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Garage spring broken -- UPDATE

I hired someone to replace both springs. The price will be $165.00. He will stop by at 2:30 pm today, if he keeps his word (usually, contractors do not show up on time, sometimes not at all).

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Reply to
Ignoramus24153
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Finding a good contractor for any job is an exercise in futility these days. Anyone who is willing to actually show up is usually just a hack.

Reply to
Noozer

Damn...where do you guys live that it's so hard to find decent service?

Reply to
Doug Kanter

wise choice, I have had it with garage doors. Every time I work on them it becomes more expensive than if I had just called.

Check out the I-drives at the box stores. This opener mounts on the torsion bar and there are NO f'ing springs down the sides on some doors. My next home is going to have one of these

Reply to
SQLit

Lots of times comments like that come from people who've pissed off their contractors and they won't come any more, or they pick the one that's many magnitudes cheaper than the rest, and wonder why they get ripped off. Sometimes they wouldn't know how to hire a contractor and have never done so, but listen to the horror stories in the bars and flophouses they frequent.

Reply to
Pop

I agree.

Yes, I saw it on websites yesterday, sounds like a great product. Finally they came up with something simple...

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Reply to
Ignoramus24153

Well, in my instance, often time people simply do not show up, there is no ripoff, as such. I agree with a guy to do work X for Y dollars, wait for him, he does not show up. A very normal occurrence. I would say this is more typical than having him actually show up.

i
Reply to
Ignoramus24153

Calgary, AB, Canada...

First contract I called (first number I found) had to reschedule his appointment a number of times and always called to reschedule the day AFTER he was supposed to show up.

Had a plumber come in and do some simple work. I asked for a rough estimate because I know that costs can change during the work. We chatted while he worked and seemed nice enough. I also asked him about some other work I was plannnig to do later. When we were done I paid in cash and paid extra since he did a great job. Tried to get him to come back for the second job and he'd always promise to call back after checking his schedule, but never did. After the third try to get a date set up I decided it wasn't worth the effort and did it myself.

The company the built my house installed windows poorly, crooked door frames, cracked/leaking foundation, etc. Trying to get them to repair the problems has been a nightmare. At this point I'm just going to purchase a 20 foot long banner and hang it near their showhomes - "Before you buy an XXXX home, come ask about the home they built for me!"

Took over a year to find someone who wanted to build my 24'x32' three car garage and that was before we even touched on the subject of costs.

It seems like ALL the contractors to be found are hacks - and arrogant ones at that.

Reply to
Noozer

All the trades are having a BIG problem finding workers. It is getting to the point if a company can find someone that just shows up everyday he will keep his job! The shop I work for has a constant add running for workers, skilled or otherwise, I believe the add has been running steady for over 2 years! We can not get anyone to walk through the door to apply for a job, so how the hell can you hire anyone!? Our shop is not alone, it is typical of most of the trade people I talk to. Nobody wants to get their hands dirty anymore. Everyone wants to drive a desk, or just collect unemployment! Greg

Reply to
Greg O

Horse hockey, some of the most demanding dirty jobs have waiting lists to get hired. But the pay is high enough to compensate for it. If someone can't get employees they are not paying enough. If they can't make money when they pay enough the business is not needed and should be shut down. I believe we call this the free enterprise system, and it does work. Dave

Reply to
Dave Morrison

Fine, believe what you want! Did you miss the part where I have seen it in ALL trades in our area? I had a company ask me if I wanted a job with them. It would have meant a move for my family, do I was not interested. The starting pay was 1-1/2 times union scale! Techs with a few years of experiance were getting paid 2X union scale, still short on help. Bigger city, same problem, hard to find good people.. Check out you local tech school, ask them what enrollment is compared to twenty years ago. Less people getting into the trades all the time. When I went to tech twenty+ years ago the program had room for 40 students, and turned away students because the class was filled. Now they have a hard time filling the program with 20 students! Greg

Reply to
Greg O

Jeez....my son's going to be rich, then. He wants to be a carpenter, and he knows how to operate an alarm clock and get up on time.

Reply to
Doug Kanter

He is half way there! Now if he can pound a nail he may be on to something!! I know a couple of brothers that work for a high end home builder. Some of the finish work they do is unbelieveable. They make pretty good money too. Your kid should try to go into finish work. Anyone can bang tubafours togather. Greg

Reply to
Greg O

Yeah...that's what I've been telling him. I think he understands, but he's

15, so my advice is currently of little value. :-) However, if his favorite band did a song about finish work being preferable to house framing, he'd take the advice very seriously.
Reply to
Doug Kanter

I am curious, what is considered "good money" in this context?

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Reply to
Ignoramus25975

I spoke with a guy I know who teaches carpentry at BOCES. For the Rochester NY area, he said $40k isn't out of line for people who do routine stuff like installing nice bannisters & mantles, and 50-60k for people who do the really interesting stuff, like attached/built in bookcases, or covering entire walls with really fancy moulding & trimwork. Television stuff, in other words.

Reply to
Doug Kanter

Fact is 50 - 60k ain't good money these days, and that's why people with any intelligence are not going into the trades. Dave

Reply to
Dave Morrison

At some wage level would you have been interested?

Techs with a few years of experiance were getting paid 2X

Bigger city = higher living costs.

Lets see a couple of years tech school + a few years starvation wages as an apprentice and you are a tradesman. Four years of school and an a law degree and you are talking real money. Now I wouldn't mind living in a world short of lawyers, can't say the same about plumbers. Dave

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Reply to
Dave Morrison

Yeah, but it's not what I'd call shabby. And, if you really love what you're doing, you're healthier, and you & your family are happier.

Reply to
Doug Kanter

Yep, I was a white collar worker for 25 years before modern distribution made my job obsolete. I'm covered with grease now and happy as a clam. Make more money too, but then I am the only employee. Dave

Reply to
Dave Morrison

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