Back story: I gave a quote for a small boundary survey just a few miles from home. I bid it SUPER low (by my standards) because we are coming into winter, I don't have anything really going right now (I'm a part timer, as I see fit, so I only take a few jobs here and there), and I wanted to put a little padding on the bank account to heat the house this winter, and it's literally 3 miles from my front door. When I returned that call with the price it was met with astonishment. Then he told me that "Brand X" down the road said he could do it for half my price, why am I so expensive. I explained that my price was a lot lower than I originally calculated and the only way that Brand X could possibly make that price point is that he likely already surveyed the property for a previous owner or he did it as part of a neighboring lot. He again commented that he was shocked and wanted me to lower my price, to which I responded that that's business for you and Brand X is clearly your man for the job. That was three weeks ago (my timeframe to complete was three weeks, rather unheard of in these parts...).
Yesterday: I got another call. It was this guy. There are stakes and pink flagging everywhere on his property and he's super frustrated and confused. He thought (hoped?) maybe I had come out and done the job. I reminded him that he was planning to use Brand X due to price point, and it's company policy to not work on jobs that I wasn't hired to do... He then went on an exhausted half rant about all the issues he's having with Brand X, how communication is non-existent, and this has been a real pain for him to deal with... Using every bit of self-restraint that I had, I did NOT say, Well, you get what you pay for bud! He asked one more time, are you sure you didn't come out and do any work? I laughed, wished him the best and bid him farewell. Now he knows that price equals value; low price, low value.
Karma, duuuuuuuuuuuuude, karma.
I got a bid request from a contractor who was bidding a job in a complex where I've done quite a bit of work over the years. I finally sat down and carefully read the specs and there was no way I even wanted to guess at what it would cost to do it the way they require. Basically, you would be signing your professional life away on a weekly basis and be married to this simple job.
I declined to even bid the project. Now 6 months later a bid request comes in from the same complex. That's right, the same construction job, I had been in the area and seen that it had started with construction fencing going up.
So even now they haven't found a surveyor willing to do the job, as equipment is moving in. Good luck to whoever takes it on, it won't be me. Sometimes it's better not to get a job than to get it, even better not to bid them.:cool:
My guess is they will have to modify the specs, or someone won't read through them carefully and bid it way to low.
It's always possible you will be asked to "fix" his problem and can do it at a reasonable rate.
The odd part of this that I left out... Brand X has (had) a really great reputation. He's always been one of the main go to guys in my area. Always helpful. Always high quality work. But the last 2-3 years has apparently taken a toll. He's not an old man by any means, but his work is fading fast. "No Field Visit Needed" in the next town over has had a pretty bad reputation for decades and has paid dearly with multiple license suspensions... Recently, "NFVN" even commented that Brand X's work seemed shoddy lately and he wondered what was up...? That's not good.
"...you will be asked to "fix" his problem and can do it at a reasonable rate."
One of the last things on earth that I want to do is "fix" a problem caused by a low-balling competitor "at a reasonable rate."
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The way I imagine this will play out; Brand X will eventually get the survey done and I'll never hear from said non-client again. The non-client will however have a bad taste in his mouth regarding surveying and surveyors. My professional opinion on this job is that Brand X probably went to the site, set control (the stakes and flagging in question), tied flagging in trees over record monuments he located, and performed the survey. Non-client likely saw control points and got very confused (as is common when a lay person sees bright colors on a survey job) wondering why his "corners" are nowhere near where he expected... A call to Brand X would have cleared up all confusion and that's what I recommended to non-client. I was confused myself as to why I was getting a call questioning who had been to the site... Uhh, maybe the surveyor that you hired?
This thread made me think of this guy. He shoulda just relied on the "rock".
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[MEDIA=youtube]Zx7ge8YPYE8[/MEDIA]
Surveypro Chad, post: 448363, member: 12063 wrote: This thread made me think of this guy. He shoulda just relied on the "rock".
😉[MEDIA=youtube]Zx7ge8YPYE8[/MEDIA]
Can never go wrong posting that clip.