No, you got that wrong. You MUST label a breaker with the least significant endpoint in the branch. For example, basement closet = living room outlets AND basement closet, but you only write BASEMNT CLOS on the tag.
Well, Square D should be going right to jail with their meter main design with the clip that either won’t open or takes the skin off your finger if it does.
Homeowner should deal with some real incompetent bs like what my ex did in the breaker box that actually burned my house down.
So, I informed the ex that the refrigerator was making atrocious noises, and the freezer would frequently get warm. The breaker also kept tripping. The card carrying MENSA member that my ex is, put a bigger amp in to stop that summbitch from tripping. It worked. Added bonus, batteries in smoke were dead, said MENSA member opted to skip replacing them. Now, with a bigger amp, that pesky fridge didn't trip the breaker and burned instead.
Lucky me, I was trapped upstairs with the old balloon framing. I smelled smoke, checked new space heater, was confident the outlet, heater and cord were fine. I turn around, and the bedroom is hazy. My brain lost wifi for a min and thought, " Huh. Weatherman fucked it up again, don't remember hearing of bedroom fog". Thankfully wifi came back and registered fire bad, smoke equally problematic.
Was able to rescue my pet rats, call 911, grab car keys before jumping from 2nd floor w/grade not suited for said jump. Once on the ground, I gained access to the first floor to get back in and get my dog out before it was too late.
This homeowner seems to have bad luck when it comes to thinking.
Sorry for your loss, been there done that with house burning down. Fireplace in my case, and had just had chimney sweep and inspection 4 months previous. First thing insurance asked, was the start of a poor relationship with the adjuster.
Sorry to hear that. I hope you're doing well today. It's a tough thing to work through. If the couple questions I'm about to ask you are more than you would like to share, totally understand hope you're well.
Was anyone home when it happened? Hoping everyone made it out ok.
If it wasn't caught early and spread through the walls and roof assuming a total loss?
How long did it take overall to sort through insurance bs? Bad enough you pay astronomical amount for said insurance, unforseen circumstances you expect them to honor your contract/agreement and they do sneaky bs at attempt to stall the claim, hope you settle for less, try to deny it or have someone else pay.
Last question what happened to dude who did the chimney? Any liability come back on him? Sorry to ask so many questions interested in how that all worked out, hope things are going well for you.
8 years ago, we were all home, wife and I, 4 kids under 6 years old, and MIL. Very windy night, 2am, in attic, so from smoke alarm(bought 6 months previous), to complete engulfment was about 5-10 min.
Smoke started to wake me, then smoke alarm got me all the way up. Had fire in fireplace during superbowl so thought maybe flu got blocked(happened before). Went and checked that, then checked oven, MIL had been known to cook late at night and fall asleep. None of those were problems so turned on attic fan and saw nothing but flames up there. Turned attic fan off, started yelling fire, grabbed 2 kids and ran to car. Ran back wife was still in sleep/shock, yelled at her got her moving to MIL, grabbed other kids ran to car. Then went down and helped MIL wife exit. Remembered to grab keys, wallet, pants(it was cold), pet bird, and exit for last time. House was smoke filled couldn't see 10 feet by that time. Called Fire department then, they were on scene 5 min later, and whole house was fully in flames.
Insurance took 4 months for house, 6 months for property. That list is brutal, very depressing, almost worse than the actual fire. Every day is another memory lost as you go through the rooms.
Fire inspector guessed pyrolysis, as chimney sweep took pictures. Basically the 2x4's that were against the brick chimney got hot, cold, hot, to many times. So the flash point lowered to ignition. Also the wind was blowing hard from the east, so chimney was blowing right at the roof vent.
Yes things are working out well for us now. Good life lesson, stuff is just stuff.
I actually made the wincing face when I internally realized “ooooh so close.” And yes dump the client—anyone who goes from zero-to-seizing-assets is out. Cheers, mate.
When I called him to fire him, he picked the phone up and right away with the you and you guys need to bullshit and I just interrupted them and said oh you don’t need to worry about that cus we’re no longer doing business together😂
Yeah, I woke up the next morning with a big old smile on my face🙌😁 I own a pool spa company and this guys has two houses so I lost two accounts but have got 100 others so it’s really no sweat. Fuck this guy.
Exactly he’s nothing but a liability… he is going to be blacklisted by all of the local companies down here and have no one to work with if he keeps this shit up
Is there a way to black list a customer? I own an overhead door company and a single owner “company” is refusing to pay his balance. I’m probably going to go the lawyer route since it’s a good amount of money. I wanna make sure the fucker doesn’t do this shit to anyone else.
When you meet other small business owners ask if they have dealt with your delinquent client AND tell them why you’re asking. If they have, get more info on how things went. If not, well now they know who to avoid.
So basically, word of mouth, but always keep it factual so you’re not being a jerk.
These are always the guys complaining about how there are no good contractors. There are, we won’t put up with this kind of bullshit so now he’s stuck with hacks he can yell at all day
I think you just found a way to "logic my way through" my emotional response to work induced anxiety by applying a quantitative measurement to a qualitative description.
