CONTRACTORS

[Deleted member 50714]

So, what’s up with “Contractors”, I schedule appointments with three, one shows but only after rescheduling two-times, once purportedly for “Family Emergency”.

Finally arrives, twenty minutes late, reviews needed work, sends PDF contract. I call him back no answer, leave text, no reply. After four days, I move on, get recommendations from neighbor man shows up, on time, reviews what I want done, sends contract, doesn’t want any up front money.

First dude calls back, claiming a cancellation and can start work sooner. I explain my attempts to contact him but never got a response, so I hired someone else. The dude get agitated, offers the LAME excuse his phone was broken and says he spent a lot time working on the proposal. I say, sorry that’s unfortunate, and hung up.

Very frustrating experience.

 

[Kajtek1]

Too many customers are "tire kickers"
When "free estimates" become industry standard, lot of contractors for 100 written estimates get 1 job.
Sounds like you've been classified as tire kicker Bob.
The best way to find a contractor is look on pending jobs while you drive.
I found contractor for my house foundation this way.
Not only the contractor quoted me $60k, where others were $100k, but I did see how they work and they were the best contractors in the industry.

 

[Deleted member 50714]

Tire kicker? Please explain why that’s a bad thing, and the source of the 100 to one ratio?

 

[jtheiny]

It can be very frustrating while the work is being done and prolonged as well. A contractor can take on more projects and your particular project might get pushed aside or delayed. A tidbit I learned a while back is to write a deadline into the contract. A contractor may not like it but too bad, it can hold them true, especially if written into the contract that it will cost X amount of dollars per day if they go past the deadline.

 

[Kajtek1]

Tire kicker? Please explain why that’s a bad thing, and the source of the 100 to one ratio?

Try to stop by at 100 grocery sellers, only to buy the milk at the last one? I was in this shoes when I started the business 30 years ago.
I have the issue with items I list on ebay, or even on this forum selling Sprinter parts.
Members sends me 6 emails, asking detail about this, then about that, schedule the purchase, only to "change his mind" in last minute.

 

[Mike DZ]

Right now there is too few workers and too many jobs. I contacted at least 10 contractors for a recent garage build. Got three to come to the site. Got one to provide bid. He was not experienced in exterior construction - more like kitchen renovations. Finally my architect to recommended a builder that provided a useful bid and he got the job. He is about my age and was down in the hole shoveling as fast or faster than the young guys on the foundation crew. A contractor that I am taking to about a different job can't hire workers and those he can find don't have any skills.

 

[Deleted member 50714]

Yes, a performance clause is essential and excellent recommendation.

 

[Deleted member 50714]

Try to stop by at 100 grocery sellers, only to buy the milk at the last one? I was in this shoes when I started the business 30 years ago.
I have the issue with items I list on ebay, or even on this forum selling Sprinter parts.
Members sends me 6 emails, asking detail about this, then about that, schedule the purchase, only to "change his mind" in last minute.

 

[3Play]

Warning. social commentary:

Right now the bottom layer of society makes more money on the govt dole, so why should they work?
Contractors can't find base labor.
There is little incentive to do any sort of work, let alone do a great job because it is the right thing to do.
There is a growing number of people who actually believe in guaranteed living wage and the govt. should take care
of you. They were not taught about how communism/socialism immediately degrades to "equal misery for all", or that the federal gov't has no rights , or powers other than the specific rights granted to it constitutionally. We have already "Progressed" deeply into the slippery slope of socialism where un-creative govt. type B workers now make the rules thinking they should be on equal terms with the risk takers and creators that actually build instead administrate. It's "Animal Farm" (not the new disney version)and the tail is wagging the dog.
The M1 money supply is hijacked, hyper inflation is right around the corner, tighten your seat belts, if the trend isn't stopped.
We will look like Venezuela in less than 10 years....
I was a contractor for 20 years and got all my business from referrals, that keeps everyone somewhat safe.
Here in Tucson, businesses seem to think you owe them because they exist. I can get better service from businesses in Phx. because they understand competitiveness and actually want to work...
I cringe at the thought of hiring someone from an ad.....

