Unreliability

[FLORIN 21]

It is amazing how many unreliable contractors/power wash people are out there. I never understood it. Id say at least half of the estimates/proposals I go to- the customer mentions that they called someone else but they never showed up to do the estimate. Those end up being an easy sell when I just reinerate about how reliable my company is. Until now it has been to an advantage to me....

Well that changed last week. I had a house wash and concrete clean of a small 1500sqft home in Seattle. The job was a rush job because they were taking pics today for real estate company. So I had a full week to fit it in. I had time to squeeze it in my overbooked week last sunday. I started the work and got most of the concrete work done when my machine gave out on me. I tried to fix it on the spot and had my mechanic on the phone and we came to a conclusion that the carburator needed rebuilt. I wasnt able to find anybody on a sunday to fix this. I had to quit for the day. My week was already booked with other work and was in no way possible able to finish the job. I didnt want to leave the customer high and dry so I told them I will hand the job over to another company. I called this other company which has visited this site a few times and has expressed that he has some big accounts and takes pride in his work...I gave the complete job to him. No subbing. Didnt even want to get paid for the concrete work that was already done. Just wantd the customer to be happy. It was $450.00 for a housewash and touch up concrete that i didnt finish. Get them in touch with each other... Couple days go by and the homeowner calls me IRRATE that the guy never showed up and now has only three days to have someone else come out. I tried to call this PW guy and its like he dissapeared. dont know if hes screening calls or UFO's abducted him.

I guess im just venting a little but does anybody have an answer WHY so many so called '' companies" do this?

[PressurePros 248]

Because they are incompetant. Its worse yet when a supplier does this. These people need to go get a job and work for someone.

[Beth n Rod 1,279]

Incompetent is one word, wearing too many hats is another scenario, perhaps a lack of organizational skills or time management skills...we see it here all the time. It makes us all look bad, to the consumer....

Beth

[Scott Stone 604]

IN MY OPINION, once you start a job it is yours. I know your schedule was packed, but you should have done what needed to be done to get the work done. Stayed up late, work a long day, reschedule stuff that had not been started yet, I don't care. The responsibility was on you to get it taken care of.

[FLORIN 21]

IN MY OPINION, once you start a job it is yours. I know your schedule was packed, but you should have done what needed to be done to get the work done. Stayed up late, work a long day, reschedule stuff that had not been started yet, I don't care. The responsibility was on you to get it taken care of.

I actually agree with you Scott. I normally would. I couldve moved someone else off a day and finished this job. My thing was I thought I was doing everybody a favor here.... The customer by having their place cleaned sooner in the week than later... The power washing company by giving them a job on a silver platter.. And myself by giving me some breathing room since I was too greedy earlier and booked up too many jobs... Also this PW company contacted me a while back wanting to know if i would accept some sub work from him for commercial.I figured if i throw him a bone he would throw me one..Working late is not an issue. I usually work from sun up till sun down. There was no more time in a day to squeeze them back in without disrupting someone elses schedule.

I do see my faults after the fact. I wish I was told NO I dont have time to do it and i would find an alternative way of completing the job. Even if it meant hiring another employee for a day or two to help catch up but I didnt see it coming.

[FLORIN 21]

IN MY OPINION, once you start a job it is yours. I know your schedule was packed, but you should have done what needed to be done to get the work done. Stayed up late, work a long day, reschedule stuff that had not been started yet, I don't care. The responsibility was on you to get it taken care of.

When they called me a few days after he didnt show up I offered to complete the job but they said they will just finish the concrete wih their home machine and leave the house as is. I even gave them pointers on what chemicals to use to help aide in cleaning the concrete.

[James 624]

Go to rental place and rent a machine. Buy a small back up machine. I carry a cold water direct drive just in case going a Half hour away from my garage. Bucket and a brush!!

[John Orr 206]

Like James, I carry a back-up machine. Its my old (5 years?) Home Depot 4/3500 machine that I upgraded to 5.5/2400 gear drive. I actually carry it in my van. Seldom need it, but its nice to know its there.

[Jeff 232]

I actually agree with you Scott. I normally would. I could've moved someone else off a day and finished this job. My thing was I thought I was doing everybody a favor here.... The customer by having their place cleaned sooner in the week than later... The power washing company by giving them a job on a silver platter.. And myself by giving me some breathing room since I was too greedy earlier and booked up too many jobs... Also this PW company contacted me a while back wanting to know if i would accept some sub work from him for commercial.I figured if i throw him a bone he would throw me one..Working late is not an issue. I usually work from sun up till sun down. There was no more time in a day to squeeze them back in without disrupting someone elses schedule.

I do see my faults after the fact. I wish I was told NO I don't have time to do it and i would find an alternative way of completing the job. Even if it meant hiring another employee for a day or two to help catch up but I didn't see it coming.

