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  • Rich people problems

    A couple of months ago we got a call from a contractor we do a fair bit of work for, he has a friend, with a small problem in his house, and could we do something for him and help him out.

    Said friends house is about 2 1/2 hours away, and the problem is very small, so boss is fairly unenthusiastic, but if he is a good buddy of this contractor we should try to keep him happy. This house happens to be almost on the way to my mom's, so I offer to go see what's up with it when I dropped my son off for a visit one weekend.

    Go look. I don't have x-ray vision, so what I see is the homeowner pointing at random pieces of beautifully painted/wallpapered/textured drywall, while I nod intelligently. Go back and tell my boss what the problem probably is, but that I have to cut open drywall to know for sure. If the problem is what I think, it will only take minutes to fix, but I'm not sure. Also that I am going back home labour day weekend, and if he wants to do this guy a favour I can stop in then, so we can do it cheap.

    Boss writes a quote, for $150.00. That is CHEAP. We never send a truck out for less than $500, this guy is far away, he is getting a deal. The quote says price only good for Sunday, August 31, (so I can do it on my way near his town), and our scope of work says to remove drywall in areas, assess situation, and if possible repair - if the problem is what I think. So he is paying for me to show up, take apart some parts of his house. If the fix is what I think, great I fix, if not, it's going to cost a lot more to get a truck, crew etc there. Customer agrees to quote.

    I went there today, took some tools from the shop, leftover materials from other jobs, in case I could fix it. Now, I don't like working in this house. It isn't just clean, it's rich people clean. There isn't a single piece of mail sitting on a table, not a set of keys on the counter, no errant pair of shoes in the living room. Not a thing anywhere except fancy furniture, fancy pieces of art, and fancy surfaces. I like a clean house, but houses this clean intimidate me, I always feel like pigpen when I'm working in them, like I'm trailing a cloud of dirt around me. Especially when I'm sawing through pieces of drywall in a carpeted room. Ughh.

    The good news is, the problem was what and where I expected it, I was able to saw apart his house, fix his problem and clean up behind me in about 40 minutes. I gave him his bill. He wasn't impressed. I guess $150 is too much to pay for such a small amount of work, I barely used any materials, it didn't take very long, etc. etc.

    I am so angry right now, if this guy had gone to a hardware store, rented the tools I used, bought the materials I needed (he would have had to purchase full packages) he could have done it himself for about $320. If he got it done in 1/2 a day. Otherwise the rentals would have cost more. My guess is if he did it himself it would have taken about 3 days, some of it could be tricky if you don't know what you are doing. If he could have done it at all. And he thinks we are ripping him off.

    He's going to call boss on Tuesday to see about making the bill more 'reasonable', and boss is going to lose his mind. The only reason we did this for him is to keep a good customer happy. No good deed, right?
    Pain and suffering are inevitable...misery is optional.

  • #2
    Holy shit, if I could have a contractor fix something for $150 I would consider myself extremely lucky! And you sure wouldn't be uncomfortable in my house *cough* gottadosomevacuuminglikeyesterday

    Why is it always the ones with the most money that act like it's such a burden to pay a bill that's already way under the market rate??
    When you start at zero, everything's progress.

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    • #3
      I swear, certain types of rich people have never lifted a finger for themselves, yet act shocked when a services is more than *insert stupidly low amount*. They're so high up in their cloud that lowly plumbers/electricians/roofers/etc are not worth any money at all. Well guess what? You'd be screwed without them, so shut it.

      We'd constantly get people who thought we charged too much for a roof repair. $215, to get up on your roof figure out the problem, and use basic materials (caulking, a few shingles, a vent) to fix it. We barely came out ahead after all the taxes and operational stuff. It's not cheap to run a small business.
      Replace anger management with stupidity management.

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      • #4
        Remember, there's two ways to get rich:

        Make a LOT of money

        or

        NEVER EVER spend any money....


        Guess which option this guy went for?
        - They say nothing good happens at 2AM, they're right, I happen at 2AM.

