surety - who ensures that the principal's obligations will
be performed.

Through this agreement, the surety agrees to uphold—for the benefit of
the obligee—the contractual promises (obligations) made by the
principal if the principal fails to uphold its promises to the
obligee. The contract is formed so as to induce the obligee to
contract with the principal, i.e., to demonstrate the credibility of
the principal and guarantee performance and completion per the terms
of the agreement. Contract bonds guarantee a specific contract.
Examples include performance, bid, supply, maintenance and subdivision
bonds. Commercial bonds guarantee per the terms of the bond form.
Examples include license & permit, union bonds, etc.

Suretyship bonds originated hundreds of years ago as a mechanism
through which trade over long distance could be encouraged. The first
corporate surety firm in the United States was United States Fidelity
and Casualty Company of New York, established in 1880. According to
the Surety & Fidelity Association of America annual US surety bond
premiums are approximately $3.5 billion. State insurance commissioners
are responsible for regulating corporate surety activities within
their jurisdictions. The commissioners also license and regulate
brokers or agents who sell the bonds.

Surety bonds are frequently used in the construction industry: in
order to obtain a contract to build the project, the general
contractor (and often the sub-contractors as well) must provide the
owner a bond for its performance of the terms of the contract.
Conversely, owners and contractors may also provide payment bonds to
ensure that subcontractors and suppliers are paid for work done. Under
the Miller Act, payment and performance bonds are required for general
contractors on all U.S. federal government construction projects where
the contract price exceeds $100,000.00.

Importer Entry Bond is a customs bond posted by an importer to
guarantee the payment of import duties and taxes, and to assure
compliance with any pertinent law, regulation or instruction. An
Importer Entry Bond is required on all commercial shipment of goods
entering the commerce of the United States. An Importer Entry Bond may
be written as either a single transaction or continuous bond (self-
renewing). The bond amount for a continuous bond is determined by
taking multiples of $10,000 nearest 10% of duties, taxes and fees paid
by an importer during the last calendar year. The minimum continuous
bond amount is $50,000.

Surety bonds are also used in other situations, for example, to secure
the proper performance of fiduciary duties by persons in positions of
private or public trust.

A key term in nearly every surety bond is the penal sum. This is a
specified amount of money which is the maximum amount that the surety
will be required to pay in the event of the principal's default. This
allows the surety to assess the risk involved in giving the bond; the
premium charged is determined accordingly.

If the principal defaults and the surety turns out to be insolvent,
the purpose of the bond is rendered nugatory. Thus, the surety on a
bond is usually an insurance company whose solvency is verified by
private audit, governmental regulation, or both.

The principal will pay a premium (usually annually) in exchange for
the bonding company's financial strength to extend surety credit. In
the event of a claim, the surety will investigate it. If it turns out
to be a valid claim, the surety will pay it and then turn to the
principal for reimbursement of the amount paid on the claim and any
legal fees incurred.

A bail bond is a type of surety bond used to secure the release from
custody of a person charged with a criminal offense. Under such a
contract, the principal is the accused, the obligee is the government,
and the surety is the bail bondsman, and if the accused fails to
appear, a fugitive recovery agent is the surety.

In The State of Washington, one needs the "government" permission to
feed, cloth and shelter his/her self by means of "self employment."
This permission includes requirements that one must, in addition to
having a license (permission to do what, otherwise, would be illegal),
have both a bond and insurance.

Bonds tend to be much cheaper than insurance, the rates of which have
sky rocketed in recent years. Bonds can be sued to recoup losses and
damages. If the bonding company must pay out, it goes after the
person it bonded to recoup its loss. Insurance, on the other hand,
pays on their behalf. A bond leaves the person bonded liable, but
insures the injured they will be paid up front (after a hell of a lot
of effort and legal expense).

