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Minimum effort incompetence
Good client is developing a parcel that has older easements from a failed development. Nothing built, just the easements. The electric company promptly released their easement, no charge. The water company promptly released their easement, no charge. The communication company’s fee for a review is over $7,000 and growing. Their first release, sent to the client for review, was for an easement somewhere in Utah, having nothing to do with Tucson. Fortunately the client asked me to look at it and I caught the blunder. For their second attempt at a release they downloaded a watermarked low resolution copy of the easement to be released, thereby saving $6 over a clear copy. I pointed out the Recorder is very clear on this subject – do not attach a watermarked low resolution document. We’re waiting for the third attempt. I get the impression they charge executive rates but have a junior clerk do the actual work. Geez.
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7 Replies
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What is there to review if nothing was ever installed?
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“What is there to review if nothing was ever installed?”
Whether or not anything was ever installed. Until the site has been excavated to a great depth one can never be truly certain, can they? Recall the many objections to certifying that all utilities have been located on an ALTA.
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Good point, but in this case I’ve been surveying that site since 2006 when it was a junkyard. Also, the electic company and the water company are sticklers for facts, so if they agree nothing has been dug on the site, it hasn’t. No, I’d say the communication company is sticking it to my client. Plus incompetence, of course.
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7,000 seems way excessive.<div>
Maybe tell your client to have their attorney to send a letter asking for a detailed breakdown of costs and how they’re justified. ?
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“Also, the electric company and the water company are sticklers for facts, so if they agree nothing has been dug on the site, it hasn’t.”
I agree that $7000 is a bit steep, and that the performance of the communications company to date has been an embarrassment. But the water company and electric company didn’t say there was nothing there, only that there was nothing of theirs there.
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The electric company and the communication company share a trench. That’s standard operating agreement, and the two easements are in the same place.
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Can you just ignore it? I mean make a common lot on top of the easement or something and keep things moving.
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