Helping small service

[ropensaddle]

I got a call from a guy fresh in biz said his bucket was down
asked if he could rent mine for 600.00 for a day. I said no but I
will use it for you as I let no one use my equipment without my
supervision. Get to the job and it is 15 trees 16 to 22 inches near
roof and out buildings. I got 11 pieced down the first day and
found out his bid was 100.00 per tree cleaned up. I told this kid
he really needs to bid higher and that I did not like it but I would
help him get rest down next day! I get there and he is not there
so I got started and was on the last tree when he showed up at
noon! I have known this guy and he is a little slow but I tried to
wise him up a little and told him he is not helping his chance of
success, and will hurt the business as a whole by bidding so cheap!
I also told him if he needed my help again it would be 750.00 per
day minimum with no freeby's, so I hope I got through. He will end
up having 4 or 5 days in the job for 900.00 and pay 2 helpers! I
don't know about you but I would find that unacceptable? I told
him at his rate he would be better off working for someone else.

 

[treevet]

Shows up at noon? Sounds like the brown bottle flue.

 

[treeseer]

So you worked 2 days for 1 day's pay? Sounds more like enablement than charity, hurting more than helping.

Does he have insurance? Do his helpers?

The only help I try to give removal experts is to highlight the many profitable tree care services that can be sold, in any market.

Ditto that flu, maybe the glass pipe disease.:angry2:

 

[ropensaddle]

Yeah , guess should have left first day as for pipe, no
as I have said boy is mentally challenged the customer was
making room for building additions and shop. The boy said
he was hoping to get more work I said, if you don't make
any money doesn't matter.

 

[Justice]

Well it sounds like the kid took advantage of you.

ropensaddle you sound like a great friend, but I would feel VERY DISRESPECTED if someone did any of that to me. $100 per tree? Not showing up until noon?

I would think again about ever doing any work for this kid (not
"with" obviously, because he was not there), and if he really needs help he can sub the job out to you at your rates and he can be a groundie.

It bothers me to see someone with honesty intentions being taken advantage of ropensaddle, all too often we end up with

 

[ropensaddle]

Brown bottle flu would be my guess noon thing
but he had to run down a trailer is what he said and
I told him I am leaving after last tree and if you had bid
more I would have brought grapple truck and clean up
would be easy!!!

 

[treeseer]

The boy said
he was hoping to get more work I said, if you don't make
any money doesn't matter.

That logic is clear. The boy does sound more like employee material than employeR...

 

[mckeetree]

We here at my organization hate to appear callous but we have learned the hard way there is absolutely no future in helping to perpetuate other "tree services" bad practices.

 

[ropensaddle]

We here at my organization hate to appear callous but we have learned the hard way there is absolutely no future in helping to perpetuate other "tree services" bad practices.

Bad practices? you mean bad bidding or cutting trees
to make room for expansion of home? I will probably not
help this feller again his customer asked what I would have
charged and I told him either 750.00 per day or if had to
make price 2500.00 but that with my equipment and know
how I would not have brush in his way three days and you
get what you pay for!

 

[RedlineIt]

ropensaddle,

When I read your opening post that this fellow was a little slow, I thought you meant he was not workng a good pace. I see now that you meant his cognitive skills are less than the norm.

I have to ask if this is really a job for a mentally challenged individual. Even the most mentally fit among us have our moments of physical fatigue from over exertion and need to be able to identify when we are at jeopardy due to our physical limits. Add a lack of mental acuity, and this fellow may be a candidate for a permanent disabilty.


If you call this person a friend, would you consider that you would both be better off if you directed him toward a less hazardous line of work?

Just a story from my past: Ages ago when I was a grass cutter, I took on a mildly retarded man, let's call him Steve. He wasn't my first choice, but grass cutting is simple, right? I took care to spend extra time on his safety training, right down to showing him how to safely lift by bending the knees, to take the spark plug cap off the mower when you go underneath to clean it up, this in the days before the autoshutoffs.

As we were working I caught something terrible out of the corner of my eye. Steve was done mowing his small patch and was lifting the mower to put it on the back of the pick-up. Deep knee bend, back straight, hands at ten and two, just like I taught him.....BUT..........

MOWER STILL RUNNING!

I was close enough to leap across a ditch and body slam the mower to the ground. If he had got it to belly height, I can't imagine what I would have seen (shudder).

After that I let Steve do litter picking for me until I got him a job as a dishwasher. I understand he works at a Library now, janitorial and light maintenance stuff and has had the job for better than ten years. Good for him.

