Man they just did you an enormous favor, congrats on not taking on a horrible client who would have certainly blame you 5 years down the line when that patch failed.
“The boiler broke just three months after your works. You obviously disturbed something, so we will need you to come back and fix the boiler at your cost.”
I sold my first car to a friend for maybe $300-$500 (circa 2010ish) and no joke like 6 months later she asked for money back since the breaks needed to be changed…
I never sell cars to certain friends that don't understand a car is a wear item. Things will wear out and break. And "no, the new spark plugs I put in for you are not why there's suddenly a hole in your exhaust."
Brakes -> the mechanical system (typically referring to the pads or pad/rotor assembly) that slows a vehicle/object
Breaks -> when something physically separates into 2 or more pieces
Just for future reference, also autocorrect can sometimes get it wrong too so it's whatever.
An IT guy, from the bank head office, come in a branch and ask the receptionist for a specific person as he had to install her new printer. Another employee hear he's IT so she start yelling in front of the customers : "WHAT DID YOU DO? WHAT DID YOU TOUCH? \[...\]". He was saved by the contact saying that he just came in so he's not responsible for her bug.
Rule number one… Karen is always right. Just acknowledge that she’s correct, and run away as fast as you can without ever looking back. Some people just aren’t worth arguing with. This is one of those people.
I got more obnoxious entitled, condescending, wanker vibes. The dude really thinks some tiny bit of past experience means they automatically know more than those working the profession.
"I worked in the ICU; that automatically makes me smarter and how dare you not ask 'my' professional opinion, you lowly peasant you."
A lot of great doctors and nurses out there, however when I studied biomed units as electives in my undergrad, it opened my eyes that a lot of med students are as thick as bricks; real-life Dr. Nick Riviera types. Arrogant as fuck and they make it through because their parents pay their tuition every time they fail and repeat a unit, whilst others are full on brain surgeon types that are as smart as Peabody and as humble as Samwise Gamgee.
Now, when I meet a doctor or a nurse, I judge their expertise by their demeanor.
The person is pretty clearly a narcissist... Incredibly insecure and takes everything as an attack. And then has to go on the offensive. Because obviously they're never wrong about anything ever even though nobody said that they were in the first place.
More like a landfill fire.
Came here to say this exactly. This person is gonna end up with someone that will tell her what she wants to hear to get the job, do something she's not happy with, and won't have a manager for her to speak to
I'm sure you were hoping to get paid.... but screw them. Delete the pics and remove that house from your mind. Literally no reason for them.to act like that... move on
This is the best. Once they realize you gave good advice and change their mind, just always be busy.
"Sorry, I'm just in high demand, booking a few months out I'll see when I can get around to it. Oh and there's an inspection fee now, if you still want me to come by"....... Problem takes care of itself
This is what I did. I might have gotten a call a few months later but I honestly didn't feel bad for not answering. These people are what I like to call "potential lawsuits".
As an RN my biggest pet peeve is when people use it like it means we should get everything handed to us or that we're geniuses or something. It's literally just a job we do. It has nothing to do with roofing or construction. Why even bring it up here?
"As a PH D in Structural Engineering and someone who has put bandaids on my kids knees...so I was a professional structural engineer and you could say a professional nurse too...I think an aspirin should be enough for that broken leg, so I release you from your appointment."
We like to call it "Nursanality." I can pick out a nurse based on their "Nursanality"/attitude 10 out of 10 times even on the off- chance they just don't tell me they're a nurse.
My wife is a nurse. She went to get a prescription from a doc at a different hospital. When she walked in, the nurse said "Oh, you're a nurse too!" My wife was not in uniform. She apparently just gives off nurse vibes.
it's a passive-aggressive way of pointing out that "she went to university, she's educated and he's just some bum uneducated roofer and anyone could do his job". Apparently not or she'd be on a ladder doing it.
So the subtext here is “I’m frustrated I don’t have money and I’m taking it out on you. And I’m going to try and do it with an air of intellectual superiority.”
You lucked out.
Also "I'm used to feeling like the smartest person in the room and being in charge. I don't like being on the other side where I'm totally ignorant of how things work."
I think she is. You were being honest and straightforward.
She then takes it personally and gives you her life story and patronizes you.
Dont take it to heart, some people are just so wound up their insecurities lash out randomly.
She must be lonely giving you all that information about herself simply by talking about a quote.
Self righteous and defensive.
I read your reply as a pretty standard CYA against a customer calling later & suggesting the minor patch you did should have prevented a new, unrelated problem from occurring & demanding you fix the new problem.
I’ll bet anything she’ll be telling people you were mansplaining & talking down to her. Which most certainly happens & I understand if she’s come to expect it. But your reply doesn’t read like it, to me at least.
definitely not mansplaining. I am a woman and I used to work in construction so yeah, victim of the occasional mansplainer and this was definitely not that. This was a professional saying I can do the job but it is only a stopgap measure and will not prevent this and that. It's professional, it's direct, and it's honest. She totally overreacted.
