The complaint compartment.

[Fixastuff]

Sometimes it seems that every thread turns into one. So I figured I start a thread about complaining. lol.

I’ll go first.

Sometimes work is hard, machines break down and people have a different opinion than I do!(they’re wrong of course, lol)

Have a great Friday everyone reading this.

 

[1Mech]

One of my many complaints, is people who say they will show up for a job or whatever, then don't show up or if they do, are quite late.
Also salesmen who know less about their product than I do!!
Ok, off my soapbox!

 

[Fixastuff]

One of my many complaints, is people who say they will show up for a job or whatever, then don't show up or if they do, are quite late.
Also salesmen who know less about their product than I do!!
Ok, off my soapbox!

Yes, when I used to do homeowner work it amazed how many customers said “wow, you’re actually showed up! The other 3 companies said they would come give me a quote and never did.”

Most salesman’s have never even run a machine much less worked it on job site but will promise you it can do whatever you ask about it. lol.

 

[Darth_DMack]

Gone are the days where a Man's WORD is his bond. I'm only 55, but I am very old school. When I say I will do something, I do it. To the BEST of my ability, 100% and then some.

I'm a retired Army dude, 36 years in boots. I attack life with a vengeance and do what is right, always, even when no one is watching. Just how I was raised.

We just built our "retirement" house, bought a nice slice of land, and over the past year of putting this all together, dealing with Contractors has been the bane of my existence. NO ONE wants to work these days it seems.

Missed deadlines, over charging, shoddy work, having to do things two or three times... makes me want to go into business for myself. I would show up when I say I will be there, quote a fair price, have the person hiring me for the work, set the standard for me, and I would meet or EXCEED that standard in a timely manner. In todays market, that model would not fail.

If I were a Project Manager for a General Contractor, I would hold crews to the timeline. Inspectable items would be INSPECTED, and things would be done right the first time.

I hired a landscaper to do the final landscaping around our house. Sod, irrigation, Front Gate, trees, etc. All I get from this guy is excuses after excuses. He blows timelines all the time, and something always comes up. He started off very good, great work, showed up when he said he would, but then, just fell off. I noticed he "sub'd" out, and I just think he's over his head. The issue is... there is NO ONE else that can finish what he started. Rock and hard place... I'm between it!

I'm still working as a Defense Contractor, and if I did my job half assed the way I've seen work done for me, people's lives would be at stake.

I just don't get it.

Ok, now that that's off my chest... LOL

Have a fantastic Friday everyone... back to our scheduled shenanigans.

 

[TractorGunn]

I'm going to complain about the title of this thread. Should be the complaint DEpartment.

I'm sure I'll find more to complain about though.

 

[WranglerX]

Always keep in mind....

Life is like a cube of butter..
Sometimes cold and hard...
Sometimes warm and soft....

 

[paulsharvey]

So, since the topic of people showing up was brought up;

Contractors taking jobs that they have no idea how to build/do. What I mean is, if you don't have some understanding of the standards/specifications, why bid on it. Example, you don't know how to install a culvert and mitered ends to meet the spec of local regulations, why bid on it? So, let's say you don't know what you're doing, and you win the job; why not do some very basic research before showing up and winging it. Sure, everyone has to start somewhere, but if your on the starting side, look into what the job entails before starting.

I do understand the guy who has doen the job a dozen times in a different state being a bit caught off guard by regs/specs/standards in a new area, but those guys Normally look into it before starting.

 

[dodge man]

Tractorgunn beat me to it.

 

[Darth_DMack]

So, since the topic of people showing up was brought up;

Contractors taking jobs that they have no idea how to build/do. What I mean is, if you don't have some understanding of the standards/specifications, why bid on it. Example, you don't know how to install a culvert and mitered ends to meet the spec of local regulations, why bid on it? So, let's say you don't know what you're doing, and you win the job; why not do some very basic research before showing up and winging it. Sure, everyone has to start somewhere, but if your on the starting side, look into what the job entails before starting.

I do understand the guy who has doen the job a dozen times in a different state being a bit caught off guard by regs/specs/standards in a new area, but those guys Normally look into it before starting.

I could write a book on what we went through with our house build. We chose the builder (Local, CUSTOM Home Builder, 30 years in the area, very highly recommended) and were let down constantly. Very costly learning experience for my wife and I.

I am so fortunate to have been living only 10 miles away from where we built. Had we been in a different state, just relying on the builder to "do it right"... we'd have been hosed. I was on the job site almost daily... basically, became the project manager.

 

[WinterDeere]

So, since the topic of people showing up was brought up;

Contractors taking jobs that they have no idea how to build/do. What I mean is, if you don't have some understanding of the standards/specifications, why bid on it. Example, you don't know how to install a culvert and mitered ends to meet the spec of local regulations, why bid on it? So, let's say you don't know what you're doing, and you win the job; why not do some very basic research before showing up and winging it. Sure, everyone has to start somewhere, but if your on the starting side, look into what the job entails before starting.

I do understand the guy who has doen the job a dozen times in a different state being a bit caught off guard by regs/specs/standards in a new area, but those guys Normally look into it before starting.

This one speaks to me. I work in R&D, and so most of my career has been taking jobs I have no idea how to build/do. Then we figure it out. There's countless hours of hard work and research in-between, predicting the cost of which is the most delicate and dangerous part of what I do.

