I had a lot of fun discussing my journey in the skilled trades with the fine gentlemen who constitute the tripart of the Sweat and Grime Podcast. These boys like to have fun but they also share a wealth of knowledge and experiences from the trenches. They too aim to inform whilst they also entertain (INFOtainment), "Sweat & Grime is a podcast that focuses on the skilled trades while keeping a fun atmosphere."
Bryan, Rick, and Matt sit and discuss a variety of topics loosely based around the skilled trades. As guys that currently work in the skilled trades, we do our best to ask semi-intelligent questions to our guests to satisfy our curiosities about what they do. From business advice to glimpses into different industries, we try to cover a broad variety of topics to keep you entertained during your workday.
1 Comment
An unexpected winter vortex rips through Arlington, Texas in February 2021 causing incredible damage throughout the South. Contractor Erick Hernandez who works in the Houston area notes that in the days prior everything seemed normal. Like many Texans, Erick was scrambling to save his home from the effects of freezing conditions and widespread lack of power. Catastrophe Damage ResponseRJ Construction (RJC), a local contractor, hears of damage sustained at Sam Houston High School. According to owner Robert Jordan, "My company sprung into action. Over the course of days, near round-the-clock work, Sam Houston was dried in and dehumidifier." Even though RJC says that certain school officials guaranteed that they would get the company paid and thanked them for their work, Jordan says that they have not been paid for their invoice totaling over $1.2 million dollars. It's hard to drive from the backseat after the ride is over." - Bebo Crain Contractors Suing For PaymentRJC has sued the Arlington Independent School District (AISD). So, I invited Bebo Crain (Jonesboro, AR) to review the court documents with me so that we can extract as many lessons to help contractors shorten their DANG learning curve as possible. As Bebo says, "It's hard to drive from the backseat after the ride is over," but we will do our best to share the many lessons that can be learned from this case. This upcoming series of episodes on The DYOJO Podcast will reveal information that will help contractors respond to everyday insurance claims, regional damage events (such as Winter Storm Uri from 2021), and catastrophe responses (such as Hurricane Ian in 2022). IN THIS EPISODE:
0:00 Episode 92 1:50 Customer used contractors estimate to hire someone cheaper 3:20 A new series - RJC vs. AISD 5:55 RJC's YouTube video received over 33,000 views 9:06 Winter Storm Uri timeline 12:04 Input from Houston contractor Erick Hernandez 15:13 "It's hard to drive from the backseat after the ride is over" - Bebo Crain 18:05 Breaking down the response with Bebo 22:51 Questions about insurance coverage during storm response Thursdays are for The DYOJO Podcast - helping contractors shorten their DANG learning curve for personal and professional development. If you are one of the 33,000 plus viewers of a video from a contractor in Arlington Texas released in September of 2021, you may already have an opinion about the situation we are going to discuss in this article and upcoming episodes of The DYOJO Podcast. We would like to invite you to dig into a water damage emergency project that descended to litigation to unearth lessons that will help contractors shorten their DANG learning curve. READ MORE in the Cleaning and Restoration Magazine (C&R) Article Subscribe and listen to upcoming episodes of The DYOJO Podcast on lessons learned from RJC vs. AISD following a 2021 winter storm response at Sam Houston High School. It should not be a surprise that responding to a catastrophic loss is not the same as getting paid for rendering services. While many look at our industry and think there is ‘easy money’ to be made, there is no such thing as easy money in general, especially when working with insurance companies and handling catastrophic events. Contractors who want to ensure they get paid for the good work that they do will want to tune in for the story we are about to tell on The DYOJO Podcast. READ MORE in the Cleanfax Article Watch the introduction video for The DYOJO Podcast series reviewing the RJC vs. AISD case from Winter Storm Uri (2021) When people ask what we do as property restoration contractors, I always like to explain whenever there's a situation where someone says, "Who's going to clean this up?" - that's what we do. Many people, consumers and contractors, are frustrated by the insurance claims process for mitigation (drying structures) and repairs. Disagreements about what was done and what is owed can occur on projects large or small. For this article and the accompanying video, we will introduce you to a story that will resonate with contractors who feel like they have completed the work, BUT the customer is playing games with the check. When it's time to pay, the customer