Peanuts & Monkeys
Posted by Paul Woodhouse at June 15th, 2005
Steve has a lovely little piece up about customer complaints and how they can be used to delay payment, for one thing.
I’ve had the pleasure of working in more than one establishment so far in my working life and I’m sure there’ll be one or two more before the end of it.
The one thing that every single place had in common was that they made mistakes. The only thing that varied was their frequency.
There are some workplaces that drop bollocks more freely than your average cockney drops his vowels. They simply can’t help themselves, but they do seem to have the odd thing in common.
#1: A lack of communication.
#2: A lack of staff.
#3: Inadequate training.
#4: Poor wage structure.
All of the above are interlinked in one way or another and I’ve seen many a boss or business owner tearing their hair out over why things keep going pear-shaped.
Butler Sheetmetal has always surprised me as to how few mistakes it makes. Granted, they’re meticulous – from the checking of drawings to the fabrication – there are quite a few checks and balances in place. But, to be fair, any decent sheet metal worker would do the same.
However, you don’t get this cheap. But, if you want a job doing right, you either do it yourself or you pay the ferryman.
You get all you deserve if you’re a cheapskate.




I was going to add lack of motivation, but that is invariably due to a 1,2,3 or 4 above. If you pay a “bit more”, then the most you have lost is a few quid. If you pay “rockbottom” and get crap, then you’ve lost the lot.
Exactly. It’s nothing but false economy.
Some people faint at the price we charge, but those who go with it due to the initial recommendation will invariably use us again as the job is what is required, delivered on time, and we always keep in touch during and after the job.
It’s not rocket science, but it does cost that little bit more.