But how do you REALLY feel about it, Ken?

The world is full of people who cheat. You can choose between joining them
or sleeping soundly. You may never become the biggest, or most successful,
but how much do you reallly need? If you have a home, basic needs met, a
good family and a stable business, you are already successful. How many
expensive meals can you eat at the same time? How many fancy cars can you
drive at once? Would compromising all of the important things to double your
income make you twice as happy or successful?

I respect your past comments about being picky in choosing your clients.

Edison Coatings, Inc.
M. P. Edison
President
3 Northwest Drive
Plainville, CT 06062
Phone: (860) 747-2220 or (800)697-8055
Fax: (860)747-2280 or (800) 697-8044
Internet: www.edisoncoatings.com
E-Mail: [log in to unmask]

---------- Original Message -----------
From: [log in to unmask]
To: [log in to unmask]
Sent: Sun, 14 Sep 2003 12:44:33 EDT
Subject: Re: contracts & contractors

> In a message dated 9/14/2003 12:01:38 PM Eastern Daylight Time,
> [log in to unmask] writes:
> Contracts go both ways. When I encounter scope creep... meaning that
> suddenly now that the contract is signed everyone who does not have
> to pay for it starts pushing and saying there is more to the work
> than there was before the contract was signed, then I'm not too sure
> who is breaking what. Quite so.
>
> One reason I do not like working on residential work is that homeowners
> rarely understand what a contract is. What makes you think they understand
> anything? My mother in LA is about to "send some money" to some
> engineer (who was brought around by some contractor who was working
> down the street) who is supposed to prepare contract docs to repitch
> my mother's roof (I THINK according to a roof plan I did).
>  Engineer's proposal to Mom is less than clear (except insofar as he
> charges NY rates for extras). Mom continues to refer to Engineer as
> "the contractor's engineer" despite my repeated explanation that if she
> sends him money, he is HER engineer. if they do I've found that the wealthy
> ones cheat something terrible. That's cause they know more than the
> poor clients. You set the crew up to fix the sidewalk, or whatever,
>  and next thing you know the lady of the house has them painting
> shutters sort of thing. Or the idiot that thinks we put a nail
> through his concrete ceiling wants his apartment painted. Gee, this
> doesn't sound familiar at all. Or the newlywed who wants to cash in
> on the goddamn awful looking bowl that they got so they claim that
> it was sitting in the open window and we chipped it , a nice $500
> gift. Nope, never heard of anything even remotely a little like
> this. Too much of this sort of crap and the good contractors run
> away. Or if they're lucky, get superseded by some REAL scumbag
> weasel fcuk who's claims he's the biggest contractor in Gotham. Or
> you do a fine job and then the client does not want to pay... No!
> Never heard of such a thing. I'm shocked! that is a breech of
> contract. Not in the Owner's opinion.
>
> Contractors break contracts because people break contracts. Is this like
> people kill people, not guns? When an architect stands up to a
> client and says that a contract should be honored, when the client
> is trying to con the contractor, then the architect has my respect.
> That and two dollars, after standing in line behind some
> moron/foreigner/lost yokel will get me on the subway.  But I
> appreciate the thought. If it applies to me. It is when the
> architect looks to CYA and boondoggles the contractor unfairly that
> I think they should go to hell. In a handbasket, without passing go,
> or collecting $200. Wait a minute! Does that apply to me? Blame the
> system, not the contractor. The problem is, people are assholes.
>  Present company excepted. No doubt this is why my 6th grade teacher
> wished he'd become a truck driver.
>
> Ralph
------- End of Original Message -------

--
To terminate puerile preservation prattling among pals and the
uncoffee-ed, or to change your settings, go to:
<http://maelstrom.stjohns.edu/archives/bullamanka-pinheads.html>