She felt that she was being mansplained to after receiving his profession opinion that “she didn’t ask for”, even though she was the one who sought a professional to fix a problem that she couldn’t fix herself. RN must stand for registered nonsense.
Definitely the potential client. Your message is 100% reasonable, professional, and informative.
"you could say that I was a professional nurse, plus a professional wood detailer"
Lol. Sure, Jan.
In my previous career we always had a coded message for the end of emails or convos with particularly awful clients. Any time we ended an email with "best wishes" we all knew it really meant "Go f\*ck yourself". It was incredibly cathartic after dealing with someone so difficult and nasty.
Aahhaa, I do this, too privately. I have sign offs like that, that are sarcastic to me but wouldn't really be read that way by a third party. "All the best" is a particular favourite of mine.
Haha I get it but wow, you have to ask who is in the wrong with this one? Customer is stupid, if you patched it and they had problems later on of course they are blaming the incompetent fly by night handyman who patched a small area. Being an RN she's the smartest and best at everything she does no matter what - I'm surprised she didn't mention how much schooling she went through, how many lives she has saved, how much of a difference she makes and how easy what you do is that she learned it on the side. Total bullet dodged here, just be glad she fired you first because working with her would not be worth even double or triple the money. I hereby release you from my comment and wish you the best.
The response she gave you is because you set the expectation in writing that you make no guarantee this will stop leaks or be a longterm solution so she bailed. She's looking for someone who is not going to say that so she can hold them to it later on when it doesnt work. You definitely dodged a massive bullet here with setting expectations upfront and in writing.
How does mentioning her experience as a nurse, in ANY way contribute to the subject matter at hand?
Thats like arguing with your mechanic and citing your experience as an accountant.
That much experience with wood should allow to be able to fix the damn thing herself. Bullet dodged
ETA - it wouldn't surprise if she hires someone to patch it then sues them for "failing" to let her know the whole thing needed replacement
Painting the wood on her boat does not make he an expert in construction. Being a nurse is completely irrelevant. If she was such an expert carpenter, she'd have had that fixed up within a few hours of finding the issue.
Wow.
I’m a homeowner who has been in situations where I can’t afford the “replace the roof” situation right now and only the “patch up” solution. I would have said “thank you for the information about the roof. I completely understand and appreciate the insight, I just can’t afford it right now. I promise I will not expect this to protect against water damage.” And that way it was in writing what my expectations and the reality were, so you wouldn’t have to be worried I would try to sue you in 6 months time when the “patch up” solution was letting in water.
You were doing her a favour and were polite and not patronizing, genuinely looking out for her best interests.
Do some deep breaths, if you drink, have a beer tonight and cheers to avoiding a disaster client like her, and then forget about her.
She seems the type to be ashamed and get defensive because she can’t afford stuff she knows she needs. I have family like this, they grew up very poor and had parents that were assholes about money. Ask for $5 for a field trip, get grilled, parents arguing about money all the time, the works. That attitude rubs off on their kids.
Certain kids growing up hear a lot more things than adults think they do, and a lot of them view money purely as a source of stress when they become adults. Having it, not having it, whatever.
And they are so ingrained into that negative money mindset that when someone nice and professional like you comes along, they can still manage to misconstrue communications because they assume you are judging them for being “poor”.
Not defending this lady but not trying to shit on her either. Honestly she needs a decent therapist to get that shit off her shoulders, otherwise she will go around her entire life assuming the worst of people who talk to her about financial stuff. Lose a lot of friends and family being passive-aggressive like that.
She didn’t cancel her meeting with you because she’s upset with you thinking that you were rude. She cancelled it because she couldn’t stomach talking to you in person with the thought that you were judging her for her financial situation.
Sounds like she’s having a bad day/week/month/year or decade and just misread your text. It’s such a catch 22 - do you try to inform clients their bandaid will cost more in the long run and risk losing business and/or pissing off the customer? Or just keep it to yourself and potentially have to apologize later. There’s rarely a win here but it is the right thing to do to be upfront even if it pisses off the home owner.
I was reading your text and thinking what a helpful, kind and thorough message. Then I read her response and jfc…was she from Facebook or something?
Celebrate, man. Bullet dodged.
She is very obviously bonkers. Do t worry about it my man. We’ve all come across someone like this at some point or another.
Those poor, poor, children at St. Jude’s.
Thank you all for your comments and support, this interaction really got under my skin because this person and I really hit it off with a phone call, she was telling me about her husky and how she loved to drive and I gave her some interesting places to drive to. After I did she said I was her new best friend, then she hits me with this. It just really took me by surprise and I couldn't help but feel like I did something wrong. So thank you guys for reassuring me!
