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pewter

Conspiracy Theorist™
Joined
Oct 21, 2011
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6 months ago i got a call from my mate a plasterer.

'Can you come and remove some exterior lights, i am trying to render a house'

I removed them and then ended up rewiring them. Invoiced the customer , got paid, was told they would contact me to fit new ones.

Last Thursday i got an email,

'we have new lights, can you fit them early next week'  (been a bank holiday early is only tuesday)

i replied

'im booked until May, if its really important they go up soon, send me a pic of what they are, remind me how many and i will see if i can fit you in.

I heard nothing back.

Today i got a phone call.

' i got your number from so and so, he said your amazing, i need some lights installed. Its been rewired, the original guy is too busy to fit them for months. we are putting the house up for sale monday'

i reply.

'I might be able to do it Saturday, whats your address?'

yeah it was the same house.

'I installed the cables i told her, i also told your husband i might be able to fit them in if it was really essential, and he never replied'

I will go back Saturday

 
Always amazes me. I got a call on Saturday - "we've just moved into a new house and want some lights changing". Sounded disappointed when I said I might be able to squeeze it in later this week, or the weekend maybe. Not actually sure if I've got the job or not, pretty sure they must have known about the house move for a while, and the lights wanting changing as they'd already bought the fittings.

 
Two pet hates of mine, one is outside lights and the second is favours.

Why do people always mention outside lights in March or April time then ask you to do them in November?

Favours are a pain too, " when you get minute we want a couple of sockets replacing, we've got the new ones, won't take you more than 20 minutes" said a mate.

"ok, I'll pop over now, before I go out" I replied, mate's response " oh no that's no good, we have to pop out and get some shopping, can you come on Sunday?"

Now hang on a minute, you want a favour, yet you want it done at your convenience, something wrong here. If it's done when you want then it's a job, and chargeable, if it's a favour then it's done at my convenience. it amazes me that whenever you are asked for a favour, whatever time you suggest doing it is never the right time.

I have a friend and his son has Autism, he doesn't like change, or loud noises or a lot of upheaval. Anyway he's having a big extension done on his house and the house also desperately needs a rewire, he asked me about giving him a hand with it to save some cash. I suggested that to save stress for his son he sends him to his grandparents for a weekend (he loves going there) and we do the house, then it's all back to normal before the builders do the extension, that's going to be separate circuits anyway so it makes sense to do it my way then the whole house isn't a building site.

Now he wants to do all the donkey work, lifting boards, chasing out, running cables etc and I'll do the connecting up, I don't have a problem with this, he works in the building industry and knows how it should be done.

The problem I have is that last night in a conversation with his father in law it emerged that he's drawn up his final plans for the extension and is trying to see how quick the builder can start. I can see it ending up with everything happening at once and being stressful for all concerned, I hope he's factored in the cost of the electrics, because if it goes the way I think it's going I won't be getting involved.

Another mate is completely different, his parents are elderly, both are in poor health in fact his father has Alzheimers, about 5 years ago we refitted the kitchen and the wiring wasn't good so I ran a new circuit in and told him to think about a rewire.

Recently he said him and his brother were going to do a full refurb on the house and would I help with the wiring, he'd do the donkey work and I'd do the "technical stuff" as he calls it. I suggested that due to the health problems it would be better if we got a team together and got rid of his parents for a week, he thought it was a great idea, he has a caravan so he's going to send them there for a holiday. He has his own business and a couple of lads working for him, at my convenience he's going to send the parents to the caravan, get all the lads together and we'll rewire, replace the ceilings, the doors and redecorate, while they are away, he's paying me for the work but he's adamant that it's done at a time convenient to me, how different people can be, it's amazing.  

 
Pewter that reminded me of a similar one .   A local panel maker phoned us , they were upgrading this bloomin' big  furnace but needed a couple of sparks who could make off some big pyro ends  and alter some pyro cabling on site in Yam-Yam land . 

So me & my comrade spent two weeks with them , interesting job , sent an invoice  which was paid with thanks.

The guy phoned about six months later :-  

" Is that Evans Electric ?"

"Yes "

"This is Acme Industrial  Panels , can you help us out with installing some pyros on site , but can you make sure you send the two guys you sent last time , they were excellent & fitted in really well ,  I wouldn't want anyone else to be honest "

I didn't mention there is only two of us but went down the road of  "  Well I could pull a few strings to get them off the job they're on but I'd have to replace them there ...all very awkward "  :innocent

"I don't mind covering any extra costs if you can arrange it " :signthankspin:

 
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