southernsigns

Fabricate and install some retainers and charge the customer! :D If its a structural issue with the cabinet, maybe that's the only viable option. If you have to remove those clips for servicing, its just setting up a nightmare for someone in the future otherwise.

Not sure if it makes any difference but I know sign guys and others who NEVER sell any equipment to local competition. That said Equipment trader, Ebay,truck trader and others. Personally I could care less who buys the truck.....you're either selling it because you're upgrading or don't need it. If all it took was a bucket truck/boom truck to have a successful sign company there would be a lot more competition.

I'm 100% with Paul on not holding back. If you have someone who is ripping you off, why go easy? Do you ever plan on working for them again if they are a no payer? Are they going to write a bad review about your company because they are a dead beat you have paperwork to back up? Hit them fast and hard so they see you're not playing around. That's food from your family's table they are stealing, take it seriously.

A Lien on the property is the best course of action. If he's blowing smoke and actually selling the business, your lien will put the brakes on a sale. Once he has money on the line, you'll become a much larger priority.

Personally I prefer email.....maybe more of a modern generation thing. Just feel its more efficient. As a small company you have to wear a lot of hats. Many times working in the field, its difficult to take calls and turns into a game of catch contacting the customer back. With an email I'm always responding between jobs, lunch break etc;, while continuing to knock the work out. If the customer prefers a phone call to review something, they know that's all they have to say, name the time and I'll call in on the dot. After all, its not about our preference, its about the CUSTOMER'S PREFERENCE. Whatever it takes to keep the relationship and the work. For all I care I'll send a singing telegram !!

Personally I'd give them your recommendation against doing it in those temps. If they want to proceed they should provide to you in writing that you will not be responsible if it loosens with warm temps. You're going to have to provide photos to get paid....if it is stretched well when done it will show in the photos. They can't come back later and say it was installed sloppy to begin with. If it needs re-stretched then charge for it. I mean you can only give the customer your expert opinion. You can't be responsible for what happens when they ignore it.

Never had a problem with Sloan or GE LED components.....save for the big batch of Sloan LED 60 Watt 12 volt power supplies that failed a couple years back. As I recall they were giving out money for parts & labor, so pretty sure they ate it big time on that.... The only issue with GE would be their constant discontinuation of product lines.....3 volt system, 4 volt system, etc; Home depot had a lot of their signs with the 3 volt system and service instructions were to add 100 feet of 18 gauge wire coiled up as a voltage dropping device since the 3 volt drivers were no longer available or made!! Wish they would just stick to 12 volts instead of re-inventing the wheel. JT LEDs are trash, but thankfully they've provided us with a lot of work re-re-retrofitting as you called it!

Most of the nationals that I've studied seem to have started with that "one big break" getting in with a large chain. From there they make contacts with their purchasing agents....who like most employees these days tend to change companies throughout their careers. Those contacts take positions at other companies which opens the door for those accounts. So ultimately your point of contact you want to reach are the purchasing/procurement agents.....those are the ones who issue the RFPs/RFQs.... Tough market for sure....retail is a dying industry.....less fish in the sea for the big nationals to fight over right now.

Will I get a free copy of Kevin Trudeau’s Natural Cures with my order??

Totally agree with all the posters regarding crane capacity. That crane was plenty for the task. Not sure how stupid you have to be to rig a sign up from the center? I think most people 5 years and older who've used a teeter totter could figure that out. The boom was already at less than a 45 degree angle on pickup....side of a steep incline on unstable earth that had just been excavated from the look of it. I'm going to assume they are widening the road and the sign was going to be disposed of. Those cabinets would have been trash as soon as it torqued in any direction....let along the crappy rigging. Probably only had one crane, so couldn't get to the top to properly mount it...used an extension ladder to rig it up as high as they could reach.

I wouldn't charge anything extra on a one time change like that for such a nominal size difference. But I'd be sure to let them know I wasn't charging.....also mentioning that if the change was larger or another charge occurs again then there would be a charge to cover for the design/layout labor and effort. You need to cover your costs....also if you give people too many options/do overs....sometimes they take it for granted. Give some an inch they take a mile as they say!

Paul, that would be a massive improvement for a smaller chip that is easier to hide or fit in the tool. I looked into that system before after having a welder stolen, but the device was large and wouldn't have worked in my application. Pretty amazing the improvements in only a few years! Also, I'm on the same page.....we provide the major tools on the truck - jackhammer, welder, hammer drills, etc; But I expect employees to carry all basic hand tools an impact/drill combo set, strippers, etc; I find that tools magically don't get lost or broken when employees have paid for them. It also separates those that take pride in their work. I've never met someone who actually had a true interest in the field that didn't have their own set of tools.

Have you ever done any calculations with the T-5s? We do a fair amount of interior lighting using them, but haven't encountered them in any outdoor sign displays as of yet..... They may be too bright that without a diffuser would be more likely to create hot spots..... Anyone else have experience using them in a sign application?

