# Funny email i got this morning



## ns005 (Dec 23, 2010)

Nick,
I come to you with some egg on my face. Based on a recommendation from a close friend in the construction business, we went with another crew in sheetrock and texturing work in our basement. At a high level it was a horrible experience based on the lack of professionalism and the final output. The biggest issue with the finished product is the texture finish (except the bathroom). They promised a knockdown, but it's really just lazily sprayed and very very rough. They didn't really come back and knock it down. I'm in a tough spot now because being on a tight schedule, I had to get my trim in, paint on walls, and carpet laid. 

I am really having second thoughts about leaving the texture the way it is. Even though I know it is going to likely cause a mess again, I think that it is at least worth getting a quote on what it would cost to sand down and fix the texture finish. I know it's going to throw away all of the costs that I sunk into painting the ceiling and most of the walls in the living area. It's worth having a pro like yourself take a look and give an honest opinion and estimate. 

Again, I am coming back to you with egg on my face and in a tough spot, but my wife and I agree that we need to look into the option.

If you are interested in taking a look, please let me know and I'd be very greatful for your opinon on the work and process to repair, as well as the cost.

Trust me, this was the biggest mistake we made in this project.

Thanks,
Wes


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## moore (Dec 2, 2010)

YEP!:yes: Gotta love it when they eat crow!


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## PrecisionTaping (Feb 2, 2012)

That blows...
But you can probably fix it with very minimal damage to the painted walls...If any at all..
Hopefully it works out.


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## thefinisher (Sep 2, 2011)

This happened to me last week. We bid a 7,000 sqft house with 600 boards all 5/8" and level 5 finish a couple months ago. We even go back to recount it and see where we can take some off the price to get the job. So last week the builder calls me and says he is in a big bind now and the guy who he got to do it can't do it anymore for that price and the house was only partially taped after 3 weeks of hanging/taping. So now we are fixing everyones screw ups and are in the process of solid skimming 600+ boards.


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## ns005 (Dec 23, 2010)

I think it's hilarious. I kind of want to go check it out and get some laughs out of it. Maybe eat some Thai food a couple hours before I go and take a dump in his toilet and forget to flush it while I'm there too, who knows.


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## PrecisionTaping (Feb 2, 2012)

ns005 said:


> I think it's hilarious. I kind of want to go check it out and get some laughs out of it. Maybe eat some Thai food a couple hours before I go and take a dump in his toilet and forget to flush it while I'm there too, who knows.


The home owner's toilet!? That's a little disgusting...
Do it to the guy who they hired instead of you.
Not the home owner! How were they supposed to know to hire you instead of the other guy, they said he came highly referred by a close friend. 
They didn't do anything wrong, they trusted their instinct and got screwed. Not you're going to go take a mad dump in their toilet because they didn't use you in the first place!? Real smart.

How about you go take pictures of the mess the other crew made instead, and then post it on here for all of us to have a good laugh at.


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## ns005 (Dec 23, 2010)

He was one of those types that tries to break down your bid. He emailed me over a dozen times asking dumb questions, then he wanted to supply materials to save money, he would not answer the phone only reply by email, tried getting me to compete with his other lowball bids. On top of the fact that I referred him to my brother, who does hvac, to do some heat runs for him and did it for a more than fair price. Saying this guy is a dbag would be an understatement.


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## PrecisionTaping (Feb 2, 2012)

ns005 said:


> He was one of those types that tries to break down your bid. He emailed me over a dozen times asking dumb questions, then he wanted to supply materials to save money, he would not answer the phone only reply by email, tried getting me to compete with his other lowball bids. On top of the fact that I referred him to my brother, who does hvac, to do some heat runs for him and did it for a more than fair price. Saying this guy is a dbag would be an understatement.


Hahaha! Fair enough.


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## moore (Dec 2, 2010)

SO were talking h/o here?


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## ns005 (Dec 23, 2010)

Yes Moore


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## J Johnstone Construc (Nov 15, 2011)

ns005 said:


> I think it's hilarious. I kind of want to go check it out and get some laughs out of it. Maybe eat some Thai food a couple hours before I go and take a dump in his toilet and forget to flush it while I'm there too, who knows.


 
Forget the not flushing....

Turn off the supply, flush the toilet, take the lid off and with the tank empty leave that Thai turd where it can really be effective. 

Replace the lid, turn on supply and tank will refill like nothing has ever happened. 

