Can you do me a favor?

 so, I wanted to start this blog about MY BUSINESS, so that my potential customers could feel like they KNOW ME, and my "crew"

When you call up a big company, usually you are NOT talking to the person who will do your actual job. first you talk to an office person, and then somebody might come out to your house, and then somebody ELSE comes to do your job. With US, it's MYSELF and One employee. when I worked for larger companies I made 15, 17 dollars an hour, now the "going rate" is probably 22$, sometimes I made less just because I'm a woman. That's another reason I struck out on my own.   I pay well, and I take care of who helps me. Believe me, if I didn't I'd be one of those business owners CRYING for good people. I want to SHARE success, I really do. and I honestly think if more business owners took the attitude of sharing profits, they'd have good help. 

Today I'm going to tell a story from the business owner's point of view for you and why some people do have such a HARD TIME FINDING GOOD PEOPLE.... 

Most of you already know, I work with another young lady, who is about 15 years younger than I am, but I'm trying to teach her all  the things I know so that maybe one day she can be a leader and teach someone else. WE both live in Alder Manor, in warrenton, across the street from each other. See, after I started my business I KNEW I needed help, but good people are especially hard to find around here!!! I think it's the housing prices, and the cost of living, but I digress. We both have ultimate goals of getting a "real house" where you are further from your neighbors. Most people I tell this to are very happy to hear this. they say things like, that's something they can definitely get behind, or basically are happy to know what our ultimate goal is. 

so back to today's story. 

One day whilst waiting for lunch,  a middle aged woman, who dressed like she worked in an upscale office, asked us/we came to conversation about what we were working on that particular day. 

Insert ---- CAN YOU DO ME A FAVOR???

She explained she is getting ready to sell her house in gearhart, but needs some decking replaced. I told her right off the bat, that we usually don't do jobs that small. Well she was pretty insistent, so we agreed to go look at it. 

We get to this HUGE HOUSE , I mean three stories on a dead end road. HUUUUUGE. probably worth 600K  but I'm no realtor!! 

Well she needed about 14 , 16 foot long outdoor type boards replaced on her deck. I told her she should paint the deck before selling, like other people do (we replace them after they are sold) to get away without having to replace EVERY DECK BOARD. She liked that idea. 

I bid the job for $1400  materials, and $1400 for labor. Total of 2800

she needed about 14 boards, which cost $72 at builders supply, screws for the new decking, a demo blade for the saw, DUMP FEES for the old decking, and cutting it up, taking it to the dump ETC. We are definitely NOT the cheapest, but we DO A GOOD JOB, the best possible, and I can live with that.  

She said she HAD to get it done by the first of May. So we put her on the schedule. 

The day came to do the job. On her contract it reads, down payment is due before we start. down payments are usually the materials cost plus half the labor, with the other half labor at completion. 

We get to the house, she says her kids are there and will give me a check. that did happen, the reason I'm saying anything, is what she tells me a week later. 

ANYWAY, we do the job. That particular morning, we went to the lumberyard about 730am and showed up about 830. we got done around 2pm we got to the DUMP and paid dump fees around 3pm. got home about 330. (that's a flat 8 hours times two people, 16 man hours) ($1200) plus dump fees, gas, etc. 

I sent her pictures of the framing underneath her deck, because she's selling her house, and the inspector might want to know what the framing looks like. had I not sent the pic, she would have NEVER known what time we were done. So later that night, after she paid the other half labor, she wrote me a long message saying she thinks she was overcharged because it only took us 4 hours.Well I told her, everything I just explained. she didn't reply. I explained insurance, workman's comp, to name a few. 

A WEEK LATER SHE SAYS, YOU OVERCHARGED ME. 

I explain, what it takes to operate for one hour, 

LABOR COST (hourly wage) plus 30% for payroll taxes and unemployment, PLUS 33% for workman's comp, plus liabilty insurance, plus commercial auto insurance, ETC.

 we charge $75 an hour. I have heard other rates at 130 and 150 an hour so I know we are not the most expensive, and no we definitely are not cheap. You get exactly what you pay for!! If this was easy, would houses cost 400 THOUSAND DOLLARS??

Again, I apologize she feels the way she does, I GET THREE MORE MESSAGES about she thinks she was overcharged and her contractor who lives by her says the job should have only been a grand, total.

I say a final reply, with the lumber was $72 per board, and JUST THE LUMBER was a grand, so I dont know how that works. she even called me unprofessional and threatened a bad review. I said what can you possibly say thats bad? you FEEL you were overcharged, yet you had the contract and was on the schedule for SIX WEEKS??? I also told her of the job we just finished, and that NORMALLY I wouldn't even take on a job this small, but I was TRYING TO HELP YOU OUT with getting your house on the market. that's what I get, right? Of course if there was ANYTHING bad about the work itself, she'd be all over that, but since she cannot, and obviously her "contractor neighbor" can't either. she even AGREED in the messages that we do good, quality work and show up on time. she said, she was "grossly overcharged" 

really? 

so I took the time to write this up , just in case that bad review comes, and just to let SOME PEOPLE KNOW out there in interweb land, THIS IS WHY PEOPLE ARE AFRAID TO DO YOUR JOB!! Even when people TRY THE BEST they can, and do the job 100% as described, there's still a chance you'll get a shitty review. 

I'm keeping all this anonymous, even though I  have the messages I could PROVE all of this is true. I know I shouldn't let one little person like this bother me, but it does. I always want my customers to be happy. even when it's a small job. I don't leave the house in the morning to PISS people off, I'm trying to better my life, and my kids lives, and my employee's life too!!! And it costs money. I'm as transparent as possible. There is a lot 

So to wrap up, this lady told us she couldn't "Find anyone relaible" to work on her house, found us on our lunch hour, and was fairly persistant until I went and looked at her job. we had her scheduled for 5 weeks or so, did her job ON TIME, for exactly what I quoted, did a good job, and a week later she writes me 5 messages on how she was grossly overcharged. I did the BEST I COULD in every aspect of having a business. 

On another note, I got a STELLAR review on google now, from my most recent client!!! which made me feel so good!!! I mean, that is what we are trying to do out here, do GOOD WORK, and make enough money to buy a real house. 

Thanks for reading my story, or STORIES... We are currently booked about a month to 5 weeks out, but would love to help you with your project!! I hope me sharing this story doesn't scare anyone away, that's not the prerogative!! Instead I hope it helps explain things from the "other side" nobody talks about. Talking about money is uncomfortable for a lot of people. it's scary and intimidating. but you'll always know what's up with me. I will NEVER charge more than I say it will be unless YOU are adding something and are GOOD with that, the whole way! another reason I always have a written contract. 

the fastest way to get an estimate, is to text or email me the info/pics of what you need fixed/done/built, etc. I can't answer my phone during the day, becasue I'm WORKING on jobs, and if I stop work everytime the phone rings, I wouldn't get ANYTHING done!! but as 99% of my clients say, I do promptly respond, and if I'm working on YOUR job, you'll know exactly what's going on, and if we aren't there, you'll know why! 

503-791-7473    acowan1216@gmail dot com

THANKS FOR ALL YOUR SUPPORT!!!! I WOULDN'T BE HERE WITHOUT IT!!!

I'm leaving you with before and after pics of the job I talked about. 

and I really DO WISH the best for this person. I would never wish bad for ANYONE honestly, life is hard enough as it is, right?