So I get a call from a nice lady who needs me to find or set the five corners of her property. Interesting experience because Brand X was in there.
About fifteen years ago the owner split the site into odd parcels, and a surveyor of high repute wrote the legal descriptions. His descriptions work. About eight years ago, for whatever reason, Brand X rewrote the legals, maybe to change the configuration, or maybe so he could charge more money, whatever. Now this lady’s legal description miscloses by three feet, no mean feat on a one-acre parcel. Brand X apparently set at least some monuments, but didn’t bother filing a record of survey, which might have given a few clues to his intent in the new legals.
Brand X is now out of business so I can’t ask him, not that he bothered keeping records anyway. Don’t you love Brand X surveyors?
True story.
FBN Surveys
Hmmm.... They've done work around here also but around here, they are known as FBN Surveys. (Fly By Night)
Bruce,
Why are you grousing? You're the one that's still in business, and you're going to make some money sorting out X's survey. That looks like good news to me.
Dave
I agree David, to a point.
I guess Brand X is everywhere and surely does make work for the rest of us. But in my opinion, the only one that benefits in the long run is the perpetrator of the flimsy work. It's hard enough to figure things out without recent surveys leaving land mines laying about for us to trip over. AND they give us all bad press in the public's eye.
The local Brand X that comes to my mind is younger than me...soooo outliving him is probably out of the question. Putting on white robes and burning a tripod in his front yard might get his attention...oh hell, I say string them all up from a yard arm and neuter the bastards.
We had a Brand X working not far from here for a long time. No license, no intention of ever having one. Just a friendly guy with just enough knowledge to almost do a job correctly. Charged little if anything for what he did. We are still trying to get things straightened out.
FBN Surveys
I called them "Paper Mills". Their work was almost as good as the paper on which it was printed.
Andy
> I guess Brand X is everywhere and surely does make work for the rest of us. But in my opinion, the only one that benefits in the long run is the perpetrator of the flimsy work. It's hard enough to figure things out without recent surveys leaving land mines laying about for us to trip over. AND they give us all bad press in the public's eye.
Yeah, I definitely agree that the surveyors who don't deliver a service of even minimal acceptable quality are a net drag on society. They can and have created some of the most incredible messes that will cost ten or a hundred times more money to fix than their bargain basement fee and the surveyor who has the bad luck to bring the existence of such a mess to a client's attention is seldom understood to be the hero in the story.
Paden,
"Putting on white robes and burning a tripod in his front yard might get his attention..."
Now THAT conjures a picture! 😛
Dave
Its been a few years since our Brand x went out with a revoked license, but, even now, the following situation is all too common:
1. Engage in job, do research, gather data in field, find Brand X monuments
2. Try to solve puzzles posed by Brand X survey, nothing on the ground matches record data, none of record data closes or makes legal sense, or fits with others' work or lines of occupation.
3. Go days or weeks over estimated time and cost budget.
4. Frustrated client and/or neighbors turn out to have relied upon Brand X bogus monuments and/or bogus documents, calls Brand X, who swears a storm, but offers no valid information.
5. Client makes following statement: "Brand X did this same survey for two bits! YOU must be incompetent!I'm calling my lawyer!"
6. Answer phone, engage in next job.
ww CO PLS
- Have a nice day! Or, may your monument prevail over some guy's touchscreen.
