Something just clicked…..

[Strouty]

Another great day to have the AC installed. Maybe I should just hire someone to do it?

Then around 8 AM this morning I get a call………

Your snap on toolbox will be delivered between 11:30 and 12:30 today.

So I call to make arrangements, I figure I will be there at 10:30 worst case.

Of course at 9:55 the driver calls and says he is 5 minutes away.

I rushed over (30 minute drive) and got lucky that a friend could go meet the driver. Delivery truck has a 53' trailer with a large sleeper, so he needs to back down my road since there is no room to turn around. A little stressful, but we got it done. Now I have to transfer tools from one box to the other and decide if I want to reconfigure drawers. Hopefully I will have it done by Monday, but we will see. It is so humid right now, that AC would feel pretty nice.

 

[Strouty]

Forgot to add the pics:

 

[drivesitfar]

Strouty: nice looking pair of Snappys. are you a Seattle Seahawk fan? i think my wife might approve of the cost of those if i happened to have them follow me home.

also thanks for the snow tire information you posted last week i forgot to mention that i read yours and other member's answers.

do you have any big climbs for work planned while the weather is decent?

i'm guessing there won't be any dirty tools going in those boxes.

cheers

 

[bczygan]

Forgot to add the pics:

Oooooooooh! Pretty things...............Shiny things!..........Me want!

 

[Strouty]

Strouty: nice looking pair of Snappys. are you a Seattle Seahawk fan? i think my wife might approve of the cost of those if i happened to have them follow me home.

also thanks for the snow tire information you posted last week i forgot to mention that i read yours and other member's answers.

do you have any big climbs for work planned while the weather is decent?

i'm guessing there won't be any dirty tools going in those boxes.

cheers

I don't like sports that much, my GF is the sports fan. I always told her that I love the Seahawk's colors. She is going to get a kick out of that!

I buy sports team hats and sweatshirts by colors not teams, is that a bad thing?

 

[Strouty]

Oooooooooh! Pretty things...............Shiny things!..........Me want!

They are shiny, gotta figure out what tools go where. The stainless top has a dent in the front of it, snap on guy is asking me if I would take a discount rather than return the box, my OCD is saying no, but my wallet is saying if I can get $500 or more off then I should do it. I am not sure if I would keep it for a couple hundred dollar discount.

 

[drivesitfar]

Strouty: how big is the dent? any pictures?

hat colors probably as important as content, but you won't see me wearing a HF or Obama hat anytime soon no matter what color they make one.

i used to have season tickets to the Seahawks and then we had little kids and the games became a chore with all the bathroom breaks and time at the concessions. that and having players whine about their salaries when they weren't winning turned me off years ago.

now that they are winning my wife has been a fan for about the last 10 years and i'm slowly starting to be also, but i can hear the whining even more now.

any climbs to brag or complain about?

 

[Strouty]

Dent is small, hard to take a picture but it is front and center. I think I could turn it around not sure if it is symmetric or not.

I would not wear those hats either, would love to get the same style hats without any logos. They are hard to get that way.

I am headed back to Edgecomb on Friday, where I took those last pictures. Last week I did not get any tower time, I was a ground *****. At the rate they were paying me I didn't care. I will take more pics for sure.

 

[drivesitfar]

Strouty: i bought some hats with nothing on them, but had to do so from a client that put the labels on. she's retired now, but just saying in case you might know somebody that does T shirts, hats and other clothing.

if Snappy gives you a credit and you can turn it around i'd consider it, but i bet you were hoping it would last a bit longer before you put a ding on your new tool box.

Is your weather similar to ours here in Seattle where it's been in the 80's and 90's for the past few weeks?

 

[Strouty]

Strouty: i bought some hats with nothing on them, but had to do so from a client that put the labels on. she's retired now, but just saying in case you might know somebody that does T shirts, hats and other clothing.

if Snappy gives you a credit and you can turn it around i'd consider it, but i bet you were hoping it would last a bit longer before you put a ding on your new tool box.

Is your weather similar to ours here in Seattle where it's been in the 80's and 90's for the past few weeks?

The weather is up and down. This afternoon it was lower 70s and no humidity. Earlier it was hotter with high humidity. So nothing is consistent at all.

I wear fitted hats and that ends up being the sticking point. I can find them, but they end up more expensive than the ones with the team logos. Someday I would like to make up some for my business, then I can write them of as well.

Warmpancakes thinks I should ask for $1000 truck credit. He says the district manager will not want to deal with it and then the driver is making money as well.

I almost feel bad, but I am going to try it.