An example application of a bond can be seen in its application to
government officials. They also must be bonded and that bond can be
attached for theft and such seven years after the person they left
office. They don't have to have insurance, though the municipal or
other entity will have insurance covering their acts and omissions.

From Wikapedia:

A surety bond is a contract among at least three parties:

* The principal - the primary party who will be performing a
contractual obligation
* The obligee - the party who is the recipient of the obligation,
and
* The surety - who ensures that the principal's obligations will
be performed.

Through this agreement, the surety agrees to uphold—for the benefit of
the obligee—the contractual promises (obligations) made by the
principal if the principal fails to uphold its promises to the
obligee. The contract is formed so as to induce the obligee to
contract with the principal, i.e., to demonstrate the credibility of
the principal and guarantee performance and completion per the terms
of the agreement. Contract bonds guarantee a specific contract.
Examples include performance, bid, supply, maintenance and subdivision
bonds. Commercial bonds guarantee per the terms of the bond form.
Examples include license & permit, union bonds, etc.

Suretyship bonds originated hundreds of years ago as a mechanism
through which trade over long distance could be encouraged. The first
corporate surety firm in the United States was United States Fidelity
and Casualty Company of New York, established in 1880. According to
the Surety & Fidelity Association of America annual US surety bond
premiums are approximately $3.5 billion. State insurance commissioners
are responsible for regulating corporate surety activities within
their jurisdictions. The commissioners also license and regulate
brokers or agents who sell the bonds.

Surety bonds are frequently used in the construction industry: in
order to obtain a contract to build the project, the general
contractor (and often the sub-contractors as well) must provide the
owner a bond for its performance of the terms of the contract.
Conversely, owners and contractors may also provide payment bonds to
ensure that subcontractors and suppliers are paid for work done. Under
the Miller Act, payment and performance bonds are required for general
contractors on all U.S. federal government construction projects where
the contract price exceeds $100,000.00.

Importer Entry Bond is a customs bond posted by an importer to
guarantee the payment of import duties and taxes, and to assure
compliance with any pertinent law, regulation or instruction. An
Importer Entry Bond is required on all commercial shipment of goods
entering the commerce of the United States. An Importer Entry Bond may
be written as either a single transaction or continuous bond (self-
renewing). The bond amount for a continuous bond is determined by
taking multiples of $10,000 nearest 10% of duties, taxes and fees paid
by an importer during the last calendar year. The minimum continuous
bond amount is $50,000.

Surety bonds are also used in other situations, for example, to secure
the proper performance of fiduciary duties by persons in positions of
private or public trust.

A key term in nearly every surety bond is the penal sum. This is a
specified amount of money which is the maximum amount that the surety
will be required to pay in the event of the principal's default. This
allows the surety to assess the risk involved in giving the bond; the
premium charged is determined accordingly.

If the principal defaults and the surety turns out to be insolvent,
the purpose of the bond is rendered nugatory. Thus, the surety on a
bond is usually an insurance company whose solvency is verified by
private audit, governmental regulation, or both.

The principal will pay a premium (usually annually) in exchange for
the bonding company's financial strength to extend surety credit. In
the event of a claim, the surety will investigate it. If it turns out
to be a valid claim, the surety will pay it and then turn to the
principal for reimbursement of the amount paid on the claim and any
legal fees incurred.

A bail bond is a type of surety bond used to secure the release from
custody of a person charged with a criminal offense. Under such a
contract, the principal is the accused, the obligee is the government,
and the surety is the bail bondsman, and if the accused fails to
appear, a fugitive recovery agent is the surety.

First, sorry about the double post.

I got into the handyman-remodel business on the advice of a contractor
friend. He was always complaining about the poor quality [licensed,
bonded and insured] professionals were putting out. Too many just
blow out jobs. Their work looks good (or not) to the homeowner, but is
trash underneath a veneer of some sort. I had pro's who wanted to
pour concrete on top the ground (to hell with frost lines and heave).
Bonds, licenses and insurance don't always guarantee quality for the
money.

