What ever happened to people being real "neighbors"

[cyrus buelton]

The neighbor in question used to be a contractor / handyman.

He sold off his truck, ladders, etc.

He just does odds and end jobs.


I didn't complain other than being raped for him painting my hallway. I should have price shopped first and that is my fault.

My only complaint with the toilets was I did all the make the beast with two backsing work and his hourly rate came out to 3x that of a doctor.

I was in a pinch and overpaid him to move some electrical.


I've given him over 500$ in business.

I ask for a make the beast with two backsing piece of wood to be cut and he wants 20$?


Not sure where you guys grew up or where you live, but you don't charge a neighbor 20 make the beast with two backsing dollars to cut a piece of wood.



So should I have charged my neighbor Shane to install his ceiling light/fan?


Better yet to my line of work..........


I've helped countless friends with spreadsheet issues and managing finances and given advice.

I would never think of charging a friend to set them up a spreadsheet to help them.

I guess I am too nice.

carry on.

[cyrus buelton]

Based on your guys mentality..........I hope Duck Stew hasn't ever helped in the tech section.


If so, me included, we all owe him his hourly shop rate.

I am in to Stu for at least 300$ + of advice.



I think I am going to spend the remainder of my day invoicing said neighbor for all the advice I gave him at my kitchen table about 2 years ago and charge him for the beers and chips he ate.

His coffee shop was failing and wanted to know why.

So he brought over his pricing, invoices, books, etc etc.

So I sat with him for 3 hours and figured it out for him.


I didn't charge him. Guess I should have instead of being a nice person.


My Dad taught to help when you can and never turn away someone that you can help. He spent hours out in public discussing medial issues with patients he would bump into. Guess he should have charged those 80yr old people for 2 hours of his time at the Farmer's Market when he was with his family.

I was raised differently is my only logical explanation.


If you have experience in a field and someone asks for help...........charge them.

No thanks, I don't do that.

[sbrguy]

i think the problem is its all on a case by case basis.

all the contractors that say well my tools are my tools and if i'm off of work i'm not helping anyone, etc.

ok i agree with that, if someone asks you to do work on a major level for them then by all means say its a job and charge them.

now if someone has a simple question of hey can you tell me how to do this and its not like you are realy doing work, then being courteous or "doing favors" at times may have a benefit in the future when you need someothing from someone else.  its a personal decision if you want to do this or not.  and that is ok too.

now i know what you will all say, i don't need help from anyone never ever.  if that is the case then fine, but then don't complain later if nobody is being "courteous" or doing "favors" for you when you finally need it or they "charge" you for things later.

for example your wife goes into labor, can't drive to hospital you aren't around, guy across the street drives cars for a living, now you wife needs a ride, he says "pay me $100 that is my driving fee i'm off of work".  according to all you contractors, he is fully in his rights to say that, afterall, he is off work and nobody should ask him to do his job off of work, you asking him to do something that is his job is cutting into his free time, simple as that.

most normal people will help others out if they can so long as it doesn't "inconvenience them", its when they "feel" that others are taking advntage of them that it becomes an issue.

then again everyone is a prick most of the time anywa, so no need to complain about how people are pricks. 

have a good weekend. 

[cyrus buelton]

most normal people will help others out if they can so long as it doesn't "inconvenience them", its when they "feel" that others are taking advntage of them that it becomes an issue.

I think you hit it there.

I went to him with 3 jobs and asked what he wanted for the work.

I don't think him cutting a 12in piece of wood to be an inconvenience; apparently it was.


Oh well.

I am just a huge complainer.

[RAT900]

takes all sorts to turn the world

some people are transactional

other people are interactional

I prefer interactional types...I might learn something I didn't know

No matter how many transactional encounters I have that I come out on top of...

well I tend to think I will assess and measure the quality of my life by what I gave of myself and what I got of someone in return....

not how much money and shit I am leaving behind for my ungrateful relatives to piss through or wreck

[Popeye the Sailor]

I didn't complain other than being raped for him painting my hallway. I should have price shopped first and that is my fault.

My only complaint with the toilets was I did all the make the beast with two backsing work and his hourly rate came out to 3x that of a doctor.

I was in a pinch and overpaid him to move some electrical.


I've given him over 500$ in business.

I ask for a make the beast with two backsing piece of wood to be cut and he wants 20$?


Not sure where you guys grew up or where you live, but you don't charge a neighbor 20 make the beast with two backsing dollars to cut a piece of wood.

You have a history of overpaying the guy-why would he treat this job any differently? You already set precedent.

[ducpainter]

<snip>


Oh well.

I am just a huge complainer.

Pretty much.

[DoubleEagle]

I will lend out tools to trustworthy friends.  I will help friends with their bikes.  I do draw the line on working on cars on my time off. When I moved into this neighborhood several years ago and introduced myself the neighbors couldn't have been happier because they thought all their cars would get fixed for free.  Small neighborhood and things spread quick.  Every person I met asked when I would be available to look at their car.  If I helped one neighbor I would have to help all of them and there goes my free time. I don't think so.

Now you know how a Doctor feels at a Country Club.