 

[drivesitfar]

Strouty: i like the fitted caps too and have a box of new hats somewhere. if i find them what size is your knoggin?

if you ask that much they might send you out a new top which would be maybe the best solution. i have never bought a new box much less a Snappy so i'm not the guy to ask, but i know they are not cheap. did the guy backing up the truck dent it or was it damaged before going in the box?

 

[Strouty]

Really no way to know. I suspect it was in shipping but could have happened at the factory too.

 

[nine4gmc]

Strouty, I had a friend that was in to sports gambling, specifically football and I'm totally not interested in sports at all. He used to jokingly ask me who I thought would win and 90% of the time I would guess right, he finally asked me how I was picking winners and I told him by the team colors, he flipped his wig .

If you're looking for fitted hats without logos, check out lids.com, it's the ONLY place I shop for hats and they carry plain(no logo) fitted hats in all basic colors. I usually order a few navy and few black at a time. Lately I've been wearing the plain one-size-fits-all stretch fitted caps because they have them in stock at the local lids, they're pretty good too, no logo and no Velcro/clasps to worry about plus they still fit when I go without a haircut for too long.

Btw, nice box and cart! I was going to say that box cost more than my truck but actually, that cart cost more than my truck, the box is probably worth more than me! :

 

[dlcwent]

Funny how this turned to sports talk. My 2 cents added.
Years ago we had a football pool at work($2). One women won consistently. She didn't even know the teams. When asked how she picked, she replied that she thought Lions were tougher than Bears and if that logic didn't work, she picked her favorite colors.

Nice boxes Justin. Too bad about the dent, but maybe it'll work out in your favor.

I think we are going to be here on Friday. We might be moving the lift. The new one is getting ordered today

 

[Strouty]

Strouty, I had a friend that was in to sports gambling, specifically football and I'm totally not interested in sports at all. He used to jokingly ask me who I thought would win and 90% of the time I would guess right, he finally asked me how I was picking winners and I told him by the team colors, he flipped his wig .

If you're looking for fitted hats without logos, check out lids.com, it's the ONLY place I shop for hats and they carry plain(no logo) fitted hats in all basic colors. I usually order a few navy and few black at a time. Lately I've been wearing the plain one-size-fits-all stretch fitted caps because they have them in stock at the local lids, they're pretty good too, no logo and no Velcro/clasps to worry about plus they still fit when I go without a haircut for too long.

Btw, nice box and cart! I was going to say that box cost more than my truck but actually, that cart cost more than my truck, the box is probably worth more than me! :

My buddy was thinking When I die that it could be hollowed out and made into a coffin. I will have to check out lids and see what they offer.

Funny how this turned to sports talk. My 2 cents added.
Years ago we had a football pool at work($2). One women won consistently. She didn't even know the teams. When asked how she picked, she replied that she thought Lions were tougher than Bears and if that logic didn't work, she picked her favorite colors.

Nice boxes Justin. Too bad about the dent, but maybe it'll work out in your favor.

I think we are going to be here on Friday. We might be moving the lift. The new one is getting ordered today

I am still on track to be there, just not sure when I will be done.

 

[Strouty]

I am still loading up tools for tomorrow's job, I decided to borrow my Father's small crane just to make sure we could move all the parts. It looks like I will not be climbing tomorrow, just retrofitting the new rotor into the old cage. I am not going to try and explain until I get some pictures, it will be more obvious.

I am waiting to hear back about the snap on dent, my driver thought I was insane to ask for $1,000 in truck credit, but I figured I had to start somewhere and the guys who recommended it seem to have more dealings with snap on than I do.

I scratched the **** out of the stainless top on my cart, now I don't have to worry about hurting it. I did buy it to use it, although both the cart and the box are pretty to look at.

 

[dlcwent]

"The first cut is the deepest"
Now use the damn thing and enjoy it for the reason you bought it.

 

[drivesitfar]

Strouty: next thing you'll tell us is that you put a "DIRTY" tool in the new box.

just curious why you called or talked to the driver before Snap On. did you have his # or know him?

 

[dlcwent]

Strouty: next thing you'll tell us is that you put a "DIRTY" tool in the new box.

just curious why you called or talked to the driver before Snap On. did you have his # or know him?

I hope he doesn't sink that low drives

 

[Strouty]

Strouty: next thing you'll tell us is that you put a "DIRTY" tool in the new box.

just curious why you called or talked to the driver before Snap On. did you have his # or know him?

