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I'm on an office move, they're moving 20 people, furniture, contents, computers, from the 10th floor, to the 12th floor within the same building. This should be an easy two hour job, four hours if there's complications. To call this job a clusterfuck would be an insult to all clusterfucks. Not only was it the worst organized move I've ever seen, but the area was totally unprepared for the move to begin with. The construction fell a week behind schedule, so this genius's plan was to have all the tradespeople come in at once and finish everything en masse. You've got drywallers putting up walls, you've got painters painting just finished walls, you've got carpenters putting in millwork, you've got electricians wiring, you've got installers putting in furniture, you've got cleaners cleaning, and you've got the movers bringing all the shit in and taking up what little space there is for everyone to work.
The content move was the first hiccup. First, they were still packing, so we had to wait on that. Second, rather than using a proper numbering system, they labelled them with names, full names were too much work, so they used initials. This is inefficient but acceptable, unless of course you've got two "A.B.'s" and three "C.D.'s" in your office. We had to sort them based on handwriting until finally giving up and telling them to figure it out. Then we move on to their file cabinets. Cabinets should be numbered, and there should be a floor plan with a specific measured location for each. They were numbered, but there was no plan for where they were going. We had to track down the client for each one then follow her around while she hmmm'd and haaaah'd, deciding where it should go. On to the contents of said filing cabinets. The boxes should correspond to the numbers of the cabinets. Instead, they labelled them with ambiguous dates, names, whatever. Once again, we had to track the woman down. She had no clue and no solution. We couldn't just drop them and let the workers who made the mess figure it out, we had to figure it out, somehow. Once again, we did our best until giving up and saying fuck it.
On top of these problems, the tradespeople and us were getting mutual headaches. As we're placing cabinets or whatever, by her instruction, the trades come by and let us know it's a problem. That wall isn't done, there's a workstation going there, that room has to be painted. All said, we had to move items dozens of times because she didn't know what was going on. But we persevered and finally finished. We're 9 hours in on what should have been a two hour move, but we're done.
Okay, she just wants to make sure we didn't miss anything. We head down and there's a storage room that we didn't touch. Okay, it's not labelled and you said nothing about it. Well, obviously it has to go.
Okay, no problem, another hour to get that done. Once again we're done. Oh no we're not. We missed a lot of labelled items. While we were working on the storage room, she snuck behind us and threw a bunch of labels on every box and missed piece of furniture in the place. Annoying, but no big deal if she just admits that she forgot. But instead, she wants to play it like we missed all this stuff. Lady, it's a fucking hourly job; you're paying us for as long as we're here, whether you're the fuck up or whether we're the fuck up. That's what I wanted to say, but instead I bit my tongue and go to work.
We've finished for the third time, and now she's decided that she doesn't like the configuration in a couple of offices. A couple of offices as in every single one of them. In one particularly small office, we've tried three different desks trying to get it "right", I just put the finishing touches on the third attempt when a guy comes in and tells me that we've got to try another desk. I lose it and let out with "for fuck's sake, can these morons get their heads out of their asses and make a decision". Unbeknownst to me, the client was right behind him:
SC: Excuse me?
Me: Well pardon me, but it would be nice if things were properly planned so we don't have to move things three, four, five, times.
SC: It's not easy to figure this all out you know.
Me: Yes, I know, that's why you have to plan these things out weeks or months in advance. Look, here's my tape measure, let's measure the office out and figure out what works best before it's moved.
SC: What, you think you can do better?!?
Me: Do I think I can do better, not at all, as a matter of fact I KNOW I could do better!
SC: Oh really, what would you have done?
Me: The first thing I would have done is hire me two weeks ago to get this thing properly organized. To advise your staff on proper packing and labelling. To get your cabinets numbered and mapped out. To get your offices measured and furniture allocated. I would have done that two weeks ago, not the day of the move.
SC: What is your name!?!
Me: Jason, and if you want to complain about me the line for that starts right behind me because I'm letting the boss know that I am never working on a job this disorganized again.
SC: I want you to leave!
Me: Thanks!
