Has anyone worked with MKA assoc.'s and if so what are your thoughts?
I believe they are out of Virgina. I'm in the Houston area and I contracted
some jobs with them because times were slow.
So far things are less than what I expected. Any comments are greatly
appriciated.
To quote Nancy Reagan:
"Just say NO"
Larry P
MKA is a survey "clearing house "operation like so many others. In my area there is a serious move to not allow these kind of companies to do business here.
So these guys have found a local guy to do your work for you. Do you know anything about his qualifications, experience or registration status? You are getting what you see as substandard results from this crew. So call MKA and tell them that. Tell them you have no intention to pay for sloppy work. Their contract with you should provide work that meets your standards and expectations.
Asking about this firm after they have already messed you up does no good. Get on their case.
"MKAssociates, "MKA" is a National Land Services Group, certified woman-owned and specializing in providing single or multi-site "Land Survey Coordination - Nationwide". MKA is headquartered in Northern Virginia, just minutes from our Nation's Capital. On the clients' behalf, MKA locates and contracts with professionally licensed land surveyors and engineers to perform land survey services across the United States and Canada.
MKA is a coordination service, not a land surveying company, providing clients with staff that can assist in many ways during and after the due diligence process. As project coordinators, MKA's managers possess strong backgrounds with proven track records in project, client, and operational management and the coordination of multi-faceted, multi-disciplined projects. Often, MKA projects require special emphasis on satisfying critical deadlines with acute cost controls, while at the same time working with the best surveyors and engineers in the country who provide the highest level of quality and certified accuracy. Whether you need one single-site survey, hundreds of multi-site surveys, or post survey services, (i.e., planning, zoning, engineering, environmental, design and construction layout), one call to MKA puts you in contact with the right professional."
But note that it NEVER states that any of the staff of MKA is licensed in the survey field. They just send on to you what they get. Perhaps they do not even know if ut is right or wrong.
The best rule of thumb is NEVER DEAL WITH OUTFITS LIKE THIS. You are buying a pig in a poke. Next time, try a phone call to the state registration board and ask for some names, or go on their web site and look at the rosters and make some phone calls to see what you can get done for what kind of price.
Unfortunately, there is a place in the market for brokers, and I don't think they are going away.
Surveyor broker reference needed please>cptdent
While I agree with what you said I think that the poster is a surveyor that has contracted to do work for MK, not a client using mk as the supplier....
That's how I read it, and the Bowden survey webpage in the posters profile kind of confirmed it...
Surveyor broker reference needed please>cptdent
Hmm, you may be right.
BUT, my original rule still holds. These companies came into our area and wanted us to offer competitive bids for selection. That violates our state regs. Then they want to tell you how to do your work, even though many of these firms do not have a Licensed Surveyor on staff and none I have seen have one licensed in my state. Then they are often VERY slow to pay.
We have done work for three firms like this WAY BACK WHEN and have learned that they are just not worth fooling with. Plus, as I stated earlier, several of the firms are no longer allowed to do business in this state and, in the near future, regulations may be written to disallow firms like this in our state.
Surveyor broker reference needed please>cptdent
I'm with you there...i did work for one, about 10 years ago... large job, about 45k and it took 6 months to get paid. The company I was working for couldn't carry the debt that long and ended up going out of business....
It is tempting because the large companies with multiple real estate holdings in several states find it easier to deal with one broker than many individual survey companies...
I wish they would take advantage of the national orgs or local state orgs, but convenience works for them I guess..
Surveyor broker reference needed please>cptdent
My state now requires "A Certificate of Authorization by a corporation, firm pr partnership offering engineering and/or surveying services." That stopped a lot of the "clearing house" operations. They found it impossible to meet the requirements for a certificate when shopping for the lowest bidder each time. Plus they do not like the $100 annual fee.
The majority of the work we do fge, out of state corporations that are building facilities here comes from eithertheir real estate attorney or the title insurance companies. That's the best way to do it. That way you are dealing with responsible parties. Many of the "clearing houses" take any responsibility for the work done of payment for the work. They claim to be just the middle man.
Surveyor broker reference needed please>cptdent
GET PAID UP FRONT, OR AT LEAST GET A RETAINER! YOU CAN SIT AROUND AND PLAY GUITAR, DRINK BEER, AND WATCH IT RAIN AND MAKE AS MUCH MONEY AS YOU WOULD SURVEYING FOR FREE!