 

[Deleted member 50714]

Hiring workers is a frustrating challenge.
Attendance and punctuality a major issue for too many “I was only five minutes late” a common refrain. Yeah, bonehead, 6-times last month and adds up to a 30-minute pay reduction.

 

[Bazookabob]

Yet plenty of potential laborers lined up at the border happy to take on any type of work, cheaply too. It's a paradox.

 

[Deleted member 50714]

Warning. social commentary:

Right now the bottom layer of society makes more money on the govt dole, so why should they work?
Contractors can't find base labor.
There is little incentive to do any sort of work, let alone do a great job because it is the right thing to do.
There is a growing number of people who actually believe in guaranteed living wage and the govt. should take care
of you. They were not taught about how communism/socialism immediately degrades to "equal misery for all", or that the federal gov't has no rights , or powers other than the specific rights granted to it constitutionally. We have already "Progressed" deeply into the slippery slope of socialism where un-creative govt. type B workers now make the rules thinking they should be on equal terms with the risk takers and creators that actually build instead administrate. It's "Animal Farm" (not the new disney version)and the tail is wagging the dog.
The M1 money supply is hijacked, hyper inflation is right around the corner, tighten your seat belts, if the trend isn't stopped.
We will look like Venezuela in less than 10 years....
I was a contractor for 20 years and got all my business from referrals, that keeps everyone somewhat safe.
Here in Tucson, businesses seem to think you owe them because they exist. I can get better service from businesses in Phx. because they understand competitiveness and actually want to work...
I cringe at the thought of hiring someone from an ad.....

So much for, “BUILD BACK BETTER”.

 

[Deleted member 50714]

Yet plenty of potential laborers lined up at the border happy to take on any type of work, cheaply too. It's a paradox.

Cheap labor ain’t so cheap when considering taxpayer subsidized social programs and services like schools, medical, and food stamps.

 

[4wheeldog]

Warning. social commentary:

Right now the bottom layer of society makes more money on the govt dole, so why should they work?
Contractors can't find base labor.
There is little incentive to do any sort of work, let alone do a great job because it is the right thing to do.
There is a growing number of people who actually believe in guaranteed living wage and the govt. should take care
of you. They were not taught about how communism/socialism immediately degrades to "equal misery for all", or that the federal gov't has no rights , or powers other than the specific rights granted to it constitutionally. We have already "Progressed" deeply into the slippery slope of socialism where un-creative govt. type B workers now make the rules thinking they should be on equal terms with the risk takers and creators that actually build instead administrate. It's "Animal Farm" (not the new disney version)and the tail is wagging the dog.
The M1 money supply is hijacked, hyper inflation is right around the corner, tighten your seat belts, if the trend isn't stopped.
We will look like Venezuela in less than 10 years....
I was a contractor for 20 years and got all my business from referrals, that keeps everyone somewhat safe.
Here in Tucson, businesses seem to think you owe them because they exist. I can get better service from businesses in Phx. because they understand competitiveness and actually want to work...
I cringe at the thought of hiring someone from an ad.....

Then why do we have what economists define as near "Full employment?"
I keep hearing people spout about all these people on unemployment, but the official statistics don't bear it out. We are down to 5.2%, declining monthly. The fact is, the economy is booming, and people that held low level jobs are finding better jobs, leaving the bottom feeder employers wanting. If you want to hire folks for Mickie Dees these days, you need to pay them over $15 and hour. I see signs at fast food places all the time, "$15 plus hiring bonus".
A friend of mine with a restaurant (Who kept his entire crew on the payroll through the Pandemic.....So nobody got unemployment) told me that every single one of his wait staff had moved on to better jobs that they were qualified for, but that were not available 2 years ago. Like everybody else, he is scrambling to fill vacancies.
Times are good, for those on the bottom of the heap. Let us just hope we can sustain it.

