I hear ya MrBankRoll …
I'm sitting around here waiting for primer to dry, finishing off my 3 year bathroom reno. I know way too long as per the wife, but once everything was functional I kinda got sidetracked on other jobs like putting in some new windows and just the hassle of working to pay the bills, you know.
Speaking of contractors…
A few years ago a friend needed some piping modified in a house renovation, hot water heating rads and feeds being relocated. He needed it down in a timely fashion otherwise the other trades were being held up. So major the plumbing company in town could do it ASAP, for $1500 fixed, or by the hour, nobody else could do it within a month. Fairly simple job for 2 guys, easily less than a day and the quote supervisor had a few recommendations to make the job easier.
So my friend goes for the "by the hour rate" and we do a few modifications to the plan to make it easier for them the next day. Modified the framing and changed the layout to one run to the second floor rather than two, should cut the labor and materials in half.
Now you know this contractor has two price structures, however he seems to have two crews to go along with it. If you order the fixed price job the "A" team arrives with all the required materials, experience and motivation to get the job done in 1/2 a day. But if you order the "by the hour rate", the "B" team arrives, not sure exactly what to do, waits for the forman to drop by, then leaves for material, then starts the job but time for lunch or break, continues but has to return to the shop for some more elbows, takes all day and then has to come back in the morning to finish the job. Bill comes in for $2100, customer complains they reduce to $2000, customer will never go back.
They have the biggest Ad in the book, large crew and they don't care, they get enough business, there's always somebody new in line to keep every day booked. And you know most customers would go back to them, but only when you need it done now and nobody else will do it. At least you know what you're in for the second time around.
Second case story a little different, but same local plumbing firm.
Saturday afternoon, long weekend in the middle of winter, -20C and the wind is howling. Tenants' (10) in a small apartment building complain there's been no heat for a couple of days and its getting really cold. I get sent over as usual to check it out and fix it. Well it’s a 150 year old limestone building, beautiful Victorian, I've done lots of work there over the years and the furnace has been upgraded, (last 20 years) so I figure maybe a control circuit, thermostat, or fuse problem. Nope the boiler has a big split, pissing water onto the gas burner igniter, so things just won't start up. Not much I can do other than shut off the makeup water supple and gather up all the electric construction heaters we have between the two of us and drop them off.
Now my buddy calls up the local big company, as he needs it now and nobody else will even return his calls on a long weekend, they will all be open on Tuesday, call back and leave a message then. Company Big is closed but the owner calls back and comes out to take a look Sat night. He can do it Sunday and will do it himself as everyone else is off. So Sunday he has the contacts to get the keys to a furnace suppliers warehouse, pick up a 300,000 BTU Nat gas boiler / with expansion tanks, pumps and parts, (not the kind of thing any repair guy carries around in his truck), then come over and install it. Sunday night tenants have heat and are happy. Now it wasn't cheap, maybe 30% more expensive than a bid / scheduled job, but he didn't have the option of a 2 - 3 month time frame. Sometimes you just gotta use these guys and be glad they are around.
Not the end of the story, 3 days later the system was still not working 100%, rads bled etc, the "A" team comes out the check it, pump is circulating backwards, 15 min fix, no charge and all is OK now.
Sorry for the rant, that’s just how I get when waiting for paint to dry.
Quasi
AI