Yes it was your responsibility and you should of fit it. But I understand what you were trying to do. The guy that stiffed you sucks for sure. You think you can trust people until you know their work ethic, you cant trust anyone.

Last year I was passing a lot of my resi work to a local guy and now I don't I heard one ex customer tell me he didn't show up and another told me he did crappy work ( He washed their house and he took oxidation off around doors but no where else. You could see his wand marks. I cant trust him I no longer use him. I have two local guys Christian Pressure Work & David V A Plus and I can totally trust them to give timely estimates and to do good work. they have proven themselves to be very reliable and I now feel very comfortable with them. Its great to have Friends in the industry you can trust.

You got a black eye on this one, like others say get a back up machine and have it with you at all times its worth the price to keep a good reputation.

Good luck to you, live & learn brother

[FLORIN 21]

I tried the rental route at the time but they were closed early for it being a sunday.

A back up machine is now going on my next months budget along with all the other gadgets I need to get to grow.

I was thinking I was creating a business relationship with another company to be able to pass off work and so on. I did not for one second think it would turn out that the customer would get screwed. I have worked hard to keep a good name in this biz with my customers. It is paying off with referrals and repeat business. I am constantly everbooked(maybe its time to think about raising prices again). But I know I'm not at the point in the biz to hire more help yet.

I just wonder why so many companies out there don't treat this profession as a professional.

I know I have many faults that I have to work on and constantly try to but I never wake up in the morning and say" hell with this customer today, I'm going fishing"

[Scott Stone 604]

Just consider it a cheap lesson. If I was you, I would make the time to go check on how things went for them, and if there is a problem, insist on doing the work for free. It will go a long way with the customer, and maybe save a future relationship.

[FLORIN 21]

Just consider it a cheap lesson. If I was you, I would make the time to go check on how things went for them, and if there is a problem, insist on doing the work for free. It will go a long way with the customer, and maybe save a future relationship.

Thanks Scott. Great Idea. Ill pay them a visit tomorrow.

I actually figure it as an expensive lesson. Who knows what job leads I could have gotten if customer was fully satisfied. Even by passing the work off to another company, i figured i would at least be in good enough standings to at least given another shot at another job. Maybe ill be able to salvage something tomorrow.

[Doug Dahlke 114]

It is amazing how many "companies" don't return calls, show up when promised, etc. I get compliments from many customers thanking them for keeping them up to date on when they are scheduled and showing up when I say I will. It can get difficult to do when business picks up and the weather messes with your schedule but it goes a long way with your customers.

I got screwed yesterday by a prominent rental chain. I reserved a 500 gallon water trailer to truck additional water to one of the "Forbidden Zone" counties where power washing is banned. Had the job scheduled for a week and had already told the customer I would be there at 7:00. This is a town home community that was my largest customer last year. I show up at 4:30 pm to get the trailer and they didn't get it delivered to the store. They said they would deliver it to the job site the next day and I told them that was fine as long as it was full of water when they brought it. Of course they would not do that.

Called another rental place that luckily was open until 5:30 and got a 300 gallon tank and used that. It was a stretch but we got the job done.

[PressurePros 248]

You wouldn't believe (or maybe you would) how many times I get a lead, call back and hear "oh hi, thanks so much for calling back". No wonder the public hates contractors.

[MMI Enterprises 289]

I don't like relying on 3rd parties that don't value your customers as you would.

When it comes to passing work on I have learned not to do it unless I know them real well. Thought I learned it real well years ago when relatives screwed me abit but nope.. I tried some networking of roof and fence work that I don't do this past winter and it wasn't the best experience. I ended up owning upon my reputation their shady disappearance.

Florin, If your so busy that your schedule is that tight then you got to recognize which ones are more open to being pushed back and build into those deals a wider start to completion understanding....As it ended up you basically gave up due to not enough flexability. If you had had time I would hope that you would have driven 100 mi to get a machine or goto a store and buy a cheapy on yer credit card..

Regardless, don't take it too badly , we all make mistakes.

One thing that can be said about contractors is that there is big difference between them real busy contractors that got no time to take an initial first call from a customer and the ones that hold them less important once they get them to sign. I hear regularly of painters and construction field contractors that can't fit things in until like June and it better they say it as such rather than allowing customers be in limbo. I respect those guys and apparently others do too. They book them months or seasons in advance and pay them top dollar cause they know they will get both quality and reliability they can count on or plan around.

[Mike Williamson 198]

Go to rental place and rent a machine. Buy a small back up machine. I carry a cold water direct drive just in case going a Half hour away from my garage. Bucket and a brush!!

I actually went out and bought a Home Depot machine once when my motor seized on a Friday evening on a job the owner was having me do for her Parents who were coming home Saturday night. I finished the job on Saturday. Wound up trading the machine later to another contractor for some free labor. Worked out for all, and the customer was happy.

Didn't think about renting a machine at the time.