Tightwad homeowner

Ken C.

A homeowner called us to install another outside faucet near his driveway. Before we started, he wanted to know the cost. He said he would supply the materials, which, as a union electrician, he had gotten from a jobsite. He handed us a new sillock, and said he also had copper tubing. I was expecting new copper, but he had used copper instead with old solder joints and corrosion. Now mind you, this brand-new house was near the ocean and conservatively worth $600,000. As if to save himself face after presenting us with the used copper, he said, "I don't mean to sound cheap, but this is my second house and I don't want to spend too much money on it until I retire here." Despite his insistence that he wasn't cheap, his shoes betrayed him; he was wearing topsiders that were all split along the seams and should have been trashed five years ago. He agreed to the price my coworker and I gave, and while we worked, he bragged that his take-home pay, 15 years ago, was over $1,000 a week. He didn't say what it was now, but I can only assume much more. No wonder he could afford to own an oceanview summer house. It wasn't so much the fact he gave us used copper as him saying that he "didn't mean to sound cheap." C'mon buddy, just admit it.

clammy

penny millionaires

They aren,t cheap ken they are furgal right? all those with coin are usally the most furgal how do you think they got all that money .I deal with alot of those furgal type i just tellem flat out you don't need a mechinac you need a magican and you can't fix garbage.You just keep up your chin and save all your pennies and cheat every one plus only pay your bills after the 30 days as to gain another days interest and one day you can hand someone a old piece of pipe and exclaim that your not cheap sometimes they are good for a laugh how do they come up with these money saving ideas ? peace and good luck

Rudy

1980 -1990

Thats all he was making? that was the dream years for making a killing on jobs. the work was plentifull and I know of a lot of bad companys that got their start from that time. They learned they could tell people what they were getting and the cust. was stuck with it. They couldn't call in others because everyone was busy and it would stop the work on the house. ask any owner of a 20ish year old company about the eightys and they will smile like the cat that just ate the mouse. sad sad time for us all....they must feel so cheap. I am happy to say I have no reason to.

Mad Dog

Yeah Materials he got (stole0 from the jobsite

Creep - mad dog

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Wethead7

cheap materials

What do you expect from union sparkies. They steal stuff from job sites, can not follow or read the instuctions, most of the time are unwilling or unable to show true craftmanship. Many times our staff is required to check Electrical work and find overloads wired around and safties bypassed. These things happen on a regaular occurances. The one that really gets under our skin is running wiring just above a lowered cieling. The lifting of the tile become extremely diffacult.

This note was not planned as jab at unioin sparkies , but if they do not improve on these things the quality of thier work will be questioned. The theft of material from a job site should reason for loss of employment and retirement funds. These people are well paid and theft is no acceptable. I understand all trades can have people with this quality of personel.

Our staff would be fired if they are cuaght stealing things from any job site. Our security staff would provide any and all information the police.

Mike

gerry gill

i want to know-

how you kept a straight face...i would have been fired for laughing in his face..maybe it was candid camera...

Weezbo

Really ?

anything the homeowner hands you you can describe as all liability.Yours! after all You Touched it last! )

Nron_9

Customer materials

Our company has a strict "no customer supplied materials" policy. Lots fewer problems.

Carl PE

Used Copper?

I don't know about the codes where you guys are, but used materials are prohibited in a domestic water system here. Who knows where that pipe came from or what got pumped through it?

Our county inspector would have an episode if he saw that.

Nick Z._2

People like that.

Seems I work for alot of them.They might as well be flat broke. No sense having money if they won't spend it.

Tony_8

I like that

"an episode" ! That cracks me up ! Thanks, I needed a good laugh tonight.

Ken D.

Owner supplied parts

I made that mistake many years ago and boy, did I learn from it! A guy asked me to install a new stop & waste he provided on his water heater line. I unfortunately agreed because I needed the work at the time. I get there and he hands me a used compression valve (3/4") Of course I install it and it leaks like a sieve around the packing. Tightening did not stop it. I repacked it ,but that did not satisfy him. He wanted a new one! Of course the whole time the clown's telling me how I do a lousy job and he could have done it himself,etc.,etc. You can guess the end was I did not get paid, the AH calls Better Business to complain and I was cured of the customer part diesese. Never again.

Ken C.

It wasn't easy, Gerry

I had to bite my tongue during the job. As my coworker and I pulled out of his driveway, we looked at each other and shook our heads in disbelief.

Ken C.

Homeowners usually get the wrong parts

Happens quite often, like buying a 4-inch center spread faucet for a sink with 8-inch spread holes. Or, they get poor-quality parts from Home Cheapo, like lav faucets with plastic pop-ups instead of brass ones.

Ken C.

Our code does allow

the use of used pipe, but only if it was previously used to convey potable water. Just because it's allowed doesn't mean it's a good idea.

Nron_9

Used materials

Doesn't matter weather the local code allows them or not. We would never install used materials.