Man, the Private Sector Sucks!

[Mike]

I don't get it. Even as a lifelong, government-employed slacker, I follow up. Guys who stand to make money from my business? Not so much.

 

It's always been the case, but since my wife and I are at the beginning of a project that will ultimately lead to a fair amount of money for a fair number of people . . . if only they'd get off their bums and call me back! . . . I'm particularly sensitive to it at the moment.

 

In the past couple of weeks, I've had at least four contractors fail to return calls, not respond to emails, and just generally forget to do things that are not only important to us, but which could lead to good projects for them. An example? Last week, I was called by a contractor who learned of our interest in erecting a barn on our new property. Not the world's biggest job, but probably a $40,000 or so project. I emailed him a detailed set of specs within a couple of hours and never heard back from him--not even a "Thanks, I'll look at it."

 

What is it that motivates people who own businesses, at a time when work is hard to come by, to not follow up? How do you deal with this? My reaction is to move on to the next guy, but it almost seems to be a universal problem.

[Whip]

A lot of the folks in the "trades" respond best to a hand shake and a face to face meeting. Emails and voice mail don't cut it.

 

When you do get a hold of em, offer to go where they are to see their work. Don't pick the guy that looks like he does the best work or is the cheapest. Pick the guy that you will be most comfortable calling when things don't go according to plan, cause they won't.

 

YMMV

[tallman]

Hence the attempt to contact them to meet face 3 face.

 

Had the same thing happen when we reroofed.

Called 6, 5 no replies.

 

Guess who got the job?

[Nice n Easy Rider]

If they don't respond they don't get my business. Because if they aren't responding before they've gotten the contract it's probably a good bet they'll be slow to respond after.

[Joe Frickin' Friday]

A lot of the folks in the "trades" respond best to a hand shake and a face to face meeting. Emails and voice mail don't cut it.

 

If they're being overwhelmed with inquiries, I could understand using this as a filtering tool to weed out lackadaisical customers. But I thought that these days, businesses in general - and builders in particular - were short on work, and that they couldn't afford to pass up any opportunities, regardless of how those opportunities present themselves.

 

Is that not the case?

[Mike]

A lot of the folks in the "trades" respond best to a hand shake and a face to face meeting. Emails and voice mail don't cut it.

 

If they're being overwhelmed with inquiries, I could understand using this as a filtering tool to weed out lackadaisical customers. But I thought that these days, businesses in general - and builders in particular - were short on work, and that they couldn't afford to pass up any opportunities, regardless of how those opportunities present themselves.

 

Is that not the case?

 

It's been a bit of a mixture, but most of my contacts have had a "face-to-face" component. Here are my last four experiences:

 

1. I ran into the barn guy near my site and told him what I was doing. He followed up with a phone call and asked me to email him my requirements. I did, after which he fell off the Earth.

 

2. The bulldozer guy came to the site and spent about an hour walking the property with me. We set up a time schedule for some preliminary work, after which he fell off the Earth.

 

3. The perc test/septic system guy started with phone call. I talked to him and set up the perc test, which I asked to be done within a month, after which he fell off the Earth.

 

4. Closer to home, I called and set up an appointment for a guy to quote us a price to refinish our wood floors. he missed his first appointment, called and rescheduled. He made it to the second appointment and took measurements, after which he fell off the Earth.

 

My default is to call up these folks and talk to them over the phone, if not face-to-face. Though email and voicemail may not cut it, it's pretty much the only thing you can rely on when they DON"T ANSWER THEIR G'DAMNED PHONES (not that it bothers me).

 

Over the years I've found this to be the norm. So much so, in fact, that someone who meets their commitments makes my "list," almost without regard to how expensive they are.

 

As Mitch notes, it would be at least somewhat understandable if the building trades were swamped with business these days. I don't think that's the case. I once thought you had to be really, really smart and hard-working to succeed in your own business. I still think those things really help. But, I've also come to the conclusion that just doing the basics--returning calls, giving people the straight story, and delivering what you promise--would distinguish you from most of the competition, to an extent that you could succeed in a lot of lines of business.

[Joe Frickin' Friday]

It's been a bit of a mixture, but most of my contacts have had a "face-to-face" component. Here are my last four experiences:

 

1. I ran into the barn guy near my site and told him what I was doing. He followed up with a phone call and asked me to email him my requirements. I did, after which he fell off the Earth.

