Evil Contractor woes
I realize I have a sadly entrenched conviction that home fixit contractors are Not To Be Trusted. Willy nilly, I've lumped all of them into one big glob of devious, greedy, blood-sucking (or rather money-sucking) sub-humanity. All this despite the fact that most of them are quite pleasant in person, and appear anxious to help me.
I'm a sucker for the clean cut, earnest-faced conviction expressed by the salesman (they're always men, for some reason - let's not get into analysing why ;) - that I really MUST have my entire furnace replaced to fix the wierd blip on my thermostat. So I dish out the bazillions of dollars and then feel either faintly aggrieved or righteously indignant that I have once again been taken to the cleaners. So to speak.
Part of the problem is that I don't usually know what the problem is. So I have people come in, they tell me things and I believe them. Sort of. I somehow convince myself they must know what they're talking about and why would they lie to little old moi? I think that's where all the trouble starts.
I'm not skeptical enough. Even when they express doubt about their opinion, I try to convince them they're right. Like "oh, I'm sure YOU should know, you do this every day" - gag. Just shoot me now.
I need an agent. Someone who will say "my client is interested in replacing her old toilet. We have initiated a competitive bid process and you are invited to participate as a contender. All contracts will be signed in blood (namely, yours), and if you fail to show up on time or complete on time you will be charged at the rate of $100 per hour. Punishment for shoddy work will be extracted in pounds of flesh." (accompanied to fist thumping against palm, or maybe some knuckle-cracking). My agent would be called Luigi and would be an ex-navy seal or maybe a professional assassin ... slap, slap slap - that's the sound of my hand trying to wake me up.
I'm a sucker for the clean cut, earnest-faced conviction expressed by the salesman (they're always men, for some reason - let's not get into analysing why ;) - that I really MUST have my entire furnace replaced to fix the wierd blip on my thermostat. So I dish out the bazillions of dollars and then feel either faintly aggrieved or righteously indignant that I have once again been taken to the cleaners. So to speak.
Part of the problem is that I don't usually know what the problem is. So I have people come in, they tell me things and I believe them. Sort of. I somehow convince myself they must know what they're talking about and why would they lie to little old moi? I think that's where all the trouble starts.
I'm not skeptical enough. Even when they express doubt about their opinion, I try to convince them they're right. Like "oh, I'm sure YOU should know, you do this every day" - gag. Just shoot me now.
I need an agent. Someone who will say "my client is interested in replacing her old toilet. We have initiated a competitive bid process and you are invited to participate as a contender. All contracts will be signed in blood (namely, yours), and if you fail to show up on time or complete on time you will be charged at the rate of $100 per hour. Punishment for shoddy work will be extracted in pounds of flesh." (accompanied to fist thumping against palm, or maybe some knuckle-cracking). My agent would be called Luigi and would be an ex-navy seal or maybe a professional assassin ... slap, slap slap - that's the sound of my hand trying to wake me up.
posted by zouzou at 2:42 p.m.
5 Comments:
Funny... I feel much the same way about mechanics.
MMMM interesting ...vvvvvvvvvveeeeeeeerrry interesting. I think there is a niche market in that. I seem to have that same conversations about professionals, often. AND don't even get me started on bankers...ooops I hope noone you know is a banker. :0)
Mike Holmes - Holmes on Homes - mmmmmm.... is coming to the Calgary HomExpo this weekend at the RoundUp Centre. That's the guy you want, all right - I sure do.
I've had the wonderful fortune of using networking to find various contractors for things. Seems the more people I talk to, the more I discover someone I know who knows someone. Running a small business, I've experienced it on the other end too. My best clients usually come from OTHER great clients. We're back to the whole "trust" thing again, and as I tell my prospective clients: "Everyone looks the same on paper. You may not be hiring the best SERVICE if you're buying based on what their ADVERTISING is telling you."
I had a most enlightening experience when we were collecting quotes to replace my parent's furnace last year. The service we eventually contracted not only came in lower price wise, but was far more giving of information prior to the sale. They also happened to be one of MY previous clients.
I'm with you 100%.
Contractors -- BAD!!
It sucks, because who has the time to learn everything that the contractors are supposed to know so that you can double check what they're saying??
I think the key must be having a personal connection to the Contractor. You know...build in some of the personal integrity factor so it's harder to be incomplete/late/shoddy...
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