Please consider the same for "your Steve".

On the ground or in the trees, this is not the game for anyone with an abbreviated awareness of their surroundings.



RedlineIt

 

[mckeetree]

Bad practices? you mean bad bidding or cutting trees
to make room for expansion of home? I will probably not
help this feller again his customer asked what I would have
charged and I told him either 750.00 per day or if had to
make price 2500.00 but that with my equipment and know
how I would not have brush in his way three days and you
get what you pay for!

I mean bad practices as in bidding jobs way too low. It sets bad precedents for what the work should actually cost. I guess I was a little ambiguous.l

 

[ropensaddle]

ropensaddle,

When I read your opening post that this fellow was a little slow, I thought you meant he was not workng a good pace. I see now that you meant his cognitive skills are less than the norm.

I have to ask if this is really a job for a mentally challenged individual. Even the most mentally fit among us have our moments of physical fatigue from over exertion and need to be able to identify when we are at jeopardy due to our physical limits. Add a lack of mental acuity, and this fellow may be a candidate for a permanent disabilty.


If you call this person a friend, would you consider that you would both be better off if you directed him toward a less hazardous line of work?

Just a story from my past: Ages ago when I was a grass cutter, I took on a mildly retarded man, let's call him Steve. He wasn't my first choice, but grass cutting is simple, right? I took care to spend extra time on his safety training, right down to showing him how to safely lift by bending the knees, to take the spark plug cap off the mower when you go underneath to clean it up, this in the days before the autoshutoffs.

As we were working I caught something terrible out of the corner of my eye. Steve was done mowing his small patch and was lifting the mower to put it on the back of the pick-up. Deep knee bend, back straight, hands at ten and two, just like I taught him.....BUT..........

MOWER STILL RUNNING!

I was close enough to leap across a ditch and body slam the mower to the ground. If he had got it to belly height, I can't imagine what I would have seen (shudder).

After that I let Steve do litter picking for me until I got him a job as a dishwasher. I understand he works at a Library now, janitorial and light maintenance stuff and has had the job for better than ten years. Good for him.

Please consider the same for "your Steve".

On the ground or in the trees, this is not the game for anyone with an abbreviated awareness of their surroundings.



RedlineIt

Yeah I fully agree problem is he was employed by power company for tree work and learned just enough to get by! He was moved from crew to crew until finally quit and would be hard to change or steer him to doing different, as feelings of inadequate and self esteem would be hindering! How would an approach be made without offending the poor chap?
He has looked up to me and wants to attain the limited knowledge that I have but limitations are sometimes reality! I am not a counselor and just am a good tree climber and sometimes we attract people that should not
pursue our foot steps but we have no good way to stop it.

 

[ropensaddle]

I mean bad practices as in bidding jobs way too low. It sets bad precedents for what the work should actually cost. I guess I was a little ambiguous.l

Yeah that is what I thought, and I told him
all that and maybe it sunk in, as his crew said same as they were hoping
to get paid and have a job and were ok help, maybe they will coach him!
I myself bid low when work gets scarce, but low and
extreme is different and if I moved where some of you
work I would have to adjust, as I have never got paid
what some of you are getting for tree care and would
not want to change prices.

 

[Canyonbc]

Your a good man for what you did helping who ever this guy kid what every out. But man oh man, this person should not be encharge of any business of any sort..

what are wrong with his two workers...

granted i started my business when i was 16, and i have made some mistakes bidding in my life...but wow o wow...

best of luck to who ever he is

showing up at noon is a big no no

 

[SilentElk]

No real harm done in my mind. Never know. He may return the favor some day, although dont count on it. Everybody gets tired of working for free and every body has at some point...or at least for way too little.

He'll aviod sticking himself in a jam any time soon. Time will tell.

Good karma often comes back. Sounds like you got a little built up. Good for you.

 

[lxt]

Ropensaddle, I know what ya mean, I too can feel bad. where I live Im the only guy other than rental co`s. that has a tow behind lift genie tmz50/30 ive customed it for our line of work, well to make along story short most of the other companies bid sumthin their buckets cant get to so they call me!!

the publicity is good however!! ive had some friends burn me!! ya know hey if you ever need a stump ground I owe ya call me!!!!! yeah right.

no more! they pay me before the work starts if they add to it then so do I,& im expensive now!! burn me once shame on me but Ill get ya down the road!!

sad to be like this, I really dont do much for competition anymore not worth it!!

LXT............