 

2. The bulldozer guy came to the site and spent about an hour walking the property with me. We set up a time schedule for some preliminary work, after which he fell off the Earth.

 

3. The perc test/septic system guy started with phone call. I talked to him and set up the perc test, which I asked to be done within a month, after which he fell off the Earth.

 

4. Closer to home, I called and set up an appointment for a guy to quote us a price to refinish our wood floors. he missed his first appointment, called and rescheduled. He made it to the second appointment and took measurements, after which he fell off the Earth.

 

It's been years since I've seen you; you may want to ask trusted people around you if you have a severe body odor problem.

 

 

[Mike]

 

It's been years since I've seen you; you may want to ask trusted people around you if you have a severe body odor problem.

 

 

Well, as you can see, there's a problem with that idea--I trust no one.

[beemerman2k]

Things may not be as bad in that industry as we are led to believe.

 

For instance, I am a software engineer. I have been working as a contractor for the past 25 years or so. In any case, my phone rings constantly 7 days a week with recruiters wanting to place me at different firms all over the country. Some of them actually think they are the only ones calling me because they mistakenly assume the down economy means I am sitting at home with nothing to do. I often chuckle when I hear their voice messages as they clearly assume I am going to throw on my suit, run down to their office, and beg them for the opportunity to give them all my personal information.

 

In any case, it might be home builders who are underemployed, but home renovators might well have more work than they have time to deal with. People are not buying/building bigger homes these days, they are renovating what they already have.

[moshe_levy]

I have been chasing HVAC contractors for weeks now. My entire system needs replacing, my parents' entire system needs replacing, and my work's building needs replacement and / or major repair. We're talking an easy $100,000 worth of business combined, likely more because I want only high efficiency products. Can't get a call back to save my life. And these are people we already gave 5 figures worth of business to. I'm having the same experience with landscapers. All this talk of slow economy doesn't jive with what I'm seeing on the ground.

 

-MKL

[Joe Frickin' Friday]

If home remodeling business is that good, shouldn't more people be going into that line of work (or shouldn't home remodeling prices be going up)?

[Nice n Easy Rider]

In any case, it might be home builders who are underemployed, but home renovators might well have more work than they have time to deal with. People are not buying/building bigger homes these days, they are renovating what they already have.

James, as far as I'm concerned a good business person never leaves a potential client hanging - for whatever reason. If they've got all the work they can handle they should call the potential client, tell them they are overloaded at the moment and apologize for not being able to help, but ask them to please consider them for future jobs. If they are just overloaded for a short period of time they can explain that to the potential client, tell them when they expect to have some time, and ask the potential client if they can get back to them then. Even if the client says they can't wait the business person should ask to be considered for future jobs.

 

Being courteous and responsive to potential clients, even if you can't provide service to them at that moment, goes a long way toward building a good professional reputation.

[Matts_12GS]

If home remodeling business is that good, shouldn't more people be going into that line of work (or shouldn't home remodeling prices be going up)?

 

Yeah, I have a kitchen remodel I am finding the same issues with.

[moshe_levy]

The problem is essentially one of orientation. I guy can be a great contractor strictly in terms of the work - doesn't mean he knows squat about business practices or customer service. A guy can be a great businessman, but in terms of the actual work, crappy. Very rarely do you find a good contractor who is a good businessman, or a good businessman who is a good contractor.

 

-MKL

[Powers77]

We had to do some bathroom remodels and other related stuff a couple of years ago when we moved into the last house a couple of years ago. We were under a bit of a time crunch so we went to Lowes and had them help us coordinate it through their approved contractors. Actually turned out to be pretty painless. The woman at Lowes was excellent to work with. Because we were doing a fair amount of work she made sure were were getting deep discounts on all purchases so any up charge on the contractors was somewhat discounted by the lower supplies cost.

We would do it again. Figured if things went south with the contractor at least Lowes could get in touch with them and apply some pressure. Fortunately we did not need to do so.

Searched for landscapers on our own and ended up doing OK with that project.

Damn glad its all over.

Did a full home build in 2005 and would not wish that experience on anyone.

[Mike]

It's complicated a little bit by the fact that our project is in a rural area where everyone knows everyone. While my wife is from the area, it's a delicate balance between patiently building relationships and becoming the "A-hole from Chicago."

