FIX THIS NOW! (long)

[Caractacus_Potts]

[BG: I’m an engineer specializing in seismic restraint and vibration isolation of mechanical and electrical components in new construction. Part of my job involves taking CAD drawings from customers and adding brace types, locations and orientations for piping runs to meet local seismic codes. My customers are contractors]

I was doing a large hospital project in SC (we are in NH; I was working through a local rep for our company). This was a very large project and our rep wasn’t the brightest bulb in the chandelier so I volunteered to work with the contractor directly. Big mistake. Huge.

I can not describe how deliberately rude and demanding this project manager was. He did not speak, he yelled. He did not ask, he demanded. Often he would demand things immediately that could not be done until he provided us with information and then couldn’t be arsed to actually provide the information. It was two months from hell but we had a contract and the work needed to be done.

Flash forward a month after I went out for dinner and many drinks to celebrate the completion of this project and the fact that I would never have to deal with this asshole again when I get this email (paraphrased but it was in caps).

I FOUND A MISTAKE YOU MADE ON THE 2ND FLOOR PIPING; YOU USED THE FIRST FLOOR PIPE LAYOUT ON THE SECOND FLOOR!! SO FAR I AM THE ONLY ONE WHO KNOWS ABOUT THIS. YOU WILL FIX YOUR SCREW-UP AND HAVE THE REVISED DRAWING TO ME BEFORE THE END OF THE DAY OR I WILL BRING THIS TO THE ATTENTION OF THE ENGINEER AND THERE WILL BE BACK CHARGES.

Back charges are when someone on a project screws up so bad that it effects the projects cost or schedule to a point where the party that screwed up gets charged for fixing the mistake. I checked the drawings and sure enough on the second floor the pipe layer was labeled “FIRST FLOOR PIPE”. The thing is I don’t create the drawings; I just mark them up so if there was a mistake it was this jackasses company that screwed up. I had completed the project and been paid so I had no further reason to coddle this asswipe. My response…

“I have reviewed the drawing and I agree that the second floor drawings pipe is labeled ‘FIRST FLOOR PIPE”. As you know your company provided these drawing. Please forward me the correct 2nd floor drawing and I will have an add price for the additional work to you by the end of the week. I expect I can fit this in sometime within the next month.”

I never did hear another word from him. The thing I know and a project manager should have known is that often times in multistory buildings the pipe layout is exactly the same on more than one floor. I had checked this before I sent my email and I knew that the first floor pipe layout exactly matched the second floor pipe layout. Too bad someone clued him is as it would have been nice to get a bonus from this prat to fix my “mistake”.

[mikoyan29]

Despite that...that sounds like an interesting line of work.

[Caractacus_Potts]

Despite that...that sounds like an interesting line of work.

In HS and college I worked at McD's, Burger King, a half dozen restaurants doing everything from line cook to server, as a security guard and at Walgreen's.

Not working with the general public is a blessing all in itself. I've been doing this for fifteen years and that's the only guy that was SC enough to prompt a post.

[bainsidhe]

I think it's cute how he declares he's the only one who knows about the problem. Maybe that's because he's at fault and getting the boss involved will only burn his own ass instead of yours.

[Kristev]

Simply terrible that they'd treat you that way.

[PepperElf]

but it's funny how you called him out on it ...

sounds like he was trying to talk to you like a bully thinking you'd cave in and grovel - and perhaps that's how his underlings act when he does it to them... but you didn't cave in and it stole the wind from his sails

[thehuckster]

I think it's cute how he declares he's the only one who knows about the problem. Maybe that's because he's at fault and getting the boss involved will only burn his own ass instead of yours.

He should have responded by cc'ing his colleagues.

Those kinds of things only backfire on you and burn you in the ass, though. It just goes to show that in any service industry, it doesn't matter if you're a cashier, an engineer, a nurse, or whomever, some clients just feel they have to treat you like crap just because they're your client.

[Sapphire Silk]

I never did hear another word from him. The thing I know and a project manager should have known is that often times in multistory buildings the pipe layout is exactly the same on more than one floor. I had checked this before I sent my email and I knew that the first floor pipe layout exactly matched the second floor pipe layout. Too bad someone clued him is as it would have been nice to get a bonus from this prat to fix my “mistake”.

I came to this conclusion before you even noted your response to this asshat. And I know nothing about engineering.

If a complete know nothing can see it, then it is a very sad commentary on the mental functioning of this project manager.

Shame he "figured it out." He shoulda had to learn the hard way.