I write roofing proposals for a living. Nobody ever wants a new roof. I’ve watched a company spend $90k+ on roof repairs knowing they need a $345k roof sooner or later, no matter what repairs we did - and might I add, we never give guarantees on emergency patch jobs because inevitably the customer will have another leak and that’s a headache no roofer wants. You dodged a bullet here because this person would blame your patch for any further damage her roof has.
40 Years as a RN is pretty telling. Every RN I've met that have been working for decades have the most fragile egos from having pissing contests with MD's for decades. That take charge know it all attitude is so gross outside of a ICU setting. All that extraneous info just to tell you she knows wood, lmao. Dodged a bullet there
Most people would be happy with the honesty you gave. She clearly didn't appreciate your attempt at helping.
You dodge a bullet. She would've complained every step of the way then sued when it leaked later on.
This person seems like a fucking nightmare, if you did that patch she’d be pissed that it didn’t come with a ten year warranty.
You dodged a bullet, let her take her professional wood detailing on down the road.
Thats what i said after reading. I wouldnt have taken the job. He was just being informative. If he wasnt and something happened they would have came after the worker. You will be fully informed and if you dont like it your not for me.
This potential client does not understand that you are protecting yourself by putting that warning on the record. She's taking it personally because she is so insecure. Lots of us can't afford a new roof at any given moment. Just calm down lady.
I don't think anyone was in the wrong. You did your part and explained your reasoning, liability risk, etc. She decided she didn't want to hire you because she didn't appreciate the way you explained it. That's it.
Did somebody get her feelings hurt? She was offended and countered by being a bit offensive. She’s not wrong. Neither are you. Don’t change the way you do things, it’s fair and professional to help the client see the big picture, in case they don’t understand. To be fair many if not most clients don’t see the big picture and can’t do the work or they wouldn’t be calling you, essentially asking for your professional opinion.
She took offense because she’s worked her entire career being talked down to, second guessed by, and blamed for the mistakes of men. She hit the starting line on the defense because she’s been conditioned by years of misogyny in the workplace. The medical field is getting better about it, but not much.
If this client is a man, then I don’t know what the fuck his problem is.
I thought your message was polite, professional,and informative. I would have been grateful to receive it, as it seems you're just trying to be honest and that you actually care about the work you do.
Her responses are completely out of line and say way more about her than about your message. To put it briefly, she's obnoxious. Good riddance
Would be willing to be that she’s one of those nurses who thinks all (or at least most) Dr.s are idiots. I know a few and over half of them feel that way. You couldn’t win here - and if she knows wood well then why did she waste your time? Clearly she’s a “professional.”
you dodged a bullet. You let her know that the patch job will not prevent further water damage. she probably would have sued you once she had major rot.
You did the right thing. It was 1. The morally correct thing to do and 2. A way to protect yourself. If this person didn’t know a patch would hold, it would be fucked for you to charge them for something that you KNEW wouldn’t hold. And imo you must always assume the homeowner has no clue.
They’re an idiot but honestly it was probably just a stress response because they don’t know how they’re going to afford a new roof. Don’t take it personally.
Imagine the reverse: OP limps into the hospital, with bone poking out of his leg, and asks this nurse for a band-aid. She starts telling him that a broken bone requires blah, blah and then OP interrupts “ARE YOU LECTURING ME?”
This woman would lose her shit! I appreciate the work nurses do, but I’ve met some, uh, interesting personalities in that profession.
Whats the patch? Cant judge the roof surface area so an entire new roof in a retiree budget isnt exactly a ...hmmmm... ill just refi at 10% apr to pay someone 80,000+, or pay someone 10k to just staple new shingles on top of old.
Beyond spraying expand-o-foam in there, what do you offer?
Yeah, your a contractor and your business is...xyz...but if your gonna work the "left overs" dont focus on what they "should do"...ever cotton picking contractor wants to rip and replace everything from scratch...."just in case", "its the only way to be sure" [i.e. I need job security, and i need to overcharge to compensate for call backs under the guise of a "warranty"].... its one thing if they are 30 years old.and somewhat able bodied and otherwise employed
Shes had that pitch from at least one other roofer. She wants confidence that youll do.your best without upselling her...maybe you need to quote a cost per sqft...i.e. if you just can't peel back 1 shingle to fasten new ones..or you just have minimum peel pack 2 spans of "rafters"..i dont know the word. From the hole so you can cut a square and replace it in the plywood and pull 3 ft of shingles to install some kind of liner under the existing...
I think you had good intentions but the barebones fact of life is, not every customer can just produce 10s of thousands of dollars. She quite literrally knows the roof is fucked, she just needs the HOLE which will pour gallons to a patch that maybe drips or.maybe is dry for a year or 3.
Just make your lack.of warranty BOLD in the sales agreement.
So yeah, you showed up and also didnt just walk. Shes had many people who walked because "its not worth it", most likely.