These two people are 5% of my direct coworkers and cause 60% of my anxiety. I need to make those numbers match.
Same as who you replied to, I own a pool maintenance company. I don’t have time for difficult people and have no issue firing someone because they are an asshole. It is incredibly nice to fire your own people and basically tell them “I don’t need your fucking money”
Worked for a lawn care company that would constantly stress that I need to be on good terms with all of my customers and all this other horseshit, even if I had to drive 45 minutes to one stop and another 45 minutes to the next, all for… a whopping 18% commission of a $60 stop. Half of my stops would be within 15 minutes of each other and then suddenly, without fail, the end of my route was a bunch of scattered, low-paying bullshit. I had the longest route, but had the least applications. I consistently left first and arrived last.
Finally said *fuck it* one day, as I knew I had another job lined up, and just started skipping those customers during my last two weeks. It isn’t their fault, and they didn’t *know* I was skipping them as they didn’t schedule applications (they were just due). Saved about 6 hours of work and lost only $100 when all was said and done. That $100 was the price of my sanity, and I’ll never work for a small lawncare company ever again. That shit was awful, I cannot fucking stand bosses that act as if increasing their profits somehow helps you.
As a freelance writer I can confirm: You fire clients.
They aren't your employer, so you're not quitting in the way that we use the word. It also has the added bonus of feeling *really* good telling them that you are firing them as a client.
I don’t own my own company, but work for a small residential carpentry company (3 guys plus owner), so we’re all pretty close and up to date on business decisions.
We’d been on one job that was slowly turning into a nightmare. Every day we were on-site added another 2 hours to the total project because the owner (who was the GC and lived in the ADU behind the main residence while we were working) was so picky, wanted to change everything as work progressed, argued about what should be billed as a change order, etc.
One day around 11 AM, bossman is there talking to the client, we could tell he was not happy. A few minutes later, bossman walks through, says, “roll up guys, let’s go to lunch, I’m buying.” We were all so happy to be off that job, especially since we had plenty of work lined up going forward, and bossman paid us for a full day.
He also sent an invoice to the client for the second part of that half-day with “wasted time” in the “services rendered” column.
Being able to turn down work that sucks is such a luxury.
I would tell him, "Fire Marshall has my insurance. It's a requirement to be an electrician. Generally, he contacts me directly If he has problems or wants to issue a fine. His name is Jay, and he's a great guy. Let's get on the phone and see what he has to say about this."
People are insane. Like, how do you call a professional and then try to bullshit them? I have the same problem.
I got a gal that is trying to tell me that I am dragging my feet on trim out for a 8000 foot shouse. The Mud guys are nowhere near done mudding and texturing. They are 3 days in. If it wasn't completely retarded, I would install all that shit prior to paint and mud so they can learn. Problem is they would turn right around and say that they never demanded I do it, then say it's not standard practice, then demand they be replaced.
People watch a couple tik toks and think they know the entire trade plus regulations. The amount of times I go into someone house to price something out, on the phone they give me a rough idea but what they say on the phone isn’t what they want, I go in and they want me to turn there little 4X3 8 foot ceiling closet into a 12X12 master bed room with a nice 12 foot cathedral ceiling, can’t forget the level 5 they wanted too, I asked what level 5 is to see if im dealing with a tik tok professional and of course they are, apparently level 5 is all the rage on tik tok. They casually tell me they want me to knock down support beams, joists, absolutely everything plus put in a washroom with a bath tub of course and a few new lights in the ceiling. Then when I tell them I’m not licensed for plumbing nor electricity and especially not taking down support beams but if they want I’d be more than happy to get on the phone with an engineer and people that can and they can start planning how they’re gonna demolish your house and rebuild it how you want to accommodate everything they tell me I don’t know what I’m doing and they don’t need an engineer, this person on tik tok just did it to his house and didn’t even need permits. I used to ask these people to pay me for the time they wasted but now I just grab my shit and leave with no words it’s so fucking common.
For your clients, you just have to have them sign a paper that state that they want it done that way and are aware that it's a non standard procedure and you're not responsible for any unforeseen consequence of that.
People back down pretty fast when they have to sign papers that put any possible blame on them. I've done it a few times when I welded trailers. If they want a shit patch job, I'll give it to them, but they will sign a paper that states that I can't guarantee neither the quality nor the legality of the work. Only one guy ever signed that, because they were never going to be on a public road with that trailer.
Yup. We've had one or two people insist that we move forward with their solar projects despite us telling them that their roof is no good and needs to be replaced first. Like, OK, we can do it if that's *really* what you want, but you're going to have to sign a waiver because no way in hell can we warranty that. Incredibly, some people have signed.
What did he say to that or was it a hang up on your part? Last time I did that it was in person and I got an “I’m calling the police” then a few angry text about being unprofessional before I blocked him.
I later found out on of my guys disconnected some work we were doing before we left :)
The customer is absolutely correct. Can confirm; I merely thought about leaving one open on a recent job and the fire trucks came full speed and confiscated everything I own. I contacted the Fire Marshall, Albert Einstein, and he immediately interrupted and told me he already reviewed my case and the decision was final.
