Last night we had to have "the talk" with some friends of ours over vegan sorbet. I found myself saying things like "you've taken his abuse long enough" and "don't make excuses for him". And they kept saying things like " . . but he said he was sorry", and "he promises to do better". It was like a Lifetime Movie, but I think we finally convinced them to break up . . . with their contractor. It's easy to ignore the warning signs when you're blinded by the dream of your new beautiful home:
- he didn't have a ladder, so he asked to borrow theirs (now covered in paint.)
- he cleaned his paint rollers in the driveway and got paint all over their car
- . . . so next time he cleaned the paint rollers all over their lawn instead.
- he was somehow surprised to find wires in a wall with three electrical outlets
- he installed brand new floors, then failed to cover them when painting the ceiling
- he quoted 5 days for a job that would clearly take him a month.
. . . and so on. It's an old tale. You end up in limbo; desperate to stick it out and finish the job, but terrified by how much worse it might get if you stand by your man.
I went through it too when I had my stairs redone. Even if you research furiously, things aren't always as they seem. I thought I was making it easy on them! Painted wood. No fancy exotics. No staining and sealing. Easy to hide imperfections. Seemed so simple, but I had quotes ranging from $3,500 to over $10,000! Being scientific about it, I called the $10k guy to see if he misunderstood what I was asking for. I mean, if you use fancy mahogany and high-end stains and urethanes with all sorts of tricky finishes and stuff we didn't want, I guess I could understand the cost. But nope . . . they had no idea what materials they would use. Wood, paint, hardware, process, etc. They even said we wouldn't be able to go upstairs for 2 weeks and should consider getting a hotel during that time. ?????????
In the end, I unexpectedly found that the $3,500 guy knew precisely what woods and paints he would use. He even told me where he would buy them and invited me to join him when he selected the materials. He was in and out in 3 days. I'm 100% satisfied and still wonder what I would have ended up with had I chosen one of those other higher quotes. I sincerely have NO idea.
Predictable outcomes - they're all we want! The "price is the price" if you're sure you're getting a working solution. But the price is only the price if "the deal is the deal" and "the product is the product" too. You have to consider the cost, in the broadest sense of the word. I like to think BTX has been careful quoting lead times lately - how are we doing? Pretty accurate? We also test our products internally to make sure we know what works with what. This is especially important with USB extenders and cameras. We like to know first-hand what to expect and be transparent with our solutions. I hate surprises, but I love repeat business. BTX is a company that cares about your success with the materials and services we offer. And I invite you to let me know if there's anything we can do better.
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