Why can't anyone do a good job anymore? (RANT) (1 Viewer)

[Greg_R]

The issue is not that someone is doing physical labor, it's that they are doing poor work. I had my bathroom remodeled and brought in over 15 different workers (from the same company). The only competent guy was from Mexico and couldn't speak English. The rest of the workers did more harm than good. 2 years later and I'm finding all sorts of problems with the work (caulk and tile falling off, etc.).

 

[JoeyR]

Ok I've been scanning this posts and watching this go back and forward so I have to chime in(like I said I have been scanning),Theresa I hope all works out for you.

First physical/mental labor side-I work for a commercial HVAC company and they were days when I changed 3 compressors weighing 200# plus on a roof when it was 98 outside with a heat index of 110, now with the position that I am doing not full time working towards it as it grows, I put digital controls on units, wire in, program, network, build front ends, then commission the system and make job books. I can tell you that on some days I am just as tired from the mental strain as with the physical strain(some days), with physical you are always tired, 140 degree attics, white rooftops middle of summer, etc. but if there are no physical laborers to fix the a/c, no desk guy is going to work, now if there is no desk guy to design an a/c, the a/c tech doesnt have a job, I understand the tired concept of the physical side and agree that it is harder on you than sitting on a desk, but we both have to have each other(it doesnt help that there are people like Ken Lay(sp) exsist to sit behind a desk spending time figuring out how to screw the physical guy out of his money, but that is another rant)

Secondly, I work for a great company, we are treated well and we are well respected because we do what we say and that is a quality job, I have seen things done that if I told you to make the customer happy yall wouldn't believe, but in that the company I work for is now in several states from one branch in one state in the beginning, if you dont feel good about the job your doing you shouldnt be at that job.

BUT MY MAIN POINT-with that quality comes a price and our price is usually a little more than our competitors and the is where the problem comes in we live in a nation with A LOW BID MENTALITY, I want it done and I want it done as cheap as possible, everyday, everywhere, especially new construction well guess whats going out the window first in that price, you guessed it quality. Now a days they even have "value added engineers" that look at plans to see where they can cut cost on jobs so it will be even less money, say this will work ideally, well if we do it this way we dont have to buy this, this and this and we can save X amount of dollars, guess what, the best was given now someone is being paid to cut corners to save cost up front, but guess what it ends up costing you in the long run, and NOT A KNOCK on anyone but guess who is making that call, someone behind a desk who probably doesnt have day 1 of field experience, thats another great thing about my company everyone that is office management has spent time in the field, I'm not talking about a month, I'm talking years, from the owner on down.

Lastly on a smaller tagent, I am 31, I veg out when I'm off and on weekends but when I am at work I work, my family were country folk and I was brought up like that I HAVE A WORK ETHIC, again not a knock to the desk guys but kids these days want to make what we do with years of experience under our belts, want to have a desk job and that is a growing problem, why do you think outsourcing is an issue? I sleep good at night knowing that you will NEVER be able to call a 1-800 number, talk to a guy in India and he will tell you how to troubleshoot your unit and change your compressor over the phone, again not a knock, just my view(all comments preceding)

Wow, something about improper caulking must get my goat

 

[MarkHastings]

Most definitely - Have you ever had to work your brain as hard as your muscles? Let me tell you, there is no difference between muscle aches and head aches when you work them the same.

-This is not a crack at you Joey, this is an example of my brother. He never agrees with me that mental fatigue is just as bad as physical fatigue, but that's because he doesn't use his brain to the fullest and has never experienced real mental fatigue before. That shit lasts for weeks!

Again, no offense, but that's why I get so vocal on the subject. I understand physical labor (I've done it myself), but I don't think a lot of people...well, at least not the ones that I know personally, have any idea what "Mental Fatigue" really is. Getting a headache from reading a book, is not mental fatigue!!! (That's for my brother! )

 

[JoeyR]

Its not always like I said but I have had days figuring out things"like my previous statement" and come home and just crash in the recliner, the heaviest thing I picked up that day may have been a screwdriver, and with that felt like someone had just beat me with a baseball bat, its funny how with the mental strain it can and sometimes does affect you physically.