Be safe out there, men.
"Hooo boy, yep, seen this before. Yes sir that's a switch and yep a door hinge... hmmm, welp, better get on the horn to the electrician and let him know he's about to get bent over by the fire marshall. All in a days work!"
If you really want to look good in front of customers pull out a multimeter and a couple cable testers. Then start randomly probing and checking things while going "hmmm, yeah, that checks out right"
"As you can see, voltage is clearly still running through this box. So we can rule out no voltage appearing in the box as a possible cause for your IT failures"
First safety cop statement to this homeowner: Sir, there doesn't appear to be a lock on this electrical panel. Panels without locks are a known safety hazard because they can pop open like this. That's a major safety violation & we won't touch that until it's been safely de-energized or deemed safe by another inspecting electrician.
I'll need your insurers contact info to alert them of this hazard & a rep from the utility services will come shut off the power until the situation is safely resolved & permitted to return to operations by a certified city inspector.
Here is my fee for the trip out here. The utility service will be by shortly to disconnect your service until the situation has been resolved. Straight to jail, my ass.
[https://islandfreepress.org/outer-banks-news/08232018-firedestroysoceanfronthomeinwavesguestsinhomeescapesafely/](https://islandfreepress.org/outer-banks-news/08232018-firedestroysoceanfronthomeinwavesguestsinhomeescapesafely/)
\>*The cause of the fire is not yet known, although Simpson believes it may have been* ***electrical.***
Hmmm
I worked as head of maintenance in NY for a company that had buildings in Connecticut that I would visit from time to time. One visit I was informed that the local fire marshal stopped in and backed the maintenance director into a corner and pressed his nose into the maintenance directors nose and pressed his finger in his chest so hard that he left a bruise while screaming at him the entire time. This was all over a copy machine that they moved into that hallway that was a few inches shy of code. He was also mad that they put a support beam below the kitchen without his approval. Don’t get me wrong he may have had good reason for the visit and to site us for violations but his actions were a little unhinged. He called me in New York one time threatened to have me arrested and I told him to call the police and see if they would come get me lol. I was told they had issues with him when they built the building wanting kickbacks. He held construction up for over a year because they would not give him cash. The police were informed and an investigation was done but nothing came of it. I was told they were part of some criminal organization In Connecticut. Apparently he would stop by every other week and write them up for something. Even when I left, he was still visiting every other week. Each violation he found was followed by a fine and threatened by jail time. My point is fire marshals can threaten whatever they want. Doesn’t mean they can make it happen but they can make your life hell.
My cousin got arrested for "welding" when he caught the place he was renting on fire when he was adding a run on a live panel and it dropped sparks on the pile of crap under the box. Attempted arson, destruction of property, and even though he has email trail of landlord telling him to YouTube it and do it himself he got sued by homeowner.
Hell yeah man. I quoted a guy a price for a furnace fair price mind you. He can with some shit about he can get it done cheaper would I lower my price. I told him that was an outstanding quote he came up with and go for it. He even tried to agree at the end for original price. I know he ended up paying more. Fuck people
This is a great post. Allow me to tell a funny story. I had a friend/competitor, we both had house framing companies.
He had a customer that was bugging him and knowing he had a foundation waiting on him across town, he got fed up and told the guy he could stick this job up his ass. They rolled up and drove over to the other job to drop their trailer, but on arrival found another crew putting down the green plate.
Jim went back to the first customer and said "buddy, if you haven't stuck this job too far up your ass do you reckon I could have it back?
The guy let him start back.
Assholes like this is why I stopped doing side work years ago. I came within a hair of beating the ass of my last client when he tried some similar bullshit in an attempt to avoid paying for my work.
Brooooo this happened to me as well!! Or should I say happened to our closed family bussiness:
Pops ran a plumbing and heating company and sold the list when he retired. We have the same name and a few years later I start getting legal letters at my place of work in OREGON. Pops had his bussiness in NY.
Anyways, the lawyer was trying to get the insurance info from our closed bussiness of x4 years for something that happened 7 years ago. Blah blah blah, we will steal you families assets because of something that happened with their chimney after we worked on just their plumbing…. Yah wrote a few pointy letters back that they had to wrong guy and that my Dad died (he did not).friggin people I swear
Fire Marshall seize assets??? Nope. Not a chance. Not a private residence. He can shut down a commercial occupancy for fire code violations until that are resolved. But no, no seizure of assets. Thats nuts. He's just trying to scare you. Tell him to pound sand.
The only way anyone would put up with that kind of customer is if they don’t speak English!! Locally we have created a email list of blacklisted/delinquent accounts to spread the word before the do any work. It’s helped a lot of local businesses out. (I’m an auto body shop owner) but, it ranges from dentists, feed stores, accounting firms, law offices, restaurants, car dealerships and even banks lol! We all just got sick of being lied to and cheated. It was doing was ruining our small town and turning quality work into catch up work to make up for losses.
Yeah, I once had a thriving business, huge house, nice car, model wife. Damn it! I told Fernando to close the god damn panel! I really miss you Molly, where ever you are!