There is the another side to the license, bonding and insurance issue:
Courts will allow homeowners to steal from those who are not licensed,
bonded and insured by refusing to hear cases in which they are
involved.

In the end, it's like your own health. You have to take an interest.
The uninsured, unlicensed worker may provide a bargain, while the
state authorized worker may be better at paying for his big fancy
truck. Or it may go the other way, and it often does. Truth be known,
you have more recourse against the individual operating without
gubermint permission than he does against you. You send L&I after
him, for example.

The Daring Dufas wrote:
SteveBell wrote:
Red Green wrote in :


The carpentry/repair is my description for an unusual type of coverage
for repair of old stuff and creation of new, and my agent had to go
with Lloyds of London to find it. As a handyman, I do lots of different
kinds of stuff, and most insurance companies wanted to do fifteen
different policies instead of just one. The landscaping part costs less
than $100 a year, and the other coverage is about $1000.

I don't have plumbing or electrical licenses (or any other kinds of
licenses), so I'm prohibited from doing anything that requires a
license--by insurance coverage as well as by law. I can repair a sink
or install a faucet, but I can't run the pipes. I can install a ceiling
fan, but I can't run a new wire to the junction box.

As I understand it, my errors and omissions insurance covers pretty
much any damage I might cause, as long as I didn't do it on purpose, or
in a way that I should have known better as a professional, or it's
something they specifically exclude like asbestos remediation or lead
paint removal.

I just renewed it after a two-week lapse, because my insurance company
didn't send me a notice. Lloyds sent the notice to Brooks Insurance
corporate in Kansas City, and corporate didn't forward it to my local
agent. This was the second year in a row. That problem shouldn't recur,
since my agent is no longer affiliated with Brooks Insurance, seeing as
how they're going out of business. Lloyds will now send the notice
directly.


Does Brooks Insurance have Affirmative Action employees?

TDD
Laundry called. Your bedsheets are done.
PLONK.

cm wrote:
You would have to have extremely low overhead to operate a business on those
rates. $25.00 hr might equal $200 per day if you have no down time. - $10 -
$20 for gas, $10 - $15 for your truck payment and wear and tear, Tool
upkeep $2.00 per day. then add in the cost of bookkeeping, sick days,
vacation days, liability insurance, health insurance,taxes. hmm not much
left of your $25.00 per hour.

$25.00 to $35.00 is a waste of your time unless you are just in business to
fight boredom. IMHO

Heck.... I'm going to raise my rates to $45.00 starting today. Thanks for
the nudge.

cm


"KLS" wrote in message
...
On Mon, 24 Nov 2008 17:40:41 -0500, "Tarty" wrote:

Their rate: $50.00 per hr.

Seems a bit steep for a handyman, even if they were licensed & insured.
And
surely not enough for a licensed professional.

What's the going rate for a handyman in your area?
In my experience and area, $35 per hour for licensed, bonded
contractor, $25 for the alternative.


I wish I could find somebody around here, for all the stuff I need done.
I know how to do most of it, but I'll never get around to it. What has
put me off looking again is the sour experience I had with the trades I
brought in here when I first bought the place, for the urgent stuff.
Several of them, I had to walk them through how something was done.
Others (electrician, plumber) either botched the work or lied to me and
said they had inspected stuff that I found out several months later they
hadn't even gotten near. Plumber got pretty cranky when I called him
back the third time to fix a leaky elbow on the water softener feed.
Nothing complicated, good access, new parts. Given a torch, which I
didn't have, I could probably have fixed it myself, and I have sweated
maybe 5 joints in my life. Electrician (a local name company) said they
had inspected ALL the wiring, but when I got in attic a couple months
later to figure out how to rewire bathroom, I found an open junction box
with multiple loose connections, such that when I touched one wirenut to
look in the bottom of the box, several of them popped off. I could go
on, but you get the idea.

