kabonski, post: 417754, member: 1518 wrote: This is also the case in the United States. Surveyors were once very highly respected. I love what I do and I'm personally very proud to be a surveyor but we are now at the bottom of the pecking order in most companies. It's really sad actually
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I have been surveying for 30 years now. I've worked in 4 different companies of varying sizes and ran my own business for 3 years during the worst part of the last recession. With the exception of one company, as a surveyor I have never been treated like I was at the bottom of the pecking order and, needless to say, I left that company who felt like surveying was the necessary evil quickly. I now work for a firm that holds me and my staff as extremely valuable and professional employees and treats us as such. My advise to anybody who feels that they are treated like they are at the bottom of the pecking order would be to find a more suitable position elsewhere. We have come out of the recession to the point where business is good again and demand/wages are increasing daily.
Everybody thinks what we do is controlled by the magic black box that we take to the site.
A couple of weeks ago I had a call from a neighbor who wanted me to help him out (so he could look like a hero to his current lady friend). She owned a lake lot somewhere in the middle of Misery (Missouri to those at a greater distance) and wanted to find her corners. Supposedly she had a drawing showing coordinates at all the corners. He wanted me to grab the black box gizmo, load up in his car and he would drive me to the place. Then all I had to do was find the corners, stick a flag on each one and we'd be back on the road for home in no time.
I explained that I was not licensed in Missouri, so to find someone local who would know exactly how to handle it for her.
Whewwwwwwwww. Dodged that bullet.
Lugeyser, post: 417935, member: 1249 wrote: You guys kill me with your belly aching about proposals versus bids.
You act like the public and your potential customers are supposed to just have an unlimited budget. It's our job to educate them why we might be the best option. It's our job to let them know what will be required to make their project as successful as possible..
The complaint is a bid where $$$ are evaluated without value being considered. Some years ago, I attended a "Pre-Bid" Conference for an Annual Improvement Program for a County Water Department. This was the third year that I was involved. I reviewed the results from the previous two years and found that the previous awarded firms were 1/3 to 1/2 less than the average estimated cost of 10 firms. After the Department made their presentation, I asked if they were happy with what they have been getting. They rolled their eyes and threw their hands up in the air. I pointed out that several of the firms present were within 10% of each other, which would indicate we had a similar understanding of the Scope of Services required and that as we all wanted the work and had used ever competitive advantage and still could not reduce the cost to 1/2 half of our estimate. So the awarded firm had badly misunderstood the scope, decided it was OK to lose money, or thought they could get by with less effort. I stated that if the only consideration was cost that I was not interested in wasting my time preparing a proposal. To their credit, they listened and awarded the Projects based on value. The Water Department Staff was much happier with the product they received. If it is just $$$, it's not worth my time to respond. I want Clients who are looking for value. Unfortunately people who just look at $$$ will find a multitude of surveyors willing to cut each others throat.
JPH, post: 417787, member: 6636 wrote: Somewhere along the line people got convinced, (by realtors, developers?), that the physical location of their biggest purchase isn't really that important. They were too willing to believe that paying $1000 or more was was way too much money, was totally totally unnecessary, and somehow became satisfied with someone else giving them an unqualified, vague demonstration of where their corners are.
It's only when the other shoe drops, and someone starts using what they were told was their land that they then see the need for a survey.
I was told once that no one wants a survey till they find out that they need one, and by then, it's usually too late.
Haha. I have one where the closing attorney (non local) asked for an ALTA but the permitting attorney (local) said the expense was not needed.
The seller's closing attorney forgot parcel 4 in the deed. Two weeks later, I emailed the closing attorney asking for the deed for parcel 4... oh someone missed that one.
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You can't demand respect, you have to command it.