Had the worst crane job of my career last Tuesday...

We showed up to remove a 90 foot oak in a tight backyard in Portland, and the homeowner had buried an old gas line right where I needed to set the outriggers. Took me 45 minutes just to find a safe spot that wouldn't crush anything. Then the wind kicked up around 11 am, and I had to stop every 15 minutes to let things settle. Ended up taking 8 hours for a job I quoted for 4. The worst part was the customer watching from their window the whole time, no coffee offered, just staring. Has anyone else dealt with surprise underground utilities ruining a whole day's schedule?

3 comments

3 Comments

valw3612d ago

Honestly, have you tried blaming the wind for the coffee shortage? @josephl67 makes a fair point about doing homework, but I once spent an entire job hoping the homeowner would bring out a bagel and just got a side-eye through the blinds instead. I guess the moral is, next time I'll pack my own snacks and a gas line map - plus maybe a paper bag to breathe into when the customer's stare drills into my soul.

patricia_green2123d ago

Take it easy. A bad day in a crane beats a good day in an office.

josephl6723d ago

The homeowner paid you for a job and had every right to watch from their window... they probably didn't offer coffee because they were worried about you damaging their buried gas line after you spent nearly an hour just looking for a safe spot. Surprise utilities are part of the job, and if you didn't check for them before quoting, that's on you for not doing your homework properly. Wind delays happen too, so maybe next time build a bigger buffer into your estimate instead of blaming the customer for watching you work.