I Love People, here's why.
- Thread starter mrblaine
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Even in my line of work, it's amazing the kind of people I have to deal with. Most of the time it's fine, but every so often I get someone who really just knows how to grind my gears (usually they're the ones who think they know how to do my job better than I do).
I love when people call in for tech help on our equipment, cut me off when I'm trying to explain and then tell me how it works. I'm thinking " I designed this thing, I know how it works, now if you would flip the power switch in the right direction we could say good bye and I could go back to doing something useful".Both
Even in my line of work, it's amazing the kind of people I have to deal with. Most of the time it's fine, but every so often I get someone who really just knows how to grind my gears (usually they're the ones who think they know how to do my job better than I do).
Yep, this is what I'm talking about pretty much.
With me it's web design and internet marketing (that's what I do for a living). I'll get people who want be to build them a website, yet they seem to think they know better than I do how a "good website" works.
And that's fine, I get that sometimes people have a certain look in mind, that's not what I'm talking about here. I'm talking about the guys who try to micro manage me and tell me every single fine detail about the best practices for this, and why this should be done another way instead.
My response is, "I've been doing this for nearly 20 years now, if you know how to do it better than I do, why don't you just build the website yourself?"
Of course that response doesn't usually happen until they've worn me really thin. Usually the better part of me steps in and tells myself, "Hey, these guys are paying you money. If they want to pay you money to listen to themselves talk, take their money and do whatever they want."
It's true too... In the end, I'm getting paid, so I guess if you want to dick me around... Well it's your money!
Except that if you design to wishes instead of their intent, that is bad for your professional reputation. I did software design for awhile (20+ years) When the client started telling me how to implement a system and stopped telling me what the end result was supposed to be, that was when I mentioned exercising the escape clause in the contract. Doctors and Dentists were especially bad at that sort of thing.
I'm not even sure I can explain it without going on a huge rant (which I don't even have the time for).
I get what you're saying, but what I'm trying to say is a little different. I come across a lot of tire kickers in my line of business, I'll just say that.
And then I've got the guys who want to pay me, have a budget in mind, but then get mad when they far exceed their budget, all because they wanted to nitpick every single possible thing.
Like I said, that's fine with me since you're paying me for my time, but don't be surprised when you go way over budget because you wanted to tear everything apart and keep re-doing it dozens of times over.
Same thing would happen if you hired a builder to build you a house and you kept changing your mind half way through the project, so then they had to keep tearing things down and starting anew. You'd go way over budget... But can you get mad at the builder for that?
I get what you're saying, but what I'm trying to say is a little different. I come across a lot of tire kickers in my line of business, I'll just say that.
And then I've got the guys who want to pay me, have a budget in mind, but then get mad when they far exceed their budget, all because they wanted to nitpick every single possible thing.
Like I said, that's fine with me since you're paying me for my time, but don't be surprised when you go way over budget because you wanted to tear everything apart and keep re-doing it dozens of times over.
Same thing would happen if you hired a builder to build you a house and you kept changing your mind half way through the project, so then they had to keep tearing things down and starting anew. You'd go way over budget... But can you get mad at the builder for that?
Very ironic you say that because I'm in small claims right now because a client didn't pay in full for their website FOR THIS EXACT REASON.! I just don't get people sometimes.
Ha, I've learned my lesson in all my years.
What I do now is I make clients pay me 50% of the cost upfront (since I do it by bid), and then the other 50% is due BEFORE the website launches.
I have them sign-off on the website, and as soon as I am paid the website is launched. I also won't have over any of the passwords or credentials until I am paid. This ensures that if they decide not to pay me, I simply won't give them access to their website and take it down.
Fortunately it's never once came to this, but I give myself that insurance just incase! The last thing I want to do is end up in a small claims court.
You guys remind me why I appreciate working with farmers- and the best of them to boot. I design large and small irrigation projects for dairy, corn/soy, and vegetable producers. I am fortunate to have the #1 quality brand and work for best dealer in my area so most come to us due to reputation- never price. Furthermore a pivot and well generally last 35 years or more- which helps greatly on deciding for quality of machine and design. A typical project will take me a full week of engineering and quote time and when he says go- another week of in-depth field survey and finalization of work orders and crew instructions. Only the last project did a guy try to lie to me about what a competitor's price was to attempt a better deal. The competitor never called the power company to check power availability, figure a service entrance, figure pipe and wire, get well quotes, figure out pump requirements, and quote a pump- just threw out two pivot quotes. Awesome . And I was supposed to believe I was 22k high on a 250k project? I told them we treat everyone the same (we do), showed him the difference in parts quality with real hands on parts and got the job anyway- but I just about walked away from this guy and a week's work out of frustration and wondering what arguments will come later. Fortunately this only occurs less than 1% of the time. 99% end up great friends and 1% are ok but forgettable.
Just got another one slightly different. I have a local guy who is trying to do a disc brake conversion on a Currie HP 9" rear axle using the disc brakes from a Ford 8.8. It has drum brakes and there is a 99.99% chance that he has axle shafts with the wrong bearing offset to convert to discs without new axle shafts being made. The only way to tell is to pull an axle and measure it. I've done this several times, I've also advised others who have tried to cheat by having a spacer made and pressed onto the shaft but the groove between the old and new journals lands right in the middle of the seal lip so they always leak.
