Boat Tarp/New Puppy???

[Virgs Sew n Sew]

Yesterday, I still hadn't been paid : ( -- I'm not sure who was angrier: the customer or me.  I was hard at work yesterday afternoon when Chuck called and asked if he and his wife could come by.  He came by.  We chatted.  I called Wier, boat mfg, who informed me that they had told the Office Manager weeks ago that they were NOT paying for the alterations.  Then I called the Office Manager to see what she would say.  She told me that she was just "waiting for a check".  I asked from who and she told me Premier, NOT Wier.  Then Chuck's wife called Office Manager and asked to talk to the owner who wasn't there.  We decided that Chuck and I would meet at the boat place this morning as the owner is always in on Saturday.

We walked in and the owner wanted to talk to us on the floor.  I immediately asked for a place to sit down so we could "visit about things".  He wanted to know what was up -- I said that it had been 10 weeks since I invoiced and that was entirely unacceptable as I've not been paid and Chuck's boat is getting torn up inside since he's got no tarp on it and it's too big for his garage.  Owner hemmed and hawed.  Chuck said his piece.  Finally owner said that part of the problem was that the manufacturer felt like they could have made a new tarp for a little over my labor (this was not a trivial alteration and I charged them my "premium" wage).  I smiled sweetly and said that A) I am the cheapest in town and I know that for a fact: B) this was not a trivial alteration; and C) they had two chances to get it correct and didn't and it was their decision to have it fixed locally so it's a little late to dicker over prices.   He started whining about how he didn't know how much it was going to cost and I replied that I had not done a task like this before so I didn't quote a price and that Emily knew when she hired me that I had not done a tarp before so the price would be determined after the fact.  He stalled a while longer.  Said they had a conference call with the manufacturer late Monday to see what was going to happen.  I just kept hammering my points and also reminded him that Emily had hired me for 3 tarps and that I had started another tarp but stopped to work on the tarp for the customer who had already paid. 

Finally, after Chuck had his say again, owner said that he could write me a check today (WHO HOO!!) and then asked where the tarp was.  I told him that it was in my business but that was 5 minutes away and that if I received a check, Chuck could follow me there and I would move it into Chuck's vehicle for him (Chuck just had hernia surgery).  Chuck reminded owner that they still need to put snaps on his boat as well as the places on the tarp that I cut old fabric and added new fabric.  Initially owner tried to act like that was on me and Chuck and I both said that Emily (Office Manager) had said from the get-go that they were doing snaps.  He called Emily in and had her schedule an appointment for Chuck's boat to get the snaps installed and asked her to write a check.  She had gone back to her office (next door) and Chuck and I both heard her throw her pen and make an irritated sounding noise.  But 2 minutes later, I had a signed check in hand.  Chuck and I shook hands with the owner and we were out of there, high-fiving as soon as we were out of sight.  So Chuck now has his tarp and I have $$$$ in the bank - FINALLY!!!  Owner is to call me Tuesday or Wednesday to tell me if I finish work on the other tarp or not.  Company said that they might want the boat brought to them.  Gas for driving a boat from Ne to Minnesota will be WAY more than my charges but whatever.  Owner also said that if they stop work on the tarp, he understands that he will owe me for the time already spent -- ya think????

Anyway, a good start to the day, even though I was NOT thrilled about having to drive out there on Saturday morning.  Before I left, we checked the Humane Society web page and they have a 10 week old male retriever puppy.  Black and white.  Found abandoned on the 2nd.  After lunch, we are taking Jimmy for his daily walk and then we are off the the Humane Society to see the little bugger.  So hopefully, we will come back with him.  If so, it will have been a banner day!!!

Virginia

[Virgs Sew n Sew]

Sigh, puppy had been adopted by the time we got there.  We walked three of the older dogs.  One was way too energetic for our age and our small yard.  Second one was cute but would not respond to us at all--just completely ignored us for the 15 minutes we were walking her.  Last one was a boxer (breed I grew up with).  That one didn't take long as I reached over to let him sniff my hand.  Fortunately Bob had a tight hold on his lead as he became very aggressive towards me and so I did kind of a mini melt-down, flashing back to a couple of years ago when I was attacked by a chocolate lab.  I have a residual fear of being attacked again : ( .  So the boxer went back in and I'm sure the aggressiveness will be noted in his records.  We called it quits for the week but will check in again next weekend to see what came in through the week.  I'm in no hurry to replace and know that when the right dog comes along, we will know it.