Next time that toilet get used it's a trip to Thailand, probably three or four flushes before they figure it out. :jester:


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## gam026 (Aug 14, 2011)

ns005 said:


> He was one of those types that tries to break down your bid. He emailed me over a dozen times asking dumb questions, then he wanted to supply materials to save money, he would not answer the phone only reply by email, tried getting me to compete with his other lowball bids. On top of the fact that I referred him to my brother, who does hvac, to do some heat runs for him and did it for a more than fair price. Saying this guy is a dbag would be an understatement.


Yeah dealt this those guys before don't have time it anymore. Sometimes they need that to happen to them so they realize that the lowest price is not always the best. 
Still, it sucks having that done to you even of you are a DB.


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## DLSdrywall (May 22, 2012)

I've had that same conversation about 50 times because i'm higher then most guys but i do put out a good product. There is nothing that insults me more so i charge them double, to strip and re-do, or 45$ an hour service charge with a polite blow me to go with it! lol:whistling2:


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## moore (Dec 2, 2010)

4x what they made off that cheap labor seems fair . :yes: 
then add in a little pencil whippin :whistling2:


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## 2buckcanuck (Jul 9, 2010)

Chit and clog up their toilet, since that was the only room they were happy with







:whistling2:


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## CatD7 (Jul 25, 2011)

ns005 said:


> He was one of those types that tries to break down your bid. He emailed me over a dozen times asking dumb questions, then he wanted to supply materials to save money, he would not answer the phone only reply by email, tried getting me to compete with his other lowball bids. On top of the fact that I referred him to my brother, who does hvac, to do some heat runs for him and did it for a more than fair price. Saying this guy is a dbag would be an understatement.


 
Just tell him you are not interested in working for him. Don't play with a turd or you're gonna get sh$7 on yer hands.


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## CatD7 (Jul 25, 2011)

gam026 said:


> Yeah dealt this those guys before don't have time it anymore. Sometimes they need that to happen to them so they realize that the lowest price is not always the best.
> Still, it sucks having that done to you even of you are a DB.


 


Most of these jews can't help themselves and will continue to do this and then expect someone else to bail them out.


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## moore (Dec 2, 2010)

CatD7 said:


> Just tell him you are not interested in working for him. Don't play with a turd or you're gonna get sh$7 on yer hands.


 what do you do for a living?:blink:


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## PrecisionTaping (Feb 2, 2012)

CatD7 said:


> Most of these jews can't help themselves and will continue to do this and then expect someone else to bail them out.


That was slightly racist...lol.


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## CatD7 (Jul 25, 2011)

PrecisionTaping said:


> That was slightly racist...lol.


 


I'm black, we can say anything we want like that. :thumbup:It is a double standard that I capitalize on.


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## CatD7 (Jul 25, 2011)

moore said:


> what do you do for a living?:blink:


 
I hang and finish drywall, princess. Every dollar I make I earn. No way in hell am I gonna give my labor away.


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## DLSdrywall (May 22, 2012)

CatD7 said:


> I hang and finish drywall, princess. Every dollar I make I earn. No way in hell am I gonna give my labor away.


Ya cause that would be slave labor:yes:


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## Square Foot (Jul 1, 2012)

DLSdrywall said:


> Ya cause that would be slave labor:yes:


Ouch!!!


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## CatD7 (Jul 25, 2011)

DLSdrywall said:


> Ya cause that would be slave labor:yes:


 
And I ain't nobody's slave! President Lyndon Johnson freed us in 1965.


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## SlimPickins (Aug 10, 2010)

Here's my oh-so-humble opinion...

Do the job, T&M (maybe a touch higher rate than usual). Do it right, with a smile on your face, and be gracious about it. As in, don't mock the other guy or talk trash, and don't make the ****-ner feel any worse than he already does. Do the right thing, and it will come back to you in a good way. Unless of course you're too busy, then just say "I'm sorry, my schedule is really booked and I'm sorry I can't help you".

He's still a person, and granted, at the time you were a commodity associated with a number.....but don't lower your standards or toss your ethics aside because he made a mistake. I'm dead serious here....if you do the job right and make him feel good about it he will talk about you in a good way, while trashing the "competition". And, if you're too busy, he will either a)have to understand or b) offer you even more money to fix it for him. Win/win.

Taking a crap is going to make you look like an a$$hole, instead of the consummate professional that we all know you are....:whistling2:


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## ns005 (Dec 23, 2010)

I know slim I'm just talking smack. I told him I would take a look at it. It's hard not to take it personal, but anyone who has been in the business long enough has multiple stories like this to tell. It's just business, you get what you pay for, if something sounds too good to be true it probably is. No matter what.