I could pull this attitude because this wasn't my client. I was subcontracting for a company that seems to specialize in the worst jobs possible. Every time I work for them I tell myself that it will be the last time, and hopefully this time will truly be the last. My boss was none too pleased, but when I explained it all to him, and that this blowup was at the hour fourteen mark, he understood.
The content move was the first hiccup. First, they were still packing, so we had to wait on that. Second, rather than using a proper numbering system, they labelled them with names, full names were too much work, so they used initials. This is inefficient but acceptable, unless of course you've got two "A.B.'s" and three "C.D.'s" in your office. We had to sort them based on handwriting until finally giving up and telling them to figure it out. Then we move on to their file cabinets. Cabinets should be numbered, and there should be a floor plan with a specific measured location for each. They were numbered, but there was no plan for where they were going. We had to track down the client for each one then follow her around while she hmmm'd and haaaah'd, deciding where it should go. On to the contents of said filing cabinets. The boxes should correspond to the numbers of the cabinets. Instead, they labelled them with ambiguous dates, names, whatever. Once again, we had to track the woman down. She had no clue and no solution. We couldn't just drop them and let the workers who made the mess figure it out, we had to figure it out, somehow. Once again, we did our best until giving up and saying fuck it.
On top of these problems, the tradespeople and us were getting mutual headaches. As we're placing cabinets or whatever, by her instruction, the trades come by and let us know it's a problem. That wall isn't done, there's a workstation going there, that room has to be painted. All said, we had to move items dozens of times because she didn't know what was going on. But we persevered and finally finished. We're 9 hours in on what should have been a two hour move, but we're done.
Okay, she just wants to make sure we didn't miss anything. We head down and there's a storage room that we didn't touch. Okay, it's not labelled and you said nothing about it. Well, obviously it has to go.
Okay, no problem, another hour to get that done. Once again we're done. Oh no we're not. We missed a lot of labelled items. While we were working on the storage room, she snuck behind us and threw a bunch of labels on every box and missed piece of furniture in the place. Annoying, but no big deal if she just admits that she forgot. But instead, she wants to play it like we missed all this stuff. Lady, it's a fucking hourly job; you're paying us for as long as we're here, whether you're the fuck up or whether we're the fuck up. That's what I wanted to say, but instead I bit my tongue and go to work.We've finished for the third time, and now she's decided that she doesn't like the configuration in a couple of offices. A couple of offices as in every single one of them. In one particularly small office, we've tried three different desks trying to get it "right", I just put the finishing touches on the third attempt when a guy comes in and tells me that we've got to try another desk. I lose it and let out with "for fuck's sake, can these morons get their heads out of their asses and make a decision". Unbeknownst to me, the client was right behind him:
SC: Excuse me?
Me: Well pardon me, but it would be nice if things were properly planned so we don't have to move things three, four, five, times.
SC: It's not easy to figure this all out you know.
Me: Yes, I know, that's why you have to plan these things out weeks or months in advance. Look, here's my tape measure, let's measure the office out and figure out what works best before it's moved.
SC: What, you think you can do better?!?
Me: Do I think I can do better, not at all, as a matter of fact I KNOW I could do better!
SC: Oh really, what would you have done?
Me: The first thing I would have done is hire me two weeks ago to get this thing properly organized. To advise your staff on proper packing and labelling. To get your cabinets numbered and mapped out. To get your offices measured and furniture allocated. I would have done that two weeks ago, not the day of the move.
SC: What is your name!?!
Me: Jason, and if you want to complain about me the line for that starts right behind me because I'm letting the boss know that I am never working on a job this disorganized again.
SC: I want you to leave!
Me: Thanks!
I could pull this attitude because this wasn't my client. I was subcontracting for a company that seems to specialize in the worst jobs possible. Every time I work for them I tell myself that it will be the last time, and hopefully this time will truly be the last. My boss was none too pleased, but when I explained it all to him, and that this blowup was at the hour fourteen mark, he understood.
FOURTEEN HOURS?! I would've blown up too! 
Unfortunately people think "Hey I can do better, and save money!" and some can. They have the foresight, the common sense, and the ability to PLAN. Others (like me) go to the pros and say "Hey, I need this moved..help?!" and let them do it their way..cause I have NO clue..but at least I know I have NO clue. So I pay a bit more, but it gets done right.
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