 

One of my wife's brothers--a pretty successful guy--told us we'd run into this in the area. People generally take pride in their work, but kind of lackadaisical when it comes to meeting time commitments, returning calls, etc. I suppose that "laid back" is a good thing when it comes to deciding where to build a vacation home, but the area has been hard-hit by the poor economy. I'd sure expect a bit more eagerness to make money.

[beemerman2k]

Being courteous and responsive to potential clients, even if you can't provide service to them at that moment, goes a long way toward building a good professional reputation.

 

George, why are you lecturing me? I am simply spouting off on why I think Mike isn't getting a reponse, but I am not approving/disapproving of anyone's business practices. I, frankly, don't give a rat @ss how they run their businesses!

 

Having said that, there is no way I can, even if I wanted to, get back to all the recruiters who call/email me IF I also want to get work done for the paying client that I currently have. Sorry, but they'll have to take from my silence that I am just not available. Trust me, given that they make money if and when I make money, they'll find a way to forgive me :smirk:

[MT Wallet]

I've had the same problem here in N.D. I thought it was because I was the new guy from "somewhere else",but the locals didn't seem to have the problem of getting things done. Maybe it was because we were out in the boonies and the locals knew they were the only game in town and had everyone by the short hairs. Not so I guess. Apparently, this is universal. Out here the joke is if you can't get work you become a contractor.

I don't get why people won't call back and just say "I'm booked" or "not interested." I had an arrangement to get insulation blown into the attic last week-the work date came and went-I called the company back and left a voice message-no response, so I did it myself with the wife's help. It didn't require any special skills-I have the job done and I know it was done correctly. It's a damn shame people don't value their reputations anymore. I'd have felt better about the situation if I'd just gotten a call back.

[Mike]

Apparently, this is universal.

 

I hope not, but it at least seems to be prevalent. Americans were once known for our work ethic. I think most of these people are hard working, but some don't seem to understand how to run a business.

[beemerman2k]

I wonder if this non-call back from contractors represents a business opportunity out there somewhere? Seems it would be pretty cheap to put up a web site that enables folks to get online and schedule a contractor, or find out of a contractor is available. Contractors, in turn, could constantly update their availability as well.

 

Just figuring that if the problem is this bad, there has to be a solution out there somewhere.

[Mike]

I wonder if this non-call back from contractors represents a business opportunity out there somewhere? Seems it would be pretty cheap to put up a web site that enables folks to get online and schedule a contractor, or find out of a contractor is available. Contractors, in turn, could constantly update their availability as well.

 

Just figuring that if the problem is this bad, there has to be a solution out there somewhere.

 

That's a good thought. I think that ultimately the answer is competition. At least that's the theory.

[yabadabapal]

Im sorry your having a bit of a tough with this mike. Maybe you should go to the local lunch spot and have lunch at the counter and get to know people and establish some relationships toward your goal.

On that end, Ill tell you this. I dont do business with anyone because they're suppose to be the best. I only do business with people I like, who can also do what they say, but I gotta like them first.

[MT Wallet]

Beemerman2k has a good thought. Seems like a better, more courteous way to do things

[russell_bynum]

I wonder if this non-call back from contractors represents a business opportunity out there somewhere? Seems it would be pretty cheap to put up a web site that enables folks to get online and schedule a contractor, or find out of a contractor is available. Contractors, in turn, could constantly update their availability as well.

 

Just figuring that if the problem is this bad, there has to be a solution out there somewhere.

 

That's a good thought. I think that ultimately the answer is competition. At least that's the theory.

 

I'm hoping JohnRan weighs in here, because I suspect that this is something that is just part of doing business with construction/contractor types. The experience you described is identical to what we experienced with some stuff we had done...through several different contractors. I can understand no answering the phone. And I can understand answering the phone and then saying you're too busy right now to take the job. I can't understand taking the call, showing up, and having that initial conversation about the job, agreeing to be in touch about it, and then falling off the face of the Earth....but we saw that over and over again.

 

We also found quite a few contractors who had funny ideas about what is acceptable. For example: "We'll come in and tear out your kitchen tomorrow then come back and install the new counters, sink etc when they come in....a month from now." Um...no. You'll wait until the stuff comes in and then you'll do it all back-to-back so I'm not without a kitchen for a month. And "This sink is harder to mount that we expected, so we're going to take off. We'll see you in a couple of weeks." Um...no...you're going to keep working at it until the damn sink is installed. If it was easy, I would have just done it myself. I hired you because it's hard and you're the expert/professional.

