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Refering to previous boss mentioned in these stories: http://www.customerssuck.com/board/s...ad.php?t=69897 and http://www.customerssuck.com/board/s...ad.php?t=72276
I had a lot of stories lined up but never posted them, to add a few things to this - my ex-boss owned a house building/reno company and also rented out apartments. She also owned a retirement lodge that I did maintenance at.
Some highlights:
Being sent to detail a newly constructed house on a remote island (need ferry to get there.) Asked what supplies I needed to bring - as a detail means CLEAN EVERYTHING - walls, ceilings, windows included, and was told I didn't need to bring supplies as they were already there - to arrive at house and discover "supplies" are 3 rags, a bucket, and a mop that had paint dried on it. Electricity turned off - so no hot water either. Open House being held next day - just how DOES one vacuum carpets with no vacuum and no electricity? Heading back to get supplies would mean a 4-hour round trip including ferry.
Being told to paint a metal door using latex paint and not believing me when I told her that it wouldn't work. It didn't. She then sent me back to use a stripper and strip it off. Said stripper was in a 30 year old metal can and melted the dollar-store paintbrush she'd supplied before I'd put on 1/4 coat.
Had me paint over 100 doors in a retirement lodge, only to have one of ther other guys come back and change all the door hardware, gouging/scraping the new paint in the process, so I had to do every one all over again.
Wanted a wooden stairway leading down to the beach power washed, sanded and painted. More than 100 stairs including a large landing mid-way. 2 power washers she supplied wouldn't work. She then said "Just use a scrub brush and a hose." Took 4 days to complete, and she complained it took too long. Everything had to be done by hand. Sandpaper she supplied was from dollar store - sand "fell off" at first swipe.
Wanted a bunch of chairs sanded, stained, & sealed and expected me to do it outside in an unprotected carport in mid-December (freezing weather) and thought that $4/chair was a reasonable amount to pay for the work.
Would agree on a quote for a contract job, then expect a bunch of extras above and beyond what was agreed upon without paying any extra.
Her company built million dollar McMansions - and she'd send me to the Dollar Store to pick up supplies to be used there. She actually wanted ME of all people, to stain a grand curving staircase using dollar store paint sponges, and I told her flat out that I didn't know the first thing about doing such a job and get the results she wanted - so she got one of her other workers to do it and the result was horrible.
So.... the other day my Mom and I had to head out to pick up a replacement stove in the same town that one of the McMansions was and I decided to swing by it to see how it was - when I quit (following the chair debacle) the mansion was 90% finished, all that needed to be done was having the remaining construction materials removed from the site, some minor detail painting on the outside trim, and finish the landscaping.
It has TOTALLY fallen into disarray. The landscaping isn't finished and the flowers and trees that were planted are dead or dying. The construction materials (for another huge house that they were going to build next door) are still there, and the new site is empty with just a poured foundation. What looks like a new paint job on the outside of the mansion seems to have been stopped midway. In short it looks AWFUL. This was supposed to be the "crown jewel" of ex-boss's construction company to show just what she was capable of. I didn't see a single worker there, and I can't say I'm surprised. I personally knew of three workers who were getting ready to quit over ex boss's shenanigans right around when I left. I think that's what happened, and ex-boss is now left with an unfinished million-dollar mansion, a horrible reputation among workers (we DO talk to each other ) and a bad rep with building supply companies (ex-boss was constantly getting calls from companies regarding past due bills and the paint store she'd send me to would only give her supplies if she paid in advance.)
When I was working for her, I would constantly see new guys show up to work, and then quit midway and walk out and not return. When we were doing some landscaping which required raking tons of rock and moving it to a site next door, three teenage boys who showed up in the morning left for lunch and never came back.
When you consider that there was a post on Craigslist (mentioned in one of the above threads) warning people away from working for her company, that speaks volumes.
I honestly can't say I'm surprised.
I had a lot of stories lined up but never posted them, to add a few things to this - my ex-boss owned a house building/reno company and also rented out apartments. She also owned a retirement lodge that I did maintenance at.
Some highlights:
Being sent to detail a newly constructed house on a remote island (need ferry to get there.) Asked what supplies I needed to bring - as a detail means CLEAN EVERYTHING - walls, ceilings, windows included, and was told I didn't need to bring supplies as they were already there - to arrive at house and discover "supplies" are 3 rags, a bucket, and a mop that had paint dried on it. Electricity turned off - so no hot water either. Open House being held next day - just how DOES one vacuum carpets with no vacuum and no electricity? Heading back to get supplies would mean a 4-hour round trip including ferry.
Being told to paint a metal door using latex paint and not believing me when I told her that it wouldn't work. It didn't. She then sent me back to use a stripper and strip it off. Said stripper was in a 30 year old metal can and melted the dollar-store paintbrush she'd supplied before I'd put on 1/4 coat.
Had me paint over 100 doors in a retirement lodge, only to have one of ther other guys come back and change all the door hardware, gouging/scraping the new paint in the process, so I had to do every one all over again.
Wanted a wooden stairway leading down to the beach power washed, sanded and painted. More than 100 stairs including a large landing mid-way. 2 power washers she supplied wouldn't work. She then said "Just use a scrub brush and a hose." Took 4 days to complete, and she complained it took too long. Everything had to be done by hand. Sandpaper she supplied was from dollar store - sand "fell off" at first swipe.
Wanted a bunch of chairs sanded, stained, & sealed and expected me to do it outside in an unprotected carport in mid-December (freezing weather) and thought that $4/chair was a reasonable amount to pay for the work.
Would agree on a quote for a contract job, then expect a bunch of extras above and beyond what was agreed upon without paying any extra.
Her company built million dollar McMansions - and she'd send me to the Dollar Store to pick up supplies to be used there. She actually wanted ME of all people, to stain a grand curving staircase using dollar store paint sponges, and I told her flat out that I didn't know the first thing about doing such a job and get the results she wanted - so she got one of her other workers to do it and the result was horrible.
So.... the other day my Mom and I had to head out to pick up a replacement stove in the same town that one of the McMansions was and I decided to swing by it to see how it was - when I quit (following the chair debacle) the mansion was 90% finished, all that needed to be done was having the remaining construction materials removed from the site, some minor detail painting on the outside trim, and finish the landscaping.
It has TOTALLY fallen into disarray. The landscaping isn't finished and the flowers and trees that were planted are dead or dying. The construction materials (for another huge house that they were going to build next door) are still there, and the new site is empty with just a poured foundation. What looks like a new paint job on the outside of the mansion seems to have been stopped midway. In short it looks AWFUL. This was supposed to be the "crown jewel" of ex-boss's construction company to show just what she was capable of. I didn't see a single worker there, and I can't say I'm surprised. I personally knew of three workers who were getting ready to quit over ex boss's shenanigans right around when I left. I think that's what happened, and ex-boss is now left with an unfinished million-dollar mansion, a horrible reputation among workers (we DO talk to each other ) and a bad rep with building supply companies (ex-boss was constantly getting calls from companies regarding past due bills and the paint store she'd send me to would only give her supplies if she paid in advance.)
When I was working for her, I would constantly see new guys show up to work, and then quit midway and walk out and not return. When we were doing some landscaping which required raking tons of rock and moving it to a site next door, three teenage boys who showed up in the morning left for lunch and never came back.
When you consider that there was a post on Craigslist (mentioned in one of the above threads) warning people away from working for her company, that speaks volumes.
I honestly can't say I'm surprised.
Nice! So she's finally sleeping in the bed she made then? 
Ain't karma a bitch!
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