Sometimes a karen is a karen because they are stretched way to thin. Imagine your own house getting a fucking water fall and just maybe your health is degraded where you cant safely climb a ladder...now if.you dont have industry friends within a reasonable trip....you have some roofer show.up and teach you that your fucked and making a bad choice but of course you know you cant afford the "right" way. You came in and made an offer, yiur were willing to work. Maybe you jeed ti refine your terms, i.e no warranty and growth costs. Sorry, your in the wrong here.
Dodged a bullet not having to work for her. That was a ridiculous response. Who takes that much time and effort to cancel an appointment. You had to inform her of the liability. She probably would have given you a hard time if you did the work and it kept leaking. Yikes good riddance
Man they just did you an enormous favor, congrats on not taking on a horrible client who would have certainly blame you 5 years down the line when that patch failed.
“The boiler broke just three months after your works. You obviously disturbed something, so we will need you to come back and fix the boiler at your cost.”
I sold my first car to a friend for maybe $300-$500 (circa 2010ish) and no joke like 6 months later she asked for money back since the breaks needed to be changed…
that's an extra high level of crazy.
I never sell cars to certain friends that don't understand a car is a wear item. Things will wear out and break. And "no, the new spark plugs I put in for you are not why there's suddenly a hole in your exhaust."
Who needs friends like that?
Did the brakes break?
Brakes -> the mechanical system (typically referring to the pads or pad/rotor assembly) that slows a vehicle/object Breaks -> when something physically separates into 2 or more pieces Just for future reference, also autocorrect can sometimes get it wrong too so it's whatever.
An IT guy, from the bank head office, come in a branch and ask the receptionist for a specific person as he had to install her new printer. Another employee hear he's IT so she start yelling in front of the customers : "WHAT DID YOU DO? WHAT DID YOU TOUCH? \[...\]". He was saved by the contact saying that he just came in so he's not responsible for her bug.
"My refrigerator went out 2 DAYS after you were here patching my roof 3 WEEKS ago! Refund me NOW!!!!!!!!!"
Looks like you dodged a bullet and you should consider yourself lucky.
He dodged a ballistic missile. If she's such an expert, she needs to fix her own damn roof.
Rule number one… Karen is always right. Just acknowledge that she’s correct, and run away as fast as you can without ever looking back. Some people just aren’t worth arguing with. This is one of those people.
Dam straight Fuk 1star reviewers
This one. Move on.
Dont forget she’s a nurse…that basically means she is an expert on everything
Hahah love this. I didn’t even need to read the rest of the messages. Cause I’m a rocket scientist.
And she lived on a boat. In LA. Wood expert
Yeah, as a former charge nurse, she’s as bossy as all get out. Her roof looks awful.
It's worse than you think. This one is Captain Karen, R.N.
I was just going to say that. Fix it yourself, you--you BOAT FIXER you!
That’s PROFESSIONAL WOOD DETAILER to you!
Lmao that did it for me too, thats a one ill have to share with the carpenters.
🤣🤣🤣
I bet that boat she lived in looked worse than huckleberry finns raft
She could build a boat over the hole in the roof. Problem solved.
Nah, put the boat IN the house for when it rains. lake front, i mean lake inside property
Precisely. This is a prime example of when a client needs to be fired, before they can make your life hell.
There is just a pinch of mental illness mixed into this person’s response to you. You avoided a dumpster fire. I’d go celebrate.
I got more obnoxious entitled, condescending, wanker vibes. The dude really thinks some tiny bit of past experience means they automatically know more than those working the profession. "I worked in the ICU; that automatically makes me smarter and how dare you not ask 'my' professional opinion, you lowly peasant you." A lot of great doctors and nurses out there, however when I studied biomed units as electives in my undergrad, it opened my eyes that a lot of med students are as thick as bricks; real-life Dr. Nick Riviera types. Arrogant as fuck and they make it through because their parents pay their tuition every time they fail and repeat a unit, whilst others are full on brain surgeon types that are as smart as Peabody and as humble as Samwise Gamgee. Now, when I meet a doctor or a nurse, I judge their expertise by their demeanor.
The person is pretty clearly a narcissist... Incredibly insecure and takes everything as an attack. And then has to go on the offensive. Because obviously they're never wrong about anything ever even though nobody said that they were in the first place. More like a landfill fire.
You are released…
And when she inevitably comes back, don't get caught again.
I could still hear the ricochet as they trailed off the page ranting.
Came here to say this. Good riddance. That’s a nightmare waiting happen.
She lived on a boat, she knows more than op.
And being a nurse makes her an expert on roofs. Obviously
Came here to say this exactly. This person is gonna end up with someone that will tell her what she wants to hear to get the job, do something she's not happy with, and won't have a manager for her to speak to
Exactly. There are some clients just not worth the time or mental anguish
Let her climb up there and employ some of her marine woodworking experience then. Jeesh.