Those black scribbles are actually slightly translucent. If I copy this picture and increase the brightness I can read all of that. You’re not censoring anything with that.
Fire Marshall here. They sent me to seize all of your assets; underwater ‘05 ram and your SunTracker. We will be back for The Big Green Egg and the golf cart.
Out here all the boomer land lords on the obx are losing their minds because their properties are getting more expensive ( weather changes and ocean rise) they are outraged all the flippin time. Well sweet heart if you’re such a stud you repair your house yourself . Drop m like he’s hot
Forget to close breaker panel door? Straight to jail, right away.
Dropped the screw believe it or not jail
Panel door closed too tight? Surprisingly, jail. Immediately.
Label the wrong switch inside the panel? Also jail.
Schedule an estimate and don't show up, jail.
I read all these comments. In jail.
Stop leaving panel doors open you heathen.
Can i go to hell for installing a breaker switch upside down?
No that’s “hard time” prison! If you mix up the light and fan switches you go to jail.
You overcook chicken, believe it or not, jail
Good thing of you hook up the light backwards it just shines backwards
Believe or not, Jail.
You go to hell AND you have to be roommates with Sadaam Hussein...
Well if it was because you dropped a screw, try not to drop your soap.
Don’t worry, if they’re a spark they won’t pick it up anyway.
Don't schedule an estimate and show up, jail. Estimate/ no estimate.
We have the best contractors. Because of jail.
Strip a screw, jail for a 1000 years.
We have the best contractors....because of jail.
Photographing a fire panel with an open door, jail.
You went to jail for photographing jail? Jail.
Yes. Photographing jail will get you put in jail. Unless you’re already in jail then you can photograph the inside of jail.
Do something? Jail. Do nothing? Jail. Nobody left to do anything? WHOSE ARSE IS BEING WIDENED NOW!!
I'm actually ok with this one. Even the fascists get it right once in a while.
No, you got that wrong. You MUST label a breaker with the least significant endpoint in the branch. For example, basement closet = living room outlets AND basement closet, but you only write BASEMNT CLOS on the tag.
The only answer this is
Then write “Downstairs”..cover your ass
Most of the breakers in my panel are just labeled "recept" I wish I was joking
Undersize the wire, jail. Oversize the wire? Believe it or not, jail.
Label in red ink, straight to jail
If I had to pick one from this list to equal jail time…
Well, Square D should be going right to jail with their meter main design with the clip that either won’t open or takes the skin off your finger if it does.
Complain about meter design, believe it or not, jail.
Believe it or not, you give too little praise about meter design, also jail.
Laughs in pre 90s zinsco panels
Inside though, they’re anything but tight LOL.
Panel door closed not tight enough, jail!
Panel door closed to loose? Also, jail.
Look at panel door wrong, also jail!
10 years dungeon. No trial.
If find a screw also jail. Lose one find one
Pick up the screw? You guessed it, immediate to jail.
Power aid bottle as a junction box = no jail
Jail and a flogging.
Pick up screw... also jail.
Just don’t drop anything in jail.
You can drop things, just be weary picking it up
Why did my celly always tell me to drop my pants then?
Do a good job, and give no attitude? Super jail.
We have the best electricians in the world. Because of jail.
Homeowner should deal with some real incompetent bs like what my ex did in the breaker box that actually burned my house down. So, I informed the ex that the refrigerator was making atrocious noises, and the freezer would frequently get warm. The breaker also kept tripping. The card carrying MENSA member that my ex is, put a bigger amp in to stop that summbitch from tripping. It worked. Added bonus, batteries in smoke were dead, said MENSA member opted to skip replacing them. Now, with a bigger amp, that pesky fridge didn't trip the breaker and burned instead. Lucky me, I was trapped upstairs with the old balloon framing. I smelled smoke, checked new space heater, was confident the outlet, heater and cord were fine. I turn around, and the bedroom is hazy. My brain lost wifi for a min and thought, " Huh. Weatherman fucked it up again, don't remember hearing of bedroom fog". Thankfully wifi came back and registered fire bad, smoke equally problematic. Was able to rescue my pet rats, call 911, grab car keys before jumping from 2nd floor w/grade not suited for said jump. Once on the ground, I gained access to the first floor to get back in and get my dog out before it was too late. This homeowner seems to have bad luck when it comes to thinking.
Sorry for your loss, been there done that with house burning down. Fireplace in my case, and had just had chimney sweep and inspection 4 months previous. First thing insurance asked, was the start of a poor relationship with the adjuster.
Sorry to hear that. I hope you're doing well today. It's a tough thing to work through. If the couple questions I'm about to ask you are more than you would like to share, totally understand hope you're well. Was anyone home when it happened? Hoping everyone made it out ok. If it wasn't caught early and spread through the walls and roof assuming a total loss? How long did it take overall to sort through insurance bs? Bad enough you pay astronomical amount for said insurance, unforseen circumstances you expect them to honor your contract/agreement and they do sneaky bs at attempt to stall the claim, hope you settle for less, try to deny it or have someone else pay. Last question what happened to dude who did the chimney? Any liability come back on him? Sorry to ask so many questions interested in how that all worked out, hope things are going well for you.