In the end, we have a product that we build and sell. Every week, I have cheap customers trying to convince me to just bill them a design fee, and then release the design to them to build. I always have to tell them, if we had any idea how difficult and expensive any given job might be, we'd probably be too afraid to ever take any of them!

"Fake it until you make it" is fine, if you're willing to actually do the hard work in-between. Ask Elon, he's built some of the most impressive tech companies the world has ever known, based on this principal.

 

[paulsharvey]

BTW, Many many contractors are great, and sometimes the complaints are outside of their control.

 

[paulsharvey]

We used to get in arguments with contractors on the "unforseen circumstances" vs "unforeseeable circumstances"; and there is a Big difference. Yes, you didn't Foresee water problems in the pipe trench next to a wet-ponf, However, that's not an Unforseeable circumstance...

3 back to back hurricanes in 3 months, unforeseeable; it rains 4 days a week during the summer; you should have Foreseen that.

 

[TractorGunn]

Tractorgunn beat me to it.

Was that a complaint?

 

[Darth_DMack]

BTW, Many many contractors are great, and sometimes the complaints are outside of their control.

Understood, and I agree. In my case though, that's not it. Case in point... Air Conditioner Return Vent, ceiling mounted, right by my front door. When the house was in framing, I noticed that the vent was not square with the wall, it was a good 10-15 degrees off. I brought it up to the builder, and he said "no worries, they will fix it before drywall goes up."

Well, I kept watching it... drywall goes up, vent was STILL crooked. Brought it up again... same thing... "No worries, we'll fix it."

Final paint... vent was still crooked. Told the builder about it FIVE times... well, guess what... we are living in the house now, vent is STILL crooked.

That is just one thing. I have a list a double arm's length long. I would expect shoddy workmanship from a bargain cookie cutter house builder, but at the price point of this house, and it being completely custom... that was unacceptable. I have a final punch list a mile long, and I'm holding him to the fire.. but we had to close due to other issues, so he's not even returning calls now.

Sorry for the digression... but it chaps my ass. No excuse for stuff like that. Let's not even talk about my main propane line running from my buried tank to my house only being 2" below the surface... I could write pages on the crap that they messed up on. One of the selling points choosing this guy, was 30 years in the area, using the SAME crews for years.

Just another for instance... I paid to have my garage fully insulated. Blown in insulation in the attic over the garage, full insulation in the walls, insulated garage doors, vent in the ceiling so I could open / close it depending if I wanted it cool or not... we are getting ready to move in, I get up in the attic, ZERO blown in insulation over the garage. I raised HELL! Made the insulation guy come back out and fix it. Brought it up with the builder, he just shook his head. It was IN THE CONTRACT... this is one issue of many.

Ok, back to the thread... sorry for the derail. All I have ever asked for by people who agree to do a job for me, is communication. If you are running late, or have an issue, talk to me. Don't make me have to chase you down.

 

[paulsharvey]

To give an example of "outside their control", I knew a residential contractor, scatter lot, guess we would call it semi custom, but lower-middle end. He was building a fairly typical 3/2/2 for a couple from Ohio in FLa. Get 95% done, doing punch/owners walk, ecr, and the owner thought a Wholehouse generator should be included, although not on plans or in contract " because FLa can have power outages during storms". No idea if this client was oxygen dependent or something; but if it's not on plans/contract, it's not included.

Most contractors I personally know, do a pretty good job, and luckily almost all of them I've worked for, have generally tried to do good. Now, yes, they All cut some corners, hide stuff, and also make mistakes. I've joked with people, each and everyone of those $5m mini mansions on the beach, there is a 40 oz big gulp of pee drywalled up in a wall somewhere, and yes, someone Has peed in your dishwasher.

 

[WinterDeere]

We used to get in arguments with contractors on the "unforseen circumstances" vs "unforeseeable circumstances"; and there is a Big difference.

Excellent point. The difference between "unforeseen" and "unforeseeable" is some combination of:

1. Laziness
2. Imagination
3. Experience

It's almost like that "quick, cheap, right" triangle, pick any two.

 

[Fixastuff]

I have zero complaints to put in the compartment about how this thread is going.

 

[scootr]

My complaint is reading about people complaining.

 

[dadohead]

Wow, reading about these bad house building stories is quite unsettling.

We built our dream house in 2016 when I retired. My wife found the contractor. The project went great! He did fantastic design work and showed her upfront wonderful CAD images with fly-throughs. He was responsive to our changes. He had great subs that met dates and costs. No surprises.

I was on the job site every day. Funny thing though, on the job-site, he treated me like crap! I swear, every day his first statement was "move your truck". Pretty soon he was taking all 10 acres of pasture AND my shed. I used to work construction years ago too... enough! I started pushing back "no, move your trucks... you don't need to be parking all your crap out there!" When my wife showed up... he turned into 'Sweet Jay'. When she left I got 'Job-site Jay'. Yikes! Became a joke. He did a great job though!

 

[paulsharvey]

Excellent point. The difference between "unforeseen" and "unforeseeable" is some combination of:

1. Laziness
2. Imagination
3. Experience

It's almost like that "quick, cheap, right" triangle, pick any two.

A LOT of that has gotten worse with the Google earth bidding. "Clearing those trees is going to be higher than bid, they didn't look that big on the aerials" kinda stuff.