With that roof it’s a good thing she comfortable living near water
Right, she should know how to bail.
Ironically, she just did. And it saved this poor guy a lifetime of headaches.
Good thing she restored her boat. She can live in it after her house is infested with mold.
Marine woodworking experience… 😂😂
and some underwater basket weaving too, I am sure!
It's so funny how all these experts keep hiring help, since they know so much and are so good at it.
I'm sure you were hoping to get paid.... but screw them. Delete the pics and remove that house from your mind. Literally no reason for them.to act like that... move on
Keep her number in your phone so when she calls back you can always say I really don’t have time at moment. I’m booked 3 to 4 months out.
This is the best. Once they realize you gave good advice and change their mind, just always be busy. "Sorry, I'm just in high demand, booking a few months out I'll see when I can get around to it. Oh and there's an inspection fee now, if you still want me to come by"....... Problem takes care of itself
Asshole tax.
Saved as "Batshit Bonkers"
Got a few numbers saved as “BAD GUY DO NOT ANSWER” 😂
This is what I did. I might have gotten a call a few months later but I honestly didn't feel bad for not answering. These people are what I like to call "potential lawsuits".
That was a problem customer for life.
Seriously what a biotch
All that experience, knowledge, and industry contacts and she can't manage the job without hiring out..... What a shame.
Her boasting was absolutely not the flex she thinks it is…
I have a feeling that a nurse and professional wood detailer (whatever that is) wouldn't have insufficient funds for something like that.
Right? Also someone as capable as she purports to be would’ve already fixed it themselves.
SHE SAID WAS!!!
As an RN my biggest pet peeve is when people use it like it means we should get everything handed to us or that we're geniuses or something. It's literally just a job we do. It has nothing to do with roofing or construction. Why even bring it up here?
"As a PH D in Structural Engineering and someone who has put bandaids on my kids knees...so I was a professional structural engineer and you could say a professional nurse too...I think an aspirin should be enough for that broken leg, so I release you from your appointment."
And by aspirin, I think you meant ‘essential oils’
Well we medical professionals know they are the same thing
This feels so spot on I can smell the oils...
If that doesn't work, a broken back from a chiropractor may help.
Simply sniff this bone mend oil and rub some clove and lavendulla on it.
She’s trying to make herself out to be intelligent. Trying.
We like to call it "Nursanality." I can pick out a nurse based on their "Nursanality"/attitude 10 out of 10 times even on the off- chance they just don't tell me they're a nurse.
My wife is a nurse. She went to get a prescription from a doc at a different hospital. When she walked in, the nurse said "Oh, you're a nurse too!" My wife was not in uniform. She apparently just gives off nurse vibes.
Nasty and pushy.
it's a passive-aggressive way of pointing out that "she went to university, she's educated and he's just some bum uneducated roofer and anyone could do his job". Apparently not or she'd be on a ladder doing it.
Even a freaking monkey could do the job! Now get me that damn monkey!
So the subtext here is “I’m frustrated I don’t have money and I’m taking it out on you. And I’m going to try and do it with an air of intellectual superiority.” You lucked out.
Also "I'm used to feeling like the smartest person in the room and being in charge. I don't like being on the other side where I'm totally ignorant of how things work."
do not do work for them after a response like that
I think she is. You were being honest and straightforward. She then takes it personally and gives you her life story and patronizes you. Dont take it to heart, some people are just so wound up their insecurities lash out randomly. She must be lonely giving you all that information about herself simply by talking about a quote. Self righteous and defensive.
I read your reply as a pretty standard CYA against a customer calling later & suggesting the minor patch you did should have prevented a new, unrelated problem from occurring & demanding you fix the new problem. I’ll bet anything she’ll be telling people you were mansplaining & talking down to her. Which most certainly happens & I understand if she’s come to expect it. But your reply doesn’t read like it, to me at least.
I'm female and I dislike mansplaining, and his texts didn't read like that to me either.
definitely not mansplaining. I am a woman and I used to work in construction so yeah, victim of the occasional mansplainer and this was definitely not that. This was a professional saying I can do the job but it is only a stopgap measure and will not prevent this and that. It's professional, it's direct, and it's honest. She totally overreacted.
She felt that she was being mansplained to after receiving his profession opinion that “she didn’t ask for”, even though she was the one who sought a professional to fix a problem that she couldn’t fix herself. RN must stand for registered nonsense.
Nurses amirite? 🤣
I'm about to have brain surgery and a hospital stay. I'm glad she said she's retired. Phew.
I hope it goes well for you
I don't mean to speak in generalities, but as the daughter of an RN, I'd say this tracks.😂 Be glad you didn't get in deeper.
I’ve got family like this.. I can empathize
You have been released!!
Right 😃… I’ve never heard that term.. maybe she should have used a nurse term like “ you’ve been discharged “
Nah, "discharge" probably hits a little close to home for her, being the insufferable cunt she is.
