Another Thing About Craigslist.

ChainsawCharlie

Sometime folks will post asking for advice..how to tune up a mower...why aren't my mangoes producing...how do I do this, that or the other thing...

I'll answer the questions I can. Usually one or two a week....


And I have yet to get a thank you from anyone. WTF?

threaderman

There are a lot of self centered people out there,what can you do.

__________________
Joe ---International Code Council Member

Your plumbing & gas specialist proudly serving Oklahoma City OK, Moore, Warr-acres, Norman, Midwest City, Edmond, Bethany, Forest Park

Aggie67

My perception of CL changed dramatically last week. I saw a battle unfold on the skilled trades boards between licensed guys, unlicensed handymen, and some residents. There was some flagging tit for tat, and then a homeowner jumped in and basically said "licensing and insurance is just another way you jerks get more money out of us, I don't care about a permit, a license, insurance, etc." That opened the door for a couple unlicensed guys to respond with "I'm trying to eat, you guys have nothing better to do than harass me?" It's been quiet since that day, but I checked on the help boards, and there is definitely and undercurrent of "shut up and mind your own business, this is a community moderated site, and until the attorney general calls, those ads stay until they get flagged off, which takes a couple hundred flags to remove. So stay if you want, if not, go call the paper and pay for an ad. No one has a gun to your head."

I also had a guy I was working with take my bid and blatantly shop it out for a lower price on CL. I called him and said, "man, what are you doing?!" He said "well, I think I can get a lower price now that I know what you're going to charge." The phone remained intact as it passed through my back door screen, but split in two upon impact with my retaining wall. And, it turns out he never paid the guy that did his first site plan (who I called and had a nice chat with, and found out he sicked his lawyer on him for shopping out HIS site plan work a few months prior).

So CL is an evil crack den, and I have a broken cell phone.

__________________
Follow the day to day life of a professional engineer on Twitter
Contractor
New Jersey Licensed Structural Engineer

6stringmason

Same here. All idiots. I quit helping.

__________________
Kamps Masonry & Concrete Countertop Design Green Bay, WI
920-680-3195
Visit our website @
http://www.concretecountertopsdesign.com/

USER50380

yeha I have found they allllll suck. most people that shop on there what a million dollar job for ten bucks any how. if theres anything I learned in my 6 years, is I would rather make good money on 10 jobs from paid ads than just scrape by and work my tail off for ends meat on cl jobs everyday....

americanmason

Yeah people off cl always want more for less. I bid some work dirt cheap to a guy. Once he got the proposal, he called and acted like I was trying to rob him. So much for doing a guy a favor. Bet it looks like sh*t.

Aggie67

While this is an old thread, it' still as relevant as the day it was started. Lately every time I dip my toe in there, it always ends up the same way: contact the OP, hear some version of a sob story, put a number in, then get the screws put to you. "Can you do it for a lower number. Can you give me a drawing up front that shows the detail you said it needed. Can you write down the scope, so I have it written down, and I need it in word format, not pfd (love that one). I had a guy give a price of $X. Job is yours if you'll accept half that. And I want a 25% discount if I pay you cash." Regular Armando Montelongo types.

I once told a home owner flat out what the range a licensed engineer normally charges per hour for that kind of field forensic work. Holy mackerel, you'd think I stuck a knife in his ribs the way he carried on.

Craigslist can be a real cess pool.

That's not to say every post there is a bear trap waiting to spring. Three of my regular customers were found there, and I get work from them every single week, without fail, for normal rates. But they're commercial clients.

__________________
Follow the day to day life of a professional engineer on Twitter
Contractor
New Jersey Licensed Structural Engineer