[moshe_levy]

To be honest I think most of them float their accounts from job to job. They can't afford to pay for material and wait until the job is complete to cover the raw cost, nevermind the profit. They do wind up getting stiffed alot by homeowners who find excuses not to pay half way or most of the way into a job. And if they don't have time to call you back, do you think they'll have time to continually update an internet availability calendar? I doubt it. Like I said, swinging a hammer don't make you a good businessman.

 

-MKL

[beemerman2k]

And if they don't have time to call you back, do you think they'll have time to continually update an internet availability calendar?

 

If said calendar defaults to an "unavailable" status, then there's nothing for the contractor to do. If that contractor is available and is actually interested in more business, then they can go online and change their status. If they get work, and are still getting calls/emails, then yes, courtesy would mandate they update their status, and that customers actually check that status prior to calling them.

[Jake]

You guys are all killin' me.

 

Most of you are likely married to The Answer. When hiring a contractor or negotiating price on a car, I always, always, always have my wife do the initial negotiating. She then turns it over to me, and the contractor and I are on the same page, trying to escape her wrath if either one of us screws up. Mercy to them if they don't call us back. There's something about a woman's stare that even the most gruff of business people would not dare mess with.

[Rocer]

Did a full home build in 2005 and would not wish that experience on anyone.

 

I think Powers77 comment merits consideration. I work in the construction trades and have also contracted the building of my previous home. I've experienced both sides of your issue and like Powers77 I'm not sure I'd like to go through that experience again.

 

If I get a call from a General Contractor to do a project and a call from a private owner GC'ing his own project there's no question where my preference will be. A private owner acting as his own GC weighs down my business with considerable costs in communications/co-ordination/management/ risk etc. yet somehow be competitive and make a profit. A single call from a GC that I have a working relationship with quite often puts me onto his/her site without any further communications with confidence on my part that all pertinent issues will be pre-managed.

 

You may have put yourself into a category that makes you less attractive to the trades. I think you've already answered how to resolve your frustration - patience in developing a relationship.

 

I hope you are able to have a relaxed and enjoyable building experience. Good luck with it and don't forget - pictures.

[beemerman2k]

OK, Rocer. Would you suggest the average consumer out there rely on big box retailers like Home Depot and Lowes? Would we be better off doing that?

[Bill_Walker]

Maybe all your contractors have gone to Tuscaloosa and Joplin.

[russell_bynum]

You guys are all killin' me.

 

Most of you are likely married to The Answer. When hiring a contractor or negotiating price on a car, I always, always, always have my wife do the initial negotiating. She then turns it over to me, and the contractor and I are on the same page, trying to escape her wrath if either one of us screws up. Mercy to them if they don't call us back. There's something about a woman's stare that even the most gruff of business people would not dare mess with.

 

How does she stare at someone who isn't there?

[Harry_Wilshusen]

I would like to share with something that an old carpenter told me when I was a cub.

 

"Talking to yourself is a sign that you are a carpenter. Answering yourself means you're on your way to becoming a foreman. Lie to yourself and you're contractor material."

 

Small contractors, especially ones that work with tools, tell themselves "I'll get to that when I get home." Then something comes up. Maybe family. Maybe an urgent business matter. Or maybe just plain old exhaustion.

 

Yeah not a good business practice. But that's the way it works sometimes.

 

Right now a lot of contractors are burning the candle at both ends, leery of hiring new employees.

 

Also just as you size up a contractor they size you up too.

 

 

Harry

[Jake]

How does she stare at someone who isn't there?

 

Shh... She can hear us type about her.

[russell_bynum]

How does she stare at someone who isn't there?

 

Shh... She can hear us type about her.

 

[Mike]

Well, thankfully the stuff I'm doing at the moment is pretty basic:

 

1. Figure out where the septic system will go (perc test), so we don't end up bulldozing things that shouldn't be bulldozed.

 

2. Move around some dirt to provide a flat area for a barn and do the rough grading for the site, so we'll be ready to start the cabin when we're ready to start the cabin.