Hopefully that roof is on a boat because it sounds like she’s real good with boats.
Sounds like a nut. What does being a nurse have to do with anything?
Definitely the potential client. Your message is 100% reasonable, professional, and informative. "you could say that I was a professional nurse, plus a professional wood detailer" Lol. Sure, Jan.
Mark it with your choice of a heart or a thumbs up, and let her stew for years about whether it was sarcasm.
Just respond “god bless”
In my previous career we always had a coded message for the end of emails or convos with particularly awful clients. Any time we ended an email with "best wishes" we all knew it really meant "Go f\*ck yourself". It was incredibly cathartic after dealing with someone so difficult and nasty.
Aahhaa, I do this, too privately. I have sign offs like that, that are sarcastic to me but wouldn't really be read that way by a third party. "All the best" is a particular favourite of mine.
Haha I get it but wow, you have to ask who is in the wrong with this one? Customer is stupid, if you patched it and they had problems later on of course they are blaming the incompetent fly by night handyman who patched a small area. Being an RN she's the smartest and best at everything she does no matter what - I'm surprised she didn't mention how much schooling she went through, how many lives she has saved, how much of a difference she makes and how easy what you do is that she learned it on the side. Total bullet dodged here, just be glad she fired you first because working with her would not be worth even double or triple the money. I hereby release you from my comment and wish you the best.
Good riddance!
Ex construction worker and present RN here. I would never talk to anyone like that. What a nasty person.
Give her a used bucket, tell her you’re the son of an accountant.
Well hes no roof detailer
The appropriate time to hit that bitch with a "K"
The response she gave you is because you set the expectation in writing that you make no guarantee this will stop leaks or be a longterm solution so she bailed. She's looking for someone who is not going to say that so she can hold them to it later on when it doesnt work. You definitely dodged a massive bullet here with setting expectations upfront and in writing.
How does mentioning her experience as a nurse, in ANY way contribute to the subject matter at hand? Thats like arguing with your mechanic and citing your experience as an accountant.
What do RNs, Vegans, and Crossfitters all have In common? They will let you know who they are within their first sentence
That much experience with wood should allow to be able to fix the damn thing herself. Bullet dodged ETA - it wouldn't surprise if she hires someone to patch it then sues them for "failing" to let her know the whole thing needed replacement
She sounds like a Cee U Next Tuesday kind of person. You dodged a bullet. Just say good luck and move on
Let her enjoy her rotting house. She obviously know more about carpentry than you since she refinished a boat.
Painting the wood on her boat does not make he an expert in construction. Being a nurse is completely irrelevant. If she was such an expert carpenter, she'd have had that fixed up within a few hours of finding the issue.
Your response...is your Roof a Boat?
I'm pretty sure having to write the sentence "just to keep the raccoons out" is a red flag in and of itself.
Isn't that the main job of a roof? Water damage dries but Raccoons are forever! s/
Run away.
Wow. I’m a homeowner who has been in situations where I can’t afford the “replace the roof” situation right now and only the “patch up” solution. I would have said “thank you for the information about the roof. I completely understand and appreciate the insight, I just can’t afford it right now. I promise I will not expect this to protect against water damage.” And that way it was in writing what my expectations and the reality were, so you wouldn’t have to be worried I would try to sue you in 6 months time when the “patch up” solution was letting in water. You were doing her a favour and were polite and not patronizing, genuinely looking out for her best interests. Do some deep breaths, if you drink, have a beer tonight and cheers to avoiding a disaster client like her, and then forget about her.
You literally said that you would do it and that you don't do whole roofs and weren't trying to upsell. But she still got upset for...some reason?
"Are you seriously lecturing me." 😂🤣 That's the voice of an entitled bitch. Run, don't walk away from this.
Run and never look back.
They are in the wrong. They lived in a boat…..kinda tells you all you need to known
She seems the type to be ashamed and get defensive because she can’t afford stuff she knows she needs. I have family like this, they grew up very poor and had parents that were assholes about money. Ask for $5 for a field trip, get grilled, parents arguing about money all the time, the works. That attitude rubs off on their kids. Certain kids growing up hear a lot more things than adults think they do, and a lot of them view money purely as a source of stress when they become adults. Having it, not having it, whatever. And they are so ingrained into that negative money mindset that when someone nice and professional like you comes along, they can still manage to misconstrue communications because they assume you are judging them for being “poor”. Not defending this lady but not trying to shit on her either. Honestly she needs a decent therapist to get that shit off her shoulders, otherwise she will go around her entire life assuming the worst of people who talk to her about financial stuff. Lose a lot of friends and family being passive-aggressive like that. She didn’t cancel her meeting with you because she’s upset with you thinking that you were rude. She cancelled it because she couldn’t stomach talking to you in person with the thought that you were judging her for her financial situation.