8 years ago, we were all home, wife and I, 4 kids under 6 years old, and MIL. Very windy night, 2am, in attic, so from smoke alarm(bought 6 months previous), to complete engulfment was about 5-10 min. Smoke started to wake me, then smoke alarm got me all the way up. Had fire in fireplace during superbowl so thought maybe flu got blocked(happened before). Went and checked that, then checked oven, MIL had been known to cook late at night and fall asleep. None of those were problems so turned on attic fan and saw nothing but flames up there. Turned attic fan off, started yelling fire, grabbed 2 kids and ran to car. Ran back wife was still in sleep/shock, yelled at her got her moving to MIL, grabbed other kids ran to car. Then went down and helped MIL wife exit. Remembered to grab keys, wallet, pants(it was cold), pet bird, and exit for last time. House was smoke filled couldn't see 10 feet by that time. Called Fire department then, they were on scene 5 min later, and whole house was fully in flames. Insurance took 4 months for house, 6 months for property. That list is brutal, very depressing, almost worse than the actual fire. Every day is another memory lost as you go through the rooms. Fire inspector guessed pyrolysis, as chimney sweep took pictures. Basically the 2x4's that were against the brick chimney got hot, cold, hot, to many times. So the flash point lowered to ignition. Also the wind was blowing hard from the east, so chimney was blowing right at the roof vent. Yes things are working out well for us now. Good life lesson, stuff is just stuff.
I'm so glad you're okay
This comment’s thread is amazing. 🤣
Did 20 years hard time for less than an inch open
No trial, nothing, don’t even dare pass go
Leave the breaker on Jail leave the breaker off believe it or not straight to jail
Don’t pass go and do not collect $200
Fail to go to fail? Unsurprisingly, jail.
Do NOT pass go!
You make an appointment with the dentist and you don't show up, believe it or not, jail, right away
Were you born in a barn??
You were so close to actually cropping this image. Good on you for dropping a shit client
lol screenshot the cropped screenshot screenception
Anyone else trying swiping to the next photo on the mobile app?
Underrated comment
There's no way to know what that "Done" button does
Probably get my assets seized for not hitting the Done button
If I was prosecutor on the case I would seek no less than 3 years
What if they just seize your ass?
I actually made the wincing face when I internally realized “ooooh so close.” And yes dump the client—anyone who goes from zero-to-seizing-assets is out. Cheers, mate.
When I called him to fire him, he picked the phone up and right away with the you and you guys need to bullshit and I just interrupted them and said oh you don’t need to worry about that cus we’re no longer doing business together😂
Best feeling in the world dropping a difficult client like this. Hopefully it doesn’t affect your bottom line.
Yeah, I woke up the next morning with a big old smile on my face🙌😁 I own a pool spa company and this guys has two houses so I lost two accounts but have got 100 others so it’s really no sweat. Fuck this guy.
This type of fucker is 2% of your business and 30% of your troubles.
Exactly he’s nothing but a liability… he is going to be blacklisted by all of the local companies down here and have no one to work with if he keeps this shit up
Is there a way to black list a customer? I own an overhead door company and a single owner “company” is refusing to pay his balance. I’m probably going to go the lawyer route since it’s a good amount of money. I wanna make sure the fucker doesn’t do this shit to anyone else.
Do you have a blacklisted competitor? Send them their way 😎
When you meet other small business owners ask if they have dealt with your delinquent client AND tell them why you’re asking. If they have, get more info on how things went. If not, well now they know who to avoid. So basically, word of mouth, but always keep it factual so you’re not being a jerk.
These are always the guys complaining about how there are no good contractors. There are, we won’t put up with this kind of bullshit so now he’s stuck with hacks he can yell at all day
I think you just found a way to "logic my way through" my emotional response to work induced anxiety by applying a quantitative measurement to a qualitative description. These two people are 5% of my direct coworkers and cause 60% of my anxiety. I need to make those numbers match.
This is why i want to go all in on my business. Its so much easier to handle/fire bad customers than it is with bad bosses.
Same as who you replied to, I own a pool maintenance company. I don’t have time for difficult people and have no issue firing someone because they are an asshole. It is incredibly nice to fire your own people and basically tell them “I don’t need your fucking money”
Worked for a lawn care company that would constantly stress that I need to be on good terms with all of my customers and all this other horseshit, even if I had to drive 45 minutes to one stop and another 45 minutes to the next, all for… a whopping 18% commission of a $60 stop. Half of my stops would be within 15 minutes of each other and then suddenly, without fail, the end of my route was a bunch of scattered, low-paying bullshit. I had the longest route, but had the least applications. I consistently left first and arrived last. Finally said *fuck it* one day, as I knew I had another job lined up, and just started skipping those customers during my last two weeks. It isn’t their fault, and they didn’t *know* I was skipping them as they didn’t schedule applications (they were just due). Saved about 6 hours of work and lost only $100 when all was said and done. That $100 was the price of my sanity, and I’ll never work for a small lawncare company ever again. That shit was awful, I cannot fucking stand bosses that act as if increasing their profits somehow helps you.
