Wednesday, May 30, 2012

Hide, not identify the true need.

I have a client which we have done a few footing inspections on house for. On this one, he actually requires a geotechnical investigation for piles, and he tried to slip it in as a footing inspection. Clients just cause me stress. OH well, shit happens.

Saturday, May 12, 2012

Control Freaks - Tyrants

We all see these, occasionally. Pit the poor people who work under them.

Tyrants are impotent without people to prey on.

I am not talking about the over confident, like the typical surgeon. They need to believe that they know it all to overcome the natural human reluctance of cutting into someone. This is all ego built up in the mind. The reflection of there training, the reflection of the overgrown collective egos that are the medical community.  We often work with collective superegos, - municipal governments planning and development departments.

I was asked for stamped and sealed design notes, and this time I declined to provide them. The last time I provided them and the individual started to pick them apart, and it became apparent that he knew less about the subject than I, by far. He was a tyrant, as it turned out.

The other reason to ask for design notes is at the suggestion of a lawyer. The collection of legal information, in preparation for a lawsuit before the work is done, in my opinion is dealing in bad faith. I do not want to work on projects like that.

Another reason is to ask for design notes is to learn the method, so that you can do the work in the future. I am not about to train my clients to do me out of work.

Regardless, providing design notes is leading with your chin. We can make a decision if they insist: Do we want to work for a tyrant, a big ego, a litigious, or a information thief anyway?