# A Billionair's Piers



## rotarex (Mar 31, 2008)

rselectric1 said:


> If she comes across this thread, even if you get the job there will be problems.:whistling


yep, cant believe he posted her name LMAO. that's a good one to put the business to an end


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## Fancis Casini (Jan 31, 2013)

JR Shepstone said:


> So does anyone else see the red flags on the OPs end here?
> 
> Missing the appointment. Joking about being a drinker. (Not that there is anything wrong with drinking, but don't let that come into play with a potential client.) and then assuming that since "the more they got, the more they want."
> 
> ...


I wish I had your wisdom! 
1st off I accidentally missed the appointment and she knew it as I imediately called her back after she was ranting on the phone...she ended her message call laughing!That set the mood for me to respond to her when she said either your "getting old or your drinking" I was laughing when I said it and covered that point well!

She was very nice when I went there....it was her husband who had the attitude. 
When asked for a high end lighting store while saying the loose stones on the retaining wall were project for another time, and bragging about Manhatten property I got the message, infact I actually held the price down deliberately.

It was a bad job to miss an appointment for because of the mindset these type have.....and if missing it had something to do with it, it came from her husband whom was looking kinda puppy-dogged at us while we talked!

I have missed a few appointments during the 44 years I've been running things but this happened by memory laps [and I told her] not by miss placing the piece of paper with her name as I had it in my hand that morning when I couldn't recall it. 
Perhaps it's a sign of the times for me, who knows, but for you to so quickly judge and jury me, as well as her, per whoe's blowing off who.. without enough evidence [facial expressions etc] doesn't bode well for you, especially your hasty judgement.

I've worked for many money people and all were overstisfied with the work while most all cried [if even a bit, sometimes via a manger whom many times had a person of interest they wanted to see get the masonry] about the money being spent. 
How many times they would ask if I'd mind if they gave retaining walls to the landscaper...etc as it was "non expertise work" they'd sometimes say.
The last one had to come down because they read my design wrong thereby misplacing the center of the radius ..shorted the patio above some 15ft! It cost them 75000 to remove and do over what was originally 65,000 

Have I been successful in my business all these years? Well it paid for colleges;weddings;cars;jeeps;lawyers, and a few complete home redoes for the kids and it's not over as one son is following the trade. 

So tell me know it all. How old is your company?

free lesson....the ball was never handed to me! She had other bidders.. one came in as I was leaving.These people are in the building business they work the subs to the bone...get real The Donald Course Teaches that! Money is Money.....

The last one made me wait 2 years for 100,000 that they were already months behind on. They decided to take themselves a loan on me as they hated banks.They paid 5% when the contract said 18 and often took 30 day grace peroids but finaly paid.
Some months after he finally paid me, my son needed furiniture so I sent him down their huge furinture store [the one in my logo, west haven ct] to even the score some.
I called him and he said "send him down I'll treat him right" I never let on that I'd be paying the bill in fact I told him "the kid just got married ..can you do a time payment".
He said we do credit cards! and I said NO..you give him a loan like you made me give to you!
He called back and told me the payments will be 200 a month etc etc and when I asked repeatedly what the interest was he finally and aprehensivley said 10%.
I blew up and said "You won't extend the same interest as you forced me to give to you for 2 years! His self made loan was for 1 year.
He called back and said ok "I'll do 5%" I took the 30 day grace period in the 1st installment just as he did....You want to see the phone ring especially when he found out I was writing the checks!
And, so naturally I extended the loan to two years as they took the liberty of doing and they went perinoid.......just about begging.

They had the money to pay me countless of times over as they had a vacation home in west palm beach on 5 acres of waterfront property.
All kinds of buildings on the post road on and on.

The one year note they took was supposed to be paid by december in a balloon payment as they claimed "not having the liquid monthly amount". 
That Christmas I received a letter saying similar to the following.
"Do to the economic downturn, and you as a business owner I'm sure are very well aware,and especially hard hit is the furiniture business!
Therefore we are extending this loan at 5% and this payment reflects the new installment!.....Merry Christmas was at the end. 
I had a lawyer look into it and he said be happy they are paying.. all they have to do is find fault and they know it!...even if the job is great! 

This very same lawyer whom made fun of this party "taking a loan", did the same thing for the amount of 10,000 for a year with "no interest!"
They bought a new car the month following the last payment and live next dr.....the wife continuously thanks me while he still acts like the jerk he is.

