Chipped Porcelain... am I screwed?

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Randyj

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Here the largest section in the yellow pages is "plumbers"... the whole phone book, yellow pages and all, is about 1/2" thick...most of the businesses listed either have a toll free number or are long distance...in the big city..... I'm the only game in town that advertises plumbing and other "handy man" services and I don't even advertise in the phone book. There are lots of guys with a pick up truck and a tool box doing crappy work around but very few who are sober, drug free, and can actually turn a quality job.... it's also a dry county (no alcohol sold).....
 

Randyj

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That was pretty fast shipping...ordered online Thursday, received today (Monday)... will do the repair tomorrow. Kinda pricey for what it is, an iddy biddy bottle maybe twice the size of a bottle of fingernail polish for $9.99 plus $6.50 shipping & handling...but that total is about what it would cost me to go to the big box store to see what they have. Oh yeah...and I finally got a reply from the Briggs company that they are sending me some touch up paint "at no charge"... probably the same thing. Will see how the color match goes.
 

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Things will look up Randy, things always have a way of working theirselves out, you will see. Hang in there. I am quoting an old woman, about 102, "not everyday is a bad day." By the way, that makes 55, seem pretty darn young in my books, :)
 

Randyj

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Yep Cookie... I've been so used to working and having jobs lined up lately that today I got down for a little while because I realized that I have only one small job to do and it's half done already...and nothing else lined up! Looks like I'm going to have to run an ad in the local advertising rag that comes free in everyone's mail box. If I just do one or two small jobs per week then I do very well with very little overhead. If this porcelain repair works out then it might open up more doors for me. Also, I'm thinking about trying to get on as an installer with the big box store in the big city just to pick up a little more business....not sure if I can work with their plan or not...they require some pretty heavy insurance then it appears that they give cut rate prices on installation....will just have to weigh the benefits v.s. costs.
 

Dunbar Plumbing

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Randyj said:
trying to get on as an installer with the big box store in the big city just to pick up a little more business


In my area recently, HD got slammed for problems with their installers doing shoddy work. I thank my lucky stars that I pull work outside of that connection.

HD in my area against lowes? 55 BBB complaints against 13. You tell me who's putting bad work out there.

You'll be a puppet for sure and if you have any work outside of theirs, good luck retaining it because those companies will drive you to insanity.
 

Randyj

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Rug... kinda my instict too. This one job which resulted in the chipped tub has been a money loser and just a bad job from the get go....otherwise I've been doing pretty well with all the jobs I've had this year.... ya know, kinda get one of those now and then ...especially on remodels... this guy expects prices on a remodel to be the same as on new construction. I gave him a very fair price to start with and he kept adding on...so, I started jacking him up then told him to make a list and I'd do it by the hour. He has been thrilled with our work but it seems that everything has a problem... new plumbing to the sewer line going to septic tank... called today telling me toilet won't flush..yadda yadda yadda...and "it worked right before you put in the new plumbing"... I've been held up for 3 weeks waiting for kitchen cabinets to be installed so I can finish the plumbing and get paid. When I get paid I may never work for this guy again..or change my pricing practices on him as well as on remodels in general... this guy even installed dry wall before having the plumbing put in! Then he was painting where I was working with tile & plumbing.... PITA!
 

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Things will turn up Randy, I always find it to be true when you least expect it. It is always, either feast or famine. So, I always make hay while the sunshines and take all the work, whenever; sometimes, burning the candle at both ends. I am laughing now realizing how many phrases I have used, lol. Real overkill. Well, it made me laugh, even if I am laughing at myself; I know what you meant, when you said, about feeling down. That happens. But, things will improve.
 

Cass

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Randyj said:
He has been thrilled with our work but it seems that everything has a problem... new plumbing to the sewer line going to septic tank... called today telling me toilet won't flush..yadda yadda yadda...and "it worked right before you put in the new plumbing"... !

Maybe needs a tank pumped?
 

Cass

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Randyj said:
I'm thinking about trying to get on as an installer with the big box store in the big city just to pick up a little more business....not sure if I can work with their plan or not...they require some pretty heavy insurance then it appears that they give cut rate prices on installation....will just have to weigh the benefits v.s. costs.

What you should do is get set up with them and tell them you will do the jobs if they can't find anyone else and be the most expensive. They always have companys that will do jobs at normal prices when the regulars quit or they have no one else.
 
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