mild rant, contractors and repair folks
Having run. what I feel is a successful business, for 40 plus years. We have always called folks back. And showed up when we said we would. On occasion, where something came up, we always call or e...
Forum Discussion
Yea, there is another side as always.
I have run a small landscaping maintenance company for years. It has gotten smaller, now I am down to myself and some part time help, and using other sub contractors.
I do not pickup the phone when it rings due to spam calls - otherwise I would never get anything done. People have to leave a message. If it is not important enough to leave a message, please don't bother me.
If you are not an existing customer of mine and you actually make the effort to leave a message, I still may not call you back - I am very busy, and it is tiresome to me and seemingly annoying to some people when I call them back just to say I don't have time to do the work.
If you are calling around to get "bids" for work, please call someone else. I am too busy to go around "bidding" on jobs for people who only want to pay the absolute lowest amount for a job. If you got my name from a friend or neighbor, then you know at least some people think I am good. My prices are what they are, if you want to be a customer than that's my price.
If I take you on as a customer, stop questioning my bills and my work. It is one thing when you have "real" questions about a job or the costs, but don't try to nickel and dime me to death.
"I can get that plant for less at Walmart" - then go buy it and plant it yourself.
"I don't think you were here for 1 1/2 hours -- it was more like 1 hour and 15 minutes".
"When I was in high school I didn't make that much money doing work like that" - this isn't 1960.
NO! I do NOT "make that much money" - my company is charging you, I "make" a percentage of that bill as income. There is insurance, maintenance of equipment, fuel bills, local - state - federal taxes, etc etc.
"When I was in charge of scheduling for (insert name of large corporation) I made sure everything was in place and ready to go" - Great! So you were a good employee for someone else and had the people and resources of a large company to play with.
I am not impressed.
I run everything in my business, I don't have people to take care of things, especially now that I have gotten older and reduce the size of my company.
Yes, I have become that local grumpy old handyman / contractor. If you are an established customer, I'll be there in 10 minutes. If not, maybe if I am in the mood in a couple years I might show up.
I need to go camping!
I have run a small landscaping maintenance company for years. It has gotten smaller, now I am down to myself and some part time help, and using other sub contractors.
I do not pickup the phone when it rings due to spam calls - otherwise I would never get anything done. People have to leave a message. If it is not important enough to leave a message, please don't bother me.
If you are not an existing customer of mine and you actually make the effort to leave a message, I still may not call you back - I am very busy, and it is tiresome to me and seemingly annoying to some people when I call them back just to say I don't have time to do the work.
If you are calling around to get "bids" for work, please call someone else. I am too busy to go around "bidding" on jobs for people who only want to pay the absolute lowest amount for a job. If you got my name from a friend or neighbor, then you know at least some people think I am good. My prices are what they are, if you want to be a customer than that's my price.
If I take you on as a customer, stop questioning my bills and my work. It is one thing when you have "real" questions about a job or the costs, but don't try to nickel and dime me to death.
"I can get that plant for less at Walmart" - then go buy it and plant it yourself.
"I don't think you were here for 1 1/2 hours -- it was more like 1 hour and 15 minutes".
"When I was in high school I didn't make that much money doing work like that" - this isn't 1960.
NO! I do NOT "make that much money" - my company is charging you, I "make" a percentage of that bill as income. There is insurance, maintenance of equipment, fuel bills, local - state - federal taxes, etc etc.
"When I was in charge of scheduling for (insert name of large corporation) I made sure everything was in place and ready to go" - Great! So you were a good employee for someone else and had the people and resources of a large company to play with.
I am not impressed.
I run everything in my business, I don't have people to take care of things, especially now that I have gotten older and reduce the size of my company.
Yes, I have become that local grumpy old handyman / contractor. If you are an established customer, I'll be there in 10 minutes. If not, maybe if I am in the mood in a couple years I might show up.
I need to go camping!
