atcomsystems.ca/forum Forums General General Telephone & Systems Information Why does it always happen to me?

I get a call from an old customer who tells me that they are renovating the reception and office area of one of their health clubs. The wanted me to go there and see about getting the phones back at the front counter and offices.

So I get there and I get the same old story from a kid (well not really a kid, probably 30) that is "in charge" and works for the GC- "the wiring is installed, all you have to do is put the jacks and phones in".

Fortunately the sheet rock hasn't been installed yet on one side of the knee wall that will hold up the front counter so I could see what this guy called wiring. I see a bunch of blue Carlon plastic boxes with a blue and a white CAT5 in each one. Cables run around the knee wall and disappear into a hole in the existing wall which the knee wall runs into.

The first red flag was the boxes and CAT5. I ask the kid where the cables were run to. Keep in mind that we installed the system and wired the place a few years ago. The KSU is down on the first floor in the electrical room. It took the kid a few seconds to process what I was asking and he replies "oh, they all go to that office over there". Sure enough, all 12 inches of each run was hanging out of a hole in the sheetrock about outlet height.

So now I'm at the end of my rope with this crap and I can feel my blood start to boil. I can't believe anybody could be that stupid. I ask the kid who did this and if it didn't occur to him that maybe he should have checked with the company that handles the phone system to see what was required? He says he thinks it was some IT guy.

Now I feel like I'm about to stroke out and figure I better get out of there. I try to calm down on my way to the door and tell him that nothing can be used, we will have to run everything new back to our equipment. Tell your boss that they may want to back charge him for it, that's up to the owner.

Now back at the office I call the owner. No problem she says, do what you have to do. The GC threw the wiring in for nothing. :bang:

-Hal

and it was worth every cent of it

Hal -

It doesn't just happen to you. I think it happens to all of us.

Be calm. Don't go to the Dark Side. Don't stroke out. We need you here.

Sam

Because your Hal. :rofl:

It really does happen to all of us and at an alarming frequency these days. Everyone is in panic mode with the economy being so bad, so they either don't want to pay the money to have it done correctly or the contractors are so hungry to get the job that they will throw in anything for "free".

We just completed an office relocation where the customer asked us after the fact if we would run a few RG6 cables for CATV. I give her the price, which was discounted since we were already on the site. She declined our offer since she found some jackleg who would do them for (get this).......$30.00 less ($5.00 per cable run). Would you believe that he had the audacity to ask if we would include his wiring on our low-voltage permit? Of course he was cheaper. He was not only unlicensed, but probably not insured either.

Hal, it's not just you. It is everywhere.

I just had a sparkie try to tell me today how he "future proofs" everything by using CAT5. I had to walk away, he was young and probably could take me and I couldn't find any big sticks close. Yep, it's all over Hal.

Bill, doesn't Nebraska have "Shall Issue Concealed Carry" yet? John C.

the contractors are so hungry to get the job that they will throw in anything for "free".

That's the reason I'll vote for.

The GC lucked out on this one because I got there before he completed the sheetrock on that kneewall. No problem to pull that junk out and replace it. But if it was a few days later he would be eating the cost for replacing the sheetrock and if it was even later after the finishes he would really be sorry.

-Hal

I would be willing to bet that the GC would have simply called around until (not if) he found someone, somewhere that would be more than willing to use the existing junk to make it work. :bang:

</font><blockquote><font size="1" face="Verdana, Arial">quote:</font><hr /><font size="2" face="Verdana, Arial">Originally posted by hbiss:
<strong> ...The GC threw the wiring in for nothing. :rofl: