Suffering from PTCD? (Post-Traumatic Contractor’s Disorder)
We, Lakeshore Guys®, never want to be mistaken for “contractors” or “landscapers.” We’ve seen words spray-painted on overpasses that we’d rather be called.
Why? Because contractors in general – and landscapers who stray from working on land – too often give homeowners ulcers and white hair from stress caused by a lack of professionalism.
It doesn’t matter what you hired them to do. Siding, carpet, roofing, driveways – pretty much anything. I’m guessing the experience was as pleasant as a gas station bathroom.
It often take days to get a contractor on the phone in the first place. Getting a contractor to return your call is difficult, but for no good reason. They avoid you like a debt collector even though you’re trying to pay them. If you ever do get past their answering machine, they always seem to pick up when operating a Bobcat or yelling at a worker – and act as though you’re interrupting them.
If for some reason you hire them and they do come out (the following February), they show up late or not at all. If your doctor did what they do, you’d be wearing a toe tag.
Contractors often fail to keep their promises. They talk a good game and are full of “yes ma’am” and “yes sir” reassurances, but just don’t do what they promise to do.
Remember that contractor who seemed different – the clean-cut, professional, and knowledgeable one? I hope you remember him, because you’ll never see him again. He won’t be on-site for your project. He will be off to sell another job, while a crew of guys who resemble extras from the movie Con Air arrive at your home to do the work. Take out your car stereo and hide any jewelry (or food).
When you try to ask them questions about the work, they give you vague answers or none at all. Perhaps a grunt.
You thought you’d feel happy that someone is finally there to do the work. Instead, the craftsmanship and customer-service you expected has been delegated to common-as-muck laborers who make you feel like a stranger on your own property.
They bid low and then upsell the heck out of you. You find out halfway through the project that there was some “little” problem they neglected to check for or tell you about, and now the job is going to cost $4,000 or $10,000 or $25,000 more than they said it would. You’d be lucky to hear a “Mistakes were made.”
To add insult to injury, they’ll leave a mess. There’s the construction mess that they may or may not clean up, and your yard looks like the Marlboro Man’s campsite.
The Lakeshore Guys® team is cut from a different hide. A few of many things you’ll notice when working with us:
- We show up on-time.
- Our owner, Joe Palumbo, also shows up. (Most owners talk a good game over the phone, but then move on to bidding on other projects while their workers do all the real work.)
- We think in terms of years, not in terms of projects and pennies. We use twice as much riprap fabric as our competitors do, so your shoreline doesn’t start washing away again next year. We use only heavy fieldstone, rather than cheap crushed stone from a quarry. We buy pre-worn-out treads for our rock-hauling, so you don’t have to look at a torn-up yard until the next reseeding.
- We stick to our quote, even when it means less profit for us.
- Any trash we generate goes either into our pockets or into our trash cans.
- Unlike contractors or “landscaper, we don’t require payment until your project is 100% complete and you agree we’ve exceeded your expectations.
(Read more about the standards of professionalism you can expect of Lakeshore Guys®.)
Depending on how bad the erosion is and how much you love your shoreline, you may feel an urge today to call us or not to call us – but just don’t call us contractors!