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I've got a four man crew and two job sites to go to. The first job is a moderate furniture install with a move, the second is a delivery with a tiny furniture install. My first customer misjudged the timing for the furniture install, so I was still working on it with more to do while the rest of the crew had finished their part of the job. The customer was cool about everything, but it set the wheels in motion for an explosion later.
My co-supervisor (Vic) and I decided that it would make more sense to have them take off and handle the second job. I was the only one who could handle the remaining work alone, so I stayed behind to finish job #1. I gave a quick rundown of the job and off they went.
Job # 2 couldn't have been easier. Everything on the truck comes off and goes where the customer wants it. The only thing that posed any complication was the installation. It was a simple L-shape desk, with the main part pre-built; all that was needed was to build the return section, screw in the legs at one end, and screw it into the pre-set flat plates at the other. This would have been pre-built as well, but the customer didn't have a tape measure, so I had to send two different surfaces for the return. Regardless, I gave simple instructions to both Vic and Vince: "it's an L-shape, take both surfaces in, let the customer choose one, build it, bring the other surface back".
They've been gone for a few hours, I assume everything's going okay. Vic came back to my site to give me some supplies that I forgot to pull off the truck. He looks frustrated but says everythings allright at site 2. An hour later I get a call:
Boss: What the hell is going on?
Me: You've got to be a lot more specific than that.
Boss: Why aren't you at site 2?
Me: I stayed at site 1 to finish things off.
Boss: You were supposed to go to site 2, you were the one I gave the instructions to.
Me: There was three hours of work here, I told them what to do and stayed here to finish the work they have.
Boss: I gave you the instructions, you're the one who knows what to do there.
Me: Yeah, and I passed those instructions on, it couldn't be an easier job. What's the problem?
Boss: I don't fucking know! I've got the customer screaming at me that Vince is a fucking moron and doesn't know what he's doing. Vince doesn't speak english, I can't get anything out of him. Vic won't answer his phone.
Me: It's a fucking L-shape... it's putting in 12 screws into the return, it couldn't be easier, he can't figure this out?!?
Boss: I don't know what's going on! You were supposed to be there!
This abuse carried on with me pleading my case to deaf ears. He finally decided I had enough and hung up with instructions to do whatever the hell I want to do. I was visibly shaken and upset at the end of this and apologized to my customer. He was cool, but clearly unimpressed by the whole thing. I only had half an hour left, so I finished that off and called Vic to find out what was going on. He was in the same boat I was in, his customer had disappeared, Vince was cluelessly pleading ignorance, and the boss had reamed him out. I hung around for half an hour to see if there was anything I could do, but even if I could straighten things out, I had no transportation to get to them. Given that I had instructions to do whatever the hell I wanted, I figured fuck it and headed home.
Now, I don't know what happened at the other job site, I wasn't there, but based on the story I got from Vic, and my knowledge of the idiot Vince, here's what I think went down. Vic and Vince got into an argument over how to build the desk. Vic knew it was supposed to be L-shape, those were my instructions, that was the drawing. Vince argued that it had to be u-shaped because there were three surfaces, and it couldn't be built because they didn't have the right parts; furthermore, they had to cut something down because I had wanted the saw earlier. (I had called to get the saw, but told him not to bother, this was re-assured three times). This argument carried on until Vic told him to shut up, and ordered him to build it right. Reluctantly, Vince agreed, all he had to ask the customer which size surface she wanted. This was where Vic left the site to bring me the supplies I forgot, and I suppose where the shit hit the fan. I'd have to guess that Vince reverted to his idiotic, stubborn, non-charming self and re-started his argument over what was supposed to be built with the customer. The customer either simply threw a temper tantrum because Vince "didn't know" what he was supposed to do, or she was driven to one by Vince's stubborn refusal to listen to her. I don't know what it was, all I know is that she stormed out of the building and called my boss complaining that Vince doesn't know what he's doing. That temper tantrum led to my boss's temper tantrum which led to the tremendous headache I had.
