Contractor Stories - TanToday - Helping Salon Owners, One At A Time, Since 2000!

RTD · 29th July 2005, 07:24 AM

I placed this thread here because the stories and experiences might help newbies avoid some of the horrors that we have all (well maybe most) have gone through.

We hired an electrician to help get the permits, increase our available power and wire the salon. Over and over again I submitted the permit to the county electric board and it was rejected. Each time I went back to the electrician and each time he gave me something about some requirement schedule and how the county was making changes in the rules. After almost 3 months of rejections and hundreds of calls back and forth, we were at a friend's house and their friend was an electrician. He listened and asked me if I wanted him to look it over and see if he could explain it to me.

He took one look at the permit request and pointed out 3 major flaws, that even if the permit was issued, the wiring would have failed the first inspection. Apparently the elctrician we selected was totally unexperienced in the multi phase wiring we needed. (GRRRRRRRRRRR)

I hired the new guy on the spot and 1 week later we had our permit. 1 WEEK !!

Then I contacted the old electrician and cancelled our contract and a few weeks later I got a letter from his lawyer asking us to pay the full amount of the contract!!! This idiot wanted me to pay him for the entire wiring job and he wasn't even able to file and receive a valid permit!!!

He had cost us months of delays and he wanted money from us!! ??
Of course our lawyer wrote back and informed him of the amount of money we had lost due to the delays he caused and suggested that he go away quietly. He did.

What is your story (stories)? Or better yet, How did you find good contractors?

Pink · 29th July 2005, 08:17 PM

I do not believe in good contractors. I think they exsist, but they are taken and not working on tanning salons!

I can tell you our biggest F.Up was ...paying contractors who "we hired" their money..without having them sign lein waivers! Please, Please have them sign the lein waivers...even if you hired someone to do the work , they hire subs..and they do not pay their workers..they can put leins on your salon!

Soo · 6th August 2005, 07:49 PM

Thank You Jesus!!! My Hubcap is a Contractor....And yes many have no earthly idea of what we need in our salons...If Anyone needs a list for the Electricians...email me your list of beds and and what your panel is already...and he can help get a list of what you need or need to add to carry the load...also what State as he has to make sure it we be code...

So if we can help ya...enail me and we would be happy too...

Have A Great Day!! Soo

mr belvedere · 7th August 2005, 02:52 AM

Look, there is no contractor anywhere that knows, or cares, anything about tanning salons. Except for one, that I know of. Every other contractor I've worked with has jacked it up. Maybe not FUBAR, but good and jacked just the same. Good luck.

RTD · 7th August 2005, 07:01 AM

The sad truth is how few contractors care about the level of their work.
I worked in construction for a time and had a look at both types...
The "get the day over and get the money" and the "That's not good enough. Would you want it that way if this were your house?" (ah that one was speaking to me when I bent the air vent covers while installing them.)

We had carpet put down through the lobby, hallway and back area. We stayed there to make sure the seams and pattern were straight. They had only to do the back area, where we were going to put the standup, so we left to have dinner. We came back to a zig zag pattern that made you dizzy just looking at it and both of them all packed up and awaiting their money.
They didn't get paid til it was removed, replaced and done correctly. I swear we were only gone about an hour.

The one thing I did not expect to have to do was "babysit" so called professional workers. I was wrong!!!

29th July 2005, 07:24 AM	#1 (permalink)
RTD Veteran Join Date: May 2005 Location: Toms River Posts: 328	Contractor Stories I placed this thread here because the stories and experiences might help newbies avoid some of the horrors that we have all (well maybe most) have gone through. We hired an electrician to help get the permits, increase our available power and wire the salon. Over and over again I submitted the permit to the county electric board and it was rejected. Each time I went back to the electrician and each time he gave me something about some requirement schedule and how the county was making changes in the rules. After almost 3 months of rejections and hundreds of calls back and forth, we were at a friend's house and their friend was an electrician. He listened and asked me if I wanted him to look it over and see if he could explain it to me. He took one look at the permit request and pointed out 3 major flaws, that even if the permit was issued, the wiring would have failed the first inspection. Apparently the elctrician we selected was totally unexperienced in the multi phase wiring we needed. (GRRRRRRRRRRR) I hired the new guy on the spot and 1 week later we had our permit. 1 WEEK !! Then I contacted the old electrician and cancelled our contract and a few weeks later I got a letter from his lawyer asking us to pay the full amount of the contract!!! This idiot wanted me to pay him for the entire wiring job and he wasn't even able to file and receive a valid permit!!! He had cost us months of delays and he wanted money from us!! ?? Of course our lawyer wrote back and informed him of the amount of money we had lost due to the delays he caused and suggested that he go away quietly. He did. What is your story (stories)? Or better yet, How did you find good contractors?

6th August 2005, 07:49 PM	#3 (permalink)
Soo Moderator Join Date: May 2005 Location: Florida Posts: 1,547	Thank You Jesus!!! My Hubcap is a Contractor....And yes many have no earthly idea of what we need in our salons...If Anyone needs a list for the Electricians...email me your list of beds and and what your panel is already...and he can help get a list of what you need or need to add to carry the load...also what State as he has to make sure it we be code... So if we can help ya...enail me and we would be happy too... Have A Great Day!! Soo __________________ What Other Profession Does The Sun Shine Everyday?? Enjoy It !!

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29th July 2005, 08:17 PM	#2 (permalink)
Pink Princess Pink Join Date: May 2005 Location: Florida Posts: 792	I do not believe in good contractors. I think they exsist, but they are taken and not working on tanning salons! I can tell you our biggest F.Up was ...paying contractors who "we hired" their money..without having them sign lein waivers! Please, Please have them sign the lein waivers...even if you hired someone to do the work , they hire subs..and they do not pay their workers..they can put leins on your salon!

7th August 2005, 02:52 AM	#4 (permalink)
mr belvedere Super Star Join Date: May 2005 Location: Denver Posts: 658	Look, there is no contractor anywhere that knows, or cares, anything about tanning salons. Except for one, that I know of. Every other contractor I've worked with has jacked it up. Maybe not FUBAR, but good and jacked just the same. Good luck.

7th August 2005, 07:01 AM	#5 (permalink)
RTD Veteran Join Date: May 2005 Location: Toms River Posts: 328	The sad truth is how few contractors care about the level of their work. I worked in construction for a time and had a look at both types... The "get the day over and get the money" and the "That's not good enough. Would you want it that way if this were your house?" (ah that one was speaking to me when I bent the air vent covers while installing them.) We had carpet put down through the lobby, hallway and back area. We stayed there to make sure the seams and pattern were straight. They had only to do the back area, where we were going to put the standup, so we left to have dinner. We came back to a zig zag pattern that made you dizzy just looking at it and both of them all packed up and awaiting their money. They didn't get paid til it was removed, replaced and done correctly. I swear we were only gone about an hour. The one thing I did not expect to have to do was "babysit" so called professional workers. I was wrong!!!