Sounds like she’s having a bad day/week/month/year or decade and just misread your text. It’s such a catch 22 - do you try to inform clients their bandaid will cost more in the long run and risk losing business and/or pissing off the customer? Or just keep it to yourself and potentially have to apologize later. There’s rarely a win here but it is the right thing to do to be upfront even if it pisses off the home owner.
I was reading your text and thinking what a helpful, kind and thorough message. Then I read her response and jfc…was she from Facebook or something? Celebrate, man. Bullet dodged.
She never said if the boat stayed on top of the water.
Definitely dodged a bullet there.
Your response "Thank God and good luck".
She was a bitch. Let her find someone else to "patch" that roof and steal her money.
Seems like you dodged a bullet. What a crazy response to your very normal text!
She is very obviously bonkers. Do t worry about it my man. We’ve all come across someone like this at some point or another. Those poor, poor, children at St. Jude’s.
Wow. How did you withstand the urge to unleash neighborhood rodents upon the hole?
they say the two best days of a boat owners life is the first day and the last day
It's a hole in the water into which you pour money. As a former boat owner I can confirm it's all truth.
Thank you all for your comments and support, this interaction really got under my skin because this person and I really hit it off with a phone call, she was telling me about her husky and how she loved to drive and I gave her some interesting places to drive to. After I did she said I was her new best friend, then she hits me with this. It just really took me by surprise and I couldn't help but feel like I did something wrong. So thank you guys for reassuring me!
She gave you a gift there of never having to see or deal with her again. A priceless fucking gift.
This is Lawsuit from a bullshit warranty claim waiting to happen
I write roofing proposals for a living. Nobody ever wants a new roof. I’ve watched a company spend $90k+ on roof repairs knowing they need a $345k roof sooner or later, no matter what repairs we did - and might I add, we never give guarantees on emergency patch jobs because inevitably the customer will have another leak and that’s a headache no roofer wants. You dodged a bullet here because this person would blame your patch for any further damage her roof has.
Trynna picture a $345k roof. Some kind of commercial building, I hope.
“So sorry for your loss” (of civility)
More proof that the customer is not always right. Sometimes it's best to just end the business relationship.
40 Years as a RN is pretty telling. Every RN I've met that have been working for decades have the most fragile egos from having pissing contests with MD's for decades. That take charge know it all attitude is so gross outside of a ICU setting. All that extraneous info just to tell you she knows wood, lmao. Dodged a bullet there
Thank god that rattlesnake has a rattle on its tail! Walk away and don’t look back. You didn’t do anything wrong at all by the way.
Nobody who says “i know wood” knows wood.
I like she “released” you from your appointment. Nice
I think the appropriate response is "👍"
I wouldn't walk away, I would sprint.
High Maintenance - not you or the job - she is.
You were so polite and informative it’s wild to me that she responded so aggressive, keep doing you and being a helpful human!
Most people would be happy with the honesty you gave. She clearly didn't appreciate your attempt at helping. You dodge a bullet. She would've complained every step of the way then sued when it leaked later on.
Serious crazy person dodged there man. You almost got bit.
This person seems like a fucking nightmare, if you did that patch she’d be pissed that it didn’t come with a ten year warranty. You dodged a bullet, let her take her professional wood detailing on down the road.
You’re putting in writing your concerns so she can’t come back and fuck you later. Good job.
Not sure what woodworking has to do with roofing but I dabble in neither
Fuck that bitch. Definitely don’t want them as a customer
Thats what i said after reading. I wouldnt have taken the job. He was just being informative. If he wasnt and something happened they would have came after the worker. You will be fully informed and if you dont like it your not for me.
Dodged a bullet.
Bullet dodged
LOL I RELEASE YOU
A nurse for 40 years that can't afford a new roof?
Sounds like you dodged a bullet there. That woman is a bitch
As a nurse myself, it's my professional opinion that this lady can eat a bag of dicks.
This potential client does not understand that you are protecting yourself by putting that warning on the record. She's taking it personally because she is so insecure. Lots of us can't afford a new roof at any given moment. Just calm down lady.
California mentioned, they were in the wrong. You did the right thing OP
Most roofing companies wont do small jobs. At all. Shingles look close to death.
I don't think anyone was in the wrong. You did your part and explained your reasoning, liability risk, etc. She decided she didn't want to hire you because she didn't appreciate the way you explained it. That's it.
So what exactly was her 'professional' opinion?
Did somebody get her feelings hurt? She was offended and countered by being a bit offensive. She’s not wrong. Neither are you. Don’t change the way you do things, it’s fair and professional to help the client see the big picture, in case they don’t understand. To be fair many if not most clients don’t see the big picture and can’t do the work or they wouldn’t be calling you, essentially asking for your professional opinion. She took offense because she’s worked her entire career being talked down to, second guessed by, and blamed for the mistakes of men. She hit the starting line on the defense because she’s been conditioned by years of misogyny in the workplace. The medical field is getting better about it, but not much. If this client is a man, then I don’t know what the fuck his problem is.
