Friday Afternoon Crazies. ..Out of the Woodwork

Frax

Frax

Participating member
Location
Expat now in Chapel Hill, NC by way of Calgary, Al
These kind of things happens to all of us. You can't park a chip truck and throttle up the chipper without it happening several times a week. just today...

Guy comes by while I'm chipping brush. Can he just drag over some brush he has for me to chip? Well...OK. At least he tried to give me money. Didn't take it. Not so bad.

Minute later. Guy comes strolling down block. Can he have a business card? That's OK. Quite a usual way we get jobs. But can I stop chipping this enormous pile of brush late on a Friday afternoon and follow him to his house to look at his trees and advise. Hmm. No. I need to get my job done. Please call the office.

Best one. No. Worst one. Guy comes by. How much to remove two spruce? Can't say. You need to get an estimate. No really. How much? Here's a business card. Plese call for an estimate. No. Just tell me how much. I can't. It depends on access, size, obstacles. Oh come on. Just tell me. I can't.
Guy is annoying...then creeps me out totally...

Actually grabs my arm in kind of a gropy creepy way "Oooohhh!!! This job really keeps you in shape!"

Not making eye contact either, if you know what I mean!

Excuse me! I have work to do!

Hope if we get that job, it's not my crew. Gross!

I know you guys have great similar stories. I want to hear them
 
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Guy is annoying...then creeps me out totally...
Actually grabs my arm in kind of a gropy creepy way "Oooohhh!!! This job really keeps you in shape!"
Not making eye contact either, if you know what I mean!

I know you guys have great similar stories. I want to hear them

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Oh heck yes I hear ya Nora, woman clients are groping and ogling me all the time! And the guys!

But they all find out I'm all business!
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O and she was using the generic 'Guy" there folks,
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But yeah some people think they own your time, or you owe them "a number". gotta smash that delusion!
 
If I were you I'd say "you may not touch me again!" and if he said he was sorry, he'd barely finish it before I said "IacceptanditremainsyoumaynotTOUCHme!"
 
I try to take these kinds of things on a case by case basis. If some one is older and looks like they have a hard time getting around, I'll be more likely to help them out with small things that aren't on the work order. Perfectly capable, fairly "young", seemingly well to do homeowners can pay more for it. Typically, it is the former clientelle who will tip you for this kind of extra work anyway. People that will try and bleed more out of me will get the cold shoulder in a second.


My boss rocks, so if we can pick up a 30 minute job and make some "lunch money" and still get our daily jobs done, we are free to do so. So we actually take the time, if we aren't slammed, to go and look at jobs. I'll preface it to h.o., "is it something small, we can do fast?" if they say no I tell 'em to call the shop.
 
Well...haven't had any women, or men, grab me like that...

One of the things I do hate is when the client starts ordering my guys around. Especially when they do it in the "You're just a Mexican" tone of voice. Been in a few heated discussions over stuff like that.
 
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I wish I had. Caught off guard. Don't expect that sh*t from strangers.

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Keep your hand on your Sily saw the next time someone approaches you, if he grabs your arm, you could take care of a couple of digits reeeaal fast.
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But, I know what you mean. Why do people approach us when we have the chipper running at full RPM's and we have a pile of brush behind? It drives me crazy.

If I'm super busy, I give a hand signal; palm facing them with my index finger vertical to signal "wait just one second." They sort of get it.
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...One of the things I do hate is when the client starts ordering my guys around. Especially when they do it in the "You're just a Mexican" tone of voice. Been in a few heated discussions over stuff like that.

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I've noticed this as well.
 
Since the topic also has "inappropriate touch" in it, I don't like any sort of touch, when meeting strangers. Sometimes older ladies may touch the shoulder or forearm when they tell a joke or something. It still bothers me.
 
[ QUOTE ]
One of the things I do hate is when the client starts ordering my guys around. Especially when they do it in the "You're just a Mexican" tone of voice. Been in a few heated discussions over stuff like that.

[/ QUOTE ]

This is one reason why I don't work by the hour anymore. Had a couple customers follow me around and try to squeeze every last drop of production out of me and it was annoying. And then I look back and think: damn, if I would have bid on that much work it would have been double $.

Usually when people approach me while on the job they want a removal, and I dont do removals anymore (very rarely), so I just tell them that's not my area, but these are the services I do provide XXYY. Then they walk away and think to themselves "what a tree snob, cutt'in trees aint nothin special". This has been my best defense to help weed out the bargain butcher shoppers and attract the right clients. But I'm in a different demographics that have forced me to take this route.
 
I just say I'm not a sales guy, just a worker so don't shoot the messenger. But I keep them out of the area till I'm done chipping. I don't chipping extra brush if asked nicely, i just say to the ones with the roots that I have to cut the rootball off because I don't want to take the chance of running rocks over the knives. The worst is when people just see you and start to bring brush out and expecting you will chip it (Usually when they missed the last pick up call for christmas trees). I will just wait till they leave and drag it right back to where they brought it from. I just find that incredibly ignorant and have no problem with matching the ignorance myself.
 
When I am in that type of situation I tell the person "excuse me but you are not allowed in the work area for safety purposes, but I will come by your house when we are done and give a look at the job. just give your address to that gentleman over there,, thanks and sorry for any inconvience""" that does it every time
 
Jamin- had a bid late last friday afternoon, 65ish lady, 'oh hi there, excuse me im drunk, just a little white wine! could you hold my hand, im a little off balance' Sorry maam, got pitch all over them, you dont want that
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Frax,
It's too true about Friday's and nutters. Why is that?

Went to a homeowners location who was looking for the utility to do some free tree work for her. All the time that she was explaining what she wanted done, she kept sticking her middle finger in her mouth and sucking it between sentences. I should add that she was at least 70 and I'm not.
Creeped me out and I bailed out as fast as I could, trees still there.
 
Re: Friday Afternoon Crazies. ..Out of the Woodwor

The Friday afternoon crazies hitting the road is my primary concern. I have witnessed some pretty shocking stuff this month alone, and drive at an extra level of caution assuming that everyone around me or around the next corner is a weapon. It's like my truck and chipper is a magnet for morons.

Speed limit, radio off, mirror sweeps constantly, no talking, no left turns, no sketchy on ramps, and no parking lots.
 
Re: Friday Afternoon Crazies. ..Out of the Woodwor

ryan... stop updating treebuzz from your blackberry while driving!

and frax, put the next creep that grabs you in an arm bar and flip him on his butt
 
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