Earlier in the year a customer asked me to sort out the mistakes made by her builders. She purchased a first floor maisonette and added an extra floor- with a view to making it into a separate property. I explained that I was working out doors elsewhere but would swing by on the rainy days. It worked for me... All good.
One day she mentioned that her roofer wanted me to tuck some lead up under tiles before the scaffolding was readjusted. Her text message said that the lead would be delivered on Friday. I turned up on the Sunday. She asked why I was there. I explained that she said the lead was going to be delivered on the Friday. All of a sudden she went from a lovely customer to someone who insisted that she is so precise and told me that the message would have said that it should be delivered on Friday, but she would let me know when it turns up. I checked her message- it just said lead turning up Friday.
I let it slide.
Later she asked me for advice about a glass balustrade at the top of the stair windings into the top floor. She asked me to be there when the local glazier turned up. He told her that he could fit a bottom profile to fix the glass. She was happy with his recommendation. When he turned up to fit the profile, it was about 50mm wide and about 25mm tall. With reason she rejected it. She then phoned me and told her that I should have advised her better...
Again, I let it slide.
I continued to work in the property, then she asked me to quote for her rental property in East London. I was still stupid enough to still be fond of her. I put in a stoopidly low price. 3 hour round journey.. I gave her a fixed price for the decorating and estimates for things like replacing the broken grohe concealed flush and sorting out the sliding shower door that had fallen apart
Again it was good... and then... wow.
,
East London, she asked me to replace the dead GU10 bulbs in the hallway. 8 bulbs, 5 were dead. She only had 3 bulbs on site. But they were cool white. The existing bulbs were warm white. I sent her a text saying that the warm white and cool white looked really odd in the hallway and recommended that she order new bulbs.
Weeks after i had left the property she swung by (presumably) to prepare it for an air b n client. She then phoned me up in shouty mode and told me that she had been unable to rent the property because it was too dark to rent out and that I was depriving her of thousands of pounds. I am not a property magnet, but I kind assume the estate agents would have invited prospective renters during the day time, and not in pitch black. Regardless, even without the bulbs that I had previously asked to her supply when them , only 3 of the 8 bulbs were dead.
On Monday I made a 3 hour round journey to fit the new bulbs. My tube fare was probably higher than the cost to fit the bulbs
Back to her white city property. She ordered a BO Concept unit that needs to be wall hung under the TV. They assembled the unit but refused to drill into the wall. Muggins turned up. I removed the face plates on the sockets, Up down left right. Second hole that I drilled went through a cable that was running through the wall at about 15 degrees from the horizontal and 10 inches up from the horizontal run.
I recommended that my sparky mate swings by to test the integrity of the wiring. Someone else had drilled in to a cable prior to me, but it was directly above a socket. He warned me that it may well pass regardless, so long as I had not drilled through the earth. As my mate, he said that he wants to make sure that he gets paid. He asked if I was paying, I told him that I do not think I am to blame. I suspect that she will use that as an excuse to avoid paying me for the east london job.
One day she mentioned that her roofer wanted me to tuck some lead up under tiles before the scaffolding was readjusted. Her text message said that the lead would be delivered on Friday. I turned up on the Sunday. She asked why I was there. I explained that she said the lead was going to be delivered on the Friday. All of a sudden she went from a lovely customer to someone who insisted that she is so precise and told me that the message would have said that it should be delivered on Friday, but she would let me know when it turns up. I checked her message- it just said lead turning up Friday.
I let it slide.
Later she asked me for advice about a glass balustrade at the top of the stair windings into the top floor. She asked me to be there when the local glazier turned up. He told her that he could fit a bottom profile to fix the glass. She was happy with his recommendation. When he turned up to fit the profile, it was about 50mm wide and about 25mm tall. With reason she rejected it. She then phoned me and told her that I should have advised her better...
Again, I let it slide.
I continued to work in the property, then she asked me to quote for her rental property in East London. I was still stupid enough to still be fond of her. I put in a stoopidly low price. 3 hour round journey.. I gave her a fixed price for the decorating and estimates for things like replacing the broken grohe concealed flush and sorting out the sliding shower door that had fallen apart
Again it was good... and then... wow.
,
East London, she asked me to replace the dead GU10 bulbs in the hallway. 8 bulbs, 5 were dead. She only had 3 bulbs on site. But they were cool white. The existing bulbs were warm white. I sent her a text saying that the warm white and cool white looked really odd in the hallway and recommended that she order new bulbs.
Weeks after i had left the property she swung by (presumably) to prepare it for an air b n client. She then phoned me up in shouty mode and told me that she had been unable to rent the property because it was too dark to rent out and that I was depriving her of thousands of pounds. I am not a property magnet, but I kind assume the estate agents would have invited prospective renters during the day time, and not in pitch black. Regardless, even without the bulbs that I had previously asked to her supply when them , only 3 of the 8 bulbs were dead.
On Monday I made a 3 hour round journey to fit the new bulbs. My tube fare was probably higher than the cost to fit the bulbs
Back to her white city property. She ordered a BO Concept unit that needs to be wall hung under the TV. They assembled the unit but refused to drill into the wall. Muggins turned up. I removed the face plates on the sockets, Up down left right. Second hole that I drilled went through a cable that was running through the wall at about 15 degrees from the horizontal and 10 inches up from the horizontal run.
I recommended that my sparky mate swings by to test the integrity of the wiring. Someone else had drilled in to a cable prior to me, but it was directly above a socket. He warned me that it may well pass regardless, so long as I had not drilled through the earth. As my mate, he said that he wants to make sure that he gets paid. He asked if I was paying, I told him that I do not think I am to blame. I suspect that she will use that as an excuse to avoid paying me for the east london job.