I ordered it through him, so I figured I was dealing directly with him. I won't even be signing a contract until Monday. I figure get this dealt with before signing, otherwise I lose some bargaining power. They give you 90 days same as cash, but I had to finance $6k so I could get an extra $1k in rebates. I am putting $3k down, then I just have to the difference in 90 days. I think that is more than fair and if they knock off more money for the dent, then I will be even better off.

I hope he doesn't sink that low drives

Too late.

Of course I did offset it with some new wrightgrip wrench sets. Trying to figure out the layout is going to be way more time consuming than I thought. The damn drawers are either too wide or too narrow. I am going to probably have to break things up much more than I did with the other box, but I am not too worried about it, I figure I can have a couple drawers with the most used tools, then the other's can be broken up with SAE, Metric type things. I may have to get a few more organizing rails for the screwdrivers, it looks like I won't be able to fit them in the drawers with the plastic cases. I really think snap on should come out with some storage modules that fit the drawers, they could even do precut foam. They could have all the tools they make scanned in and you would just tell them what you want to put where and the cnc machine could cut out the shapes. Of course you could always just toss them into the drawer any old way.

 

[drivesitfar]

Strouty: Scratches, dent and now dirty tools. I could have sold you my Huot tool box that already had that and more.

i'm sure you can see the similarities.

 

[Strouty]

Drives,

I like that one, it has patina!

 

[Strouty]

I borrowed one of my Dad's trucks because it had a small crane on it (a service body style). Everything went fine, except I forgot my camera to take pictures and I hate using my phone when I am all grimy (we were cutting, grinding, and drilling). Then I get a call from my Dad's one employee, Mike, who for some reason treats me like I killed one of his pets. I still don't know why, but I have talked to him about it and got no where. I am sure it stems from several years ago when he first started working for my Dad and I was concerned about his attitude towards safety and how he spent the company's money. We had a few more than energetic discussion about both, but this guy seems to hold a grudge forever.

Anyways Mike wanted to use the truck this weekend, so I asked if he needed the back body (since I have a gang box on it) and he said no, just the crane.

So I said OK, I will bring it by on my way home and get my car.

He says well you can just take it to your shop in the morning and unload it, then bring it back.

I say that will take me an extra hour and a half of driving, just let me know when you are done and I will get the truck either Sunday or Monday and take it to work, then unload it and bring it back when I am headed home.

For some reason he really doesn't like this, as I started to say something else, he says yup and then hangs up on me!

I would expect this from a younger guy, but Mike is close to 50 and he acts like a high school kid. It just pisses me off and I have told my Father that he makes me feel uncomfortable, I try and just smile, but this guy will do something to annoy you and push your buttons no matter what.

I have no idea how to handle someone like this and because he works for my Dad, I have to deal with him on a regular basis. My Dad has said he would talk with him, but then I think it would be worse. I see my Dad less and less because I don't want to deal with Mike at all. What would you guys do?


To top it all off, I got another kidney stone and it started moving yesterday while on the job site. The ride home was extremely fun and this weekend will probably be even more fun.

 

[drivesitfar]

Strouty: since the guy works for your Dad did you ask your Dad if you could use the truck? i'm pretty sure it sounds like Dad would have said ok, but if you did and he said yes you could tell Dad to deal with his guy. My guess is that you should have asked Mike in the first place and didn't because it's Dad's truck. if you put all the information in the thread earlier i apologize for trying to help without reading all the information, but if this post is the first time you have posted about your Dad's employee giving you grief more information is needed.

i'm guessing your Dad has a good working relationship with (Mike) his only employee so having your Dad try to solve the issues between you and Mike might not be the answer. if you can't buy your Dad's business or he's not ready to retire then getting on the same page with Mike might be the only solution. not sure what to say without more facts, but sometimes a gift helps or doing him a favor that you wouldn't normally do might move you in the right direction.

it's sort of like having kids only this one you can't take the car keys or money from to get them thinking good again.

good luck

 

[Strouty]

Drives,

I asked my Dad about the truck the day before and he called Mike to make sure it was available. Only then did I pick up the truck, so there should have been no issues in that regards. Mike is kind of like the facility manager, my Dad has way to much equipment and projects. I guess that is where I get it from, although I do not have the financial means that he does.

The long story is my Dad wanted us to work together on jobs and he would front the money. After the first job, I told my Dad that there was no way I could ever work with him. Mike never knew or cared how much anything cost, even though he did all the purchasing for the job. When we discussed it, he literally did not care. He told me that we made good money on the job and he got things done by the deadline. I had to remind Mike that he neglected to consider the labor cost and that we did not make any money on the job.