I have no heartburn with $35-50 an hour for a skilled pro that will get
in and get out, and do a competent job. But I don't wanna pay those
rates for someone that has equal or fewer skills than I do.



--
aem sends...

Bonded and insured are VERY different concepts. The person posed the
question if bonded versus insured were the same. Quite definitely not. Not
if you want to have some kind of coverage for the customer in case something
goes wrong with the work. Or to protect the customer in case something goes
wrong as a result of the work. Actually, the bonding I had provided ZERO
protection, or advantage of any form, for the customer.

--
Christopher A. Young
Learn more about Jesus
www.lds.org
..


"dpb" wrote in message ...
Stormin Mormon wrote:
Yes, it is considerably different.

But concept is quite similar -- it's a spread liability coverage against
an adverse event. Only the specific circumstances and some details of
the actual operation are different.

--

KLS wrote:
On Tue, 25 Nov 2008 10:50:44 -0600, The Daring Dufas
wrote:

Not really, I have to deal with AAEs all the
time. It's a competency issue. If you read
Steve's post, his paperwork was not sent to
him as required. My guess is the AAE effect.
The truth always hurts.

Your guess is not necessarily the truth, and you're sounding like
quite the bigot. Incompetence is everywhere, trust me.

Define "bigot". You're sounding like quite
the liberal, commie, politically correct,
brain washed, Democrat dingle berry.
*snicker*

TDD

aemeijers wrote:
The Daring Dufas wrote:
SteveBell wrote:
Red Green wrote in :


The carpentry/repair is my description for an unusual type of coverage
for repair of old stuff and creation of new, and my agent had to go
with Lloyds of London to find it. As a handyman, I do lots of different
kinds of stuff, and most insurance companies wanted to do fifteen
different policies instead of just one. The landscaping part costs less
than $100 a year, and the other coverage is about $1000.

I don't have plumbing or electrical licenses (or any other kinds of
licenses), so I'm prohibited from doing anything that requires a
license--by insurance coverage as well as by law. I can repair a sink
or install a faucet, but I can't run the pipes. I can install a ceiling
fan, but I can't run a new wire to the junction box.

As I understand it, my errors and omissions insurance covers pretty
much any damage I might cause, as long as I didn't do it on purpose, or
in a way that I should have known better as a professional, or it's
something they specifically exclude like asbestos remediation or lead
paint removal.

I just renewed it after a two-week lapse, because my insurance company
didn't send me a notice. Lloyds sent the notice to Brooks Insurance
corporate in Kansas City, and corporate didn't forward it to my local
agent. This was the second year in a row. That problem shouldn't recur,
since my agent is no longer affiliated with Brooks Insurance, seeing as
how they're going out of business. Lloyds will now send the notice
directly.


Does Brooks Insurance have Affirmative Action employees?

TDD
Laundry called. Your bedsheets are done.
PLONK.

I love the feel of white satin against my skin.
*snicker*

TDD

The thing is, I see ads where people claim they're bonded. A locksmith
comes to mind. Is that a person bond that's somehow different from
insurance?


There is a difference between a bond and insurance.

Definition 1
A bond issued by an entity on behalf of a second party, guaranteeing that
the second party will fulfill an obligation or series of obligations to a
third party. In the event that the obligations are not met, the third party
will recover its losses via the bond.

Insurance:
A promise of compensation for specific potential future losses in exchange
for a periodic payment. Insurance is designed to protect the financial
well-being of an individual, company or other entity in the case of
unexpected loss. Some forms of insurance are required by law, while others
are optional. Agreeing to the terms of an insurance policy creates a
contract between the insured and the insurer. In exchange for payments from
the insured (called premiums), the insurer agrees to pay the policy holder a
sum of money upon the occurrence of a specific event. In most cases, the
policy holder pays part of the loss (called the deductible), and the insurer
pays the rest. Examples include car insurance, health insurance, disability
insurance, life insurance, and business insurance.
This content can be found on the following page:

http://www.investorwords.com/2510/insurance.html

Put simply, a bond is in case you don't finish a job. Insurance is if you
damage something, or one of the parties suffers a loss while doing the job.