says, 'Thank you for helping us buuuuut...' RJ Construction vs. Arlington Independent School DistrictSo, what happens when the help is provided by a contractor but then there is a disagreement when it comes time to collect payment. The customer says, "Thank you for helping us but..." Recently, one such issue came across the desk here at The DYOJO Podcast between RJ Construction (RJC) and the Arlington Independent School District (AISD). RJC claims they dehumidified about 450,000 square feet of wet air within Sam Houston High School for what they believed was an agreed-upon price of $2.50 per square foot, plus some expenses. The total amount invoiced by RJC at the completion of their work was $1,245,600. When the school district delayed on payment, owner Robert Jordan took his case to the local community and to YouTube. RJC's initial video on the dispute received over 33,000 views. We did the job we were hired to do." - Robert Jordan (RJC) Contractors or the Government Behaving Badly?Jordan states, "I believed the AISD board could be trusted. So, my company went into action. Over the course of days, working around the clock, Sam Houston High School was dried and dehumidified. We did the job we were hired to do." Some people, even fellow contractors, watch this video or have read the Fact Sheet produced by AISD and conclude, "I got all the information I need. It's clear this contractor's a gold digger. RJC is just another opportunist that doesn't know what they are doing; seeing only dollar signs and trying to paid on the big one." Others, including local community members, have listened to what RJC has to say and read some of the court documents. They heard RJ Construction share their plight, "The AISD is hired a team of lawyers to claim that the district does not owe a penny for the hard and diligent work my company performed." Some are concluding, "The school districts is a bunch of crooks, probably in cahoots with the insurance companies, hiding behind sovereign immunity, trying to put a local company out of business." Is An Email A Contract?This dispute between RJ Construction and the Arlington Independent School District will provide all parties with lessons that can be learned from this regional winter storm. While there are many details to sift through, a key element for any contractor is understanding what constitutes a contractual agreement, especially when there are multiple parties involved in the decision making tree. This is central to the RJC v. AISD litigation, as they are arguing whether a string of emails constitutes an agreement or a contract.
Tune in on Thursdays to The DYOJO Podcast as we dig further into this story and help contractors shorten their DANG learning curve.
CONTACT The DYOJO Keep your eyes and ears open as you listen to this series of upcoming podcast episodes. What Contractor Isn't Familiar With This Frustrating Story... A contractor takes a call for service from a new client. After a brief conversation, they set up a time to inspect the customer's home. The contractor drives to the worksite (30 minutes*). While onsite the contractor spends 30-60 minutes* discussing the project with the customer, performing a detailed inspection of the conditions, taking measurements, documenting scope items, and listening to what the customer wants to have completed. The contractor drives back to their shop (30 minutes*). The contractor spends at least 30-60 minutes* researching products, creating an estimate with sufficient scope and cost details to reflect the vision of the customer and sends that to them for review. After a day or two the contractor follows up with the customer, there is a delay in response, and finally, the customer notifies them that while they appreciate all of the details the contractor provided they were able to hire someone who could do the work for significantly cheaper. Is this just a "cost of doing business" or is there a BETTER WAY? Episode 91 of The DYOJO Podcast will be part 2 of a discussion that we started in Episode 90 on whether contractors should charge for their estimates. For Episode 91 we will continue to review various approaches by construction professionals including providing FREE estimates, getting contracts signed prior to dispatch, using a Letter of Intent (LOI), or other means. At the end of the day, the contractor does well to develop and consistently follow a thorough screening process for all new clients so that they know what they are committing themselves to. If the contractor does not value their own time, NO ONE ELSE WILL. In this video promo for Episode 91 of The DYOJO Podcast:
Thursdays are forThe DYOJO Podcast - helping contractors shorten their DANG learning curve for personal and professional development. KEYWORDS: estimate, pricing, waste, contractor, article, clients, government affairs committee, restoration, industry association, feedback,
|
Words
The DYOJO - helping contractors shorten Archives
May 2024
Categories
All
EstimatingMarketingInsurance ClaimsLeadership |