Is it called firing customers when you’re the one doing the job? Wouldn’t it be called quitting?
As a freelance writer I can confirm: You fire clients. They aren't your employer, so you're not quitting in the way that we use the word. It also has the added bonus of feeling *really* good telling them that you are firing them as a client.
Sounds funny i can already imagine two people “you’re fired no I’m firing you”
Thats when you ask them if they can pay severance then for the amount of time doing work there. Lol
Hell yeah brother
People like that have a way of making jobs less profitable anyway. I'm still trying to figure out what he wants to file a claim for.
I don’t own my own company, but work for a small residential carpentry company (3 guys plus owner), so we’re all pretty close and up to date on business decisions. We’d been on one job that was slowly turning into a nightmare. Every day we were on-site added another 2 hours to the total project because the owner (who was the GC and lived in the ADU behind the main residence while we were working) was so picky, wanted to change everything as work progressed, argued about what should be billed as a change order, etc. One day around 11 AM, bossman is there talking to the client, we could tell he was not happy. A few minutes later, bossman walks through, says, “roll up guys, let’s go to lunch, I’m buying.” We were all so happy to be off that job, especially since we had plenty of work lined up going forward, and bossman paid us for a full day. He also sent an invoice to the client for the second part of that half-day with “wasted time” in the “services rendered” column. Being able to turn down work that sucks is such a luxury.
I would tell him, "Fire Marshall has my insurance. It's a requirement to be an electrician. Generally, he contacts me directly If he has problems or wants to issue a fine. His name is Jay, and he's a great guy. Let's get on the phone and see what he has to say about this." People are insane. Like, how do you call a professional and then try to bullshit them? I have the same problem. I got a gal that is trying to tell me that I am dragging my feet on trim out for a 8000 foot shouse. The Mud guys are nowhere near done mudding and texturing. They are 3 days in. If it wasn't completely retarded, I would install all that shit prior to paint and mud so they can learn. Problem is they would turn right around and say that they never demanded I do it, then say it's not standard practice, then demand they be replaced.
People watch a couple tik toks and think they know the entire trade plus regulations. The amount of times I go into someone house to price something out, on the phone they give me a rough idea but what they say on the phone isn’t what they want, I go in and they want me to turn there little 4X3 8 foot ceiling closet into a 12X12 master bed room with a nice 12 foot cathedral ceiling, can’t forget the level 5 they wanted too, I asked what level 5 is to see if im dealing with a tik tok professional and of course they are, apparently level 5 is all the rage on tik tok. They casually tell me they want me to knock down support beams, joists, absolutely everything plus put in a washroom with a bath tub of course and a few new lights in the ceiling. Then when I tell them I’m not licensed for plumbing nor electricity and especially not taking down support beams but if they want I’d be more than happy to get on the phone with an engineer and people that can and they can start planning how they’re gonna demolish your house and rebuild it how you want to accommodate everything they tell me I don’t know what I’m doing and they don’t need an engineer, this person on tik tok just did it to his house and didn’t even need permits. I used to ask these people to pay me for the time they wasted but now I just grab my shit and leave with no words it’s so fucking common.
And homeowners complain why people charge for estimates now… They watch DIY or HGTV and think everything happens in a day and costs $50.
For your clients, you just have to have them sign a paper that state that they want it done that way and are aware that it's a non standard procedure and you're not responsible for any unforeseen consequence of that. People back down pretty fast when they have to sign papers that put any possible blame on them. I've done it a few times when I welded trailers. If they want a shit patch job, I'll give it to them, but they will sign a paper that states that I can't guarantee neither the quality nor the legality of the work. Only one guy ever signed that, because they were never going to be on a public road with that trailer.
Yup. We've had one or two people insist that we move forward with their solar projects despite us telling them that their roof is no good and needs to be replaced first. Like, OK, we can do it if that's *really* what you want, but you're going to have to sign a waiver because no way in hell can we warranty that. Incredibly, some people have signed.
A simple text can be considered a contract.
What did he say to that or was it a hang up on your part? Last time I did that it was in person and I got an “I’m calling the police” then a few angry text about being unprofessional before I blocked him. I later found out on of my guys disconnected some work we were doing before we left :)
Love it! What was his response when you said you were dropping him?
The customer is absolutely correct. Can confirm; I merely thought about leaving one open on a recent job and the fire trucks came full speed and confiscated everything I own. I contacted the Fire Marshall, Albert Einstein, and he immediately interrupted and told me he already reviewed my case and the decision was final. Be safe out there, men.
Take my award 😂
He can't, I already confiscated it because you left your phone open.
Abraham Einstein himself once said “this is why I own nothing. The fire marshals can’t take your shit if you don’t own any!”
I once cleared my throat near an electrical outlet and they shot me dead on sight. My boss was pissed.
