"It was like that when I found it"

[Crossy]

How many time have we heard that?

 

Today the young chap who cuts the lawn grass jungle came into my workshop looking for pipe tape. Why? I ask, he shows me one of Wifey's 1" irrigation taps that has come off the main pipe. I know he hit it with the mower, he knows I know he hit it with the mower, Wifey knows that I know he hit it with the mower. But the story is still "he saw it was off and wanted to fix it". Even under gravity a 1" pipe will empty a 2500 L tank fairly rapidly and the grass wasn't even really wet.

 

Easy fix assuming it doesn't blow off when I start the pump 'coz the thread's damaged.

 

It's not an issue these things happen, but what's wrong with "sorry, I hit it with the mower"?

 

Whinge over!

 

 

[janclaes47]

3 minutes ago, Crossy said:

Even under gravity a 1" pipe will empty a 2500 L tank fairly rapidly and the grass wasn't even really wet.

Don't really understand that remark.

 

If the grass wasn't even really wet, sounds to me as if the tab had been broken off quite some time ago, and the water soaked away already.

 

Or do i misread that?

[Crossy]

1 minute ago, janclaes47 said:

Or do i misread that?

Misread mate (maybe mistype on my part). The tank was still nearly full, water was exiting the open pipe when he showed me, if it had been flowing for more than a few minutes the ground would have been mud (and I would be wondering why the khlong lift pump was running to re-fill the tank).

[janclaes47]

Just now, Crossy said:

Misread mate (maybe mistype on my part). The tank was still nearly full, water was exiting the open pipe when he showed me, if it had been flowing for more than a few minutes the ground would have been mud (and I would be wondering why the khlong lift pump was running to re-fill the tank).

Yes was some confusion, got it now.

 

 

But to answer your other question, what is wrong with sorry I hit it with the mower.

 

From a thread in the Pattaya forum the other day.

 

 

Air-con technicians were moving a compressor on Friday morning when they noticed fire.

[robblok]

Actually Crossy, i can remember telling my dad the same excuse on a number of times he did not buy it either. 

 

Once I used a pea shooter (fingertip of a rubber glove taped on a ring) inside my brothers bedroom and i damaged the ceiling with it. I proclaimed my innocence.. not sure why he did not believe me. 

 

 

[Crossy]

2 minutes ago, robblok said:

Actually Crossy, i can remember telling my dad the same excuse on a number of times he did not buy it either.

Er, guilty as charged too, but I was sub-teen, the "lad" is 20 something with a (very cute) wife and a couple of kids.

[robblok]

Just now, Crossy said:

Er, guilty as charged too, but I was sub-teen, the "lad" is 20 something.

Yea i know.. I was just joking. 

[Thian]

We had the termite-company spraying the system which is under the house (many houses behind the cover on the wall).

 

It took a long time so i went to see what they were doing...they had broken one of the pipes which goes under the house because they didn't have the right connector to it....i have a load of those so gave them the right one....

 

This job costs 5000 baht so i would expect to see a professional company with the right tools here, but forget that in Thailand.

 

You have to check the Thai ALL THE TIME, and of course they said that the pipe was already broken (this house is only 8 years old now)...

 

 

[sfokevin]

I would just be thankful he showed the initiative to fix it!... 

 

[darksidedog]

I generally do all of my own maintenance now, even though the landlord has a supposed handyman available. Watching this supposed professional at work is seriously funny. He takes four times longer than the job takes me, and he bodges just about everything. Put the front door lock and handles in upside down and back to front, five tries at the stop cock on the water tank, and the list goes on. Nothing is ever his fault. The fitting isn't right. The lock has bad instructions.

I put it down to stupidity and incompetence, that they just are unable to admit to, which sadly means, they are never going to learn.

[robblok]

9 minutes ago, darksidedog said:

I generally do all of my own maintenance now, even though the landlord has a supposed handyman available. Watching this supposed professional at work is seriously funny. He takes four times longer than the job takes me, and he bodges just about everything. Put the front door lock and handles in upside down and back to front, five tries at the stop cock on the water tank, and the list goes on. Nothing is ever his fault. The fitting isn't right. The lock has bad instructions.

I put it down to stupidity and incompetence, that they just are unable to admit to, which sadly means, they are never going to learn.

Its hard to find good technicians, though i had a new front gate installed and I can only applaud them for their workmanship (on the gate and how straight it hangs ect). Tough admittedly some things could have done better but would have meant a multi day job instead of a few hours. They cut away the old fence leaving some holes in the cement where it was anchored. Back in the west they would plug those holes and paint over them (adding a day to dry ect) Here they did not, its not really in view.. but its differences like this. Of course I would have had to pay more then for the extra work too to be fair. 

Edited April 8, 2018 by robblok

[ballpoint]

38 minutes ago, Crossy said:

Er, guilty as charged too, but I was sub-teen, the "lad" is 20 something with a (very cute) wife and a couple of kids.

But she was already pregnant when he found her.

[Kwasaki]

Just had a guy working these apartment we've been doing bit by bit over nearly 3 years. 

He had fixed other stuff OK so we left some bathroom accessories with him a mirror & a shelf that goes above the sink, bad idea.