Virginia

[Darren Henry]

make sure the chegue clears---THEN FIRE THEIR SORRY BACKSIDES!!!

[kodydog]

Yes! What Darren said. Those people are bad news. Dump them. And yaaas for finally getting paid.

[Virgs Sew n Sew]

LOL both of you ; )

I'm still somewhat surprised that the owner caved and paid me7  Bob said that he felt Chuck and I had the upper hand because we had teamed up.  2 against 1 and all that.  I told Bob that I did most of the talking but that I was glad Chuck was there as I felt much more confident and in control with an ally sitting next to me.  I'm just glad it worked out for both of us.  I think Chuck's appointment is for one day next week.  He was pretty funny as he let the owner know that in NO uncertain terms was his boat to be there overnight.  I had a hard time keeping a straight face when he said that.  He toyed with going to the other boat place in town but they want $0.50 a snap so that gets pricey in a hurry, plus they've said from day one that the snaps were part of the purchase price.  Anyway, Chuck was grinning ear to ear when the box containing his tarp was inside his truck.  I cannot imagine waiting as long as he has to get a tarp.  Bob keeps saying and he's correct that sometimes it must be wayyyy to easy to run a business in America -- when you see how shoddy this guy runs what seems to be a pretty lucrative business, you just have to shake your head.  I wouldn't want to anything that gives people a reason to run around telling all their friends, etc what a lousy job I did or how crappy my customer service is or whatever.  Apparently, this guy doesn't care.  I know Chuck has a thread on Facebook where he and his wife have details: dates, remarks that either Emily or the owner made about the entire boat situation.  Course I don't know how many "friends" he has or how much the thread is read but still all it takes is one good forward and you're viral.  Maybe the owner is even less technically competent with today's technology than I am. : )  Anyway, gotta get going.  Too much to do today since Friday and Saturday weren't as productive as I had planned.

Virginia

[Mike]

too bad about the pooch Virginia here is were I found mine http://eastcoasthumanesociety.com/index.html

[Darren Henry]

when you see how shoddy this guy runs what seems to be a pretty lucrative business, you just have to shake your head.  I wouldn't want to anything that gives people a reason to run around telling all their friends, etc what a lousy job I did or how crappy my customer service is or whatever.  Apparently, this guy doesn't care.

There are two mind sets in business. Guys like this don't give a rip about the customer---only profit and bottom line. They can only survive in a market large enough to assure annoninamity (sp) and a steady flow of new customers drawn in by their ads.

Then there are the people who care about their clientele and their good name. They tend to rely on reputation for a long and steady (albeit smaller) income.  I was very proud of the fact that 80 +% of my business was repeat customers or referrals. I bent over backwards for my people; obviously too far, too often ---one needs to strike a balance apparently LOL

[Virgs Sew n Sew]

Agreed, it is very difficult sometimes to find the correct mix.  It always makes my day when I get a call that starts out "Joe Blow had you do his ____ and recommended that I give you a call."

On the dog front, one of Bob's kid brothers took his family to the Humane Society on Sunday.  He's got 3 teenage girls that love to walk the dogs there so he and his wife bundled everyone up and they spent the afternoon walking the various dogs.  His wife called on their way home and told me that she really thought a dog named Fergie would be a good fit with Jimmy.  Fergie is just barely a year old, a white boxer and just about the sweetest girl you could ever meet.  Bob thought she was too funny looking.  His mom really lectured him about that.  Yes, he's almost 64 and his mother will still give him what for when she thinks he needs it.  She asked him what he thought would happen to all the "funny looking dogs" if everyone else thought like that.  We were walking Jimmy yesterday when Bob told me that he had changed his mind about funny looking dogs and that he would love Fergie if we adopted her.  Jimmy was really having a hard time yesterday, I could tell he was really lonely as he was even whinier than usual.  So, about 4 we loaded Jimmy and his shot records up and drove to the Humane Society for a meet and greet with Fergie.  It went very well, first they ignored each other, than she sniffed his behind, then he sniffed her behind, she dive-bombed him several times and he just basically ignored her.  Never any growling or baring of teeth.  She goes in tomorrow for her spay surgery and is free to come home with us on Thursday after she gets back.  We could have taken her yesterday but I thought that might be harder for Jimmy to have her for a day and a half and then have her disappear on him.  She had been adopted by another family and had some aggression issues over toys, etc so because of that, we are only fostering her for a week to see how things go.  If we have no insurmountable issues, after the week, we will go in and pay the adoption fee and it will become a done deal or we are free at any time during the week to bring her back if we feel that they are not a good match.  I don't see any issues over toys as Jimmy doesn't play with toys any more, all of our toys were Carly's treasures.  There were also some questions about cats but we have a cat tree upstairs and a small pet door in the basement that goes into the furnace room where the litter/cat food dishes are at so at either level, our cats have a handy escape.  The tech said they just really don't know how he'll handle cats.  They have cats that roam the office and he did ok with them so it's probably not an issue.