 

3. Construct the barn (contract will be taken care of as of this Friday . . . with a company that I trust).

 

4. Concrete floor in the barn (with assistance of The Barn Guy).

 

5. Electrical to the barn (a ray of light! . . . the only guy so far who's been very responsive).

 

6. Drill the well.

 

It's all manageable. When it comes time for the cabin, we're going basic and there will be a GC handling everything.

 

As far as developing personal relationships, I'm all for that, but our distance of about 220 miles from the building site makes that somewhat difficult. However, as an example of my good faith and all-around geniality, I would point out that the day I met the Bulldozer Guy, we sucked down a bottle of Boone's Farm, passing it back and forth till it was drained.

 

Maybe wine was too hifalootin.

[beemerman2k]

And if they don't have time to call you back, do you think they'll have time to continually update an internet availability calendar?

 

If said calendar defaults to an "unavailable" status, then there's nothing for the contractor to do. If that contractor is available and is actually interested in more business, then they can go online and change their status. If they get work, and are still getting calls/emails, then yes, courtesy would mandate they update their status, and that customers actually check that status prior to calling them.

 

Yes, and how about the calendar defaults to "unavailable" on a daily basis! Now, the contractor must specifically log in and change that status daily to communicate his availability to the public. Done.

 

Just dreaming out loud, but I might just take a whack at this. I often like to find experimental problems to solve; that's how I learn to program with technologies foreign to me such as Microsoft's WPF and Silverlight API's. But this could even be implemented via iPhone/Android apps, etc.

[Pilgrim]

A lot of the folks in the "trades" respond best to a hand shake and a face to face meeting. Emails and voice mail don't cut it.

 

If they're being overwhelmed with inquiries, I could understand using this as a filtering tool to weed out lackadaisical customers. But I thought that these days, businesses in general - and builders in particular - were short on work, and that they couldn't afford to pass up any opportunities, regardless of how those opportunities present themselves.

 

Is that not the case?

 

It's been a bit of a mixture, but most of my contacts have had a "face-to-face" component. Here are my last four experiences:

 

1. I ran into the barn guy near my site and told him what I was doing. He followed up with a phone call and asked me to email him my requirements. I did, after which he fell off the Earth.

 

2. The bulldozer guy came to the site and spent about an hour walking the property with me. We set up a time schedule for some preliminary work, after which he fell off the Earth.

 

3. The perc test/septic system guy started with phone call. I talked to him and set up the perc test, which I asked to be done within a month, after which he fell off the Earth.

 

4. Closer to home, I called and set up an appointment for a guy to quote us a price to refinish our wood floors. he missed his first appointment, called and rescheduled. He made it to the second appointment and took measurements, after which he fell off the Earth.

 

My default is to call up these folks and talk to them over the phone, if not face-to-face. Though email and voicemail may not cut it, it's pretty much the only thing you can rely on when they DON"T ANSWER THEIR G'DAMNED PHONES (not that it bothers me).

 

Over the years I've found this to be the norm. So much so, in fact, that someone who meets their commitments makes my "list," almost without regard to how expensive they are.

 

As Mitch notes, it would be at least somewhat understandable if the building trades were swamped with business these days. I don't think that's the case. I once thought you had to be really, really smart and hard-working to succeed in your own business. I still think those things really help. But, I've also come to the conclusion that just doing the basics--returning calls, giving people the straight story, and delivering what you promise--would distinguish you from most of the competition, to an extent that you could succeed in a lot of lines of business.

 

Hmmm... I see a pattern. Don't call me, please, no matter what.

 

Pilgrim

[4wheeldog]

Humm.......Did all this "Falling off the face of the earth" happen about May 21st? Because if it did, maybe you were trying to hire the only supremely moral contractors around. Just sayin'.

[skinny_tom (aka boney)]

I've had some interesting experiences with this problem as well.

 

I was interested in a solar installation for my house. The guys that sent stuff in the mail and advertised in the local newspaper never, ever returned a call. I literally never spoke with anyone except the receptionist. Several months after I was finished, one of them called me. I informed him he missed out on the job, and he didn't like hearing that. I suggested that he call potential customers back promptly instead of many weeks later. He didn't like hearing that either.

