samthescam

230 m of rope... Your either climbing some monster trees or just want a hard life carrying that bad boy about.

Am I the only one who thought that Kony 2012 was some kind of sick club night that I was missing out on? As its only about some war criminal I honestly couldn't give a ****.

Your either crap at your job, and need to live in a dream world to excuse the fact that you arnt getting enough work, or you work for the council. I didn't say they were all lazy and unproductive... I said they take lots of breaks, breaks that I would take if it made no difference to my life. The wages maybe comparitively good compared to what you earn, but I couldnt live on them. Your right the conditions are excellent, no one is going to get too upset if you have a lazy day, and you get payed if you don't turn up cos you have a headache. And as for attracting the better climbers and tree workers... Well maybe you watch the skills they possess in awe, but I can assure you that most people dont. People at the top of there game generally want to make lots of money out of it, not kill themselves each day so the council can give them gold stars.

If they were that good, they wouldnt be working for the council. Sorry - but the best dont chose to work for big companies where they are only ever going to earn a set reasonably low amount. Either way, unless the local councils are rapidly expanding then I cant see them having the manpower to take all the work.

You know what, all the local shops and butchers said they couldnt compete with tesco's and other supermarkets... And they were right, on price they couldnt. So what they did, was other a better service. They chose to allow customers to come in and see the meat was fresh and ask the butcher to cut it in certain ways... And they were willing to pay more for this. What I'm saying is, that plenty of people will pay a premium price for a premium service. So just up your game.

If you can't compete with some guys who are stopping every 5 minutes for a coffee/fag/phone break you have a problem. At the end of the day they will probably do a terrible job, and you will end up getting the customer back. Stop getting stressed by this, and live with it.

Where does your distinction end... If I'm sub contracted to install fencing, but I'm given a specification saying how it's meant to be done, and they offer to let me use there equipment, if it's say a farm. Am I now employed?

I don't really get what your getting at. But as I've said I'm a bit thick. I'd call anyone who comes into do a certain job a subcontractor, but I don't see what the distinction is. Sometimes when I have a biggish paving job on, I'll "sub contract" it out to a bricklayer, the fact that he uses my cement mixer or that I order the materials to me doesn't mean he's now my employee... Although I don't really see why anyone is splitting hairs over this.

Glad I'm not the only one then... Have a guy who's a fencer by trade but comes into help out when he's quite. Not a ticket or a days training to his name, but wipes the floor with most "trained" people I know. And I know that people are going to rip into me for admitting that, but oh we'll, I'll continue living my life and making money and they can get upset on Internet forums.

Sorry if Ive confused you... Cos I don't know what the hell your asking me... But then I'm blonde. Basically my point was, sometimes at weekends I have a guy in who doesn't have all the kit as he has to leave his saws and ropes etc at work. So he uses my stuff. Edit, also I don't see if it matters who's kit the sub contractor is using. A self employed groundsman won't take his own chipper.

Your 90 percent right. But I sometimes use at weekends a guy who works full time for an electric company. So apart from ppe he doesn't have his own climbing kit on jobs. Doesn't mean that he is significantly cheaper than any other semi competent climber.

So don't bother using recommendations to find a decent contractor...? And imo and without wanting to be offensive, I don't think that tree looks very good. I'd be gutted if I was left with a tree looking like that. I can guarantee you, the client would pick the person who was cheapest, if your anything like my clients.

I'm with eggs on this... Although sorting things yourself works well, you have to realise your outside the protection of the law. If you get your head caved in doing this, your going to be hard presses to go to the police saying you were taking their stuff. Not saying you shouldnt... However you have to realise your risking problems with the police, or problems with the blokes and their mates.

I think your blowing things out of proportion. The bloke could have gone to the police if he felt aggrieved. Or he could of smacked him back, or got some mates to do it. Sometimes a more proactive approach is required.