Larry, Darryl and Darryl Plowing

[blas]

At your service!

I think the property management company I rent from hires the same contracted doodoo heads to plow that Irv's company hires. The cheapest, bottom of the barrel of Do-Nothing-Monkey-Puppets.

I was cleaning off my car rather early this morning, so I could move it across the street so I wouldn't have anyone banging on my door like the po po while I was trying to sleep. Our caretaker, who is an older guy and always up at the buttcrack of dawn, was outside and also cleaning off his car and shoveling around his elderly mother's car.

He said "Ya know, I wish they'd give me a number to call, or someone from the office would call ME, and let me know when these jerks are going to show up."

I concurred and replied "I think it's BS that we get threatening notes on our doors in the fall that we have to be ready and move our cars by a certain time, and yet, they show up whenever they feel like it. It's hard for people who don't get up early or work odd hours."

He answered back, "That's just it. And they give me the job of being the bad guy, they put me in the position where they just show up whenever, and I have to go knocking on doors and telling everyone to move their cars. Most people around here are prepared and move anyways, but I don't like having to wake people up or take notes of people who don't answer the door."

After I cleaned off my car, I was walking back to my building and I asked him, "So, do you still gotta stay outside and watch them work?"

He rolled his eyes and said "Hell yes, I do. If someone doesn't keep an eye on them, the other guys just stay in the truck and won't shovel or snowblow. I've complained to Joe every time it's happened, but they won't change who they contract. So, I gotta stand out here and freeze my ass off so that they do their damned job."

In the case of the Redneck Sand Truck (a year or so ago), Caretaker wasn't home or wasn't Caretaker yet, and Larry, Darryl and Darryl decided they were just going to run the truck up and down the lot a few times and someone was going to shovel sand here and there and call it good.

And they did a shit job of plowing. There were so many spots where it went from bare pavement, then ice. Bare pavement, snow.

[sms001]

I hear ya Blas. My wife has been through THREE "services" in her three years as a manager. And that's with a wide open retail lot and about fifty feet of sidewalk. Most of these guys would like to do one straight sweep through and never get out of the truck. I suspect they only have the plow so they could BS their wives about how powerful a truck they needed: "Huh huh. I gotsa get the G980 for duh plowin' sweetie, the G970 just won't cut it!"

[blas]

It's ridiculous. And if no one watches them, the other guys will just stay in the truck. Fortunately, if they see someone outside smoking or appearing to watch them, they'll get out and halfass shovel the walkways and snowblow.

They aren't the brightest lipsticks in the bag, either. Last year, when they were actually using all of their men and equipment (surprise), the plow ran into the bobcat, and the bobcat got rung up in a huge snow pile, and while trying to get out, nearly took out the huge sign out front.

[Catwoman2965]

Oh that sucks. I have to say, the company my complex contracts with is awesome; they are out as soon as they can, once the snow stops, and sometimes while its still snowing. I suspect it has something to do with who our complex manager is; you DO NOT mess with her. If you're nice, she will bend over backwards for you, but if you give her sh*t, she can't be bothered.

We have 900+ apartments in my complex, and I have to say, within a reasonable amount of time, the lots, sidewalks, etc are plowed, snowblowed, and salted.

[Engmfj]

I have still to experience proper plowing and shoveling in this town - but hey, I've only been living here for 12 years, who am I to complain Actually, it sounds like we have the same Larry et al. here ..

[Irving Patrick Freleigh]

Last year, when they were actually using all of their men and equipment (surprise), the plow ran into the bobcat, and the bobcat got rung up in a huge snow pile, and while trying to get out, nearly took out the huge sign out front.

You will please tell me there is video of this somewhere, and where I can find it.

[Racket_Man]

I have still to experience proper plowing and shoveling in this town - but hey, I've only been living here for 12 years, who am I to complain Actually, it sounds like we have the same Larry et al. here ..

same here. in the 12 years I lived at my previous apartment complex ----- Notes would go up in Oct stating that the lot would be plowed between 8AM and 5PM. NOW that was well and good but when I got home from work after 6PM and half the time they STILL had not plowed the lot. So I parked in my assigned spot. Then came the banging on my door telling me to move my car or get it towed. yeah trying to find a spot on the STREET was hell as eveyone else in the complex was scambling to do the same.

[PepperElf]

that sucks. sounds like the guys know they'll get paid wether they work or not.

at the old apartment complex.... i think they used their own staff for it. but i'm not sure. they were at least helpful though and helped me get my car unstuck.


where i am here... i think our main maintenance man L is in charge of it. L's pretty on top of things. Once in a while the snow fall hits before he can get to the walkways but... we don't mind shoveling a path out if L can't get to it. (especially when we have a couple of neighbors on canes)

[Engmfj]

Around here they definitely get paid for quantity, not quality. I used to work in a sort of nursing home that had four buildings - three for housing and one for café, activities etc. They're supposed to have such places plowed as soon as possible, but the plowing consisted of one half-hearted run in the afternoon, which left the paths even more slippery and dangerous than before - well, we didn't let our residents try to walk to the café at lunch time, even though they do that every day And I have never seen them plow for the busses or anywhere near a bus stop, even though the rules here clearly state that 1) busses, 2) bus stops and 3) places like nursing homes etc. Hospitals and bike paths are maintained by another authority and will be plowed ASAP (which usually includes moving the snow from bike paths onto the sidewalk instead) ..

[Geek King]

So was it Larry, Daryl, and Daryl from Newhart, or from this?

[suburbandecay]

I've lived in a lot of apartments over the years, but the worst plowing job I have seen had to go to the Columbus Port Authority.

Normally, they did a pretty good job. Just not this particular night. I think it was a saturday where we got a pile of snow throughout the afternoon and they never bothered to plow our airplane gates. (we were only responsible for clearing out to 50 feet from the building, they covered the rest on the Taxiway side) So about a half hour before our plane lands, they come down and completely half ass plowing a gate out. And by plowing the gate, I mean they cleared out a silhouette and left piles all over the place. We managed to get one of these stuck in a snow drift. We had to pull it out with the a pushback tug(used for pushing aircraft out to the taxiway since they don't really have a reverse gear). We spent the rest of the night trying not to get stuck in drifts while unloading/loading a DC10. It can be alot of fun driving heavy equipment in the snow. Just not when you have to avoid hitting aircraft.

[blas]

And Tuesday, we had Larry, Darryl and Darryl Roofing here to fix something that got covered in snow or frozen over the weekend, I'm not sure.

I was out for a smoke and I heard noise outside, two idiots on a ladder, one asks, "Should I clean up the nails?" and the other said "Nah, it's too cold."

Yeah. That's how we got all those nails on the ground last spring in the first place.

I told the Caretaker, but I doubt that'll change anything. Why pay more for better service, right?

[Irving Patrick Freleigh]

Well, if nothing else, be happy that this time of year nobody is going to step on those nails barefoot or in flip flops.

[dalesys]

Visconsin, ya say? Shouldn't that be Ole, Lars und Sven Plowvink, Inc.?

[Irving Patrick Freleigh]

Visconsin, ya say? Shouldn't that be Ole, Lars und Sven Plowvink, Inc.?

No, that's Minnesota. Wisconsin is Hans, Fritz und Dieter Plowvink, ja.