As far as permanent name goes, Fergie has only been called that for the 10 days she's been at the shelter.  We're kind of a rock 'n roll family.  The cats are Mama Cass and Michelle Phillips and Jimmy is really James Taylor with Carly having been Carly Simon.  We both really love Stevie Nicks so Fergie will become Stevie if she will respond to that, though I told Bob that I thought Fergie was a cool name.  He wants to keep the rock 'n roll thing going so we will see.

Gotta get going and try to have a real productive day today.  Have a dr appointment Thur early for the well woman check-up.  We are going out for breakfast after as I have to fast and then to the store.  We're going to whip through housework after that so that everything is done and we can just hang with the dogs when we get back with Fergie so I'd like to get tons done today and tomorrow so I don't feel too guilty on Thursday.

Virginia

[kodydog]

Fergies lucky day. The previous adopters may not have known how to teach Fergie the rules or may not have had the time. Good luck, sounds like a cool dog.

[kodydog]

My new shop help. Guess I need to show her how to use a broom.

[Virgs Sew n Sew]

She is adorable!

I'm hopeful that Stevie will want to hang downstairs with me.  Jimmy only comes down to tell me when I've worked too long (in his estimation) ; )

Today is Stevie's spay day.  Hope everything goes ok with that.  Our vet in KS always gave us the standard "now there is always a slim chance ... "

Virginia

[Virgs Sew n Sew]

Humane Society called yesterday morning.  Vet is behind on spay surgeries so Stevie was rescheduled for tomorrow morning and we are to pick up Saturday after she is returned to the CNHS.  Hind sight being 20/20, makes us wish we had started the one week fostering Monday after the Meet & Greet.  Plus side was that it gave us a little more time to do, hopefully, a thorough still a puppy proofing.  With Jimmy being now 12 years old, it has been a long time since we had to do the puppy proofing thing.

On the boat tarp issue, check did clear!  A big WHO HOOO on that one!  Owner was to call me either Tuesday or Wednesday concerning the tarp that I stopped work on to do Chuck's tarp as well as another boat that's been sold to a customer.  Should come as no surprise that I did not hear from him.  I'm thinking that I'm not even going to call and ask.  Just going to work up a bill for the work that has been done and mail it to my "friend" tomorrow.  Then will call on Monday to find out when I can get a check and will take the tarp in when I pick up the check.  I definitely do not want to screw around with these jack wagons any further. 

Also, poor Chuck.  He called me last night to make sure that the check cleared.  I thought they had set him up with an appointment while we were there last Saturday so I asked him how the tarp looked on his boat.  He sounded pretty disgusted when he told me that it was still sitting in the back of his truck where I had put it.  No call to get him scheduled.  Said he didn't want to call today about it as he and his wife are taking it out this weekend to enjoy some fishing as the weather is supposed to be fabulous this weekend.  I told him to make sure and call first thing Monday morning and hold their feet to the fire on this one.  Jeff (owner) is truly a total jackal (or worse).

Virginia

[kodydog]

Plus side was that it gave us a little more time to do, hopefully, a thorough still a puppy proofing.  With Jimmy being now 12 years old, it has been a long time since we had to do the puppy proofing thing.

Some of it is training like "no paws on the table."

Other times you just have to put things where they can't get at them. My girl is shoe thief. She doesn't chew them. She likes to pull the laces out then hide them. At 10 months shes a ball of fire. On our evening walk she spotted a deer and chased it to the other side of the property. Never saw a deer run that fast. Shes quick too.