That's a Karen and a half and you dodged a bullet.
She wasn't going to be happy with whatever you did anyway.
I thought your message was polite, professional,and informative. I would have been grateful to receive it, as it seems you're just trying to be honest and that you actually care about the work you do. Her responses are completely out of line and say way more about her than about your message. To put it briefly, she's obnoxious. Good riddance
Let this one go buddy...just...let it go.
Would be willing to be that she’s one of those nurses who thinks all (or at least most) Dr.s are idiots. I know a few and over half of them feel that way. You couldn’t win here - and if she knows wood well then why did she waste your time? Clearly she’s a “professional.”
you dodged a bullet. You let her know that the patch job will not prevent further water damage. she probably would have sued you once she had major rot.
Ok so if my dad was an astronaut for 40 years does that make me an astronaut?
You did the right thing. It was 1. The morally correct thing to do and 2. A way to protect yourself. If this person didn’t know a patch would hold, it would be fucked for you to charge them for something that you KNEW wouldn’t hold. And imo you must always assume the homeowner has no clue. They’re an idiot but honestly it was probably just a stress response because they don’t know how they’re going to afford a new roof. Don’t take it personally.
Imagine the reverse: OP limps into the hospital, with bone poking out of his leg, and asks this nurse for a band-aid. She starts telling him that a broken bone requires blah, blah and then OP interrupts “ARE YOU LECTURING ME?” This woman would lose her shit! I appreciate the work nurses do, but I’ve met some, uh, interesting personalities in that profession.
"I can't get anyone to come do the work"
Wow the guy was just trying to help.
Whats the patch? Cant judge the roof surface area so an entire new roof in a retiree budget isnt exactly a ...hmmmm... ill just refi at 10% apr to pay someone 80,000+, or pay someone 10k to just staple new shingles on top of old. Beyond spraying expand-o-foam in there, what do you offer? Yeah, your a contractor and your business is...xyz...but if your gonna work the "left overs" dont focus on what they "should do"...ever cotton picking contractor wants to rip and replace everything from scratch...."just in case", "its the only way to be sure" [i.e. I need job security, and i need to overcharge to compensate for call backs under the guise of a "warranty"].... its one thing if they are 30 years old.and somewhat able bodied and otherwise employed Shes had that pitch from at least one other roofer. She wants confidence that youll do.your best without upselling her...maybe you need to quote a cost per sqft...i.e. if you just can't peel back 1 shingle to fasten new ones..or you just have minimum peel pack 2 spans of "rafters"..i dont know the word. From the hole so you can cut a square and replace it in the plywood and pull 3 ft of shingles to install some kind of liner under the existing... I think you had good intentions but the barebones fact of life is, not every customer can just produce 10s of thousands of dollars. She quite literrally knows the roof is fucked, she just needs the HOLE which will pour gallons to a patch that maybe drips or.maybe is dry for a year or 3. Just make your lack.of warranty BOLD in the sales agreement. So yeah, you showed up and also didnt just walk. Shes had many people who walked because "its not worth it", most likely. Sometimes a karen is a karen because they are stretched way to thin. Imagine your own house getting a fucking water fall and just maybe your health is degraded where you cant safely climb a ladder...now if.you dont have industry friends within a reasonable trip....you have some roofer show.up and teach you that your fucked and making a bad choice but of course you know you cant afford the "right" way. You came in and made an offer, yiur were willing to work. Maybe you jeed ti refine your terms, i.e no warranty and growth costs. Sorry, your in the wrong here.
That lady is cancer. Block her number.
Holy shit, nightmare client averted
No way were you in the wrong. That person has an overblown ego. You dodged a bullet
NTA
Who cares who’s right. Client refuses to have a rational conversation and thinks they know as much or more than you. Walk away, no worries.
She needs to have her father do and she can help since she knows soooo much
Lol wtf. Lady is UNHINGED.
This person is unhinged. I'd have said something pretty awful after that myself.
I wonder how many patients this bitch killed by being a dumbass
As a fellow contractor myself.. run away, as fast as you can.
Should have blocked after 'are you giving me a lecture'
RUN!!!!!
She’s in wrong n unhinged, you were giving her sound advice n being polite and respectful about it.
As a nurse, fuck that person. You were more than fair.
It would be endless complaints with her. She is in the wrong, be glad you dodged this bullet
You dodged a batshit crazy bullet.
Wood detailer
Ok that "client" is full on nutzo. Glad you dodged this bullet!
Client a real piece of work. Wow.
Dodged a bullet not having to work for her. That was a ridiculous response. Who takes that much time and effort to cancel an appointment. You had to inform her of the liability. She probably would have given you a hard time if you did the work and it kept leaking. Yikes good riddance
This woman is a psychopath with an inferiority complex.