 

I was having a small plastering job done and finally, after several weeks of trying even make contact with a contractor, got someone to come over. He agreed to do it for a reasonable price and wanted to do a handshake deal, with cash up front. I quickly wrote out a contract that said he'd get 25% now (cash with a receipt) and the rest when the job was done- in 2 weeks or less. He knew I was serious and got it done in 2 days.

 

I KNOW the economy doesn't suck since crap-tastic service is the norm. If the economy was as bad as everyone says it is, they'd be climbing over each other to get at my jobs, to help me in the store or anywhere else I needed help.

[DiggerJim]

Most of you are likely married to The Answer. When hiring a contractor or negotiating price on a car, I always, always, always have my wife do the initial negotiating. She then turns it over to me, and the contractor and I are on the same page, trying to escape her wrath if either one of us screws up. Mercy to them if they don't call us back. There's something about a woman's stare that even the most gruff of business people would not dare mess with.

LMAO! When we built the house I had the builder call me one day and tell me I had to call off my wife because she was bothering him (aka following up to see that he kept his promises). I told him I certainly couldn't do that but if he just did what he said he would he'd never see her

 

Took him awhile & a lot of failures to deliver before he figured out I wasn't kidding and started doing what he said he would - I guess he figured it was easier to do that then deal with a woman who could track him down wherever he happened to be in town. Lord knows how she did that but I don't ever mess with mommies without a day job

 

BTW, most small business owners are not business people. (Same is pretty much true about big businesses too but they've got more people to create a safety net.)

[Polo]

A situation that no one has touched upon is that a lot of these folks do subcontracting for major builders, and as such this work is a constant source of income albeit not as lucrative as individual jobs, but steadier and subject to contractual obligations.

 

If they get a call from any of these major builders they better jump on it even if it's warranty work, or someone else will come and replace them in a heartbeat.

 

So in as much as they probably would love to come do your job, they just don't have the pockets to stay afloat between jobs, and most peopel do not have the prescence of mind to say "I'll wait 3 weeks for you to finish this job", rather the average client say's "I want it now, or I'll find somebody else" And guess who that somebody else is? The major contractor who subcontracts these little guys.

 

Paraphrasing a spanish poem: "Stupid clients who accuse the contractors of not pleasing you; not acknoledging that you provide the ocassion for their failure to please you.

[Polo]

BTW, most small business owners are not business people. (Same is pretty much true about big businesses too but they've got more people to create a safety net.)

 

Roger that!

 

I once tried to bid on a job. The dumbass I spoke to brushed me off because I had less than 250 employees, although I offered references, bonding and insurance, and the job we were discussing would never require more than 25 people.

[John Ranalletta]

Not surprised, Mike, for a lot of the reasons you listed, i.e. relatively remote area with little competition. Also, $40k isn't a big deal. Does that include contractor profit or is contractor profit an add on? If it's the total you're willing to pay and assume a contractor wants 10% of the gross, that leaves $36k to file for permits, pay subs, buy materials, pay for the contractor's time and a small profit, etc. For that $4k, how many site visits are required? If entire project takes two weeks, would he have to visit the site each day?

 

It'd be ideal if you can find a full-service contractor who has ability to site the building properly, dig/pour footers/foundation; crews to erect the shell, electricians, plumbers, roofers, etc.

 

Parceling out the projects is the least efficient way to get the job done. That's not a slam. I understand your plan to build in stages, but it makes each small stage less attractive. OTOH, if you said, "I'll pay $10,000 if you'll build my garage and I'll pay all the subs and materials", I'd bet you have guys standing in line.

 

$4k doesn't pay for much time and attention. I realize $4k may not be the number but when we rebuilt our house, I paid a contractor 10% of all materials and labor and I paid all the bills. He simply project-managed and supervised quality, selected subs, etc. I got lucky because he really knew his stuff and had a personality that allowed him to kick ass when subs failed to perform.

 

If you're dealing with a one-person contractor, he's likely working for wages. He might not return your call because he knows he can't do the project or he can do it but isn't comfortable committing to a price and schedule; and doesn't want to give you the bad news; so it's easier to avoid calling.

 

Contractors don't trust subs more than principals do; so how much is it worth to have the headache of a cranky owner who's disappointed when subs fall behind? Hell, you're cranky already and nobody's turned a shovel...