From there, it gets complicated with surety bonds, performance bonds, bid
bonds, etc. Then you have liability insurance, workman's insurance, etc.

It has been my experience that MOST people who actually are bonded and
insured will be able to provide them in a timely manner. In the state where
I was a steel erection contractor, ONLY a letter from the workman's
compensation insurance company mailed directly to the company/builder/owner
was deemed legal. Copies of certificates were illegal. I was never asked
to provide proof of a bond, although I had them. Once a company received
the letter by mail, they were held harmless from a third party workman's
suit against them.

On some jobs, there was a requirement that you included a bond with the bid
for the amount of work, and a performance bond for the amount of work
stating the timeline.

In many states, laws about advertising "licensed and insured" are toothless
and worthless. Usually it is another contractor who drops a dime on
someone. Then, in Nevada, they made it a felony to even verbally OFFER to
do work for a fixed fee other than an hourly rate. It varies from there,
and whether people observe the law or the agency enforces it varies greatly,
also. Usually tho, this occurs when someone's ox gets gored, and they lose
a job to an unlicensed contractor.

Unless you are working on a government job, and that would require ten more
paragraphs to give the basics.

HTH

Steve

"cm" wrote in message
...
You would have to have extremely low overhead to operate a business on
those rates. $25.00 hr might equal $200 per day if you have no down
time. - $10 - $20 for gas, $10 - $15 for your truck payment and wear and
tear, Tool upkeep $2.00 per day. then add in the cost of bookkeeping, sick
days, vacation days, liability insurance, health insurance,taxes. hmm not
much left of your $25.00 per hour.

$25.00 to $35.00 is a waste of your time unless you are just in business
to fight boredom. IMHO

Heck.... I'm going to raise my rates to $45.00 starting today. Thanks for
the nudge.

cm

I weld. I don't take the padlock off the container for less than $50.
Unless she's purty.


Nah, I do barter, and do favors, but I keep close track of those, too as
some neighbor's and relative's math is horrible. When bartering services,
full value for full value. But lots of times, people have given me more in
goods than I would have charged them in money.

$2 a day tool upkeep? You can't buy a small box of nails for that hardly.
In today's world, $25 an hour will barely buy you a good new hammer. And
have you looked at nailguns and compressors? And brake jobs? Lunch is $5
to $10. Don't forget travel time.

I agree with you. If we ain't talking real money, I'd rather be napping or
fishing.

Steve

I wish I could find somebody around here, for all the stuff I need done. I
know how to do most of it, but I'll never get around to it. What has put
me off looking again is the sour experience I had with the trades I
brought in here when I first bought the place, for the urgent stuff.
Several of them, I had to walk them through how something was done. Others
(electrician, plumber) either botched the work or lied to me and said they
had inspected stuff that I found out several months later they hadn't even
gotten near. Plumber got pretty cranky when I called him back the third
time to fix a leaky elbow on the water softener feed. Nothing complicated,
good access, new parts. Given a torch, which I didn't have, I could
probably have fixed it myself, and I have sweated maybe 5 joints in my
life. Electrician (a local name company) said they had inspected ALL the
wiring, but when I got in attic a couple months later to figure out how to
rewire bathroom, I found an open junction box with multiple loose
connections, such that when I touched one wirenut to look in the bottom of
the box, several of them popped off. I could go on, but you get the idea.

I have no heartburn with $35-50 an hour for a skilled pro that will get in
and get out, and do a competent job. But I don't wanna pay those rates for
someone that has equal or fewer skills than I do.



--
aem sends...

If a guy would just come in, and work at a steady rate, that would be good.
But they seem to slow down, getting less done each day. Then everyone
starts getting antsy, and the comments about how long you worked last week,
and if this is really enough money for this skill or that .............

