Driveway disaster

[pdqdl]

Breaking the wall sucks , but I think being treated like a fool and completed lied to makes it a lot worse , I would have been pissed especially at the end of the day ... I drove my truck into a yard once and accidentally fell into an old well hole that was booby trapped like something out of a road runner cartoon by the HO and he had the nerve to ask me if I would fix where the truck sank after he threw down a piece of plywood and covered that with soil and than watched me pull a truck in and fall right in it ...

Ha! I had almost the same exact thing happen to us many years ago with our bucket truck. Damn! It was so long ago I can't remember how it turned out. I don't remember if I fixed it up all the way, or just kinda-sorta. I do remember I wasn't happy with their attitude.

1. They knew it was there, and said NOTHING beforehand.
2. Watched us set up on it and said NOTHINg.
3. Expected a fine repair!
4. Excused their conduct, using their ignorance about bigger trucks as the prime reason for being stupid.

 

[jefflovstrom]

Ha! I had almost the same exact thing happen to us many years ago with our bucket truck. Damn! It was so long ago I can't remember how it turned out. I don't remember if I fixed it up all the way, or just kinda-sorta. I do remember I wasn't happy with their attitude.

1. They knew it was there, and said NOTHING beforehand.
2. Watched us set up on it and said NOTHINg.
3. Expected a fine repair!
4. Excused their conduct, using their ignorance about bigger trucks as the prime reason for being stupid.

Your post sounded a bit up-beat for you, P! I like it, not so condescending. Don't worry, be happy, man!
Jeff

 

[sgreanbeans]

well, we went back and fixed the wall, better than it was before we got there. Put better stakes in and brought in about 2yds of CA-6. Dude was happy, dudette gets home and starts to complain, like it was not good enough, I GLAR at dude, dude puts dudette in check. Original client came buy, tells me the wall has never looked that nice, and it was put in by dude in the 70's. Oh well, one to grow on I guess. I was manipulated, for sure.
Never again, got the attorney drawing up a damage waiver.
And like some of ya said, for now on, when I get that little sphincter tightening feeling, just gonna go with it and not do it

Now covering up a well and putting plywood and soil on top, that should be considered a crime.

 

[ropensaddle]

well, we went back and fixed the wall, better than it was before we got there. Put better stakes in and brought in about 2yds of CA-6. Dude was happy, dudette gets home and starts to complain, like it was not good enough, I GLAR at dude, dude puts dudette in check. Original client came buy, tells me the wall has never looked that nice, and it was put in by dude in the 70's. Oh well, one to grow on I guess. I was manipulated, for sure.
Never again, got the attorney drawing up a damage waiver.
And like some of ya said, for now on, when I get that little sphincter tightening feeling, just gonna go with it and not do it

Now covering up a well and putting plywood and soil on top, that should be considered a crime.

I fell in one too for the big O, asked about septic, old house place burned down, customer said no; you can drive anywhere out there lol It freaked me out, I did not know if I was going to stop falling, sorta freaky feeling. Weird these people expect repair after telling you alls good

 

[pdqdl]

Your post sounded a bit up-beat for you, P! I like it, not so condescending. Don't worry, be happy, man!
Jeff

I not condescend! I be erudite.

 

[prentice110]

So many good stories and lessons in this thread! One of my main competitors never stops telling me about the old sistern that wouldve rolled his bucket if a tree didnt catch it on the way over. Funny thing is, I know this has happened to him on another job, after he WAS warned about it. On the first one, they had to keep jamming logs under the outrigger till they were finally upright enough to get out. Jeff, that one about the Miata kills me! Wish I coulda seen that one. Anywho, yeah, SGREAN, you ever ever ever feel uncomfortable, you doin sumthin wrong. I hope you dont take that the wrong way, just how the old boss always said it back when, peace out bruddah!

 

[sgreanbeans]

SGREAN, you ever ever ever feel uncomfortable, you doin sumthin wrong. I hope you dont take that the wrong way, just how the old boss always said it back when, peace out bruddah!

Not at all! Fact is, I had that feeling, should have went with my gut, it was right!

