Clients that make you go hmmmmm.

[Mick Dempsey]

9 hours ago, CambridgeJC said:

You guys do have fun don’t you?🤣. All part of life’s rich tapestry 🤣🤣🤣. 
Any thoughts about ivy. Friend or foe?

 

 

Three threads not enough for you? 
Are you going to infest (in an ironically Ivy like fashion) other threads with your mental obsession?

[CambridgeJC]

Fine one to talk buddy with your 11,578 posts

[Doug Tait]

14 minutes ago, CambridgeJC said:

Fine one to talk buddy with your 11,578 posts

To be fair, all Mick's posts aren't saying the same thing.

[CambridgeJC]

Just now, Doug Tait said:

To be fair, all Mick's posts aren't saying the same thing.

To be fair, all mine are friendly and non-confrontational. Just hoping to obtain some infomed input from arborists who are open to mature discussion of an important topic. In truth I an honoured to have attracted the attentions of Mick. He only engages with contributors who have a contentious point to explore. But he does not seem to like non-arborists getting involved in his area of expertise. I wonder why. I will now just focus on constructive and informative content. That includes especially people who have a different perspective to my own. The objective of my concern over ivy is whether I am justified in my observations. I am hoping a mature discussion may result from my posts. Thanks Doug

 

[Joe Newton]

1 hour ago, CambridgeJC said:

Fine one to talk buddy with your 11,578 posts

That's only one of his profiles in fairness. 

[MrNick]

Mick's been a member for 7 years average 4.5  posts a day ,all topics . Ivy man about 1.1 posts a day all on the same subject.😜( Facts and figures probably wrong)

[topchippyles]

3 hours ago, CambridgeJC said:

To be fair, all mine are friendly and non-confrontational. Just hoping to obtain some infomed input from arborists who are open to mature discussion of an important topic. In truth I an honoured to have attracted the attentions of Mick. He only engages with contributors who have a contentious point to explore. But he does not seem to like non-arborists getting involved in his area of expertise. I wonder why. I will now just focus on constructive and informative content. That includes especially people who have a different perspective to my own. The objective of my concern over ivy is whether I am justified in my observations. I am hoping a mature discussion may result from my posts. Thanks Doug

 

Mick is always happy to give input on any subject with an open mind. You are just jumping on multiple threads talking the same shite. Post a thread on the topic you want to discuss and keep it in one place.

[Thesnarlingbadger]

Snarling, you could not make it up.

I know tell me about it. Some people look at life in a different way to everyone else I guess. Still I was stacked with work around the time and a couple of phone calls sorted work for the day.

[Ty Korrigan]

Back to clients that make you go Hmmmmm...

 

 Since 2017 I found myself rarely working for Brits in France.

A natural change, I non longer have a website in English or punt myself on the Ex-pat social media pages.

Plus, there are fairly low numbers in our area anyway and so when I do get an enquiry it often involves an hour or more drive.

I've 2 young kids at home so spending time with them rather than traveling for work is a priority and I've more than enough work within 15km of home to keep us fed and watered.

One thing that really kills working for Brits in rural France is that they won't pay the same rates that the local urban French happily swallow. 

Add the extra time and cost travelling to quote and do the work should I actually ever win a job, they are a market generally not worth pursuing.

Still, I kept one iron in the fire, an advert in the same rag that Dempsey advertises his male escort services in.

A nationwide newspaper for Brits in France.

I found that the few enquires that came in via this were generally of higher value and this offset the low strike rate somewhat.

So last week, on a rainy day during half term, I escaped the house and toddled off to Southern Brittany, a 90min drive to visit a potential client having first asked to send images of the trees before hand just to make certain the job might be viable.

A very ordinary 70's house in an remarkable location over looking the river Vilaine.

Surrounded by tall leggy pines, it was those leaning over or towards the house, veranda, pool and lines which worried them as well as deadwooding the long driveway pines as they had lost a Mercedes windscreen recently to a dropped branch.

During our meeting, I was regaled with the story of the last arb guy who worked there, his extraordinary abilities, his young lad who moved all the wood by hand, his magnificent chipper and the number of pines he did in a day (Must either be super human or clearly not the same trees)

Thoroughly bored by this, I asked the client "Why are you not using this guy again?"

Response, " Oh he was very disagreable and wouldn't work in the Summer and he was due to retire anyway"

Looking around, I could see no sign of past tree work so asked when this had occured.

"About 15 years ago" client replied waving to an area away from the house.

A few days later I emailed an informal proposition just to get a feel for how I stood price wise.

No concessions, quote based on my normal rate plus a small living allowance for the team as we would be living on site in a chalet for the work which would take several 3 days blocks.

The client emailed back within hours.

"Your quote is quite a bit more than we had anticipated based on our previous experience"

 Although I am not surprised by the lack of a win given my record with my fellow countrymen, I can't help but think this time it was down to the clients own perception, not taking into account the increase in rates over 15years and the increase in size of the pines as well as the technical nature of those around the house.

So this non-client has certainly earned a long dry "Hmmmmmm"

  Stuart

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

[Mick Dempsey]

More fool you for not establishing a price before driving 90 minutes.