Hello I'm MR. Cut-throat.

dumplin1078

I got a call last night from a guy who I first though wanted me to come bid a job. It started off normal he told me he appreciated that my company is drug free (I put this info in my advertising) as he has been sober for awhile now. He told me that he had some ceilings to spray texture on. I started to get a feeling about this dude and asked him where the job was and he said it was in an area where I had just bid on a job that sounded similar. Then he went on to tell me he was a painter and had just gone out today and bought a compressor and hopper, and he wanted me to come show him how to blow theses ceilings and that he would pay me for my time. I asked him the address to the house and it turns out it was the same job I had just bid. HO had called thursday and canceled saying he didn't have the money, and that he was trying to come up with it and would call me back when he did. I told him no problem and I was looking forward to hearing from him. So the HO went out and found someone to cut my throat, and the cut-throat idiot called me to come show him how to do the work. I was so shocked I think I missed a great opportunity to really let this guy have it. I think now I should have said sure I'll come help and I'll only charge you $500. Or maybe I should have met him and just shot him. Just kidding, maybe. Any one ever had this happen to them? I don't wish anything bad on the HO but if this guy screws it up I sure hope he calls to get me to fix it cause the price just went way up.

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"I hate to tell you this, but you're a man. You're going to spend your life gettin' up one more time than you get knocked down." John Wayne

Debookkeeper

Unbelievable! Hey - at this point you have nothing to lose. I would call the homeowner and tell him what a small world it is, and the person he wants to spray his ceilings just asked you if you could show him how, and start chuckling. Then remain professional and tell him it is a courtesy call, and your advice would be to wait until he saves up that extra money and hire someone that knows what they are doing. Nice way to cut back, and still have a chance with the HO.

Good LUck!

go dart

when does the season open and whats the limit on cutthroats in your area? looks like you got a trophy there

Frankawitz

Dump
Boy you had a good chance to give the cut throat a real lesson, I would have set him up for a major assF^&*in, Most of these guys screw it up without help, but I couldn't help but to push him over the edge. Oh the things I would have told him, like use Durabond 20 in the mix of ceiling texture plus add the paint to it too. Man you could have hooked him and the HO up. then when you got the call to come fix it you would have to tell the HO how all the sheetrock will have to come down. you could have cleaned up. well maybe next time. When I go out on a estimate I tell the HO all that we are going to do and I put it in writing. Most of the meatheads around my area write a number on the back of their business card . what a joke.
I went to look at a big job last week and was putting a bid together for this builder, when the job I have been waiting on the roofers to finished called, so I jumped to get it done and the builder called and asked where was our bid for the job, I told him I should have it to him by the end of the day . I faxed it to them 6 times only to have their fax machine disconnected us so I never got the bid to them oh well.

mdshunk

I have run into people that I've given bids to at the supply house. They were buying material that looked suspiciously like they were going to do it themselves. I remember one guy even asking me (with regard to a service), "So, do you think 3/0 will be okay, or should I use 4/0". I "didn't remember" what to tell him.

A+Carpenter

offer your lead a discount for the shotty work they do when it comes time to repair the job to make sure you get a customer for life. Explain to him why he should have taken your company on the pre contract phase.

I make some extra cash all the time on peoples mistakes and have won several customers via other peoples work.

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Mike Finley

I like Debook's scenario. But if it was me, I would have already forgotten about him and be glad I dodge a bullet of dealing with him. Perfect example of he is going to get exactly what he is paying for. There is always going to be somebody to do something cheaper. I've told home owners this before. I've told them that if you search long enough you can always find somebody to do it cheaper. The issue is what is your time worth and what are the risks you are taking?

This guy calling you shows you exactly what they are getting for their money.

A+Carpenter

Been there done that on the design end. I ran into a customer that I spent 4 hours in Visio designing for them. They had the trailer packed with all the materials I had specified with the exception of the 5/4

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Dustball

I'm looking at this from the homeowner's POV. I would very much appreciate if you were to contact me either by phone or by letter simply stating that the person I hired has come to you to teach him how to do the work that I hired him to do. Don't mention anything about costs or bids, just say that you were concerned and just wanted to let me know about the conversation that happened between you and him and to be aware of his work.

joasis

Long ago, I used to use a sketch estimate bid sheet in 2 parts when we did roof bids....I would diagram a customers roof, and do the material take off, and pricing. They would get a copy as their estimate. And of course, 1 guy took my take off list to a supplier, and then did his own roof...and called me to ask if I use tin snips to cut the panels? Now, I use a proposal for the bid, and still have a few ask for a copy of my worksheet so they can see my measurements. Nope!

