Sign Lady
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Posts posted by Sign Lady
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Hey, could you send me some info on the can lights?? I am getting ready to change mine, so if there is something better I can use and get it from you to boot, I'm all in!!!
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The carriers are beautiful work!! Hope you and yours had a Merry Christmas and Santa brought you everything you asked for!
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The other day I got an Email from a "National Maintenance Company" Another new name on the scene looking for subs.
I asked how they are paying for the work. They replied that they pay by check after 30 days of completion
Sorry, I want full payment when I'm done by Credit Card. You are a 1st timer with me.
Their answer was that ....Our company rules are that we pay 30 days after the job is completed.
I Looked at Google Maps and found............
Their " Company" is a Private House on a nice tree lined street. They are working from their bedroom on a lap top, probably in their
pajamas and drinking Starbucks.
Everyone wants to be in the game, but can't play or pay
It just kills me that other people tell you when they are going to pay you!! Don't know about you, but I don't get to do that with my vendors!!?? Or anywhere else that I purchase things. The 30 days isn't so bad if they actually keep that. It's the 60, 90 and the ones that get into 120 days that kill me. Then you threaten to call their customer and they get all pissed off and spread the word to the other Nationals that you will call the customer to cut you off at the knees. Like you are the one that has done something wrong. Boggles my mind.
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I have run into this a number of times. Many of the nationals have "Project Managers" working from home all over the place. Seems like the pushy, clueless ones are almost always home based.
I talked to one the other day that said they work from home. Guess that's how the Nationals are under quoting everybody else. Not having to pay as much payroll?? I guess they would be considered independent contractors so no benefits or payroll tax expenses, etc??
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The other day I got an Email from a "National Maintenance Company" Another new name on the scene looking for subs.
I asked how they are paying for the work. They replied that they pay by check after 30 days of completion
Sorry, I want full payment when I'm done by Credit Card. You are a 1st timer with me.
Their answer was that ....Our company rules are that we pay 30 days after the job is completed.
I Looked at Google Maps and found............
Their " Company" is a Private House on a nice tree lined street. They are working from their bedroom on a lap top, probably in their
pajamas and drinking Starbucks.
Everyone wants to be in the game, but can't play or pay
Name please so the rest of us know who they are??
Thanks!
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You HAVE to be joking! That's how they fixed that sign?? Those folks are the exact ones that the rest of us have to apologize for every, single day and have to prove ourselves different against!! Pisses me off!
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That is just crazy!! Just when you think you have seen it all.
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So very sorry for your loss. Both his family and work family will be in our thoughts and prayers in the days ahead.
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Dualite has some areas and Everbrite has the other parts
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WOW! I think I will print these to show these customers that think we are trying to jip them when we are $500 - $1,000 higher than some of these folks around here on these LED channel letters. We actually had a case where ALL of the LED fell off of the back and were laying in a pile in the bottom of the letters. My grandmother used to always say "a pound of flesh now, or 10 pounds later" - It's hard to make a customer understand though that they are paying you $500 to $1,000 more than somebody else quoted them without a visual like this. Sad part is, it makes us ALL look bad! We have to fight against mess like this every day. "I just purchased a sign from company X and it is already not working and I can't get them to come repair it!" Of course you can't - they either A) Don't stand behind their product, or B) they are already out of business or C) all of the above. We had 3 cases like that last week alone - and the first question out of their mouth was - "are you going to be any better than company X was??" - Why yes, that's why we have been here 27 years! Not going anywhere.
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Sounds like you have your hands full. There is no magic potion for this one. Not enough space here to be of any help really. It's hard and getting harder to find anybody to hire that knows anything at all about the sign industry (Gary is right, those that do know it the best, sign companies don't want to hire because they think they are too expensive, but they end up losing money hiring the newbie). And those that tell you they do, really don't. But like the others have said, you have to have at least one person that can kind of guide the ship. Without at least one person like that, you are going to spend most of your days correcting/fixing what they have messed up (and trying to keep your customers happy on top of that). I wish I had that one thing I could tell you that could fix the problem. But it sounds like it's larger than that. If you need anything specific, all of us are more than happy to answer questions. That's what we are on here for. To share ideas and be of help. Good luck!!