No one knows money beter than the holders of it. Yes there are many very good money people out there, just not as numerous as most think.


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## JR Shepstone (Jul 14, 2011)

^^^^

I never tried to come off as a know-it-all. 

And to answer your question, I do not have my own business. I am an employee. 

I only took the information that you provided and made my inferences from that. 

You are correct that I did not see any facial expressions, or hear the tone of your voices, just like I didn't see/ hear any of that when reading your post. 

Many times people come here and relay a story and ask why this or why didn't that and the truth is we can only go off of what we are given. 

And truth be told I don't have 40+ years in any given trade. Hell, I don't have 40 years on this green earth yet. 

You came here for whatever reason to tell your story and have garnered many responses. I appear to be in the minority with my opinion, but that's how I saw it. 

The fact is we are still missing another two sides to this story...


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## Fancis Casini (Jan 31, 2013)

I looked at my estimate and it was not 12,000 it was 21,490...senile perhaps! My apology for misstating 
It was based on long standing premium sq ft prices for piers and corners which many here know takes time.
The sq ft price was 40.00, digging was 2100. Back in the 70's we used to get 20.00.
The price reflects about 15 to 20 sft per day with delays when nearing the top which involves cutting stone caps as well as fooling with the lite bases. 
This was for upper class work, as you know the magnifying glass will be used before the check. 
The problem today is that many are coming here ilegally and doing stonework for yester years prices....this is spawning many new companys working too cheaply and while some practice good ethics enabled with skill, most do not . 
How many times have you seen on someone's logo "Old World Stone Work" or "European Stone Work" ...only to notice the ultra thin razor bed-ed stones layed right up to the top.
Or a pile of just delivered gorgeous stone being busted up by three guys with sledge hammers making alot of rubble!
It's too bad that anytime there's an economic downturn masonry becomes such an instant backup plan for the laid off handyman taking crash courses on DIY channels, not mention illegals whom do not pay taxes at all.
Just down the street fom me this past summer, one such guy with a crew was doing a long, dry stone wall. 
He had his sign out and his new truck with big lettering facing the street. 
He was doing a decent job in that he didn't attempt to change what the farmers knew enough way back then when they laid thiner stones flat vrs going for the flat face look which required standing them all up, when the stones were not thick enough nor are there any footings.
I pulled over to give him a compliment an I said his name and he answered, no he no here! 
Subsequently the laborer told me it was him, which said oodles about his legal status as a taxpayer. 
He ended up doing 4 long walls along the same street, one of which was mortared and sub quality ie pattern. 
So what happens when they grant amnesty, will there be a huge increase in trowel sales and portland cement! 
Do we long time taxpaying contractors take another ten year hit,while looking like crooks amungst predominantly unschooled low priced wanabees.
It's getting so bad my son wants to buy lawnmowers to compete, because that's their "in first vehichle" followed by "we do!"
What a perfect very apealing pitch to an average home owner whom needs masonry done around the house..Heck, why call a high priced pro? These guys can do it and cheap!
Talk about earning while learning under the radar.

We are shurely a land of oportunity but it seems to me like we need reform to keep long time buisnesses whom did it leagally, afloat.


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## stonecutter (May 13, 2010)

Fancis Casini said:


> How many times have you seen on someone's logo "Old World Stone Work" or "European Stone Work" ...only to notice the ultra thin razor bed-ed stones layed right up to the top.


Well, that's pretty close to the name I chose for my business for many reasons, but I don't build garbage like that.

This is a two way problem. As long as there are price oriented clients, there will be the wanna-bes, hacks, boots...you name it, to swoop in and do the job. 

They can have all those clients that put cost over quality...they deserve each other.


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## JBM (Mar 31, 2011)

Stop beating yourself up, sometimes it has nothing to do with the price. Sometimes we just rub people the wrong way, if you can imagine that!


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## onthelevel (Apr 6, 2011)

Fancis Casini said:


> I sent her a reply something like this "My stones don't fall out!"
> :whistling



hahahahahaha:thumbup:. Smooth That's how to tell that biyatch.


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## TimNJ (Sep 7, 2005)

Fancis Casini said:


> and a "lime green razor knife."





I was on your side until I read that.:laughing:
I have a lime green razor knife because I always lose the bare metal ones.


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