2/21/2008
6:18:54 PM 

I apologize to all outside the installers. I say installers instead of the installation industry, because those that claim to run it don't seem as if they care, at least to myself and from what I've heard from SOME others, the same is true for them.

It is likely you are from a gentler race of people. It's not likely you will ever know the effects or demands, so it seems up to us to as Yosemitee Sam says,--back off.

If we make one mistake, our customers start going over every inch of the floor and if we forget any supplies or anything, it really costs us a lot of time and probably gas.

If there is a problem with the carpet, shops don't pay us for lost time and fuel. If the job isn't ready, installers are the ones that lose.

If the retailer makes a mistake, they say, oh, we'll make it up to you on the next job, but they never do.

I could go on, but maybe you get the point.

Anyhow, installers aren't what most would consider as a crowd that gets along--as retailers have always pitted us one against all others--as in number 1 crew, number 2 crew and so on.

Most all installers drink or do drugs, smoke cigarretts, gamble, cuss like sailors or worse and in general,--because our bodies and minds are pushed soooo hard, everything about us becomes just as loud and just as harsh.

We drink or do drugs, because it calms many of us. If you ran from the time your feet hit the floor every morning at 6am until usually 8pm or later when we get home and are all cranked-up from running all day long, a couple of drinks or a couple of tokes seems to help some of us to be almost calm enough to deal with our families--seeing as we only have an hour with them if we are lucky.

When we come in the door and find out one of our children is hurting from all the nasty children in school or the teachers that act like children themselves or they get physically hurt--or there always seems to be situations that just twist us in knots when we work so long and so hard, just to keep everything going. Add in that we are stolen from in so many ways and those of you that are not installers will never understand.

If you go to any web site for installers--save one site so heavily slanted, that you better enjoy being ruled--or you stay away, that you will see almost every installer fight with each other--if they are the strongest in the many ways.

Those that maybe head a team of installers are not counted. They do not work in two man teams for a lifetime and because they don't do every little thing the mechanic does every single day and every single job, they never learn as much or as well and they are nowhere near as strong, comparitively speaking.

To those of you who don't like harshness, we apologize, but that is all we know.

This trade wants and wants and wants, but what does it give back? Look above and know what it doles out and the next time you feel repulsed at something, be lucky you never had to live as we do.