When Will I Ever Learn?

Kaiser

I DID IT AGAIN!!

I just spent 3 days bidding a medium size project and showed the competition my hand.

I got a call from a good buddy of mine that works as an estimator for my competition. We talk on a daily basis and share info on projects we're working on.

This project is in the prebid stage and we are bidding to the GC's. I was kind enough to let him in on some info he missed earlier in the day and this evening He's on his way home tonight and tells me he plans on sending his bid in tomorrow. So I let him know the bids will be open tomorrow at 2 pm.

He says " Damn I'm going back to the office and sending them off right now."

Then he ask me who I'm bidding it to and I'm Dumb enough to tell him I have sent mine to a couple more GC's than he was. I didn't tell him who but the info is in the Doc's

As I sit here he's back at his office looking up the other bidders.

My studity really pisses me off.

When will I ever learn.

__________________
"Go confidently in the direction of your dreams. Live the life you have imagined."
Henry David Thoreau

precisionbuild

No good deed goes unpunished.

Ivinni

"I never bid anything to any of those other guys."

__________________
its not going to get better with straps, or new footings or even aroma therapy.

Brickie

Why do you share info???? Why are you letting your "good buddy" play you for a big time chump???

__________________
“Ron Paul is one of the outstanding leaders fighting for a stronger national defense. As a former Air Force officer, he knows well the needs of our armed forces, and he always puts them first. We need to keep him fighting for our country.” – Ronald Reagan

Tscarborough

"When will I ever learn. "

When you are walking down the street with a pink slip in your hand thinking, "who woulda' thought".....

__________________
It ain't Rocket Science unless you are building rockets.

Bodger

I guess the lesson is there, now's the time to tuck that knowledge away.
But I empathize, I still do things I know better than to do that have burned me before.

silvertree

Not a buddy!

__________________
Vote for Pedro
Kitchen, bath, St Paul remodeling
Minneapolis Remodel Blog
203K Loan Consultant Minnesota

macatawacab

All of these lessons are learned the hard way. I really get pissed at myself when I have to learn them more than once. You go for a time and forget how you got beat 15 years ago the same way you just got it today.

My experience like this was after servicing a GC "friend" for several years, all of a sudden he switched cabinet suppliers. I always paid him his cut even on sales after the origninal contract was done and I had home buyers add wall units years later. I still sent him a check to keep us on good terms. There were no problems. Loyalty is dollar deep. That's what I learned 15 years ago. And then I learned it again last spring. I hate when that happens.

rotarex

as soon as someone get greedy problems happen, i really dont know why people want to become a million-year over night, some company take, father to son to grandson in order to become a milliondollar company............................HUMANS they only piss me off

__________________
Custom Decks
Custom aquarium all salt water
Renovation
next on my list............planting trees for all those material i used

WisePainter

Bummer, you need to find a way to talk to your buddy without saying anything.
Or just stop talking to him altogether.

__________________
My advice: Hire a real painter to do it.

Double-A

Well, you could have told him the bid requires a $2000.00 cash enclosure to purchase a separate surety bond. Nothing like being disqualified for attempted bribe.

With my luck however, it would never be mentioned and he would get the bid and a kickback in the form of a 'side job' to install a roll of toilet paper for 5 grand.

__________________
"My clients’ wishes are the center of my attention." -- David Guido, a contractor in Woodstock, N.Y.
New York Times, July 20, 2006

Kaiser

You are all right and I understand all of these things. I know better but I can't seem to help myself.

As far as this guy being my friend, he is a good friend and I can't fault him for taking what I'm giving, It's business. He called me later and I told him how stupid it was to give away that info. He agreed and told me to stop doing that.

He does help me with some important info at times. I just have this desire to help my friends that I take to far sometimes.

I will be purchasing a cattle prod this morning.

__________________
"Go confidently in the direction of your dreams. Live the life you have imagined."
Henry David Thoreau

bwalley

If he was really a good friend, he wouldn't use your inside information against you.

Be careful when talking about anything business realted with your friend.

If it was me, I would give him some really low numbers, then he would come in too cheap and after awhile he would either not listen to you or be looking for another job because they are losing money, another thing you could do is give him high numbers causing him to be the high bidder, mix it up a litlle bit on him, eventually he will stop pumping you for information and learn how to bid.

invest

There is no thing as a friend or good buddy in any business!!! Trust no one.

neolitic

Why would you not identify
this guy?
Want to wait til he can take
advantage of someone else here?

__________________
Put your location in your profile!
(Sorry....it seems there really are dumb questions)

invest

I have notified everyone that I could...thats why I warn people on this site all the time...I absolutely don't want anyone else to be victims of this guy.

invest

You will when you get tired of getting @#%* from your "friends"

Cdat

Friendship only goes so far. If a 'buddy' of mine treated me this way in the military, he'd go out one night to take a dump and never come back...

You are being used like.... like a tampon! Grow some balls and cut out the free info. Just my 2 cents.

invest

You are being used like.... like a tampon! Grow some balls and cut out the free info. Just my 2 cents.[/quote]


Absolutely...the guy that got me, was what I thought was my "best bud", always willing to help, give advise...so it appeared. But there was ALWAYS something in it for him. Just couldn't see it then, now it's as plan as day!

Kaiser

Allrght guys. I started this thread to let off some steam about my own stupidity but I'm taken back by some of your comments here.

Don't gert me wrong I appreciate the advise but I must say I don't understand some of the thinking.

Are some of you telling me you would cut a friendship over this?

It is a dog eat dog business and I stuck my a$$ out there to get biten. I can't see throwing away a good friendship over my ignorance.

As far as giving him bad #'s so he will fail and loose his job. That would be a real crappy thing to do in my book. Our families are close and I don't care to see them struggle.

Grow some Balls? and He's using me like a Tampon? Really?

If any of you wouldn't have taken that info and used it, maybe you need to rethink your business practices.

My point was I'm giving my competition info that is helping them beat me. That's no ones fault but my own.

__________________
"Go confidently in the direction of your dreams. Live the life you have imagined."
Henry David Thoreau