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Found this can of AMP energy drink last week in a sign while doing some service work. Looks like the last installer ran out of 36" bulbs but had a 30" left, so to make up the difference he taped a socket to the can.
OH MY GOSH!!! Well, it is an amp. Hahaha ....... I think you win the award now! We have some crazy stuff done around here - we've had black electrical tape holding lamps in - we went to service a sign that the customer could not understand why it burned up because it was "new" - got there and the moron that built it built it out of WOOD!!! No lie. 2 x 4's and plywood!!! They did use acrylic for the face.
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Well, at least you found them, Erik. And they were yours and not somebody else's.
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Chubby, you seem to always be able to top the "just when I think I have seen it all" award!! Hahaha
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Does anybody know anything about this site?? I got an e-mail this morning (probably get one about once a mohth) - to get a free 7 disc set (stated value of $1,200) full of graphics for the sign industry if you sign up for a one year membership to their site ($395/yr). Just wanted to know if anybody else is getting these e-mails and if so, if you have tried the membership and or the graphics/disc?
As always, any input greatly appreciated.
Hope you all had a wonderful Christmas and New Year! I hope Santa was good to everybody!!
Thanks!
Angie
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I had this happen one time way, way back when we first started doing work for Nationals and out of town companies. Back then I was a lot more trusting and took people at their word (or their PO). Plus I was trying to get my foot in the door with the Nationals and get a good reputation of being "easy to work with" that they alls said I needed to do so, so I was pretty much a sitting duck. It was actually a job less than 5 or 6 miles from my shop. The company that used my permit actually did the work during the night one night, so imagine my surprise when I passed by it the next morning and there were the signs all nice and shiny. Long story short - after I pulled the permit, the PM got a lower quote for the install, and rather than have the guts to call me to let me know, he just used my permit because of course they didn't have time to pull another one in time for the install. That goes under the heading once burned, once learned - that has never happened again. You have to be vigilent with some of these folks. Especially if you have never worked for them before. I hope you can get your money back.
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WOW - Just when you think you have heard it all. Hahaha - I needed that laugh today!! Congrats on the 30 years. Been there that long for a reason. Continued success and hope you have at least 30 more in ya!!
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Anybody know anything about this signelement.com?? I got an e-mail that says $1,199 worth of free sign art (7 discs) if you do a 1 year membership. Didn't know if any of you guys had any experience with them or not.
As always, Thanks!!
Angie
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Belated happy birthday. Hope it was amazing!!
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Congrats buddy! Enjoy!
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I use Murdoch Engineering - They are also in NJ - VERY reasonable. Typically less than $300 - $350 for a drawing.
Phone number 973-570-8215 - Tell them I told you to call. They are great guys to work with.
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We have been pretty busy too, but it is starting to slow down, as it does most every November/December. I hope it doesn't slow down as much as it did last year!!
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I for one use this site pretty much every day. There are days that I am too busy to sign on to see what is going on, but I use SS as one of my main tools for doing business now!! If I get someone that calls and wants something done yesterday that I haven't done business with before (that always sends up a red flag with me anyway) the very FIRST thing I do is get on here and look to see if there is anything posted about them. If there isn't anything already posted I always ask you guys, who I consider my friends, what experiences you have had with said company before I even give them a second look or an answer. Believe me, it has saved me grief MANY times. So, Erik and Kgirl, thank you both for ALL that you guys do for not only those of us that use this site, but for what you have done and continue to do for our industry that we all love so much!! We will stand with you against those forces!!!!
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My first question would be to find out the "why" of the client using leds? Energy savings? Teach him the facts, and use Voltarc's 50,000 hour triphosphor lamps, with an electronic ballast. If its the "cool" factor - then, oh well. For sure use two rows of lamps - one for each face. Use a high output, such as axiom, along with axiom power supplies. Verify the proper distance from your face, and distance between rows of leds.
He heard from "other people" that there would be less service issues/costs with L.E.D. - We have been unable to talk him into anything else.
Service Truck Lamp Storage
in Cranes, Buckets, & Trucks
Posted
That's an awesome storage!!! Great job!