He came from a huge company that had an unlimited budget so he just ordered tools and supplies whenever he needed them.

I now just try and steer clear of the subject and let both of them do as they see fit. I have talked with my Dad about it, but short of having him step into the middle of it, there is no way to do anything about it. I just take the high road, but I definitely see my Dad less because of Mike.

 

[drivesitfar]

Strouty: would you want to take Mike's job and work for your Dad? I would bet Mike thinks you are capable and maybe a threat to his livelihood so he wants to keep the wedge in where and whenever he can.

instead of trying to please Mike start seeing your Dad more because it sounds like you guys are in the same business and you like him.

or sell some of your excess and buy a few more of the tools and machines you need to make your job easier. i'm sure the Snap On boxes are nice and will probably have you in a more positive attitude when heading into the shop to do some work, but should the money have been spent on something else?

i'm not your Dad and probably not old enough to be yours, but i have 40 year old step sons and one i'd hang with any day he asked no matter what we were going to do and the other one only if he brought his tools and a good attitude if i needed some help on a project and he wouldn't be the first choice.

hope the rest of your weekend goes better and sounded like you might be meeting at least on of our GJ members to maybe have a little fun.

 

[nine4gmc]

Kidney stones **** man, I had to take my friend to the hospital for them on a few occasions. Hope they go smooth and gl with Mike.

 

[Strouty]

Drives, I used to work for my Dad, not going to happen again. We do no work well that way. I can however work with him and we do still do that. I have no interest in Mike's job and I do not have the skills he has. I wish I did, the last time I talked to him, I told him I would like to try and fix whatever the issue was because I would like to be able to learn from him. He blew me of and ended the conversation with "yeah, we'll see." I was cordial, but left shortly after that, I really wanted to tell him to f__k off. As I said before I am trying to be the bigger person.

 

[Strouty]

Kidney stones **** man, I had to take my friend to the hospital for them on a few occasions. Hope they go smooth and gl with Mike.

I am drinking water like crazy, every 10 minutes I am going to the bathroom, so I am pretty sure it is on it's way out. This has to be a small one, the last one I had sent me to the hospital too.

 

[drivesitfar]

Strouty: i sympathize with your problem and i guess the only solution is to not have a need for anything Dad or Mike has a say in. i'm not going to tell you how to post, but a quick edit to F $#@ off might help the forum.

damn kidney stones. i'm not a guy to go to the hospital or Dr. but the last time i passed one I did so in front of my wife on July 4th two years ago. July 5th i had my dead gallbladder taken out because they obviously couldn't find the kidney stone i passed.

it's hell getting old and happy to hear you are not on a tower when you have an attack.

good luck

 

[Strouty]

Drives, adjusted.

I will still use my Dad's stuff, Mike can bite me. I am just going to deal with it better than he does, or at least more like a grown up. Dad and I have a symbiotic working relationship. He uses my stuff that he doesn't own and I use his stuff that I don't own.

 

[drivesitfar]

Strouty: Good attitude. make a point to maybe have breakfast with Dad on Saturday or Sunday AM every week even if only an hour when you both are not working. he won't be around forever and i bet he knows some stuff you still could pick out of his brain if he has time and lets you.

good luck passing the stone too.

cheers

 

[bczygan]

Drives, I used to work for my Dad, not going to happen again. We do no work well that way. I can however work with him and we do still do that. I have no interest in Mike's job and I do not have the skills he has. I wish I did, the last time I talked to him, I told him I would like to try and fix whatever the issue was because I would like to be able to learn from him. He blew me of and ended the conversation with "yeah, we'll see." I was cordial, but left shortly after that, I really wanted to tell him to f__k off. As I said before I am trying to be the bigger person.

Strouty,
Sometimes that's the best way to get a person to back off and treat you properly.

Had a neighbor lady who was always ragging on me, until one day when Julie chewed her *** off. After that, the lady was nothing but cordial and even friendly.

Same with my next door neighbor. I had problems with him until the day I backed him up but good. Now I'm his best friend.

Bill

 

[Strouty]

Bill, it may just come to that. I am going to have to work with Mike and my Dad on the dock that we will be building and I know I will only be able to take so much of his ****.

 

[Nursepeter1973]

I've found similar situations... I was once a prison officer and a Senior Office I worked for when i was a probationary officer used to give almost every newbie absolute hell. One of the other Seniors pulled me aside and said you just need to tell him to "F*$k off"... the problem is you just cant walk up and say that can you?