He must of become obsessed the shelf was a arms length up for my Mrs and she couldn't step far enough back to see in the mirror. 

  

[topt]

3 hours ago, Crossy said:

The tank was still nearly full, water was exiting the open pipe when he showed me, i

As sfokevin suggested you could sort of look at it positively and say he may actually be halfway there to accepting some responsibility........

 

I could imagine a lot of workers just ignoring something like that completely especially if you hadn't been there  

[watcharacters]

 

 

 

I think confessing is not easy depending on what the confessor thinks will be the reaction.

 

 

[luudee]

 

I think the difference is that we (westerners) eventually grow up and become a man. And learn

to admit when we did something wrong and stand up to it, like a man should do.

 

Thais, well, they never grow up. I once confronted my worker in a similar situation. It was 100%

obvious that he f*cked something up, it was not a big deal, but he came with some excuse

like little gree aliens did it ...

 

He was so furious that I confronted him, his face turned red and his entire body started shaking ....

 

children ....

 

luudee

 

[canopy]

On 4/8/2018 at 9:43 AM, Crossy said:

what's wrong with "sorry, I hit it with the mower"?

 

Because these people have never done anything wrong in their entire lives. Their minds are wired to instantly find an excuse rather than accept any responsibility. Sort of like when they build a rickety roof and you ask them if it will hold. Yes, 100% sure. Then in the next storm it gets blown off and they say it was the wind's fault, nothing to do with their shoddy design. It's sad because this system of blame means they never learn from their mistakes, never benefit from self improvement.

 

[Crossy]

4 minutes ago, canopy said:

Because these people have never done anything wrong in their entire lives. Their minds are wired to instantly find an excuse rather than accept any responsibility.

Yeah, I know, I really just needed a bit of a vent. And the valve didn't pop off again when we fired up the big pump 

 

[HLover]

I am really enjoying this thread.

[cornishcarlos]

It's taken me a long time to explain to the wife why I don't lend my tools to anyone.. 

Exactly because they will inevitably be returned accompanied by the "it was already like that" excuse...

Still not sure that she fully understands, and not sure that she doesn't lend them out when I'm away working, but pretty sure she knows the reaction that will follow should I come home and find any broken :) I told her to buy some cheap Maktec  tools if she wants to lend them out but my cordless Makita gear is off limits.. !!

 

[colinneil]

I do not allow anybody here to borrow my tools, had too many things broken by clowns.

 

Another point about getting anybody to do/fix anything.

Yesterday my wife said, the tap on the sink in the bathroom is broken, no probs darling i have a spare tap in the storeroom.

I tried to get under the sink,, from my wheelchair impossible, i call a man wife says,ok.

He arrives goes under the sink to fit new tap, breaks the waste pipe, ohh it was like that already he says, water everywhere, .

So a simple 10 minute job ended up taking 3 hours,  and a lot of cursing from me.

[transam]

Think it's purely the thought they may have to pay for it...Road accidents are the same...

[cornishcarlos]

The thing that makes me laugh the most, is they try to make you out to be the bad man, for not wanting to loan out tools..

"tradesmen" turn up for a job without the tools reqd for that job.. Then expect to use mine !! No, get your own :)

[ferguston]

In Scotland the usual reason/comment is:-

"It wasnae me."

[jacko45k]

Deny all responsibility and admit to nothing mantra!

I have gone through quite a few gardeners, ones that cut water pipes, poisoned fish (Lotus need fertilizer) and helped themselves to various spray and hose fittings.

The' invisible man' keeps himself busy at my place.....

[baansgr]

Today the trees at the condo were cut, comical watching, no fore warning to move vehicles, luckily I was present to move mine. A fence that has lasted 20 years is now crushed due to their amaturish work.....no doubt it was already like that......would be their answer....

[Surasak]

You think you have a problem? I asked the electrician to fir the switches in the carport, to press down for on, not the Thaiway. His answer; 'Cannot do, have to twist the wires, it not work'. I had to walk away as it took all my concentration to keep a straight face. 

[Tofer]

I have an electrician who thinks he's going to charge me 2 X the point price for a double socket. I made him take one off and showed him one conduit, one set of cables and one connection point on the back, same as a single socket. I was tempted to smack him round the head for insulting my intelligence.....

[Formaleins]

They are never at fault! Surely you must know that by now. To accept they are at fault would require  some sort of sense of responsibility. In almost 20 years I have never found a Thai that has a sense of responsibility. It is all just Karma.

Even when they wash your mobile phone in your jacket pocket and it comes out of the washing machine totalled - THEY did not break it, the washing mashine did!

[heybuz]

6 hours ago, colinneil said:

I do not allow anybody here to borrow my tools, had too many things broken by clowns.

 

Another point about getting anybody to do/fix anything.

Yesterday my wife said, the tap on the sink in the bathroom is broken, no probs darling i have a spare tap in the storeroom.

I tried to get under the sink,, from my wheelchair impossible, i call a man wife says,ok.

He arrives goes under the sink to fit new tap, breaks the waste pipe, ohh it was like that already he says, water everywhere, .

So a simple 10 minute job ended up taking 3 hours,  and a lot of cursing from me.

The last time I lent my tool to someone she complained that it didn't work,my excuse was that "I'm old".