I used to play golf with 2 Doctors and after our round we'd be in the bar and always someone would come up and ask one of the Doctors to diagnose some aliment they were having.

I always thought " man that takes balls , " or what a dumb shit for doing that .The Doctor isn't going to be rude since most of the people were his patients so I guess he didn't want to piss them off.

He did give them rather quick and short answers and said make an appointment which usually got rid of them.

Some women would have several drinks and be pretty lit and be very crude and not think anything of interrupting our discussion of our matches or just enjoying our drinks.

Dolph      

[cyrus buelton]

Now you know how a Doctor feels at a Country Club.

I used to play golf with 2 Doctors and after our round we'd be in the bar and always someone would come up and ask one of the Doctors to diagnose some aliment they were having.

I always thought " man that takes balls , " or what a dumb shit for doing that .The Doctor isn't going to be rude since most of the people were his patients so I guess he didn't want to piss them off.

He did give them rather quick and short answers and said make an appointment which usually got rid of them.

Some women would have several drinks and be pretty lit and be very crude and not think anything of interrupting our discussion of our matches or just enjoying our drinks.

Dolph      

My Dad was the opposite.

He would talk and talk as long as the patient wanted.

It was mostly about adjust medications verse diagnosing an ailment as he already knew their issue.

My Dad hates insurance companies and if he could adjust a patients current medicine (he never wrote new scripts in public) without them making an office visit, he gladly would.

Probably saved him a lot of time at some point.


Not to mention, I learned a lot as a little boy about interaction and helping people. Regardless if it was family time or not, it is always kind to take the time to help someone in need or have a concern.

make the beast with two backs, some would call the house.

I agree..................


It does take balls to speak shop with your doctor outside of the office.........

I've bumped into mine in public, said hello, he asked how my shoulder was feeling, I said "eh" he goes "you are due back in a few weeks, hang in there and we'll talk soon. Have a great weekend"

[Porsche Monkey]

Too bad we all can't live in "Cyrusland"   

[rgramjet]

I won't work for neighbors.  The surest thing to get between friends, family or neighbors is money.  I will happily help someone out as a favor.  One day, and that day may never come, I might ask a favor of them........Ive already had a couple neighbors welch on that concept.   

Case in point:  After our first blizzard of the year, a neighbor up the street asked if I could plow their driveway with my atv.  It took me an hour of nibbling away at the 20" deep heavy snow.  They gave me a zip lock full of home made granola.  

Another neighbor up the street paid 4 guys $225 to shovel his driveway that wasnt as large as the one I did.  

The granola neighbor asked if I could plow his driveway after the second blizzard that was deeper.  I told him about what the neighbor up the street paid and told him I would do it for $75.  He balked and said he would do it himself.  I laughed out loud in my helmet after watching him shovel out his driveway for the next 4 hours!!  Douche.

Another neighbor dared to complain that I left a lump of snow on the street that he couldnt get his Mercedes sedan over.  (HE CALLED ME AT MY HOUSE AT 8AM ON SUNDAY MORNING)  I told him, I didnt plow the entire street for 6 hours yesterday for him, I did it because my little girl wasnt feeling well and we live at the bottom of a dead end street thats uphill to get out.  If she got worse, I wanted to be able to get out.

BTW, my neighbors took up a collection to pay for my efforts, $37!  Meanwhile other streets in my neighborhood were locked in for an entire week.

[Popeye the Sailor]

Not to mention, I learned a lot as a little boy about interaction and helping people. Regardless if it was family time or not, it is always kind to take the time to help someone in need or have a concern.

Perspective.

IMO, it's not kind to the family to spend family time on the patients.

[badgalbetty]

I can tell you what happened in America about people being real neighbours. Its called greed,. Subdivisions all have 6 foot wooden fences in their yards. These do not promote friendships between neighbours. You are locked in to your own space. "OOOH Look at me!I have a big house in a new subdivision look at how well I am doing." Its bullshit. I live in an old house built in the 1940,s in an established neighbourhood. I have lived here for 6 weeks and know most of the neighbours already. I have a 10x10 foot room in that house. Thats my space. I spend time in the garden and in the garage and walking to say hi. I talk to my neighbours. I know their names. Its awesome. Big fancy houses and fences are wrong. Knowing my community is what its all about. If someone is in need the word gets out and we all help out as best we can. Thats what being a neighbour is all about. Greed and living in an ivory palace creates this not nice feeling you get when everyone has the perfect house with the perfect yard and debt up to their eyeballs. So your neighbour has a beemer? Mine has a honda like mine, beat up and runs. A car is a car it gets you from point a to point b warmly and dry. The other option is on the motorbike where you get cold and wet. My choice i guess. Fancy cars and houses impress me none. Been there and had it. Its all bolloclks and dont mean squat imo. [thumbsup]My .02

[rgramjet]

+1 Badgal

I work in some very upscale homes.  Its interesting to see the lack of neighborly interaction let alone ANY interaction. 

My street has 30 kids under 15 and its great to see them play and interact, we also have block parties and get along well. 

[red baron]

Maybe the "saw guy" simply does not like Jud.