(ausador) -
Your post brings back bad memmories of a time when I did alot of retail chains in malls, etc.
But before I begin with that, I have to completly agree with you about poor people and those SOB's who are rich. Ive had old lady's reaching for their check books before I was even done with the job. And then leave me in there home while they went away to do errands. Now here is one job similar to yours. Man was it painful, but like you, I went for the jugular and made them ever so sorry for FMO.
I bid a Pier One Imports back in the 90's. It was a $6500.00 refit. When the GC Supt. showed up late, and then said, "I dont even want to be here, I want to do Target stores", a limit switch was acctuated in my head and I knew then and there that this job was no good.
It would have been much better if I had just walked away.
Right from the start this idiot was F-ing everything up. It took him THREE weeks to get some FRAMING started in the store room area. Like you I was boiling and I confronted him in that state of mind. He looked me in the eye and when he saw my wrath he blurts out, "alright by I want it roughed right away"
Gee, ya think. This same moronic behavior by this desease of a Supt wannabe carries thru the entire project. He;s got other trades SCREAMING at him. A total cluster for all subs.
No here comes MY STUPID PART!. In walks an "agent/rep for Pier One. He has the Supt from hell at his side and they start dreaming and ordering extras, I write everything down and request AWA,s. They both wave me off and say "No we dont need to do that, just do the work. Second limit switch acctuates.
Well when your in the middle without any progress payment, for time served it is PRESSURE. I agree to do the work and order materials and provide labor for all extras which cost me an additional $8500.00. Check that figure against the original scope.
I call the PM who is alays someone out of state. I request some money and we end up in a fight. He then sends me [$6500.00] HMMM, sound familiar. the "doc and his bimbo wife"
Now comes the pain, I do all the extra work, we are 99.9% complete. Just two exterior lights on the columns at the store front. BUT the masons are still working on them AND they have to be painted. I ask the Supt as to when they will be ready. He says he doesnt know for sure and that he will call me. I agree and leave the site,
Later that afternoon I receive a call fromt the PM who demands that I have the lights mounted by 5PM. I explain that masons are still mudding the columns and that paint is scheduled first and that the boxes for the fixtures are not even finnished flush with trim material.
He threatens me and then a third limit switch acctuates. I know that they are setting me up. I and my men drive back to the job and masons are on scaffolding working on said columns.
We walked in and grabbed are tools and ladders , loaded up and drove away. When I got back to my office I called the owner of the GC and told him what was going on. He promised me that he would get his PM out of my way and let us finnish our work after the masons and painters are done. That same stupid ass loser PM calls me back and demands that I go to the jobsite and install the lights by 5PM.
I informed him that he was on his own and SLAMMED the phone down in his ear. Later I found out they had paving on the parking lot and that the opening date was still two weeks away from what they had told me.
During those two weeks the GC could not find any EC in my area to bail him out. They had to go over two countys to find "someone" to mount two lights. I had already got the GC a final CO before the "set up"
I hire a lawyer for $200.00 who files a lean on the property. All hell breaks loose. The property owner and Pier One are going ballistic. This is after I refuse to sign a waiver for the GC so he can get his final 10% of the $500,000 project. OH YEAH! now Im feeling good. Payback.
Two years of court and arbritation later I walk into my lawyers office and tell the girl that I WILL BE SEEN TODAY. An hour later after my pacing in front of his other clients I was cut a check for $2000.00 for doing $8500.00 worth of extras.
Trust no one except folks and poor people for money. Realtors, lawyers, landlords and GC's and rich people are scum do do work for along with retail chains. When your in the game you gotta be mean. I got much better at that game but I sure got kicked around some before hand. Such is the life of an EC. Ive got many more successes than these few horror stories, but thaty is what this OP is about. And has been said by others here besides me, if your in a pinch for money, then these things become nightmares.
Bottom line? This same DA GC kept sending me faxes and asking me to bid more jobs. Why? He was unable to cash in on the west Michigan commercial/retail construction boom that continues to this day. He couldnt find anyone to bid his work. The word was out on him.
My lawyer told me that this GC had "whined" to a judge that had already spent over $25000.00 in legal fees. They were ordered to pay me/my lawyer $4500.00 at arbritation. Well thats $30,000.00 plus the lost revenue future work in my area. Which could have been in the millions of dollars.
This job was probably my worst horror story.
But by God, they sure had hell to pay in the end, for screwing me out of $8500.00.
FK-M