 

[Bazookabob]

Cheap labor ain’t so cheap when considering taxpayer subsidized social programs and services like schools, medical, and food stamps.

The cheapest labor is for a retired guy like yourself to get up off his fat ass and do it yourself then.

 

[elemental]

Then why do we have what economists define as near "Full employment?"
I keep hearing people spout about all these people on unemployment, but the official statistics don't bear it out. We are down to 5.2%, declining monthly. The fact is, the economy is booming, and people that held low level jobs are finding better jobs, leaving the bottom feeder employers wanting. If you want to hire folks for Mickie Dees these days, you need to pay them over $15 and hour. I see signs at fast food places all the time, "$15 plus hiring bonus".
A friend of mine with a restaurant (Who kept his entire crew on the payroll through the Pandemic.....So nobody got unemployment) told me that every single one of his wait staff had moved on to better jobs that they were qualified for, but that were not available 2 years ago. Like everybody else, he is scrambling to fill vacancies.
Times are good, for those on the bottom of the heap. Let us just hope we can sustain it.

I think a lot of people checked out of the workforce. People who were close to retirement, people who had other options (whatever that might be) but were "staying the course" due to some kind of mental inertia were bitch-slapped by COVID and decided they had better things to do than report to work every day, especially if their employment was less than fulfilling.

It will be interesting to see how much inflation batters that $15/hour for McDonald's counter-jockeys/burger-slingers; will the increase in wages be real over time, or just an illusion?

With particular respect to contractors, at least in my area, they are all going gangbusters building and building and building... money flowing like water for new homes, re-modeling, etc. The best ones are surfing the wave, making bucks, and managing the overload without pissing too many people off. Most of them, in my experience, may be good at their trade but not so good at business, so the demand is swamping them and their "free time" to quote jobs is very limited. New "cold call" customers are probably the lowest priority. Keeping old customers happy and maintaining their reputation with referrals is higher.

I waited 2 extra months (in addition to the scheduled 6 months wait) for a landscaping contractor to show up at my house this summer... he was good at managing his backlog, stayed in touch, etc. I would hate to be trying to find a contractor in a new area without any personal referrals.

 

[Kajtek1]

The cheapest labor is for a retired guy like yourself to get up off his fat ass and do it yourself then.

You can also (for lower skill jobs) drive to Home Depot or other common place and pick up daily workers waiting at parking lot.

 

[Kajtek1]

It will be interesting to see how much inflation batters that $15/hour for McDonald's counter-jockeys/burger-slingers; will the increase in wages be real over time, or just an illusion?

We already have lot of experience in the field.
After 2007 economy collapse, I believe it was Indiana, where RV builders ask to lower minimum wages, so the plants could make profits and hire more people.
But in this situation government was paying people for 2 years of doing nothing, so mental change might take longer.

 

[Mike DZ]

So much for, “BUILD BACK BETTER”.

Bob, I think your comment focuses on a political reason. I think that this problem is years in the making and is culturally expressed. Our last 20 years of political choices haven't caused the problem. I think we are seeing the result of well intentioned policies that were put in place at the end of WWII and early cold war. Those policies dragged the world back from ruination, but were allowed to run too long. Those policies were encoded in culture, manufacturing shifted overseas, physical work in the US became culturally devalued, and the overseas competitors took advantage of our cultural blindness. Here at home fewer people want to engage with the physical world - not because of the gov't dole, but because they don't know any better.

The answer is not to try to go backwards - because we can't, the answer will take just as long as the problem took to develop and many of us will be long gone before it becomes apparent.

 

[Deleted member 50714]

Employment statistics have been known to be fudged. $15.00 minimum wage is not a solution because increased labor expenses will be shouldered by consumers, mostly minimum wage earners, resulting in spiraling wage-price inflation.