Ring Ring

Excellent response. No sense wasting profitable time on such silliness.

My ring ring today was equally productive but I wasted 17 minutes trying to convince the lady to either commit to spending money or go away. I should be better at this by now, but apparently I still haven't mastered it. Oh, yeah. She agreed to go away. But, she may be back if she can get the seller to drop the sales price by the cost of the survey.

Holy Cow, post: 431420, member: 50 wrote: But, she may be back if she can get the seller to drop the sales price by the cost of the survey.

At which time I'm sure you will provide her with a level of service for a fee that is not nearly enough to cover the cost of the aggrivation you will endure throughout the course of the project.

Be sure to include the fee for marking her lines in 15 years when she calls you again asking you to mark the lines on a property she paid you to survey.

That was a different caller/client today to whom I informed that the survey 15 years ago did not include maintaining her property lines for free for life. She wasn't happy I wouldn't come back for free. Oh well.

Ron Lang, post: 431413, member: 6445 wrote:

Him: I can't tell the name on the seal, but the lots were surveyed in 1979.

You could have explained to him that the 1979 coordinates are not any good now. The Government changed all that in 1983 with completely different coordinates!

James

Ron Lang, post: 431413, member: 6445 wrote: Me: Well then, I guess I can't help you. CLICK!!!

Obviously, the secret is knowing who your prospective clients will be, but part of the secret is also referring members of the public to other practitioners whose business models may accomodate the sort of things that Mr. Client had in mind. Obviously, you don't want to say "I recommend So-and-So" but want to phrase it more artfully. "I'd give So-and-So a call to see if he/she could get on it faster than I'm going to be able to" would work, I'd think.

Lately, I seem to be getting calls about the infamous "one line" survey request. They wonder why I don't bother to call them back.

I'm morbidly curious if the client actually had a list of coordinates and if so how? Google earth?

Apparently there are places now that require them on recorded plats. But, the client's info was from 1979. Half the people on this site can't even remember 1979. Of course, some of them are old enough to do so but their memories are a bit "hazy".

If you had coordinates from '79 presumably they'd be NAD27 and therefore pretty useless. Even Nad83(1986) doesn't align very well with NAD83(2011), at least in the areas where I've worked.

I don't remember who, but someone in this forum wrote that when told, "I don't want a survey, I only want a line marked" responded with, "you'll have to call someone else, because all I do are surveys".

Holy Cow, post: 431455, member: 50 wrote: Apparently there are places now that require them on recorded plats. But, the client's info was from 1979. Half the people on this site can't even remember 1979. Of course, some of them are old enough to do so but their memories are a bit "hazy".

Have been surveying since well before 1979. However, I may be beginning to resemble that last remark. If so at some point I will join the group that can't remember 1979.

Holy Cow, post: 431455, member: 50 wrote: Apparently there are places now that require them on recorded plats. But, the client's info was from 1979. Half the people on this site can't even remember 1979. Of course, some of them are old enough to do so but their memories are a bit "hazy".

1979?

I received my first Land Surveyor License in January of 1979!

That said, the 70s ARE a little vague these days.

:dizzy:
Loyal

Holy Cow, post: 431455, member: 50 wrote: Of course, some of them are old enough to do so but their memories are a bit "hazy".

How many of us were thinking "Purple Haze" here?
Seriously, I get these calls too. I have learned that most clients don't care how the sausage is made; if they want a line staked, I provide a fee estimate. If they don't like it, that is tough. I usually can find out who was there first and if appropriate, I recommend that they be contacted.

A few days ago a caller wanted a price for a survey.
When ask about where and what and if he was selling, buying or other, he responded out of town.
Could you give me an address or directions to the property..........I will just call someone else and ask for a price.
Yes please do, I'm not giving a price without knowing what is being priced.

Far too frequently the first words are something like: "How much for a survey?"

We can't change their level of ignorance unless they are willing to LISTEN to us. That's frustrating as all get out but just the way it is. It hasn't improved over the decades. If anything, it has become worse in this age of shopping on-line where everything you may need to know is laid out for you so you simply need to do a mouse click or something else just as easy.

WE AIN'T AMAZON

I usually tell potential clients that the survey price is by order of difficulty, so I cannot give a price without identifying the parcel.
With certain people, as the conversation continues, the price continues to increase.

A Harris, post: 431503, member: 81 wrote: A few days ago a caller wanted a price for a survey.
When ask about where and what and if he was selling, buying or other, he responded out of town.
Could you give me an address or directions to the property..........I will just call someone else and ask for a price.
Yes please do, I'm not giving a price without knowing what is being priced.

When someone tries to play that game with me I ask them if they can call a mechanic, and without giving them any details, tell the mechanic that their car won't start, what will it cost to fix it.

Guy goes into a bakery and says "How much for two slices of bread?"

Baker points to the list of prices on the wall which includes "Bread - $1.00 per loaf".

Guy says, "But I'm just making a sandwich, so I only need two slices."

Baker says, "Oh. Well in that case, I'll only charge you 10 cents for the two slices, but the total will be 1 dollar."

Guy says "What the... What's the other 90 cents for?!?"

Baker says "Disposal fee for the rest of the loaf I have to bake to get your two slices."

This past Sunday morning I was at our local flea market visiting with a guy I have known casually for several years. It came up that I was a surveyor. He asked "you know how to survey?" Told him I had been doing it for 40 years and licensed for 30. He got all excited and asked if I would come "run a line for him?" I told him I don't do private work, but could recommend someone in our area who does. He said "I know where the markers are, but you can't see between them because of the hill. I bought a transit and all the other gear to do it myself, but when I looked for a "How to" book on surveying they wanted like $60. I said forget it." Huh? My answer was still "no."

I shouldn't have done this (as an employee) but in my early days as a party chief we were sent out to locate a lot from a subdivision we had done years ago. I'm out on lot 8 with the instrument because one of the corners got graded out. The guy who ordered the the survey came out and said: "This isn't going to cost me anything is it?..... ... .. I thought for about two seconds and then said "Nope." I then proceeded to pack up the gun and we drove up the street to another job we had scheduled. I didn't bother to even show him what we had found.