Befuddled

[ez14]

Nothing wrong with the price changing when the job changed but why didn't you give him the new price before you did the new work?

 

[dun]

That is one of the reasons I was glad california forced me out as a gunshop. Between the state adding fees/charges every year and the dealing with the public I just couldn;t handle it anymore. There were 10 gunshops in town at one time, now there is one. What does that tell you?

 

[Jogeephus]

Nothing wrong with the price changing when the job changed but why didn't you give him the new price before you did the new work?

Why? We had already agreed on a per acre cleared rate. Add more acres just multiply it by the rate - if its less acres they don't get charged. They added 9 more acres but 3.5 acres was in the creek so they weren't charged. No haggling over equipment hours and no accusations of hour padding just measure the land cleared and multiply it by the rate and you got your price and it can be easily verified by a third party if need be.

I really should have charged extra because they didn't mention the other land till the end and at that time there was a man and a lowboy sitting there ready to move equipment to the next job when he could have been on another piece of equipment making money. Their addition meant his time was wasted but I try to take the bad with the good and hope it evens out.

You can't win with people today.

That is what I'm seeing. I've operated this way for years with no problems but this newer generation seems to have some warped sense of entitlement. They just don't get it.

I was once told you should never make a big decision when you are walking up a mountain. I think I'm standing at the bottom now and unless something spectacular happens before I reach the top I think I'm done. This will free my time and maybe I can get more cows. With cattle, unlike people, you can knock some sense into them with your sorting stick and not get locked up.

 

[ez14]

Nothing wrong with the price changing when the job changed but why didn't you give him the new price before you did the new work?

Why? We had already agreed on a per acre cleared rate. Add more acres just multiply it by the rate - if its less acres they don't get charged. They added 9 more acres but 3.5 acres was in the creek so they weren't charged. No haggling over equipment hours and no accusations of hour padding just measure the land cleared and multiply it by the rate and you got your price and it can be easily verified by a third party if need be.

I really should have charged extra because they didn't mention the other land till the end and at that time there was a man and a lowboy sitting there ready to move equipment to the next job when he could have been on another piece of equipment making money. Their addition meant his time was wasted but I try to take the bad with the good and hope it evens out.

You can't win with people today.

That is what I'm seeing. I've operated this way for years with no problems but this newer generation seems to have some warped sense of entitlement. They just don't get it.

I was once told you should never make a big decision when you are walking up a mountain. I think I'm standing at the bottom now and unless something spectacular happens before I reach the top I think I'm done. This will free my time and maybe I can get more cows. With cattle, unlike people, you can knock some sense into them with your sorting stick and not get locked up.

ok a per acre rate makes sense (i was thinking you gave a price for the whole job not a per acre rate)

 

[skyhightree1]

Would you be upset with me if I agreed to clear 40 acres of your land for $6000 but just before I finished you added 9 more acres to the job and I handed you a bill for $6975 for clearing all of it? Would you be upset that I charged more than we agreed in the beginning?

This is not a trick question. I just want to see if I'm crazy or if today's arse chewing was deserved.

Jo,
I would like to hire your services of land clearing for me. I can keep you busy till you are 90 years old. I don't need any references. Please start today.

 

[Jogeephus]

ok a per acre rate makes sense (i was thinking you gave a price for the whole job not a per acre rate)

Yeah, the per acre is how it was quoted but they asked how much it would cost to clear the acreage so I figured it for them and told them it would not run over this amount. I think this is where the craziness comes in because they want to hang their hat on this and can't grasp the concept that their adding a whole different area to the job meant the price would get larger just as the job did. People amaze me. To me, this is just common sense and I shouldn't have to explain to them that the addition will cost more.

Sky, I'm at the bottom of the hill but I think I'm done but I'm sure there are a lot of people who would love to jump in the business what with all the glory, banking hours, stress free and the wonderful working conditions and lets not forget the opportunity to meet such wonderful generous, and intelligent people. I'm beginning to see its just pure selfishness on my part to deprive others of this opportunity to experience such wonders. So for their sake, I think I'm done.

 

[True Grit Farms]

Sky, I'm at the bottom of the hill but I think I'm done but I'm sure there are a lot of people who would love to jump in the business what with all the glory, banking hours, stress free and the wonderful working conditions and lets not forget the opportunity to meet such wonderful generous, and intelligent people. I'm beginning to see its just pure selfishness on my part to deprive others of this opportunity to experience such wonders. So for their sake, I think I'm done.[/quote]

Hopefully you'll start taking the beaver eradication program serious again. And the swamp goats are really getting to be a problem for the farmers, so you and your hunting partner could stay really busy.
Seems to be a good way to relieve stress and I know Eli would be tickled.

 

[Jogeephus]

Sky, I'm at the bottom of the hill but I think I'm done but I'm sure there are a lot of people who would love to jump in the business what with all the glory, banking hours, stress free and the wonderful working conditions and lets not forget the opportunity to meet such wonderful generous, and intelligent people. I'm beginning to see its just pure selfishness on my part to deprive others of this opportunity to experience such wonders. So for their sake, I think I'm done.