Again, the only way to tell is the pull the shaft and measure it.
I have repeated that at least 10 times in 10 different email responses to what ever bit of info he throws at me to try and convince me that my disc conversion will bolt right up.
I have Set 20 bearings. Yes, they both do, and they both fit on axles with drum or discs.
I have Big Bearing Torino housing ends. Yes, I know that or the Set 20 bearings won't fit but that has nothing to do with the bearing offset on the axle.
Currie just swapped them on last year. Yes, I know that, but we need to measure the bearing offset on the axle shaft.
Currie says you just need a spacer under the retainer. Yes, I know that but it is to compensate for the difference in thickness between drum and disc backing plates, not bearing offset.
No, I don't care if Currie lists both drum and disc as options, they still need the right bearing offset and I do NOT know of any drum brake axles that will swap straight over but I'm willing to pull an axle for free to help you find out.
This goes on over and over for the past year and last night I get the "my buddy says you're wrong" we can tell without pulling an axle and it will work.
I reply, "I'm done now, I give up, do it your way".
Again, the only way to tell is the pull the shaft and measure it.
I have repeated that at least 10 times in 10 different email responses to what ever bit of info he throws at me to try and convince me that my disc conversion will bolt right up.
I have Set 20 bearings. Yes, they both do, and they both fit on axles with drum or discs.
I have Big Bearing Torino housing ends. Yes, I know that or the Set 20 bearings won't fit but that has nothing to do with the bearing offset on the axle.
Currie just swapped them on last year. Yes, I know that, but we need to measure the bearing offset on the axle shaft.
Currie says you just need a spacer under the retainer. Yes, I know that but it is to compensate for the difference in thickness between drum and disc backing plates, not bearing offset.
No, I don't care if Currie lists both drum and disc as options, they still need the right bearing offset and I do NOT know of any drum brake axles that will swap straight over but I'm willing to pull an axle for free to help you find out.
This goes on over and over for the past year and last night I get the "my buddy says you're wrong" we can tell without pulling an axle and it will work.
I reply, "I'm done now, I give up, do it your way".
Funny how everyone has a "buddy" that knows everything about everything. Then why go anywhere else for advice.
Years ago a dude on another site wanted to argue about some differential info. He said his buddy raced cars so he knows and asked what "race car" experience I had. I told him none really, I had only worked in a diff shop for 5 years and had built/modified/repaired somewhere in the neighborhood of 3000 differentials. He basically laughed at me and said without having "raced cars" that I had no idea what I was talking about:facepalm:
Years ago a dude on another site wanted to argue about some differential info. He said his buddy raced cars so he knows and asked what "race car" experience I had. I told him none really, I had only worked in a diff shop for 5 years and had built/modified/repaired somewhere in the neighborhood of 3000 differentials. He basically laughed at me and said without having "raced cars" that I had no idea what I was talking about:facepalm:
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You bring up a conundrum of sorts. I get in trouble for applying logic and critical thinking skills to a lot of shit that's posted. Invariably some butthead will throw down the "well, if you haven't run it, then you can't comment on it" card.
One of my better answers is that I do not have to eat a cat shit sandwich to know I'm not going to like it. Some things can be figured out without actually having any experience.
It's getting better. He finally sent me a picture of the backing plate that just broke and locked up his tire on the highway. That nub you see right above the axle shaft used to look like this-
It has a pair of notches in it for the ends of the brake shoes to ride in.
When they break and the break is fresh, it looks like this- (I did this one my ownself being dumb)
Based on what I can tell, he broke the anchor pin at some point a long time ago. I suspect the shoes rusted in place inside the drum and then he hit a bump going down the highway and shook them loose and they wadded up at that point. I am highly skeptical that they locked up the tire though. I've done it and I know several that have and not once were the brake shoes stout enough to lock up a tire. The momentum and leverage from the tire acts on the smaller diameter of the drum and parts and just grinds them up.
So from what I gather, this guy is trying to blame you for faulty parts, when it sounds like it was actually a faulty install.
I don't see how he can blame you for that. You're just supplying him the parts. It's up to him (or his mechanic) to be smart enough to install them correctly.
I don't see how he can blame you for that. You're just supplying him the parts. It's up to him (or his mechanic) to be smart enough to install them correctly.
Nobody ever wants to believe their buddy could have jacked up the install. He has a bad ass Jeep so it must have been the parts.
No, not a faulty install. The installer doesn't mess with the shoes or the parking brake hardware. He just bolts the plate on and installs the rotor and caliper with pads.
What happened is the rig drove off with the parking brake applied and broke the anchor point off. You can see the nub where the groove should be that the ends of the shoes rest in.
Well in that case, it's user error, and you can't be held accountable for that.
This guy just doesn't want to admit he fucked up.
I need a new rear bumper and I'm considering a Savvy one. I know they aren't rated for towing but are the D-ring mounts safe to hook the trailer safety chains to?
My reply- if the bumper isn't rated for towing, does it matter how strong the tow points are?
My reply- if the bumper isn't rated for towing, does it matter how strong the tow points are?
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