Steve

"cm" wrote in message
...
I have been in the home repair business 21 years and no one has ever asked
me for references.

How much are you guys marking up materials? I add 20% to materials.


I also have an A$$ Hole rate that can easily surpass $50.00 per hour. If
someone has **** all over their toilet and I have to work in their
bathroom it goes to $75.00+ per hour. If its just too gross we walk.

I was doing some painting at a clients home once and her dogs ****ed and
**** all over my canvas drop cloths. I left them there when we were done
with the job. I added the cost of new drops onto her bill, which she never
questioned. A month later she called me and asked if I was ever going to
pick up my old drops. I told her no because of the dog mess and I
mentioned that she had already bought me new ones. She says, OH I did???
Me = he he he.

I have never advertised and seldom have business cards unless things slow
down like right now. I like to get my customers face to face or by word of
mouth. With the economy now I have been handing out business cards and
putting the word out that I need work. People are only fixing the things
most important to them and not decorating type things right now. I have
come up with enough work to carry us until January. I looked up handyman
services on craisgslist for the Phoenix area and there are up 200 ads per
day. I wonder if any of them get any work?



cm

Yabbut a lot of them are derelicts and fugitives. Referrals are best, and
as you know, they are slow now. The that's the gravy jobs. People who pay
and appreciate good work and tell friends. Yeah, I had Ahole people, but
most only got a proposal.

Know whut uh mean, Vern?

Steve

"SteveB" wrote

Yabbut a lot of them are derelicts and fugitives. Referrals are best, and
as you know, they are slow now. The that's the gravy jobs. People who
pay and appreciate good work and tell friends. Yeah, I had Ahole people,
but most only got a proposal.

Grin, we get great work from local folks. Our fav handyman charges 'by the
job' and likes to take his sweet time which suits us just fine. Last job
was to replace yet another door with a prehung one. His rate is 50$ plus
door and supplies. Now, we both know thats silly. So, we fed him and
tipped him an extra 100$.

I always offer food and even adapt to the workers needs of low salt, or 'no
pork' etc. Don and I both are good cooks. We are well known for taking
care of the workers and I don't mean just a few sodas.

We are negotiating with the team that did a partial job on our wood fences
(we could not afford the whole job so they patched some last fall). Part of
the deal is that I make up a big batch of my pulled BBQ pork with enough
they can all take home plenty for their kids and family ;-). Told'em my one
quibble point is I am a bit challanged just now on tupperware stuff so they
gotta bring some.

Offer up now is all they can eat (6 guys plus the boss) plus 3 lbs each to
take home. It's hilarous as they counter offered to reduce the BBQ if I make
lots of fresh bread and sides. My counter to that was one of the guys needs
to loan us a coffee maker (we dont have one) so we can keep hot chocolate or
hot tea running to the workers, and we added if they also want coffee, we
need 2 of them loaned so one can have nice fancy stuff (we have a grinder).
Now, they are quibbling coffee types but seem to have settled on my mixed
kona and vanilla bean.

So, in addition to a good rate and very high quality work, we are having a
bit of fun negotiating the side items they know I'd do anyways! (I know the
rate is reduced, but not so much that they arent making money which is fair
to both of us).

BTW, I know this team. One of the fellows doesnt do pork due to religion so
he's getting a special dish I devised that is like pulled pork, but made of
turkey legs. It's easy to make a little side crockpot for him and in fact,
it's every bit as good as the pork dish. Just costs a tiny bit more time to
make.

Umm, somehow I never seem to have problems getting workers to come and match
my schedule ;-) These fellows are being patient with my finances and
waiting til January and having fun with us in the meantime. Since I know
them and am Xmas aware, we are paying 50% in advance on 15DEC. I wont have
the rest til 15Jan but they slated us for right after New Years and will be
happy to wait for the rest til the 15th.