So i bided my time.. a couple of months of getting cr@p and the time came up... he was ragging on me for not driving a vehicle that wasn't roadworthy... I just turned, looked him in the eye and said "Jim, go and get F'd. I'm not going to risk peoples lives, if you want to go ahead" and walked away... after that... nice as pie... crazy.

All about the time and place.

 

[Strouty]

Thanks for the advice guys, it does seem like it needs to be the right time to do it. My guess is it will end up being when we are forced to work in close quarters, but I may not even be the one to do it. I can tell you right now if he ends up acting like a high school punk, my Dad will probably end up saying something to him. He respects my Father much more than me, so it may hit home more. He seems to just be someone who wants to hold a grudge, like it is a game or something. I think that Mike thinks he is playing chess, but he is really playing chutes and ladders.

 

[drivesitfar]

Strouty: i'm sure you are on the right path and here's something else to consider. not only might he be worried you will get your Dad's business and fire him he or is wife or family member could have cancer, huge financial problems because of what the economy did the last 10 years or other issues. i'm definitely not trying to defend him just saying some guys (and gals) don't put all their cards on the table and say what the real issue is.

of course if there is a right time to tell him to F' off then do because maybe that might bring out the real reason he has issues or get him to back off and become a decent human being.

have a great day.

 

[Strouty]

He is paid well, he lives in the house I grew up in rent free with his GF, he was given a company truck (literally given), his electricity and cable is paid for as well, My Father does all this because he feels that Mike does more than he is paid. As far as I am concerned living in that house is a nightmare because you are essentially always at work, the shop and office is 60 feet away. If my Father passes away things would be such a mess because there is no will as of yet (I am working on him) and my step mother would have no interest in the business side. Just so you guys know the business is only there to keep the taxes at bay from the tower rental income. My Father is one of those guys that you would never guess was well off, yet he can pretty much do as he pleases and buy what he wants. My Father is more of a big picture kind of guy, he and I work together on a different level than most and Mike can only see the little picture, except he is focused on a picture from 2008.

I have continually risen above Mike's level, but I am sure I will have my breaking point.

 

[Strouty]

I can think of reasons he would dislike me, but all of them are petty. Most of them were something he did to start with.

Examples:

I had a 7 man crew working on a tower, he was there using a hydraulic hammer to chip the frozen ground for a trench. We were hoisting very expensive and easy to damage cables, everyone could not have a radio, so we all needed to hear what was going on. I asked Mike if he could come back tomorrow, but he said no. Well I knew he could and I was just being polite. He went back at it and we tried to continue, after having a cable almost get destroyed because the winch operator could not hear what was going on, I went over to the machine and turned it off and took the key.

So who is the bigger ahole?


Another time 2010 ish he was operating the boom truck. He kept lowering the hook while I was strapping the steel up, I almost hit my head three or four times. I asked him not to lower it until after I was done and looking up at the hook with my arm extended to reach for it. He continued to be a dink about it and I finally had to yell at him to cut the ****, my Father came to his defense and told me I should be more respectful to my elders, well I ended up going off on him as well. When we were done everyone agreed that it was safer to wait until the person was ready for the hook before lowering it.

I am sure there are more, but right now they are eluding me. I am also sure there are instances that I did not realize he was mad.

 

[drivesitfar]

Strouty: I'm not sure this is the best place to vent and get out all your frustrations, but if it makes you feel a bit better vent away. i see Mike as a guy that knows maybe a bit more than you about this business you do and maybe even more than you Dad with maybe zero financial ability to survive on his own or run his own business. maybe he had an expensive divorce, parents are still alive or don't have anything to give him if they do pass or several reasons. he's a big kid with some skills.

I still think you getting together with your Dad every week or two and maybe not at his house if Mike lives next door so the two of you can just hang. i'm sure you'll talk some business, but eventually maybe you'll talk about other things.

not that we have that much, but my wife wanted us to get a will recorded so our 5 kids would know our wishes if we died in a plane crash, car wreck or some other quick demise. it only cost $750 and can be done cheaper if cost is an issue which it doesn't sound like it is. of course getting somebody to get a will done isn't easy if they are busy and don't want to spend the time on it. i probably would still be just thinking about it if my wife hadn't found the attorney and had everything written up with a little input from me.

maybe start by just having a beer or cup of coffee with Dad at a place you both like that has good food too if you don't do this already. my 83 year old Dad can't hear much and is usually rude to the waitress or waiter if he doesn't have ice and a full glass of water, but he won't be around much longer because Mom does everything for him. i still take both him and Mom to dinner or lunch every month or two and he's getting better with the water issues because i did yell at him outside the restaurant one time and told him he was an ***#$#@%.

cheers