Got another:

At a high end home, out rigger blast a hole right into the drive, breaks it bad. Im in a poor financial shape at the time, just started up, HO comes out, I expect a major, deserving, butt munchin!
Gary, the HO, says" guess the concrete guys have some explaining to do!" Guy had every reason to be pissed, was the exact opposite! He was so happy to get this tree out that he didn't even care! I never paid for it,he wouldn't hear it! had one of my buddy's who runs a flat work deal fix it, Gary paid him! Had me come back several times.
So.......In contrast to all the above, sometimes ya get lucky and even fewer times you get a HO that inspires you.
Gary is a stock broker, golfs everyday, his common response to us giving him a hard time about golfing and not working, his response
"Never trust a stock broker if you have a nicer car the him"
or
"If a stock broker has to work a 40 hour week, well, then he sucks"

 

[treeclimber101]

Ha! I had almost the same exact thing happen to us many years ago with our bucket truck. Damn! It was so long ago I can't remember how it turned out. I don't remember if I fixed it up all the way, or just kinda-sorta. I do remember I wasn't happy with their attitude.

1. They knew it was there, and said NOTHING beforehand.
2. Watched us set up on it and said NOTHINg.
3. Expected a fine repair!
4. Excused their conduct, using their ignorance about bigger trucks as the prime reason for being stupid.

I didn't fix the gaping hole to China lol, but I did tell him that when he fills the well with soil or concrete , call me the last 6" would be on me, but that never happened that was 3 trucks ago so it had to be 2000 or so , I think that hole is still there covered by a sheet of plywood just waiting for its next victim , lol ...

 

[treeclimber101]

Not at all! Fact is, I had that feeling, should have went with my gut, it was right!

Got another:

At a high end home, out rigger blast a hole right into the drive, breaks it bad. Im in a poor financial shape at the time, just started up, HO comes out, I expect a major, deserving, butt munchin!
Gary, the HO, says" guess the concrete guys have some explaining to do!" Guy had every reason to be pissed, was the exact opposite! He was so happy to get this tree out that he didn't even care! I never paid for it,he wouldn't hear it! had one of my buddy's who runs a flat work deal fix it, Gary paid him! Had me come back several times.
So.......In contrast to all the above, sometimes ya get lucky and even fewer times you get a HO that inspires you.
Gary is a stock broker, golfs everyday, his common response to us giving him a hard time about golfing and not working, his response
"Never trust a stock broker if you have a nicer car the him"
or
"If a stock broker has to work a 40 hour week, well, then he sucks"

Oh god concrete driveways , you know I treat them like a lawn now and just lay down plywood for the truck ...

 

[ropensaddle]

I try to look listen and feel for signs on an estimate. They think they are assessing me but truth is, I am looking for anything that says run. I have heard them say sorry, I was talking with my lawyer, translated into me pricing twice or more my usual rate. Attitude ups their rate, any possible problems I see, ups their rate. I have been known to tell them you don't want to hear my bid. I have not yet been sued by being careful selecting customers.

 

[prentice110]

Not at all! Fact is, I had that feeling,

Yeah, that line I used is one of those ones you kinda gotta hear, dont work when you read it. Old shoes would always tell that to the new climber,

 

[sgreanbeans]

I try to look listen and feel for signs on an estimate. They think they are assessing me but truth is, I am looking for anything that says run.

No doubt!
Had a lady this week call and want an estimate, she left her numbers and address, went by took a look and called, got the husband on the phone. Later, wifey calls me and leaves a mean message about waking her husband up!Said she was disappointed in me! How the hell am I supposed to know! It was middle of the day! Then begins to tear apart my bid on a removal,tells me I put to much in the bid! It was a removal, wants the wood left, no impact, 12x12 yard, tons of junk under the tree Where is the wood gonna go? The neighbors! wants to know when we can meet to get these things corrected. No chance, gut was tellin me to run, so I ran!

 

[ropensaddle]

No doubt!
Had a lady this week call and want an estimate, she left her numbers and address, went by took a look and called, got the husband on the phone. Later, wifey calls me and leaves a mean message about waking her husband up!Said she was disappointed in me! How the hell am I supposed to know! It was middle of the day! Then begins to tear apart my bid on a removal,tells me I put to much in the bid! It was a removal, wants the wood left, no impact, 12x12 yard, tons of junk under the tree Where is the wood gonna go? The neighbors! wants to know when we can meet to get these things corrected. No chance, gut was tellin me to run, so I ran!

Yeah; I get a lot of that type stuff and better to run than be caught paying to work lol.

 

[pdqdl]

...I have not yet been sued by being careful selecting customers.