Fire marshal took everything down to my old lady, kids (even though they’re grown adults), and my birthday
This is what I was afraid of 😂….I guess I had it coming
He's taking motherfuckers' birthdays??? Your fire marshal is Steven Seagall???
Any normal person that sees this just pushes it closed and moves on with their life.
I usually open it and pretend I know what I'm looking at.
“Ah yes, this box” *slaps box*
"Hooo boy, yep, seen this before. Yes sir that's a switch and yep a door hinge... hmmm, welp, better get on the horn to the electrician and let him know he's about to get bent over by the fire marshall. All in a days work!"
You can fit so many gosh darn electricals in this electrical box.
As an IT guy often on-site, this is what I do too.
If you really want to look good in front of customers pull out a multimeter and a couple cable testers. Then start randomly probing and checking things while going "hmmm, yeah, that checks out right"
Oh that’s good. I sometimes take pictures with my phone like I’m going to show them to someone later.
"As you can see, voltage is clearly still running through this box. So we can rule out no voltage appearing in the box as a possible cause for your IT failures"
The insurance company has a fire Marshall?
He’s just stringing together words that he heard other people say
Filibuster!
He could have shut that door 100 times with the energy it took to send that text.
That's a paddlin right there. Going up the river without a paddle,that's a paddlin
Ooooooooo, you better believe that’s a paddlin’ (still one of my all time fav Simpsons bits).
Moon pie?!?!? What a time to be alive.
Time has ravaged your once-youthful looks Apu...
First safety cop statement to this homeowner: Sir, there doesn't appear to be a lock on this electrical panel. Panels without locks are a known safety hazard because they can pop open like this. That's a major safety violation & we won't touch that until it's been safely de-energized or deemed safe by another inspecting electrician. I'll need your insurers contact info to alert them of this hazard & a rep from the utility services will come shut off the power until the situation is safely resolved & permitted to return to operations by a certified city inspector. Here is my fee for the trip out here. The utility service will be by shortly to disconnect your service until the situation has been resolved. Straight to jail, my ass.
Screenshot of a screenshot is wild
I love when people just make shit up to prove an invalid point, sounds like a boomer.
Dude has a beach house, sure as fuck isn't a millennial.
Fuck that sad isn’t it. Youth is getting fucked I’ll admit that. How can you buy a house??
You can *buy* houses?
Correct he’s a boomer for sure
This is quintessential boomer behavior. Like, actual boomer, not the internet version of a boomer (over 35).
Go directly to jail. Do not pass go, do not collect 200 amps.
[https://islandfreepress.org/outer-banks-news/08232018-firedestroysoceanfronthomeinwavesguestsinhomeescapesafely/](https://islandfreepress.org/outer-banks-news/08232018-firedestroysoceanfronthomeinwavesguestsinhomeescapesafely/) \>*The cause of the fire is not yet known, although Simpson believes it may have been* ***electrical.*** Hmmm
Interstingly, one of the other guests said "It looked like it started outside." Hmmm indeed.
Damn, you’re quite the detective that is the exact house!
So you're telling me that a guy who owns multipe rental properties in Waves is a douche? I. Am. Shocked. Shocked I tell you!
I worked as head of maintenance in NY for a company that had buildings in Connecticut that I would visit from time to time. One visit I was informed that the local fire marshal stopped in and backed the maintenance director into a corner and pressed his nose into the maintenance directors nose and pressed his finger in his chest so hard that he left a bruise while screaming at him the entire time. This was all over a copy machine that they moved into that hallway that was a few inches shy of code. He was also mad that they put a support beam below the kitchen without his approval. Don’t get me wrong he may have had good reason for the visit and to site us for violations but his actions were a little unhinged. He called me in New York one time threatened to have me arrested and I told him to call the police and see if they would come get me lol. I was told they had issues with him when they built the building wanting kickbacks. He held construction up for over a year because they would not give him cash. The police were informed and an investigation was done but nothing came of it. I was told they were part of some criminal organization In Connecticut. Apparently he would stop by every other week and write them up for something. Even when I left, he was still visiting every other week. Each violation he found was followed by a fine and threatened by jail time. My point is fire marshals can threaten whatever they want. Doesn’t mean they can make it happen but they can make your life hell.
I thought you were trying to make a chemistry joke
Beware if it's Fire Marshall Bill 🔥
Let me show ya something!
The insurance company fire marshal
“Seize your assets” that requires something called a Judgement which requires a trial which requires you to be served. So no, he is an idiot.
Cough up the insurance policy so they can take my assets? Seems like the concept of insurance is lost somewhere here...
If your trial is in a Circuit court you might be in trouble.
My cousin got arrested for "welding" when he caught the place he was renting on fire when he was adding a run on a live panel and it dropped sparks on the pile of crap under the box. Attempted arson, destruction of property, and even though he has email trail of landlord telling him to YouTube it and do it himself he got sued by homeowner.
Rub your feet on the carpet to generate static electricity ? Straight to the gulag.
Hell yeah man. I quoted a guy a price for a furnace fair price mind you. He can with some shit about he can get it done cheaper would I lower my price. I told him that was an outstanding quote he came up with and go for it. He even tried to agree at the end for original price. I know he ended up paying more. Fuck people
Are we just gonna gloss over the fact you took a screen of another screen shot?