Actually just doing a little research I found the hotel. Just do a little search.....on the uploaded photos of the hotel are the following ! What an advertisement! https://www.google.com/maps/contrib/102165977067151202613/place/ChIJjYJXwkRmVYgRFksrA1cYHp4/@34.227974,-79.799741,3a,75y,90t/data=!3m7!1e2!3m5!1s-irMLZA0TX34%2FV_xsM_zKETI%2FAAAAAAAAsa0%2FI0wTfEUE7gEsJVnh3nqI-Lw4Ee3MoCp9ACLIB!2e4!6s%2F%2Flh3.googleusercontent.com%2F-irMLZA0TX34%2FV_xsM_zKETI%2FAAAAAAAAsa0%2FI0wTfEUE7gEsJVnh3nqI-Lw4Ee3MoCp9ACLIB%2Fw203-h100-p-k-no%2F!7i2988!8i3984!4m6!1m5!8m4!1e2!2s102165977067151202613!3m1!1e1 I'm betting it was uploaded by either the sign company....or the guy who's car got smashed!! Snapped at the base like I thought from the photo....bad butt weld.

The reason I asked is because that bottom picture looks almost like a section of pipe that was butt welded.....maybe two sections of same size pipe joined together......and it looks like it sheared off right at the weld.... But its hard to tell without the full sign in the picture what's going on exactly.......and as you said other signs of similar height right next door fared just fine. Was the base pipe still in the ground, and the sign broke and fell at one of the welds.....or did the foundation and whole structure topple......?

What was the cause of the failure? I understand their was a hurricane, but aren't the signs installed in that area rated for 120 mph wind loads? I can understand if the faces ripped, but not the whole structure. Were winds in excess of 150 mph?

I've done work for a lot of national sign companies. Had a few experiences where everything is going nice and dandy for years.....decent budgets, pay on time, etc; Then you get that one "special" employee who sends you a project. Disorganized as all heck, difficult to get a hold of, and a general pain in the butt. Due to their poor actions the job is either late, or over budget. Next thing you know you've got a black mark in their system because of that project and project manager and work drops off......their job is on the line and its easier for them to pass the blame. Anybody have this experience? How do you handle it? I've gotten to the point where I don't want to take on too much work from one vendor, because it only takes one idiot project manager to ruin a good thing.

Great optimistic perspective! It really boils down to the important things in life........ God, Family and our health. The other stuff is really trivial! Glad you are still doing what you love, good luck!

I've used them, but only on single faced sign applications. I've been looking for an economical double sided sign product. Does anyone have some good recommendations? I priced out a retrofit for a very large D/F cabinet measuring 10' x 24' that had extreme access issues.....power lines were re-located closer to the sign....still ~ 12' away, but access into the sign required removing the entire sides of the cabinet which was one long 10' piece pulling in the direction of the power lines which was a no go for us. It was also on a corner of the lot where the power lines turned directions, so sleeving wasn't an option. Bottom of the sign was also inaccessible due to the cabinet being set on a pair of large match plates.....so you could not lower the bottom retainers to gain access to the clips. The only access was removing all the top clips and one side.....fold over diagonal in order to get inside. With as much work as was required to access I wanted to recommend an LED bulb replacement, something that wouldn't arc out and then locate the power supplies on the far side away from the power lines that had easy and safe access. I priced out I believe it was Sloan RapidStick....but they only went up to 8' and ran roughly 125.00 for each 8' section......24 lamps required was more than the customer wanted to spend on repairs, so some up lighting with HIDs was proposed as another option.

The first time someone gets shot WHO ACTUALLY WASN'T BREAKING THE LAW.....I'll be right down there to join the protest. Sad when you defend low life criminals who attack police officers. Sadly these areas are going to get even worse. Cops now have to fear they are going to be blasted across the news solely for defending themselves or others.....when BLM posts their name address, family members, etc; all over the internet. Case in point Chicago, murders up dramatically because the police are not being supported, and are getting left out to dry.

Looks really similar to an ABC system we dealt with. They suck. No tensioning ability....you have to get the adjustment right and they pop in.....so after a few years of the wind stretching the face out, you can't just snug up like a wedge clamp system. If its going to be a pain to track down and source, why not just retro the frame with a new system..... Flat Bleed Retro Frame - Sign Comp or similar?

It's called going for the "low hanging fruit". The city extracts money out of the ones who play by the rules, and are too incompetent to enforce the rules on the cheaters.....it's the ultimate government hypocrisy... Unfortunately it's because you live in a state where people have elected and come to accepted total disfunction and anti business attitudes..... California is not exactly known as the most business friendly environment anymore. I've talked to some retired business people from Cali and it sounded like a great business environment....low taxes, innovative environment in the 1970s......what happened??

Matthew.....is that an inside joke? Two spelling errors while correcting someone else's???

We got free health care and dental for immigrants, you do not need to work here, its all free Canada is a beautiful country....at least it was when I visited about 8 years ago. The immigration officials remind me of Ned Flanders with their sweater vests.....very polite entering Canada. Coming back was another story, the US guard booth seemed manned by military flunkies with bad crew cuts ready to kick someone's teeth in. 35 dollars for a case of beer, 8 dollars for a pack of smokes.....glad I don't use either, I'm sure they are way more expensive now.........but you sure are paying for that healthcare! How's the labor market up there?

Eugene.. Without prying are you fairly profitable? Nothing leads to burnout like spinning the wheels and getting no where financially. Whenever you get the feeling of burnout ask yourself is there some other job that would be better? All jobs have their pros and cons...but as the business owner you make your own destiny...no one who works for someone else has that freedom. Weed out or delegate the portions of the job causing you grief. If your biggest headache is customers with unrealistic budgets why not hire a salaried salesperson /project manager. They could field those headaches... Which since it's their only job duty might be perfectly fine for them. And since they are salaried you're not just pawning junk customers not likely to make a sale... Maybe a salary base for the pm/administrative duties and a commission for sales to create an incentive and get some hustle out of the person.