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## chris (Apr 13, 2011)

SlimPickins said:


> Here's my oh-so-humble opinion...
> 
> Do the job, T&M (maybe a touch higher rate than usual). Do it right, with a smile on your face, and be gracious about it. As in, don't mock the other guy or talk trash, and don't make the ****-ner feel any worse than he already does. Do the right thing, and it will come back to you in a good way. Unless of course you're too busy, then just say "I'm sorry, my schedule is really booked and I'm sorry I can't help you".
> 
> ...


 Couldnt have worded it any better, but you have to admit the takin a chit part was pretty funny. I can relate to dealing with those crybaby bastards. Luckily not so much anymore but it sounds like things havnt changed much. Slim said it right:yes: but definitly get the $ you asked for plus. You cant let the cheapos get off without learning anything


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## 2buckcanuck (Jul 9, 2010)

SlimPickins said:


> Here's my oh-so-humble opinion...
> 
> Do the job, T&M (maybe a touch higher rate than usual). Do it right, with a smile on your face, and be gracious about it. As in, don't mock the other guy or talk trash, and don't make the ****-ner feel any worse than he already does. Do the right thing, and it will come back to you in a good way. Unless of course you're too busy, then just say "I'm sorry, my schedule is really booked and I'm sorry I can't help you".
> 
> ...


Darn it, your right









But can we still talk about POOP though


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## SlimPickins (Aug 10, 2010)

ns005 said:


> I know slim I'm just talking smack. I told him I would take a look at it. It's hard not to take it personal, but anyone who has been in the business long enough has multiple stories like this to tell. It's just business, you get what you pay for, if something sounds too good to be true it probably is. No matter what.


Sorry, I guess I was just in the mood to play swami-guru type :laughing:

Lord knows I talk smack often enough:whistling2:

I totally know what you mean, and I know you were just blowing off steam....and sometimes it needs to be done. The problem, as we all know, is that homeowners think of us as a product, and in this world of home depot and lowes they think they can get quality products for cheaper.

What they DON'T know, is that those box stores have tools made specially for them that are inferior in quality so they can keep their prices lower. We are here to help them learn, and they show their learning progress with their squeaky tight check-books:thumbsup:


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## 2buckcanuck (Jul 9, 2010)

CatD7 said:


> And I ain't nobody's slave! President Lyndon Johnson freed us in 1965.


Us Canucks were freeing you since 1776:yes:

I know how much you love us Canucks, catd7:thumbup:


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## ns005 (Dec 23, 2010)

Here's another email conversation we had. I bid the job a little over $3800 


Nick,
I had a guy that quoted me on the wall work as well as some other items like trim, plumb, paint, doors, etc. His quote was for the walls and texturing (including weight room) of $2,000 labor (not materials for sheetrock). I know that your qutoe was quite a bit higher but also included the materials.

If you can come close to his quote, I'd rather give you the business, and you could start as soon as Monday afternoon if you are available. I could purchase the sheetrock and haul it in if that would save some of the labor costs.

He measured about:
67 sheets for the walls and ceilings and 7 sheets of Durok and 12 sheets of Green Rock for the bathroom.

Please let me know your thoughts. 

Wes



And my response



Wes, you are going to have around $2000 in materials alone with Sheetrock, tape, mud and corner bead. So as far as labor goes him and I are at about the same price. It is worth the couple hundred extra dollars to have a stocking company stock the jobs. I use gypsum supply. The Sheetrock is better quality than you get at a big box store and the guys that stock it are very professional. Also I would stay away from do it all handy man types. I do one thing very well and that is drywall. Ultimately the decision is yours. I shot you a fair price and I guarantee it will be done right. 

Thanks, 

Nick


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## PrecisionTaping (Feb 2, 2012)

ns005 said:


> I know slim I'm just talking smack. I told him I would take a look at it. It's hard not to take it personal, but anyone who has been in the business long enough has multiple stories like this to tell. It's just business, you get what you pay for, if something sounds too good to be true it probably is. No matter what.


You guys want to hear another funny story?

3 weeks ago I did a job for a GC. Small time guy, not a big company.
I've seen him around town and know allot of the people he knows and our names got passed back and forth to each other a couple times.
Anyways, he's called me for like 3 or 4 jobs. Every time I've been too busy to even go look at them. So he either tried to do them himself or hired some other sub-par taper. 
Then he calls me up again, "Brian, I really need your help! I had this taper all lined up to do this next job and then at the last second he bailed on me, can you please...please come look at this and see if you can help me out".
I of course said "Sorry Mark, I'm too busy right now"
And he continues to plead to me.
So I said "Fine, I'll come look at it"
I get there, take a look at it, the board looks like sh!t, every single screw is sticking out, EVERY ONE!