 

[Reginald Trent]

Poor work is not limited to the average Joe, we have too many politicians that also fall in to that category. Without getting into specifics of course per forum rules.

 

[CapnSharpe]

It's 6:54am and the handyman company called me yesterday to say they would be here at 8:30.

Two awning companies took a look at the awning yesterday. The first turned out to the original installer. He said the awning was most definitely removed and put back, but not in it's original place and was not re-caulked at all. His will be out early next week to see if they can put it back in place and reseal the whole thing. If so, I should only pay about $75. However, the shift in position suggests a surprise might be waiting for them when they take everything down. In that case, I may be looking at a more expensive re-installation of the entire awning.

The second company said it was a mess and refused to touch it or provide any kind of estimate. I cancelled the third since they were going to charge me $75 just for an estimate.

 

[Jim Sentry]

I think part of the problem is that the majority of the consumers are willing to accept below par work.

I'm in RE and many of the homes I see in the 500K and above price range have things like crooked tiles, bowed walls, misfit windows, poor drainage design and numerous other flaws. Yet consumers continue to buy them.

This may be caused by the consumer who really did not have to work too hard for the big bucks they earn.

I personally would like to consider buying a new home but the thought of putting up with all the poor quality workmanship is discouraging to say the least.

 

[CapnSharpe]

It's 9:15am they just left and I'm still shaking.

Two men showed up a little bit before 9 am, one in a red truck and another in a blue truck towing a trailer. The guy in the red truck said the other guy would remove all the caulk and replace it with what I want wanted. I asked for white silicone. I asked if they would do all the windows - including the ones above the awning. He said they couldn't get to the windows because of the awning and he told the other guys who came earlier not to move the awning. I asked who moved the awning - and suddenly he and the other guy begin to leave and he shouts back to me that he won't charge me.

WHAT?! I ran up to him in his red truck and said who moved the awning who will fix those windows - AND HE ACCUSED ME OF MOVING THE AWNING MYSELF! I responded that he was lying and I told him he wasn't leaving those windows like that and he said he was - so I jumped behind the blue truck parked in my driveway to stop the other guy. Guy in the red truck gets out, walked up to the blue truck and tells the driver to back up anyway.

The guy in the blue truck shut down his engine. A few minutes later a police officer drives up and asks to have a chat with me.

Net net:
They handymen left
I have a police report to pick up
I have improperly caulked leaky windows
and I have an awning leaking water at least behind my siding if not into the wall

The officer told me it's a civil matter and I need to hire a lawyer. But the officer also spoke to the guy in the red truck who is the owner of the company, per the officer, and the owner expects a phone call from me tomorrow. Actually the owner didn't look too happy when the officer was speaking to him but I couldn't hear what the officer said.

 

[mark alan]

You only option is to immediately go to small claims court and file a suit against the person that you contracted to do the work. Hire another contractor to repair and complete the work, take the new contractors bill or quote in, along with your proof of negligence and you should have a cut and dried case.

 

[Jim Sentry]

Collecting, however is another story.

The other thing is that we have Full Employment and a Booming Economy, so qualified help is hard to find, and small contractors have plenty of back-up jibs to choose from.

 

[JonZ]

"Lastly on a smaller tagent, I am 31, I veg out when I'm off and on weekends but when I am at work I work, my family were country folk and I was brought up like that I HAVE A WORK ETHIC, again not a knock to the desk guys but kids these days want to make what we do with years of experience under our belts, want to have a desk job and that is a growing problem, why do you think outsourcing is an issue? I sleep good at night knowing that you will NEVER be able to call a 1-800 number, talk to a guy in India and he will tell you how to troubleshoot your unit and change your compressor over the phone, again not a knock, just my view(all comments preceding)"

You know all through my teens and 20s I had physical jobs and would have given anything for a desk job. Well in 96 I got he desk job which led to a job with IBM.

Ill never work for a corporation again -man do I miss those jobs I used to hate. At least they kept me in shape.

I agree that when getting work done its better to pay a little more to quality work. I basically gutted my house apart and rebuilt it over the past 2 years. I did everything myself except for the roof,plumbing,electric. I also hired some guys to do some paver work outside, which looks amazing. People in the neighborhood liked it so much, they got another 5 jobs in the area.

There are good workers out there, u just have to find them.