Hopefully you'll start taking the beaver eradication program serious again. And the swamp goats are really getting to be a problem for the farmers, so you and your hunting partner could stay really busy.
Seems to be a good way to relieve stress and I know Eli would be tickled.[/quote]

The beavers do need attention. Have a meeting sometime this week with ATF and I'm fixing to step up my game if they approval my new storage magazine.

 

[greybeard]

Maybe it's that customer's version of them free Obama phones Joe? :hide:
It's like ordering a steak dinner, then ordering a couple pieces of lemon or pecan pie for desert. Ain't no free rides in the real world.

 

[Ol' 243]

I just got a quote to clear 17 acres of flat cutover for 10K. I wish you would come do mine. BTW, that was the cheapest quote I got.

 

[john250]

Clearly you are crazy. Destroying all those trees. Mother Earth will not be happy with you. Neither will Hillary. But your bill seems reasonable. Sorry you got a tongue lashing.

 

[dun]

Jo, do you make house calls in MO?

 

[NECowboy]

Would you be upset with me if I agreed to clear 40 acres of your land for $6000 but just before I finished you added 9 more acres to the job and I handed you a bill for $6975 for clearing all of it? Would you be upset that I charged more than we agreed in the beginning?

This is not a trick question. I just want to see if I'm crazy or if today's arse chewing was deserved.

Absolutely not sounds reasonable and even cheaper per acre on the last 9!

 

[Jogeephus]

Jo, do you make house calls in MO?

I wouldn't know what to do with all your rocks. That would pose a problem I think. Rocks are rare here and actually quite valuable.

Our land has good tilth and is pretty easy to clear. Here is a pic of one I finished last month. Not stumping it because its going back in trees. I'll sell the stumps whenever I can and this makes for easier clearing and helps defray the cost of land clearing. Am working on one that should yield over 3500 tons of stumps which will pay for a third of the clearing job so that really helps the bottom line.

Clearly you are crazy. Destroying all those trees. Mother Earth will not be happy with you. Neither will Hillary. But your bill seems reasonable. Sorry you got a tongue lashing.

Crazy yes but you forgot greedy. I'm a greedy shyster. The thought of my offending Hillary has offended me and truly troubles me. I hope she can forgive me because I don't want to die just yet.

 

[dun]

If they're so valuable down there, you could haul them back and sell them to cover what you would have charged me to clear the place.

 

[SmokinM]

Jo I don't know if I am more amazed that you did 40 acres for $6k or that he griped about the price. That is $60k here all day long for a crappy job by a jack leg. Where do you sell the stumps to? They charge you to dump them here, grind them, then charge for the mulch and the topsoil they make from them.

Dealing with people will make say bad words and question your own sanity.

 

[Jogeephus]

If they're so valuable down there, you could haul them back and sell them to cover what you would have charged me to clear the place.

:lol2: :lol2: If we could find a way to haul them economically we could make a mint. Seriously. I used to drive back and two from the Alabama mountains each week and I used to haul rocks in my Honda Civic. I was paid a dollar a foot for those nice water polished rock. More than paid for my gas bill.

 

[Jogeephus]

Jo I don't know if I am more amazed that you did 40 acres for $6k or that he griped about the price. That is $60k here all day long for a crappy job by a jack leg. Where do you sell the stumps to? They charge you to dump them here, grind them, then charge for the mulch and the topsoil they make from them.

Dealing with people will make say bad words and question your own sanity.

I'll sell the stumps to Hercules. Stumps are high in carbon esters and nitrates used in making explosives and stuff. They don't pay a lot since they are now essentially a monopoly but they will pay between $3-5/ton for them depending on freight and some other things. I expect to get over 3200 tons off my next job and they should start plucking them in the next week or so if this hurricane thing doesn't set on us. If not, I'll post some pictures of them digging the stumps if you are interested.

 

[slick4591]

With my little experience I don't often hire out to do much tractor work. I will on occasion do it mostly as a favor to a neighbor, family or friend. When they ask me how much I charge I usually come in with an extremely low rate cause I ain't looking to get rich. When I tell them the price I add the phrase, "But if you stop me while I'm doing it my rate goes up a hundred an hour". Seems to have worked so far.

 

[JWBrahman]

I'm glad I'm not crazy just working in crazyland it seems. I honestly don't think I can take much more of John Q Public. This is twice its happened in three weeks. Apparently some people feel entitled to my free sweat. If you hear of my moving to Florida and taking flying lessons I'd suggest you staying clear of tall buildings. Just saying. Just kidding. Well, maybe not. :lol2:

The most devastating virus to hit America is the "Everybody Owes Me" strain Shathead arseholius.

Drive around Baton Rouge and you see perfectly salvageable items thrown away left and right. Everyone believes that the job of government is to buy them new crap like an episode of The Price is Right. On the front page of today's paper an angry woman stares at you next to her nordic skier and plastic laundry basket. So her funky dirty drawers are ok but an inch of floodwater ruined her laundry basket?