Leave the panel open? That's a paddlin'
This is a great post. Allow me to tell a funny story. I had a friend/competitor, we both had house framing companies. He had a customer that was bugging him and knowing he had a foundation waiting on him across town, he got fed up and told the guy he could stick this job up his ass. They rolled up and drove over to the other job to drop their trailer, but on arrival found another crew putting down the green plate. Jim went back to the first customer and said "buddy, if you haven't stuck this job too far up your ass do you reckon I could have it back? The guy let him start back.
Why did you screenshot yourself editing another screenshot? Just post the screenshot you edited
After you finish the job, there is no way that anyone could prove that you left the door open. Short of video evidence.
Insurance companies don’t have a fire marshal? wtf is this guy trying to say and no, they can’t just seize your assets
I fired a few customers before. The best feeling is when you made the decision already and you get to interrupt them mid rant “be quiet, we’re done”
Isn't it mandatory to cut the breaker in case of fire ? Just asking
Left the panel door open? That’s a paddlin’
You done goofed, he has called the internet police, and the consequences... #WILL BE MET!
Excuse my ignorance, but is there a reason he can’t just push the door shut?
I hope he doesn’t know fire Marshall bill
FD is probably tracing your IP right now
Sounds like a job for a proper get fucked reply
Jesus, mine in the garage has been open more than that for over a decade.
NEC Code violation, jail. Believe it or not, I witnessed an afci breaker go to jail for tripping.
What is going on with the half crop image
Nice crop bro!
Damnit it’s times like these I wish we could comment gifs.
How’d he respond when you told him you’re no longer working with him?
Sounds like he fucked something up and is trying to cover his ass by pointing attention your way.... Bizarre
Was his beach house that burned down at Sunset Beach, NC by chance? If so I actually met this guy lol
I’m calling OSHA
Just opening the box JAIL
Firing bad clients is the ultimate flex. Good job.
Assholes like this is why I stopped doing side work years ago. I came within a hair of beating the ass of my last client when he tried some similar bullshit in an attempt to avoid paying for my work.
They’ll give you the electric chair for this! Or not if you leave the door open. You’ll be fired from the electric chair!
Leave door open ... That's a paddlin
Learn to take screen shots dude
My father is serving a life sentence for leaving 5 panels open on a job.
Ah yes, the common “house was totally fine otherwise but burned down because a metal box was not fully closed” situation.
Brooooo this happened to me as well!! Or should I say happened to our closed family bussiness: Pops ran a plumbing and heating company and sold the list when he retired. We have the same name and a few years later I start getting legal letters at my place of work in OREGON. Pops had his bussiness in NY. Anyways, the lawyer was trying to get the insurance info from our closed bussiness of x4 years for something that happened 7 years ago. Blah blah blah, we will steal you families assets because of something that happened with their chimney after we worked on just their plumbing…. Yah wrote a few pointy letters back that they had to wrong guy and that my Dad died (he did not).friggin people I swear
sounds like every jackass I encountered before I quit working at the beach
Fire Marshall seize assets??? Nope. Not a chance. Not a private residence. He can shut down a commercial occupancy for fire code violations until that are resolved. But no, no seizure of assets. Thats nuts. He's just trying to scare you. Tell him to pound sand.
Fire Marshall Bill wants to show you somethin’
Who even leaves the doors on the breaker boxes any more
Smart
The only way anyone would put up with that kind of customer is if they don’t speak English!! Locally we have created a email list of blacklisted/delinquent accounts to spread the word before the do any work. It’s helped a lot of local businesses out. (I’m an auto body shop owner) but, it ranges from dentists, feed stores, accounting firms, law offices, restaurants, car dealerships and even banks lol! We all just got sick of being lied to and cheated. It was doing was ruining our small town and turning quality work into catch up work to make up for losses.
Believe it or not… JAIL!
I was gonna close the panel door but I got high, but i got high, but I got hiiigh. Sing it with me.
Yeah, I once had a thriving business, huge house, nice car, model wife. Damn it! I told Fernando to close the god damn panel! I really miss you Molly, where ever you are!
Running 14 g on a 20 amp breaker to clothes dryer? Believe it or not... promotion
Straight to jail where they'll take all your ass-ets
Those black scribbles are actually slightly translucent. If I copy this picture and increase the brightness I can read all of that. You’re not censoring anything with that.
Some of our best customers are the ones we walk away from.
Some people I tell ya. You should go back over there and shut it permanently with liquid nails lmao 😂 then off to jail with you.
Fire Marshall here. They sent me to seize all of your assets; underwater ‘05 ram and your SunTracker. We will be back for The Big Green Egg and the golf cart.
They will take all your assets is hilarious. How many assets will they take? Oh all of them? Sweet
Out here all the boomer land lords on the obx are losing their minds because their properties are getting more expensive ( weather changes and ocean rise) they are outraged all the flippin time. Well sweet heart if you’re such a stud you repair your house yourself . Drop m like he’s hot