Red Flags

[George Stolz]

Yesterday, I got hit by a bus. Afterward, I was thinking that maybe we should have seen it coming. This got me wondering if there were any red flags that indicated that it was coming and I just missed it, so I am hoping people will chime in with what they consider to be red flags, and why.

For example: Homeowner-run jobs. Certain customer occupations. Anything you listen for on the first call to tell you that the customer you are considering dealing with could be high maintenance.

Thanks in advance,

 

[480sparky]

"I'm not signing anything."
"Give me a good price."
"I want it done by (insert totally absurd date here)."
"I can help you if you want."
"I already bought all the material you'll need."
"My (insert family member here) is a (insert electrical-related trade here)."
"We're on a tight budget."
"Can you break that down for me?"
"Give me a low price, and I've got a lot more work for you."


Just some that come to mind right off the bat.

 

[ELA]

"we have to talk" :roll:

 

[cadpoint]

480, please tell Us all the Good Expressions, so we don't get the wrong signal's :roll:

 

[K2X]

" I got the money for this remodel job from a lawsuit"

 

[sbrn33]

" This is so and so from Regency Trailer Court"

 

[SEO]

I'm only renting and I'm calling for the landlord because he doesn't know anybody.

 

[jimmyglen]

"I'm not signing anything."
"Give me a good price."
"I want it done by (insert totally absurd date here)."
"I can help you if you want."
"I already bought all the material you'll need."
"My (insert family member here) is a (insert electrical-related trade here)."
"We're on a tight budget."
"Can you break that down for me?"
"Give me a low price, and I've got a lot more work for you."


Just some that come to mind right off the bat.

that is funny - you beat me to it on some of those

so....... this isnt your first rodeo huh 480?

 

[ultramegabob]

" This is so and so from Regency Trailer Court"

I'm only renting and I'm calling for the landlord because he doesn't know anybody.

LOL, those are some good ones that should throw up red flags to ya.....

 

[augie47]

As Jimmyglen states, it's obviously not 480sparky's "first rodeo". I've been in a few also and have heard all of those at one time or another.
One other I wish I had not heard so often is "we just found this________ (normally used restaurant equipmemt) and it can't cost much to wire as it just plugs in" (doesn't matter that it's the wrong voltage and phase arrangement--wire it cheap)

 

[growler]

Yesterday, I got hit by a bus. Afterward, I was thinking that maybe we should have seen it coming. This got me wondering if there were any red flags that indicated that it was coming and I just missed it, so I am hoping people will chime in with what they consider to be red flags, and why.

There is a certian correlation between drivers to watch out for and customers to watch out for.

Overly aggressive drivers and overly aggressive customers should be on the red flag list. There are those that want to demand and not discuss things. Some people just have an attitude problem.

There are drivers that think they can drive but don't have a clue and there are customers that think they know how to run a job but don't have a clue. No budget, no planning, no nothing ( drive like hell you'll get there ).

The same people that will give problems as customers are often giving problems in other areas of their life. A butt head is a butt head and not just when doing a construction projects. I would say to watch for general attitude.

 

[ultramegabob]

"this is just a small job, it will take you about an hour"

 

[danickstr]

What bugs me is when I walk though a job with a customer and the GC and the customer says "I want that or this" and I do it and bill them and then they "forget" they said they wanted it and argue about paying for it. Usually small stuff hardly worth a change order, so I just note it down and the GC OKs it, but then sometimes the HO balks. So then the GC and I have to figure out which of us eats it. Ouch.

 

[growler]

What bugs me is when I walk though a job with a customer and the GC and the customer says "I want that or this" and I do it and bill them and then they "forget" they said they wanted it and argue about paying for it. Usually small stuff hardly worth a change order, so I just note it down and the GC OKs it, but then sometimes the HO balks. So then the GC and I have to figure out which of us eats it. Ouch.

If it worth billing for then it's worth a change order. That's why you state in the contract that all changes will require a change order and will be signed for.

If it's small enough not to count then don't bill for it. You can put a bunch of small changes on one change order.

Expecting people to remember things is an exercise in futility.

 

[Cold Fusion]

1. The EC or any of the electricians mentions anything like, "Well, this will meet code minimum."

2. The EC uses the phrase "value engineering"

Sign that a job is going to go well:
The E-foreman comes up and says, "Come over here and take a look at this. I want to show you a method we have used in the past."

cf

 

[satcom]

What bugs me is when I walk though a job with a customer and the GC and the customer says "I want that or this" and I do it and bill them and then they "forget" they said they wanted it and argue about paying for it. Usually small stuff hardly worth a change order, so I just note it down and the GC OKs it, but then sometimes the HO balks. So then the GC and I have to figure out which of us eats it. Ouch.

We use a written change order for every request from both GC or customer, and have them sign the request, with the cost of the change noted, before any new work is done, you will never have problems down the line, if you document everything.

When you said small items, you do pay for small items when you go to the store don't you?

 

[satcom]

"I'm not signing anything."
"Give me a good price."
"I want it done by (insert totally absurd date here)."
"I can help you if you want."
"I already bought all the material you'll need."
"My (insert family member here) is a (insert electrical-related trade here)."
"We're on a tight budget."
"Can you break that down for me?"
"Give me a low price, and I've got a lot more work for you."


Just some that come to mind right off the bat.

This top 10 list, is always a red flag, but yet as George said they will still not see the big bus comming, or they just think they will not be hit by the bus.

 

[cowboyjwc]

What's funny George is that my boss asked me this same question a few days ago, my answer was there's a lot of times when you don't know that a jobs going to go bad until it goes bad.

I spoke of one here on this site a few years back, where the day I left the job, I shook hands with the owner and we even spent some times talking about our kids playing Little League. Two days later I'm in the City Managers office explaining "what the heck went on out there". I was so surprised, that I was offended.

 

[mivey]

This got me wondering if there were any red flags that indicated that it was coming

You mean other than that five ton hunk of metal headed your way? :grin: Nobody hurt I hope.

As for another red flag:
From the micro-managers:
"What I thought we might could do is ..."
"I was going to do it but just don't have time."

This is usually a lie:
"Don't worry about the ___________ "

 

[mivey]

Another flag: personality

Watch how they treat the people they are interacting with (family, co-workers, etc). Sometime they will try to treat you the same way once the honeymoon is over.