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        • #5
          I'd say to have the contractor who sent you his way talk with him. A. What a great deal he got. B. That he agreed to the cost beforehand. C. If you guys sue, he'd lose - and hewwouldn't be able to have his lawyer with him in small claims.
          I will not be pushed, stamped, filed, indexed, briefed, debriefed, or numbered. My life is my own. --#6

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          • #6
            After you all went out of your way to help him, I would kill to be a fly on the wall when your boss gets that call!



            Why does it seem the people with the most want to give the least?
            "If anyone wants this old box containing the broken bits of my former faith in humanity, I'll take your best offer now. You may be able to salvage a few of em' for parts..... " - Quote by Argabarga

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            • #7
              Quoth LillFilly View Post
              Why does it seem the people with the most want to give the least?

              It's amazing how often that seems to be the case. When my mother has volunteered to deliver, then collect, envelopes for charity, she's always said that houses where there's obviously no shortage of wealth give far less than ones that are a lot more... well, of modest means, let's say.
              Engaged to the sweet Mytical He is my Black Dragon (and yes, a good one) strong, protective, the guardian. I am his Silver Dragon, always by his side, shining for him, cherishing him.

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              • #8
                Quoth NecessaryCatharsis View Post
                He's going to call boss on Tuesday to see about making the bill more 'reasonable', and boss is going to lose his mind.
                "Sure, I'd love to make this more reasonable for you. How's $500 sound? Good? Good. Would you like to pay that now with a credit card?"
                You're only delaying the inevitable, you run at your own expense. The repo man gets paid to chase you. ~Argabarga

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                • #9
                  I would be sure to let the original contractor know what's going on and why you won't be doing his friends any more favors in the future...

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                  • #10
                    This is where proverbs come in handy:

                    "The workman is worthy of his (her) hire."

                    "Do not bind the mouth of the oxen who tread the grain."


                    ... those two come to mind right away. If this guy is WASP (given your location, NC, I suspect him to be), he's going WAY against his own religion's teachings to complain about the cost of the work.
                    Seshat's self-help guide:
                    1. Would you rather be right, or get the result you want?
                    2. If you're consistently getting results you don't want, change what you do.
                    3. Deal with the situation you have now, however it occurred.
                    4. Accept the consequences of your decisions.

                    "All I want is a pretty girl, a decent meal, and the right to shoot lightning at fools." - Anders, Dragon Age.

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                    • #11
                      I bet he's a lousy tipper at restaurants as well.
                      "All I've ever learned from love was how to shoot somebody who out-drew ya"

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                      • #12
                        Quoth Sheldonrs View Post
                        I bet he's a lousy tipper at restaurants as well.
                        And demands all sorts of special treatment!

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                        • #13
                          Quoth Sheldonrs View Post
                          I bet he's a lousy tipper at restaurants as well.
                          "Tip? Why should I tip? Don't they already pay you here?"
                          I will not be pushed, stamped, filed, indexed, briefed, debriefed, or numbered. My life is my own. --#6

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                          • #14
                            Quoth MoonCat View Post
                            Why is it always the ones with the most money that act like it's such a burden to pay a bill that's already way under the market rate??
                            How do you think he got rich in the first place???

                            Quoth Seshat View Post
                            This is where proverbs come in handy:

                            "The workman is worthy of his (her) hire."

                            "Do not bind the mouth of the oxen who tread the grain."


                            ... those two come to mind right away. If this guy is WASP (given your location, NC, I suspect him to be), he's going WAY against his own religion's teachings to complain about the cost of the work.
                            Yeah . . . that's par for the course down here.
                            They say that God only gives us what we can handle. Apparently, God thinks I'm a bad ass.

                            Comment


                            • #15
                              Quoth Seshat View Post
                              If this guy is WASP (given your location, NC, I suspect him to be), he's going WAY against his own religion's teachings to complain about the cost of the work.
                              Anyone else remember the scene from "Three's Company" where Mr. Roper had hired a preacher for a wedding?

                              Mrs. Roper: "What denomination is he?"
                              Mr. Roper: "I don't know - he was cheap"
                              Mrs. Roper: "Definitely your church, Stanley"
                              Any fool can piss on the floor. It takes a talented SC to shit on the ceiling.

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