[Rocer]

Mike, I'm glad things are coming together for you. With the distances you are dealing with I'm sure the GC will take a lot of pressure off you. After my post I thought I should add that it's very rare for a potential customer, who has asked for a quote and decides to use someone else, to call me back and inform me of their decision. Part of the quote includes a start/finish date and I'm left hanging re: schedules without that communication. What I'm saying is the frustration you are experiencing with unreturned calls goes both ways and unfortunately is sometimes the nature of the beast.

 

Beemerman, there are no big box stores where I live so I'm not familiar how their referencing is working. I didn't want to discourage Mike from being his own GC. I just wanted to voice my take on work dynamics that might be the cause of his frustrating experiences. I do hope that as things level out (a little construction humour ) that Mike will be able to enjoy the project so that he's left with happy memories instead of bitter ones.

[John Ranalletta]

OK, Rocer. Would you suggest the average consumer out there rely on big box retailers like Home Depot and Lowes? Would we be better off doing that?

A semi-retired friend work for one of the big box stores pre crash. Said he spent most of his time following the subs they hired to make amends for shoddy work. I'm certain that's not universal, but he recommend we not contract work through his company.

[Nice n Easy Rider]

Being courteous and responsive to potential clients, even if you can't provide service to them at that moment, goes a long way toward building a good professional reputation.

 

George, why are you lecturing me? I am simply spouting off on why I think Mike isn't getting a reponse, but I am not approving/disapproving of anyone's business practices. I, frankly, don't give a rat @ss how they run their businesses

James, I wasn't trying to lecture you. You had offered as an explanation that perhaps the renovators were being inundated with work and were too busy to get back to Mike. I was just offering my opinion that it is a good business practice to get back to a potential client even if you don't intend to bid on that particular job.

 

No offense meant.

[Dennis Andress]

I don't know what ya'll are doing wrong. I called the general contractor I've used in the past last Tuesday when I found the house flooded. He answered my message about an hour later and said "Call Servpro, and call me when they are done." I called him again on Thursday to tell him Servpro should be done by Wednesday. He dropped by a couple of days ago to check out the damage. He plans to have a crew doing drywall on Friday. I guess we're just livin' right...

 

Dennis

[Mike]

Things are looking up!

 

-The electrician (who was recommended to me by the barn builder who didn't call me back) answered his phone on the second ring. We're meeting tomorrow. He had some helpful suggestions.

 

-The well guy called me back. Though it was after 9 p.m., he'd had a long day and he apologized for calling that late. He spent quite a bit of time explaining the geology of the area and the process. He even gave me a ballpark estimate of the cost. I'm also meeting him tomorrow.

 

I had a good feeling about these two; I generally think you can tell a lot from your initial contact with someone.

 

Of those with whom I've had dealings, the Barn Guy was most puzzling. Yes, it's only about a $40,000 job, but he's the one who called me, offering to give me a quote when he learned (through neighbors) that I was talking with another company. After I sent him the general specs that we were looking for, he never replied.

[beemerman2k]

Being courteous and responsive to potential clients, even if you can't provide service to them at that moment, goes a long way toward building a good professional reputation.

 

George, why are you lecturing me? I am simply spouting off on why I think Mike isn't getting a reponse, but I am not approving/disapproving of anyone's business practices. I, frankly, don't give a rat @ss how they run their businesses

James, I wasn't trying to lecture you. You had offered as an explanation that perhaps the renovators were being inundated with work and were too busy to get back to Mike. I was just offering my opinion that it is a good business practice to get back to a potential client even if you don't intend to bid on that particular job.

 

No offense meant.

 

Sorry George. My initial impression was that you were associating my post with the contractors behavior. Then I logged my post in response to my perception. Then, I went back and reread your post and saw that maaaaaaybe I wasn't quite as objective in my interpretation of your message as I should have been

 

Therefore, after much deliberation and consultation, your apology is accepted!

[Selden]

I stumbled late on this thread, but can offer a positive story. A few years ago, I discovered that one of the big coil springs on my garage door had broken. After spending a day (and damned near killing myself) trying to fix it myself, I called Overhead Door of Atlanta. A human being picked up the phone on the first ring. We scheduled a service visit. The service guy arrived right on time, did a beautiful job, and charged less than estimated. The garage door worked better than it had in nearly 20 years.

 

I called Overhead Door to express my appreciation. Again, a human being answered on the first ring, and I told her how pleased I was, and gave her the name of the tech.