What Would You Turn Down (normally)?

Cubevan

Just curious if there are some particular jobs within your work that you get asked to do (on occasion) but would turn down or jobs you just won't do?

mdshunk

Work for nitpickers would be at the top of my list for a potential "thanks, but no thanks". Jobs where things just don't add up, finance wise are suspect for a turn down also. If it looks like everything in the home is a hand-me-down from the rest of the family, and all the cars are 15 years old, but they want 20K worth of new work done... that would cause me to ask a few qualifing questions. If I don't get the right answers, I might bail on that work too.

As far as specific work goes, anything that involves me personally digging a ditch will get turned down.

Cubevan

MD, do you have the customer dig a trench to bury an underground wire/conduit or what do you do if asked to run wiring outside?

mdshunk

Exactly... or I sub it out and make a profit on the sub. I've always been busy enough that I have that luxury. I just have a fundamental objection towards operating a shovel.

plumguy

I'm surprised that you wouldn't have an apprentice do it. He can get a feel for that part of the trade, someday he may not have your'e luxury when and if he/she makes it.

mdshunk

I don't really use apprentices or helpers. I don't have training in the budget. The guy needs to know his stuff already or I can't use him. Even during construction projects, everyone does service calls. You can't send an apprentice on a service call by himself. I've gotten into trouble saying this before, but I'll say it again at some risk... There are no two man jobs in the electrical business. Mind you, there are some that are a lot nicer with 2 men or a dozen men, but everything can be done by one man that has his head screwed on straight. There are many jobs where two or more men are sent out on just in the interest of time. No electrician "needs" a helper.

mdshunk

To be totally honest, I seldom flatly turn down work. More often, I'll seriously drag my feet with the estimate to see if they call back. If they do, then I'll most likely do the work. If they don't, no big deal. If it's just a service call, I have turned down work in homes that found on arrival are covered inside with animal feces.

plumguy

WOW!! That is not a very good way to look at your'e industry. I think one of your'e (cheap)customers is a professional hypnotist and you are under the spell! lol

Having trained,molded helpers eventually become cloned journeyman of yourself, which helps your'e luxury continue to grow. Just be glad not everyone has that outlook or none of us would've gotten an oppurtunity.

Mike Finley

I turn down work that is out of the area that I want to work in. I don't like driving more than 15 minutes to a job site.

I am listed as a Penofin Pro on Penofin's website so I have been turning down a few deck refinishing calls from customers who have found me on that website.

I have also turned down lots of handyman work that I get calls from generated from a handyman ad that is running in a phone book here.

shopdust

Good thread: I've done lots of expert witness work for lawyers, but would never touch one of their homes. M.D.'s seem to think no one is worth more than five bucks an hour so my bid's to them have never been accepted. Real estate companies and brokers. won't even talk to them until they have fed me good deals.
Other than that, heck I'd remodel a Nevada "ladies boarding home", if it were legal and the pay was right.

slickshift

I built a composite deck an hour away once
(It seemed like a good idea at the time....)
Ya gotta love that call that one of the decking screws is poking out a little bit and "I'm afraid I'll cut my toe"
....yes I drove back there....yes it was rediculous...it was that little mound of material those special screws are supposed to eliminate
Yeah I wouldn't go that far for a deck again

K2

I've turned down work twice from people who told me there project money came from a lawsuit. I always thought they should have a national data base of " People you don't want to work for", like the insurance companies have.RT

slickshift

I haven't run across this yet
Why would you not want to work for them?

K2

Because I didn't want to be next on their list of people to take to court. I've been sued once and I won but it turns out the lady had a history of taking people to court.> My comment was just a comment and was not meant to be taken too seriously. RT

Floorwizard

Part of being successfull is finding out who is your customer and who is not.
It took me a couple years to learn the flags that makes a customer a potential problem.

The biggest flag for me is when a client does not understand or care to understand that I am a pro and will do things according to industry standard. I will not hack up a job, or Jimmy rig, or pay my guys less to get a job.
If the client refuses to understand, then they are someone else's customer.

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"in 20 years you will regret more what you did not do than what you did"

slickshift

Thank you
That was my first thought
Some people seem to make their living that way

I didn't know if it was a "Karma" thing, so I thought I'd ask

Jason

I actually enjoy working with insurance companies for projects. They will agree on the estimate prior to work and always pay in a reasonable time.

I do not enjoy working for, and doing estimates, for a realtor friend. Usually he takes the estimates and uses those in his purchases/sales with no work actually done. But, he does bring in referal so I stick with him.

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Think Global, Shop Local

Tom R

I turn down work for friends and relatives, - - self explanatory. I've had an ongoing deal with a fellow contractor for years, - - he works for my friends and relatives, - - and I work for his.

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http://www.tr-built.com

Mike Finley

I like it!

Floorwizard

Same here. I usually do about 100,000 a year with State farm, and I am in the process of obtaining another 300,000 or so from a restoration company.

They pay on time too!

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"in 20 years you will regret more what you did not do than what you did"