Where do you draw the line ?

Status
Not open for further replies.
Respirator, disposable jump suit and booties. Saves you from infection and gets the point across.
 
ramsy said:
Respirator, disposable jump suit and booties. Saves you from infection and gets the point across.
Click to expand...

I doubt it, someone who doesnt mind animal waste on the carpet probably wouldnt make the connection, they would just think your odd.
 
Dennis Alwon said:
I think what norm and I were saying is that there may be a reason other than laziness that this woman's life is in a bit of disarray. Someone locked in their room can be a classic sign of depression or mental illness. She may be suffering from some tragedy in her life --- we just don't know.

I have seen many homes like this where the place was a mess but usually the ho is not locked away in their room. It is sad to say the least- not something to be laughed about.

Besides what does this thread have to do with electricity---It just brings out our electrical personalities.....
Click to expand...

Dennis I think you should stick to your day job. The thing this forum is for is about Electrical contracting and management not electricity. the OP wanted an opinion of what other guys would do in the same situation. my imperssion of it was he was pretty uncomfortable working in that condition yet he did it. That's what the thread has to do with Contracting and Management.
 
Wow. I apparently hit a nerve here with so many opinions. But, in all fairness, I believe Peter D had one of the better responses
I don't have a problem with the pictures for a few reasons. One, they are anonymous in the sense that there is nothing in them that reveals the identity of the person or even the identity of the home. And two, by allowing someone in her home she invited scrutiny of the home and how she lives.
Click to expand...
It was never my intent to attack this woman's right to live as she wishes as Marc insuinuated. She certainly has a right to live in filth if she wishes but to ask service personnel to enter her house to perform work under these conditions without cleaning up the dog and cat waste is inconsiderate.

There was never any question that this woman was disdurbed in some way but again, the main point of this thread wasn't her mental condition but rather whether others would have taken the job and made the repair as I chose to. Let's not forget, there were at least 30 piles of dog waste on brand new rugs along with about 25 opened cat food cans and lids that never made it to the garbage can. It's one thing to say that the dogs made a mistake last night and crapped on the rug, but it's quite another when they've gone on the rug for the past 3 weeks and you just haven't had the time to clean it up !!!

As far as an invasion of privacy goes, if the woman didn't care what her house looked like when I came in why would she care whether I took a photo or not. I didn't send the photos to Eyewitness news. We're here talking about this in open forum here but it's with others who are in the same line of work. Aside from the fact that I'm here in the great state of New Jersey, no one really knows where this house is. And, I would not take the opportunity to turn her in to the health dept. or animal control but I'm sure one of her neighbors will, at some point in time.
bonboelectric said:
Go there ,that's what you find.Cat pisses into receptacale.
Click to expand...
I think you hit the nail on the head. There was a brass plate on the receptacle and the burn area blew out the center screw that held it on. I forgot to check the undersides of the cats for burn marks.:D

And, just when you thought this story couldn't get any more bizarre and in case anyone was interested, the 4 open-topped kitty liter boxes along with the burnt receptacle were located in the dining room. Anyone want to stop by for a candlelight dinner ?
emahler said:
so.....was the drop cloth to protect the floor....or you?
Click to expand...
Me and my tools. But, I have to tell you that the cab of my truck still smells like animal urine. Just from walking around on those rugs the smell is now on my gas and brake pedals. I quess I'll be cleaning up my truck today.
jrannis said:
OK whats with the prybar? Protection?
Click to expand...
Had to pry the metal gem box out of the moulding. I was bent over trying to get the box out when one of the cats sneaked up and stock his wet nose right in my ear. It scared the crap out of me, no pun intended.
mdshunk said:
I don't know what to say. I think you crossed some sort of line, in my mind, when you took pictures of carpeting and dirty laundry, both of which have nothing to do with electrical work.
Click to expand...
Granted but it does have something to do with service work and, as luck would have it, I was there to make an electrical repair.
People have a right to live any way they want to, in much the same way that you could have packed up your tools and moved on.
Click to expand...
No question about it. But, I found a way to keep myself as clean and germ free as I possibly could and I took the $200.00. My only hope is that I don't contract some disease from a tool that I inadvertantly forgot to clean.
I'm certainly not trying to say that this girl should live like that, or that it wasnt' a miserable place for you to be. I'm only saying that I support her right to live like a pig, and I don't like what you did, taking pictures of the private areas of her home.
Click to expand...
Marc, I don't know what to say that would make you feel any different. Just out of curiousity, would you feel any different if this was your neighbor and your kids were exposed to this filth, be it in her back yard or in her house ?