Why the long post? Because s many do not realize a good relationship with a
contractor is built on trust and over time. The fence folks got me as a
referral from another contractor as good folks ;-)

Tarty wrote:
I realize rates are different throughout the country, but I was
wondering about what rates are in your area.


[...]

Seems a bit steep for a handyman, even if they were licensed &
insured. And surely not enough for a licensed professional.

What's the going rate for a handyman in your area?

Saw a story once about a young lady with an apartment in New York. She made
friends with a single guy in the same building that had a tool kit. When she
needed something done, she offered to trade a home-cooked meal for the
repair. Their mental dialogs went something like:

She: "He's a miracle worker! He can put up a towel rack so it won't fall
down and all I have to do is throw a couple of extra potatoes in the pot!"

He: "She's a miracle worker! For a couple the right kind of fifty-cent molly
bolts, I get a delicious rack of lamb dinner!"

Then they had sex.

"cshenk" wrote in message

Why the long post? Because s many do not realize a good relationship with
a contractor is built on trust and over time. The fence folks got me as a
referral from another contractor as good folks ;-)


Absolutely. The best guys do not have full page ads in the Yellow Pages and
are always busy. The good customers always get a fair price and the best
workmanship.

HeyBub,

I have only been propositioned once on the job and that was by a 75 y/o
women. I was 40 at the time. I passed. My wife laughed.

cm


"HeyBub" wrote in message
m...
Tarty wrote:
I realize rates are different throughout the country, but I was
wondering about what rates are in your area.


[...]

Seems a bit steep for a handyman, even if they were licensed &
insured. And surely not enough for a licensed professional.

What's the going rate for a handyman in your area?

Saw a story once about a young lady with an apartment in New York. She
made friends with a single guy in the same building that had a tool kit.
When she needed something done, she offered to trade a home-cooked meal
for the repair. Their mental dialogs went something like:

She: "He's a miracle worker! He can put up a towel rack so it won't fall
down and all I have to do is throw a couple of extra potatoes in the pot!"

He: "She's a miracle worker! For a couple the right kind of fifty-cent
molly bolts, I get a delicious rack of lamb dinner!"

Then they had sex.

The bond I had so many years ago. Said they would post up to $5,000 bail
bond, if I were ever accused of illegally distributing a key or combination.

--
Christopher A. Young
Learn more about Jesus
www.lds.org
..


"SteveB" toquerville@zionvistas wrote in message
...


The thing is, I see ads where people claim they're bonded. A locksmith
comes to mind. Is that a person bond that's somehow different from
insurance?


There is a difference between a bond and insurance.

Definition 1
A bond issued by an entity on behalf of a second party, guaranteeing that
the second party will fulfill an obligation or series of obligations to a
third party. In the event that the obligations are not met, the third party
will recover its losses via the bond.

"cm" wrote in
:

HeyBub,

I have only been propositioned once on the job and that was by a 75
y/o women. I was 40 at the time. I passed. My wife laughed.

cm


"HeyBub" wrote in message
m...
Tarty wrote:
I realize rates are different throughout the country, but I was
wondering about what rates are in your area.


[...]

Seems a bit steep for a handyman, even if they were licensed &
insured. And surely not enough for a licensed professional.

What's the going rate for a handyman in your area?

Saw a story once about a young lady with an apartment in New York.
She made friends with a single guy in the same building that had a
tool kit. When she needed something done, she offered to trade a
home-cooked meal for the repair. Their mental dialogs went something
like:

She: "He's a miracle worker! He can put up a towel rack so it won't
fall down and all I have to do is throw a couple of extra potatoes in
the pot!"

He: "She's a miracle worker! For a couple the right kind of
fifty-cent molly bolts, I get a delicious rack of lamb dinner!"

Then they had sex.




a 75 y/o women.

Better snag the bottle of vegetable oil on the way back to the BR.