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dumplin1078

Great ideas. I'm wishing I had thought about what Deebooks said. That would have probably been the best idea. It's probably too late now since he was planning on spraying the ceilings today. I'm wondering now if this "painter" made the first move or if it was the HO. Did the "painter" say to HO ," How much is this guy charging because I could do it for you." Or did the HO decide my price was too high, which it wasn't, and ask his "painter". I quess it really doesn't matter because I take the same attitude as Mike. Forget and move on. I went to look at a job today that is about half the size for half the money as the other job and got it. Also when I got home got another call from another lady who is kin to the lady from today and wants me to come give her a price on similar work. I didn't need that original job anyway and was going to squeeze it into my schedule to do the HO a favor.

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"I hate to tell you this, but you're a man. You're going to spend your life gettin' up one more time than you get knocked down." John Wayne

Debookkeeper

Glad it worked out for ya Dumplin!

wackman

I subscribe to the "have more work coming in then you can actually do" theory.

Then you bid most of it and only get some of it, at a highly profitable margin, and are right where you want to be.

Let the HO's who want the jackleg go f--k themselves.

Just find a way to have more calls then you can actually do and you're golden.

As you seem to know, you'll laugh at times like this.

Wack

boman47k

Hey neighbor, got to ask. Was this guy from Tuscumbia? H&H ring a bell? If so he called me 3 times about that time about some mudding or rocking. I didn't answer the first two times. Then just told him I didn't think he needed me. I had sat at home waiting on him to call for about a week that last time. Thought I would let him wonder for a while. I didn't feel like teaching him how to mud just to be cut loose while him and his brother went on there way. This nepotism, hope that is the word, is what has me thinking of getting my own licence and take a shot at it.

dumplin1078

I don't know where he was from, didn't get that far. I got a good idea where he is going though.

__________________
"I hate to tell you this, but you're a man. You're going to spend your life gettin' up one more time than you get knocked down." John Wayne

Peladu

Most likely it's the HO who found this guy ....
I could of had a lot of fun with that scenario ...

My first question would have been, "Duuude, how'd ya get that sweeet job?"

His answer would have answered my true question, and if he was the reason
I lost the job, I would of had some fun...
If it was brought on by the HO, it would have been a dropped case, and considered business as usual...

-Peladu

Danahy

Imagine it was the idea of the HO for this dude to call you? That would be a neat trick.

dumplin1078

Yeah that was definetly one of those times you wish you could wind the clock back and redo.

__________________
"I hate to tell you this, but you're a man. You're going to spend your life gettin' up one more time than you get knocked down." John Wayne

Stone Mountain

Way back around 1988, I had a contract to build a fence: quite a good one. It was all scheduled for a particular weekend, and I arranged the drew to do it. It was a very good crew, and the site was very prominent, so I wanted a good job.
Anyway, on the Thursday, the crew told me they were unavailable that weekend because they had a job of their own to do. None of my other crews were available, so I called the customer on Friday to tell him. After yelling at me a bit, he cancelled the job and demanded his deposit back.
An hour later, my supplier called, asking me where to drop the material at the site. I told him the job had been cancelled, and that we had already sent him the cancellation notice. He argued with me, saying the crew foreman had called him 10 minutes earlier to tell him they would meet him on site!
Turns out the HO had seen the crew on another site of mine and made a deal behind my back. The crew was fired, the HO did not get his deposit back, the supplier took the material back, and I moved on!

I think you should have called the homeowner and informed him of your conversation, then refused the job, and let him sort it out by himself!

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Residential Deck Specialist: Vist our Website
www.fenceanddeck.ca

dumplin1078

That is the kind of thing that scares me about growing like I have been. It is starting to get to the point of needing another crew and I worry about stuff like that happening to me. I have seen it happen before to others. When I first started I worked for my father-in-law. I used to deliver material to the different job sites alot. I noticed that there seem to be alot of mud and tape being used on one of the jobs and not much work getting done on that job. I told my father-in-law about it but he didn't think anything was going on. The two guys that were working on this job told him that they weren't doing any other jobs. So one day I was out and I saw this guys van at another house so I decided to go in and see what was going on. They were surprised to see me to say the least. I loaded up my the materials and left them to fend for themselves. The sad thing is my father-in-law continued to let them work and they wound up cleaning out a house that we were doing a remodel on. They took everything while the owners were out of town, including thier car. That is the kind of people I want to stay away from. I don't want to invest my time and money training them only to have them stab me in the back. But I guess that is just the chance you have to take.

__________________
"I hate to tell you this, but you're a man. You're going to spend your life gettin' up one more time than you get knocked down." John Wayne