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31 Mar 12 - 03:44 PM (#3331703) Subject: BS: Sleazy Contractors From: SINSULL Here I sit on a lzy Saturday doing nothing when the doorbell rings. When I open the door, there is a man standing on my lawn looking up at my roof fairly horrostruck. He introduced himself as my new neighbor, dropped a few names and then announced that he works for Dave Deschaine, a local roofer. PAUSE here for Jacqui to sputter. Well he was making the rounds introducing himself in the neighborhood and couldn't help but notice that I needed a new roof. I agreed. He would be glad to give me a quote. I replied that I would not be looking into it until next year. Money is tight. Horror, I tell you, HORROR crossed his face and he gasped "It won't last antoher winter". I replied "It's not leaking". But! Assuming the pose of an arrow in flight he shouts (yeah he wanted to make sure I was embarressed in front of the neighbors) but LOOK it's buckling! I never took my eyes off his face. heh heh There he stood posed mid-arrow for a full count of ten and silent. I said quietly "I have a roofer who did the sunroom. I will call him first." Such utter frustration. "How about I take a look around????" Says I "Maybe next year. Maybe I'll have some money next year." "But you roof is critical!" All loud enough for the neighbors to hear. "My mortgage and heat are critical. The roof can wait." So he hands me his card, tries again to gain access and give me a quote or beat any quote I have. Then slinks off with "I was only concerned about your welfare." Mind you - he never asked my name. SO out of curiosity I checked Angie's List. An "F" rating with multiple postings on shoddy work, fake managers appearing to diagnose complaints, and repeated leaks, ice dams and ice sheets after their work. Next time I will toss his ass off my property. SINS, who may be old but is still a New Yorker with 10 years of Maine in her blood. |
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31 Mar 12 - 04:16 PM (#3331715) Subject: RE: BS: Sleazy Contractors From: open mike there are ways to confirm the reliability of contractors...county websites that list only licenced contractors with good reputations, etc. don't fall for flakes! |
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31 Mar 12 - 05:39 PM (#3331742) Subject: RE: BS: Sleazy Contractors From: Rapparee Notify the local Better Business Bureau that he's "working" the area. You might also notify the local cops -- his method of getting work amounts to a scam. Hmmph! Frightening dear little old ladies, indeed! The VERY IDEA!!! |
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31 Mar 12 - 06:07 PM (#3331750) Subject: RE: BS: Sleazy Contractors From: gnu Yeah, there are pudhy guys and nasties. There was a guy here who would inspect a roof for a detailed estimate. Had a big nail in his pocket and would poke holes in chimney flashing. Got his ass on video. There was another guy who would ask for half the $ up front to cover the cost of materials... and then never show up to do the work. They are both back in jail. But their companies are still operating. I got scammed in a different way. I did a home inspection in early May. The vinyl siding was fine. After a week of hot weather in June there was a heavy wind. I got a call. Some siding had let go. I had a look. It was up about 20 feet and it had been "caulked shut". Long story short, there was NO WAY I could have detected that during a routine home inspection but my lawyer saidthat if I didn't pay her the Small Claims Court $6000 maximum the judge would make me pay because I had insurance, because she was a single mom, because she was pretty, and because she was a of a denomination that is associated with an order of which the judge was a member... AND my name would be in the court record and in the newspaper. I sold the business. BTW... she never had the siding replaced. If I win the Lotto, I am suing the bitch, the real estate agent and company and the previous owners. |
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31 Mar 12 - 06:38 PM (#3331762) Subject: RE: BS: Sleazy Contractors From: gnu pudhy = pushy |
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31 Mar 12 - 09:28 PM (#3331803) Subject: RE: BS: Sleazy Contractors From: Bee-dubya-ell I prefer "pudhy". Pushy people are a dime a dozen. Pudhy people are far less common. ;-D --mudelves enjoy BWL's quips |
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01 Apr 12 - 01:36 AM (#3331871) Subject: RE: BS: Sleazy Contractors From: MGM·Lion I taught I taw a Pudhy-Tat... |
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01 Apr 12 - 08:14 AM (#3331963) Subject: RE: BS: Sleazy Contractors From: jacqui.c The firm that Mary was talking about advertises on TV locally. Trust me, this guy is the LAST one I would call, purely based on his ads. He looks sleazy to me and I wouldn't give him house room. I can just imagine the shock this guy would have had when he encountered our SINSULL. He was probably expecting some dear old soul that he could talk into parting with all her savings for a new roof and he enda up with the Dragon! (And he ain't no St George....) |
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01 Apr 12 - 09:06 AM (#3331984) Subject: RE: BS: Sleazy Contractors From: Bonzo3legs Friday afternoon always brings the cold telephone callers at work. They are usually chav or foreign, and there is always a great deal of background noise. When I ask to be put through to someone who speaks clear English, they always hang up - good wease!! |
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01 Apr 12 - 09:59 AM (#3332008) Subject: RE: BS: Sleazy Contractors From: GUEST,Eliza My late forthright and doughty old friend Fernley used to glare like a basilisk and shout "Piss orf!", and they did! |
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01 Apr 12 - 11:57 AM (#3332056) Subject: RE: BS: Sleazy Contractors From: Stilly River Sage I had some sleazy bible thumpers at the door a couple of weeks ago. They got the "get lost!" treatment. |
