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Re: Sure is quiet in here



On Apr 9, 10:03=EF=BF=BDam, tourman <robercampb...@xxxxxxxxx> wrote:
> On Apr 9, 9:43=EF=BF=BDam, Frank Olson
>
>
>
>
>
> <use_the_email_li...@xxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxx> wrote:
> > On 09/04/2010 5:21 AM, tourman wrote:
>
> > > On Apr 9, 2:35 am, Frank Olson
> > > <use_the_email_li...@xxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxx> =EF=BF=BDwrote:
> > >> On 08/04/2010 11:29 PM, Robert L Bass wrote:
>
> > >>> Really?
>
> > >>> "Frank Olson"<use_the_email_li...@xxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxx> =EF=BF=BD=
wrote in
> > >>> messagenews:eOzvn.37016$u62.27367@xxxxxxxxxxxxxxx
> > >>>> On 08/04/2010 7:15 PM, Robert L Bass wrote:
> > >>>>> Where is everyone tonight?
>
> > >>>> Working! :-)
>
> > >> Just got in. =EF=BF=BDBig emergency. =EF=BF=BDBoiler let go on the r=
oof of a 20 story
> > >> high rise. =EF=BF=BDLots of water found it's way down the main fire =
alarm riser.
> > >> =EF=BF=BD =EF=BF=BDI'll probably be working all weekend... =EF=BF=BD=
:-)
>
> > > RHC: Ouch !! Another reason for a small guy not to touch major
> > > commercial accounts......who needs that hassle regardless of billed
> > > hours
>
> > It's not a "hassle". =EF=BF=BDIt's a challenge! =EF=BF=BDIt's all "time=
 and material"
> > too with the unfortunate insurance company on the hook - not that we
> > would ever take advantage of the situation. =EF=BF=BDI have to be able =
to look
> > at myself in the mirror in the morning. =EF=BF=BD:-)
>
> RHC: Yes, I guess if you are part of a large company with loads of
> resources, it's the proper place to be to serve these kinds of
> clients. But not for a small two man company like mine. I have been
> working hard over the last couple of years to get rid of about 10
> large commercial clients that I made the mistake of taking on, that
> are all a major service hassle. At the same time when I have to deal
> with a bunch of small residential service calls, it never fails, they
> call with some stupid request for either information they should have
> on hand, or for some major changes that eat up my labour resources.
> And it seems, no matter what I charge them (still being fair of
> course), they never learn how to change codes, keep track of users for
> their reports, or respond properly to alarms caused by untrained, new
> employees.
>
> That's not a "challenge", that's a "hassle".....-

As I mentioned to you so many years ago Robert, service gets to be one
of those things that you have to ..... but hate to tolerate.
Commercial is the worst. Through the years, as some of my clients have
grown from small companys to large, I've sometimes had to find reasons
to let them go. One example ..... I had a company that started out
simply, by providing document copying service. Just a few copy
machines. Through the years the company grew. The owner came up with
the idea of providing in-house copying for giant corporations like
Gruman Aircraft, among others located in NY City. He leased copy
machines and set up sort of "mini " companies inside these giant
corporations, providing document pickup and delivery to various
buildings and departments. This graduated into photo copying diagrams
and plans on huge sheets of paper. This graduated into hand delivering
documents and correspondence to other branches and suppliers and doing
humongus mailings and thence to  package mailings. As the company grew
over a period of 8 to 10 years, so did their security needs. Hundreds
of copy machines, Automated, and computerized mailing machines.
Loading dock security. I was spending sometimes days at the locations
trying to trouble shoot and do addons. I stuck with it because the
owner had become more of a friend than a customer. Ultimately, he sold
the business to a much larger company for millions of dollars. I saw
this as an opportunity and as soon as the new owers took over, I sent
them a cancellation notice. The alarm company who took it over thought
I was crazy to give up such a lucrative account. I was making up to
$5000.00 a year just on service and upgrades. But, to me, it had
become a burden I no longer wanted to deal with. Trying to get
department managers to maintain security and train their new employees
about arming and codewords. No one would respond when the alarm would
trip. Placing skids of material in front of motion detectors. Plastic
wrap in the warehouse blowing around in front of the PIR's when the
heaters would come on. Then covering the PIR's so they wouldn't trip.
Constantly!
What a relief it was to get back to what I liked the best.


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