This is strike three ..... thousand for Vince. He deserves to be fired yet somehow remains bulletproof. I'm sick of this bullshit and am eagerly awaiting an interview that I'm supposed to get. In the meantime, I think I'll drown my sorrows and hope the buggers don't learn how to swim
My co-supervisor (Vic) and I decided that it would make more sense to have them take off and handle the second job. I was the only one who could handle the remaining work alone, so I stayed behind to finish job #1. I gave a quick rundown of the job and off they went.
Job # 2 couldn't have been easier. Everything on the truck comes off and goes where the customer wants it. The only thing that posed any complication was the installation. It was a simple L-shape desk, with the main part pre-built; all that was needed was to build the return section, screw in the legs at one end, and screw it into the pre-set flat plates at the other. This would have been pre-built as well, but the customer didn't have a tape measure, so I had to send two different surfaces for the return. Regardless, I gave simple instructions to both Vic and Vince: "it's an L-shape, take both surfaces in, let the customer choose one, build it, bring the other surface back".
They've been gone for a few hours, I assume everything's going okay. Vic came back to my site to give me some supplies that I forgot to pull off the truck. He looks frustrated but says everythings allright at site 2. An hour later I get a call:
Boss: What the hell is going on?
Me: You've got to be a lot more specific than that.
Boss: Why aren't you at site 2?
Me: I stayed at site 1 to finish things off.
Boss: You were supposed to go to site 2, you were the one I gave the instructions to.
Me: There was three hours of work here, I told them what to do and stayed here to finish the work they have.
Boss: I gave you the instructions, you're the one who knows what to do there.
Me: Yeah, and I passed those instructions on, it couldn't be an easier job. What's the problem?
Boss: I don't fucking know! I've got the customer screaming at me that Vince is a fucking moron and doesn't know what he's doing. Vince doesn't speak english, I can't get anything out of him. Vic won't answer his phone.
Me: It's a fucking L-shape... it's putting in 12 screws into the return, it couldn't be easier, he can't figure this out?!?
Boss: I don't know what's going on! You were supposed to be there!
This abuse carried on with me pleading my case to deaf ears. He finally decided I had enough and hung up with instructions to do whatever the hell I want to do. I was visibly shaken and upset at the end of this and apologized to my customer. He was cool, but clearly unimpressed by the whole thing. I only had half an hour left, so I finished that off and called Vic to find out what was going on. He was in the same boat I was in, his customer had disappeared, Vince was cluelessly pleading ignorance, and the boss had reamed him out. I hung around for half an hour to see if there was anything I could do, but even if I could straighten things out, I had no transportation to get to them. Given that I had instructions to do whatever the hell I wanted, I figured fuck it and headed home.
Now, I don't know what happened at the other job site, I wasn't there, but based on the story I got from Vic, and my knowledge of the idiot Vince, here's what I think went down. Vic and Vince got into an argument over how to build the desk. Vic knew it was supposed to be L-shape, those were my instructions, that was the drawing. Vince argued that it had to be u-shaped because there were three surfaces, and it couldn't be built because they didn't have the right parts; furthermore, they had to cut something down because I had wanted the saw earlier. (I had called to get the saw, but told him not to bother, this was re-assured three times). This argument carried on until Vic told him to shut up, and ordered him to build it right. Reluctantly, Vince agreed, all he had to ask the customer which size surface she wanted. This was where Vic left the site to bring me the supplies I forgot, and I suppose where the shit hit the fan. I'd have to guess that Vince reverted to his idiotic, stubborn, non-charming self and re-started his argument over what was supposed to be built with the customer. The customer either simply threw a temper tantrum because Vince "didn't know" what he was supposed to do, or she was driven to one by Vince's stubborn refusal to listen to her. I don't know what it was, all I know is that she stormed out of the building and called my boss complaining that Vince doesn't know what he's doing. That temper tantrum led to my boss's temper tantrum which led to the tremendous headache I had.
This is strike three ..... thousand for Vince. He deserves to be fired yet somehow remains bulletproof. I'm sick of this bullshit and am eagerly awaiting an interview that I'm supposed to get. In the meantime, I think I'll drown my sorrows and hope the buggers don't learn how to swim
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