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01 Apr 12 - 08:18 PM (#3332263) Subject: RE: BS: Sleazy Contractors From: jacqui.c Nice one Maggie. I'm thinking of putting up a sign giving the day and time of the weekly coven meeting. That should rattle a few cages. |
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01 Apr 12 - 09:22 PM (#3332279) Subject: RE: BS: Sleazy Contractors From: Rapparee A friend of my wife's, the wife of a Mormon bishop, has a sign by her front door that reads: "No Soliciting -- Including Mormon Missionaries" A golfer tried to climb over my back fence -- my backyard is out of bounds and it would be trespassing for him to enter my yard. In my very best Drill Instructor/Sergeant Major voice I commanded, "GET THE HELL OUT OF MY YARD!!" And ya know, I've seldom seen someone back off a fence faster than that bird. |
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01 Apr 12 - 09:41 PM (#3332290) Subject: RE: BS: Sleazy Contractors From: Bobert Phew!!! Now ya still have those big buck$ for that bridge I was gonna see you, Sins... B~ |
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01 Apr 12 - 09:45 PM (#3332293) Subject: RE: BS: Sleazy Contractors From: Stilly River Sage I had a sign on the door that worked pretty well but I took it off to wash the glass. I need to put it back up again. If you say "no soliciting" the church folks don't think they're included. |
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01 Apr 12 - 10:00 PM (#3332303) Subject: RE: BS: Sleazy Contractors From: gnu My front door sign signs says, "Please Use Back Door." You know what the back door sign says. The "No Soliciting" don't work worth shit fer preachers. And, I tell them, politely, not to go next door (Mum's) and then I watch them. When they do go next door, and they do, I go out and ask them what their problem is in a manner they seem to finally comprehend. |
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01 Apr 12 - 10:04 PM (#3332305) Subject: RE: BS: Sleazy Contractors From: SINSULL I wasn't loud or rude or obnoxious. Just stared at his antics stupified and said I would get to the roof next year. Now...if he dares to come back, I intend to make a scene and if necessary call the police. I have asked my neighbors to keep an eye out. They were amused at the story but missed the straight arrow point with the horror struck face and "It's BUCKLINGGGGGG!" I bet that was the last thing the captain shouted on the Titanic. |
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01 Apr 12 - 10:10 PM (#3332311) Subject: RE: BS: Sleazy Contractors From: Rapparee Point at his truck and say, "It's ROOOOOOOOOOLINGGGGG!" Or just stare at him. Don't say anything, just stare at him as if he were some sort of odd piece of shit you'd come across and didn't really care for. |
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01 Apr 12 - 10:21 PM (#3332315) Subject: RE: BS: Sleazy Contractors From: Stilly River Sage At my mother's house we had an English pointer who was so excited when people came to the door that he broke the four bottom panes in the door that had 16 narrow panes set in it. Those were repaired with reinforced glass. We got in the habit of catching him by the collar and pushing him into the upstairs stairwell and closing that door if anyone came to the door. Two or three beefy men came to the door one day and when Mom answered it they told her they were from some church or other. When she told them she wasn't interested, the guy closest to the door actually stuck his foot in. I walked over to the stairwell and let the dog out. He left abruptly. SRS |
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02 Apr 12 - 12:35 AM (#3332344) Subject: RE: BS: Sleazy Contractors From: Bert Aw come on guys, those church guys are not all THAT BAD. I (an atheist) just invite them in and offer them something to drink, then I tell them that I am not interested. After all that's just the Christian thing to do;-) |
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02 Apr 12 - 10:12 AM (#3332514) Subject: RE: BS: Sleazy Contractors From: Rapparee Offer them bread and wine; say a prayer over it and see what they do. |
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02 Apr 12 - 11:09 AM (#3332543) Subject: RE: BS: Sleazy Contractors From: Dave the Gnome Best one I had - Can't remember the year but British Catters may remember the Strangeways prison riots. If you walked the end of our street and looked across the sports field you could see Strangeways about 3 miles as the crow flies. Dodgy looking bloke at the door. "We are repairing the roof at Strangeways and have some tiles left over. I just noticed you had a few broken..." He didn't get any further through the tears of laughter rolling down my cheeks. With what he was muttering down the path I guess he had no sense of humour... :D tG |
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02 Apr 12 - 01:16 PM (#3332601) Subject: RE: BS: Sleazy Contractors From: gnu I read "English painter"... hard time to figure that one out for a wee bit. |
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02 Apr 12 - 07:41 PM (#3332775) Subject: RE: BS: Sleazy Contractors From: GUEST,Guest from Sanity Figures! GfS |
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03 Apr 12 - 12:49 PM (#3333132) Subject: RE: BS: Sleazy Contractors From: Wolfhound person At one stage I had two wolfhound crosses. They're big - paws on 5 bar gate, no problem. Just after we got one of them, they were out with me whilst I was doing some job or other. Two yoofs with rather limited adjectival vocabularies went past, didn't see me and one said to the other "Have you seen that.....dog they've got?" Response: "That's not a dog, its a f......wolf." I genuinely believe they think I have two wolves. It makes for a quiet life in the cold callers department, anyway. Usually. Paws |
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03 Apr 12 - 04:38 PM (#3333243) Subject: RE: BS: Sleazy Contractors From: Bert Good one Paws, I just love wolfhounds. |