Makes me proud to be a Surveyor (Not!!!)

Maybe they have GIS and Google Maps and don't need to drive to the job site......?

I'll bet they got a copy of your plat and "update" it from the comfort of the office without setting foot on the site.

> Maybe they have GIS and Google Maps and don't need to drive to the job site......?

Could they have a copy of your survey? Maybe they don't even need to get out of their chair......?

Great minds think alike;-) eh snoop?

I find the thought of using Google Maps for anything but general guidance VERY scary! Last night, my brother and I were talking about Google Maps vs Google Earth. My brother was looking at my neighborhood and house using Google Earth while I was using Google Maps. My brother told me that the picture date on Google Earth was February (I think) of 2010. I knew immediately that date was wrong. Why? Because the boat in my neighbors yard (clearly visible in both Google Earth and Maps street view has not been there for FOUR YEARS or more! There have also been other changes within the past year or so.

Keep in mind that this a very rural and small (1000 pop)town.

I will keep my eye on this for sure.

No GIS here, hell the appraisal maps are still pretty much hand drawn here.

I hope that this company does the right thing, cause I will know if they did not.

On another note, my youngest is a marine reserve and busting his tail in college trying to meet the requirements to be a Licensed Surveyor one day.

After the things I have seen in the last 4 years or so, just like this one, I hope his efforts are worthwhile.

I did not have the privilege of a higher education, but we did get taught basic economics in high school, and for me that was 35 years ago.

Randy

Randy,
I have heard the same thing of a company coming out of Houston into San Antonio and doing really cheap survey work - I want to get ahold of their plat..

But Google Earth is da' bomb! I can't have a conversation with an AutoDesk sales weasel these days without him or her bringing up the fact that "AutoCAD integrates so well with Google Earth now!"

Sign of the times. Proud to be a surveyor....yep. Try your best to get over things. Although you are frustrated.... I bet a $100 bucks you are proud of your work and exemplifying the survey profession.

It will keep your cardiac process in check.

Anyone want to take the bet?

> Would you travel round trip of at least 8 hours and add on 3 hours on the job for $375.00?

Yes. If it meant that doing that would keep the lights on or buy necessities for the family.

Some money is always better than none money.

Depending on their truck, it would cost about 250 bucks in gas alone to make that round trip from here.

> Depending on their truck, it would cost about 250 bucks in gas alone to make that round trip from here.

I get about $ 150 @ 26 MPG and $ 4.00 (LA cost) a gallon

Edit: I re read Randys OP and it's 8 hours round trip, so gas cost is $ 75.00 @ 26mpg @ 4bux gal

If it's anything like Florida it works like this ...

Said mortgage lowballers advertise statewide and have a network of "contract crews" across the state that work their area for some small fee (like $75 per job). The contract crew does the work, emails the notes and point file to a contract draftsman who get paid like $10 or $15 per job ... then it gets emailed to a PLS for rubber stamping and fee collection.

Maybe the low ball surveying company's only source of income right now is the mortgage company. Would you want to risk losing that or drive 8 hours? How far would you go to keep a good client? Sure they'll take a loss on this one job, but in the long run, it may keep their doors open.

I found out the other day that a "contract crew" may be a violation of the IRS. 1099 contractors cannot be told how to do their job, they have to be self sufficient.

Any contractor must meet standards. Mine start with "Get this information, on this site, in this format, using these methods, by this time." By IRS rules, you cannot set start and stop time. That "creates" employees. But, if it is part of a Single contract job with a written contract, you can actually specify anything that is agreeable to both sides of the contract.

You can't tell a person, crew, etc., that they are "on contract" and then treat them like employees. That doesn't work.

> Any contractor must meet standards. Mine start with "Get this information, on this site, in this format, using these methods, by this time." By IRS rules, you cannot set start and stop time. That "creates" employees. But, if it is part of a Single contract job with a written contract, you can actually specify anything that is agreeable to both sides of the contract.
>
> You can't tell a person, crew, etc., that they are "on contract" and then treat them like employees. That doesn't work.

From the IRS website:

"an individual is an independent contractor if the payer has the right to control or direct only the result of the work and not what will be done and how it will be done."

Not that I want to work with contract crews or anything but I'm just curious about these rules of start and stop times. We had a contract with the State for QA/QC on a new State prison a few years ago. At first, we would just show up and do our thing on our own time schedule and submit our time sheets for hours worked. After a while, they told us to be there at 7 AM and report to the trailer. If we showed up at 7:02 people were looking at their watches and scowling, but if we showed up at 6:59, we could stand around and drink coffee all day with the rest of the people and it was all good.

We were not State employees but they specified our start and stop times, and I didn't have a problem with it, except after karaoke night at Denny's the night before, it was a little rough.

Not only that! They will use your surveyor last
name in google addwords for website hits to thier
website.
Shame shame shameless!