He proceeds to ask me for a price, and off the top of my head, not knowing the board footage I just said, "well what was the other guys price? That will give me an idea of how much footage there is"

He tells me the other guy was charging him $1500!
My jaw dropped! I was like $1,500!? 

I told him I was currently taping a job half that size for $2500 at the moment and he almost crapped his pants. 
"I can't afford that..." Blah blah... "I gave the home owners my price based on this other tapers price..." blah blah "There's no room in the budget for this..."

Anyways, I felt bad for the guy so I said "listen, if you're willing to do $1750 I'll bail you out here, (which was a wicked good deal for the amount of work there was) I'll do it during evenings & weekends."

He was ecstatic. So happy, "oh please, please, if you could do that for me that would be awesome!"

So I took the job.
At this point in time, I had never met the B!tch of a home owner!
It was a renovation in an apartment complex she owned. She lived in the downstairs apartment and they decided to blast a hole in the ceiling, throw in some stairs and expand their apartment to the one upstairs. So we we're taping the upstairs unit which was completely gutted and re-drywalled. 

Anyways, she was a Crazy Cat Lady!
She had 4 cats! She told me all about them.
Her only job was to make sure the cats stayed downstairs, where she currently resides. The stairwell was blocked off so the cats couldn't get upstairs to us.

The first evening I went I taped 3/4 of the place out, I was wearing cover alls because I was using my super taper which is messy.

I show up the next day, as soon as I get there she says to me "I hope you have another pair of cover-alls....the cats pissed all over the one you left here."

I was polite..."oh...Okay..no problem"
I get up to the apartment, the cats had apparently pissed on every damn thing I owned!! My hawk smelt like cat piss, my stilts smelt like cat piss, everything.

Turns out she was just letting the cats run around upstairs on a construction site at night.

I finished mudding the entire job, everyday having to hear about how stressed out her poor cats we're due to the construction that was happening in their apartment.
Every single day I worked here at this point, we had the patio door upstairs open for air circulation, we would close it when we left.

On our absolute last day there, when all four of us are sanding, somehow, all 4 cats came bolting up the stairs into our sand storm. Now everyone knows you can't approach an estranged cat.
All 4 cats ran out onto the patio and somehow jumped from the 2nd story balcony and escaped.

Well all of f*cken hell broke loose when she found this out!
Apparently, we we're responsible for the damn cats escaping!
The next morning I was told by the GC, she found all but one cat.
Who apparently was her prize possession.

So as it stands now, the small time GC who hasn't been paid from her yet due to the missing cat, has not paid me, and she is trying to take him to court over the cat.

Now that! Is F'd up! :yes: True story boys.
I bail this guy out of hot water, work my ass off during my spare time (nights & weekends) to make what was most likely the equivalent of a minimum wage paying job. Only to have 1 cat run away on my apparent watch so that nobody can get paid.
Now, the GC understands that this wasn't my fault and said I will get paid no matter what. But it's going to be 3 weeks as of tomorrow since we've finished and he's still broke and can't afford to pay me a crappy $1750 dollars.

Now that! my friends, sucks!


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## 2buckcanuck (Jul 9, 2010)

You prick, you lost that poor old little ladies cat:furious:

What did it look like, maybe I can send you another cat, does it need to be breathing ??????:whistling2:


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## PrecisionTaping (Feb 2, 2012)

2buckcanuck said:


> You prick, you lost that poor old little ladies cat:furious:
> 
> What did it look like, maybe I can send you another cat, does it need to be breathing ??????:whistling2:


She wasn't even old! Like mid 40's.
I'm pretty sure it was black before it ran through our sand storm


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## cazna (Mar 28, 2010)

THIS IS A FRIGHTENING STATISTIC,


PROBABLY ONE OF THE MOST WORRYSOME IN RECENT YEARS. 

25% of women in this country are on medication for mental illness. 

That's scary. 

It means 75% are running around untreated!
​​​


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## moore (Dec 2, 2010)

CatD7 said:


> And I ain't nobody's slave! President Lyndon Johnson freed us in 1965.


 Are you sure it was LBJ and not JFK ?? Right before LBJ had JFK assassinated.


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