Regards to all,

Phil
 
Where do you draw the line

Where do you draw the line

I still agree with Marc
We have no right to judge how others live
I have been in allot of homes worse than this, which makes my skin crawl and I don't won't to breath in that environment.
But I am there to do a job and get out
I saw no sign of animal abuse, and as far as the carpet that could just have been made a few hours before.
Don't get me wrong these places make me sick but its not hurting anyone else
Unless the yard is a mess and has allot of mice or rats to control the neighborhood its her business.
I-Wire time to cut this off and I wouldn't have had the time to reply
Sometime I just can't read and let go
Semper FI Buddy
 
I'll still call people who live like this pigs and hogs in my head to entertain myself, maybe even accuse them of mental illness within my own mind, privately think less of them if I see them in social situations, wrinkle my nose in front of them, and even be personally disgusted to work in their home. In the end, unless their lifestyle is some sort of imminent danger to their children (if any), I really don't think it's my place to say a thing about it. They invited me in to fix an electrical problem (fix what might be a problem causing imminent danger), not inspect their housekeeping.

The basic question:
goldstar said:
So, here's the question : Would you do the service call or walk away ?
Click to expand...
I'd do it. I just wouldn't be too happy about it, and for crying out loud, I sure wouldn't take pictures.
 
Last edited:
mdshunk said:
I'd do it. I just wouldn't be too happy about it, and for crying out loud, I sure wouldn't take pictures.
Click to expand...
Marc, everyone is entitled to his or her opinion and I certainly respect you and yours. However, I don't believe I could have properly and effectively described this situation without the benefit of photos. The intent of this thread wasn't meant to focus in on the living conditions that some people choose to live under but whether others in out trade will look and smell the other way for a chance at earning the almighty dollar. I chose the dollar.

Maybe I should have started a poll :

Would you take on a service job if you had to smell and/or walk through excessive amounts of animal urine and feces ? or

If you did take on a job like this would you wear protective clothing ?

If you want to start a poll and ask whether anyone would take photos or not, be my guest.

Respectfully,

Phil
 
aline said:
Maybe someone should contact this guy.


http://dsc.discovery.com/fansites/dirtyjobs/dirtyjobs.html
Click to expand...
Mike Rowe did an episode with a plumber one time, and stayed pretty clean. I was astounded. There have been many days where I've looked like a coal miner when I was done for the day. I'd have thought a plumber could get much more dirty than an electrician. I tell my customers that there's no extra charge for the cobweb removal. It seems that my head is a very effective built-in tool for removing old spider's webs.
 
Brady Electric said:
We have no right to judge how others live
Click to expand...

And you get to decide this because.......:-?

I have a right to opine on anything I want, these people are disgusting, I would have absolutley turned and walked out the door and it would not have been the first time.
 
We have no right to judge how others live
Click to expand...

People judge others people all the time, that's one of the things that keep a civilized society civilized.

And a stinky dirty house out of your neighborhood, drives zoning, drives politics, drives how we behave in public, our homes and cars.
 
Brady Electric said:
We have no right to judge how others live
Click to expand...

Would you allow convicted sex offender to be your babysitter? Ooopps...you just judged someone. ;)

Going through life requires constant judgment, and in the case of the OP's situation you can decide whether or not you will proceed with the work based on the conditions. To do so requires judgment. Otherwise you will have to play some pretty wacky logical gymnastics if you are somehow not judging the situation at hand.
 
Last edited:
mdshunk said:
I don't know what to say. I think you crossed some sort of line, in my mind, when you took pictures of carpeting and dirty laundry, both of which have nothing to do with electrical work. People have a right to live any way they want to, in much the same way that you could have packed up your tools and moved on. I'm certainly not trying to say that this girl should live like that, or that it wasnt' a miserable place for you to be. I'm only saying that I support her right to live like a pig, and I don't like what you did, taking pictures of the private areas of her home.
Click to expand...
I have to agree with ya Marc. We've all been in some s..tholes but I think taking pictures may be an invasion of privacy, and I don't know about you, but I've seen worse.
 
I frequently take before & after pictures of a project. Maybe a judge/jury might want a copy, if things go south. Maybe the pictures might explain why I'm upset with a client. Often they've been very helpful to locate things after the rockers do their trick. And, lastly the owners are usually real pleased to receive a CD full of them.
 
brian john said:
People judge others people all the time, that's one of the things that keep a civilized society civilized.

And a stinky dirty house out of your neighborhood, drives zoning, drives politics, drives how we behave in public, our homes and cars.
Click to expand...

I'm so glad someone stated what you just said. If we didn't make judgments things would be in an uproar. Making good judgments keeps our kids safe and so on and so on.
 
Status
Not open for further replies.
Top