I have never been sued, either. I don't think it comes from being careful about who I work for, though. I just try to do a good job; if I screw up, I apologize, confess my stupidity, point out what I should have done differently, and fix the problem. An apology goes a long way to alleviating a lawsuit. For the most part, I don't think I have ever hurt anything worse than a lot of grass and quite a few fences.

On the other hand, I don't even remember ever having a tree-related insurance claim, either. I think that is just a matter of luck! All the "being careful" in the world can't protect you from some liabilities.

Broke a rope on a cottonwood log, once, and only missed the house by inches. It was such a mismatch for the rope, that log would have gone through the house to the basement, and probably would have broken the foundation too. ...That was luck!

 

[pdqdl]

Oh yeah! ...Just remembered my biggest liability!

My employee cut down the wrong tree once: a 65' tall spruce, with a matching partner on the other side of the yard! If the missing tree was anything like the one he left, it was magnificent. We were totally liable; we went to "1 E", instead of "1 W".

The guy was totally cool about it. I agreed to do what ever he wanted in landscaping and maintenance to pay for the missing tree, and he ended up moving out of the house having only gotten about $500 in services. I'll bet it would have been at least 20 grand if a lawyer got a hold of it.

Once again, that was just pure luck: good luck offsetting the bad employee (and management).

 

[ropensaddle]

Oh yeah! ...Just remembered my biggest liability!

My employee cut down the wrong tree once: a 65' tall spruce, with a matching partner on the other side of the yard! If the missing tree was anything like the one he left, it was magnificent. We were totally liable; we went to "1 E", instead of "1 W".

The guy was totally cool about it. I agreed to do what ever he wanted in landscaping and maintenance to pay for the missing tree, and he ended up moving out of the house having only gotten about $500 in services. I'll bet it would have been at least 20 grand if a lawyer got a hold of it.

Once again, that was just pure luck: good luck offsetting the bad employee (and management).

Hmmmmm sounds like you need to play the lotto or poker lol

 

[Mike Cantolina]

Location has a lot to do with whether you get sued or not. Baltimore is the worst place I've worked for that.

 

[ropensaddle]

Location has a lot to do with whether you get sued or not. Baltimore is the worst place I've worked for that.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=6dzKTbxEwIk

 

[pdqdl]

Hmmmmm sounds like you need to play the lotto or poker lol

I don't gamble. I can play poker all night long (nickle ante, ONLY) and not win one single hand. It's not that I don't know how to play, I simply don't ever get the cards. My dad taught me to play all different kinds of poker, but I NEVER win. If it requires luck to win at cards: I lose. If it is a game of skill (like spades or pinochle), I do pretty well.

My wife wins at slot machines, if I stay outside the building. Sometimes she wants me to come in, she will hand me $20 and tell me to feed a certain machine...All gone in minutes, just like putting change in an empty vending machine.

Here is another area I luck that I excel in: I have never been broken down or stranded, without someone bailing me out. I have many stories of some vehicle problem, and just the right person came along and took care of it. I always make it to where I am going, but sometimes with difficulty.

Conversely, I don't dare go fishing. Not only I, but no one remotely close to me will catch anything either. I haven't seen a "keeper" hanging on a hook in over 30 years! I can go to a fishery-fed trout river in Missouri, and NO ONE will catch anything while I am there.

Honest! I'm not making this up. I have a very strange relationship with luck. I have lots of it, but most is bad.

 

[ropensaddle]

I don't gamble. I can play poker all night long (nickle ante, ONLY) and not win one single hand. It's not that I don't know how to play, I simply don't ever get the cards. My dad taught me to play all different kinds of poker, but I NEVER win. If it requires luck to win at cards: I lose. If it is a game of skill (like spades or pinochle), I do pretty well.

My wife wins at slot machines, if I stay outside the building. Sometimes she wants me to come in, she will hand me $20 and tell me to feed a certain machine...All gone in minutes, just like putting change in an empty vending machine.

Here is another area I luck that I excel in: I have never been broken down or stranded, without someone bailing me out. I have many stories of some vehicle problem, and just the right person came along and took care of it. I always make it to where I am going, but sometimes with difficulty.

Conversely, I don't dare go fishing. Not only I, but no one remotely close to me will catch anything either. I haven't seen a "keeper" hanging on a hook in over 30 years! I can go to a fishery-fed trout river in Missouri, and NO ONE will catch anything while I am there.

Honest! I'm not making this up. I have a very strange relationship with luck. I have lots of it, but most is bad.

Blues despair and agony on thee lol I like chess