[Virgs Sew n Sew]

Some of it is training like "no paws on the table."

That made me laugh.  Our first Saint was huge.  Long and lanky as opposed to what you see wearing the whiskey barrel (short and stocky).  We were eating supper one evening, spaghetti which was Guenther's favorite.  I turned to say something to Bob and when I turned back to my plate,  with all four feet on the floor, Guenther stretched just a tiny bit and was able to reach my plate.  He was happily slurping away at the spaghetti, tail wagging the entire time.  Another time, Bob was on call for the weekend.  We were software weanies for the Department of Defense so if any installations Stateside had software issues they first called the Help Desk.  If the Help Desk couldn't resolve the issue, they would call whoever was on call.  99.9999% of the time, we were able to troubleshoot over the phone and resolve things; otherwise the on call person went into the office to fix the issue.  So, Bob is eating leftover pizza that he had reheated.  It was football Sunday so he was in his recliner watching a game when the phone rang.  I answered it and the Tech Control SGT asked for Mr. Fahnestock after identifying himself.  I told Bob who it was and so he put his plate on the top of the recliner back and answered the phone.  I had gone into the dining room to do something.  A couple of minutes later, I went back into the living room, Bob was still on the phone.  I glanced over to his chair and saw Guenther with his front feet on the seat of the recliner stretching with all of his might and before I could react, he snagged the biggest piece.  I was ROTF over that but did grab the plate and put it in the middle of the dining room table so Guenther couldn't eat the entire plate.  That boy loved him some human food for sure.

As far as our puppy proofing, it's more my getting the vintage patterns sorted and put in baggies and moved downstairs.  They were on the bottom shelf of the credenza and if Stevie turns out to be a chewer, they would be an easy target.  Once I got that shelf cleaned out, it left all the wires for our electronic systems exposed so today Bob has to cut plywood pieces and nail them to the back of the credenza so that she can't chew wires, both for our electronics and her health.  MIL had a dog that big the cord to an iron that was being used.  The dog did survive but she could sense an electrical storm anywhere in the 48 contiguous states afterwards my FIL said.  When there was a storm she would climb up and sit on the top of his head (Chihuahua mix).  We won't keep shoes on the floor either until we know she doesn't have a shoe fetish.  If I've been gone a long time (in Jimmy's estimation), when I return, Jimmy will grab one of my slippers and run the circle path in our house 2 or 3 turns.  Other than that, he's got no interest in shoes.  I don't remember either of them chewing shoes as puppies.

Virginia

[Darren Henry]

with all four feet on the floor, Guenther stretched just a tiny bit and was able to reach my plate.

Flash back funny: When I was a kid Dad brought this rescue "horse" home from a farm he had been doing some wiring for just before Christmas. Mom's kitchen was basically a hallway from the mud room where you came in to the dining room with lower than standard counters because of her stature [I think they were 43", June  ;)]. The dog walks by full "eye's left"---checks out the roast and 'taties--- walks straight over to Mom and plops his chin on the table beside her and looks up like "Can I stay please?". It didn't last long because of his separation anxieties, but it was funny.

Buddy only "helped himself" to people food twice in 17 years. Shortly after we got him [when my voice still made him wet himself] Winnie was grating cheese for lasagne and left the kitchen to answer the phone. She called me out of the room I did my leather craft in and here was his self sitting on a chair and , with the best of table manners, nibbling on the shredded cheddar. When we walked in he stopped and looked at us as if to say "would you care to join me ?"What could I say---It was my chair he was sitting on! see note above LOL.

Buddy got his people treats in his dish, after everyone had finished (never mooched in his life, bless him). Second offense he was acquitted on the bases of cruelty. We did the cake and coffee thing for someone's  birthday and her young nephew licked his twice and then left it sitting on the corner of the coffee table and wondered off. Picture sofa/love seat at a 90, coffee table parallel to sofa--- AWOL kid (and cake) RHF sofa, his Dad -centre cushion/ Win's LHF L/S/ Buddy is lying over there for EVER. I said he never mooched---I didn't say he didn't look! She hadn't cleared the end of the love seat when she got up to ??? when there was a border collie flash cross that living room, a paw strike to flip that plate onto the floor, and "IT'S MINE NOW---GRRRRR, BEAT ME LATER".

I scolded the kid.