Thank you for respecting your crew and their safety enough to tell her to pound sand.

@TheSuzberry

Жыл бұрын

You can find customers more easily than you can find good employees.

@MBMCincy63

Жыл бұрын

👍 agree! Reputable company is not going to walk the cracked plank over the septic tank. Safety above all, let's the team have another day.

@troykruse5161

Жыл бұрын

You sound like a great boss. Wish you were around my area

@jeffreyherman9477

Жыл бұрын

I have a question here, so my grandparents designed the back porch growing up where if they needed to get under it they could easily remove sections of boards, could someone cut an opening on the back Porch and create a hinge door for future access ?

@ameliacatlover1985

Жыл бұрын

21¹1

I was doing service plumbing and my company sent me out to this house and when I got there 2 other plumbing companies pulled up about the same time. And the customer told us to bicker on the price and whoever comes up with the lowest price would get the job the job, we looked at each other and we looked at her and said said you're not going to get any of us to work for you and we'll make sure that everybody else in town knows about this and we all drove away

@westondavis1682

2 жыл бұрын

Wow, that is next level. Hope you spread that to the electricians, hvac, lawncare people... everyone.

@timsmith1125

Жыл бұрын

Call it karma, cosmic justice or whatever term fits for you. Hopefully, it taught that “customer” an important lesson.

@neok1996

Жыл бұрын

Worker 1 :I need 1M to replace that valve Worker 2 : I will do it for 2M Worker 3 : I will do it for your 1st born Charging payment up front obviously because it's a new costumer

@michaelcherokee8906

Жыл бұрын

HOOOOOLY freeeaaakin CRAP, that is absolutely ridiculous.

@scottmcneely1927

Жыл бұрын

Couldn't rip anybody off so they got together and refused the job. Sounds like most of the repairmen where I live.

Karen's house is not up to code then. Yikes!

@elblakeh2245

2 жыл бұрын

I work as an aerobic septic inspector and I have some where their compressor and control box is buried under the porch they just needed to have😂😂 it’s a hassle especially with a tank lid under there I can’t even imagine doing that!!!!

@rex8255

2 жыл бұрын

And now that I think about it... who wants a literal giant tank of poo that close to your house?

@builtontherockhomestead9390

2 жыл бұрын

I live in the boonies so everyone out here has a septic tank. Friends finally called the previous owner to find out where the septic tank was as they had built everything. Dang thing is under the back porch of their Mobile Home. Nice porch, hate to think of the hassle when the tank needs tending too.

@JohnSmith-bd2re

2 жыл бұрын

“Karen’s house” is never up to code… It doesn’t matter what trade you’re in

@srbontrager

2 жыл бұрын

Karen's house not up to code?! Talk about finding a unicorn!

Maybe you don't build a deck over your septic tank... Or at least build a trap door...

@rex8255

2 жыл бұрын

And if she weren't a scamming BIIIAAATCH, perhaps he would have suggested that.

@spritemon98

2 жыл бұрын

Trap doors are an amazing invention

@toomanymarys7355

2 жыл бұрын

And put in a RISER!!! Why wouldn't you have a riser if it is under the deck?????

@mailliw75

2 жыл бұрын

I had a customer build a BEDROOM over their tank. I said pump this thing often because you can't afford any repairs to it....

@sofiadragon6520

2 жыл бұрын

Back in the 90's my parents moved into a fixer upper that had a sunroom on top of the septic. They didn't know, inspector must have been blindfolded when he checked the vent that was right next to the edge of the slab of concrete the sunroom sat on. What a mess that was.

Not a competitor, A friend in the same business. There is enough sh*t for everyone.

My dad is a general contractor, and mostly pours concrete. He gets along great with almost every other concrete guy in his community. They even share guys and help each other out on bigger jobs. Works out great. The nice thing about these hard labor jobs is that there is more than enough work to go around because so many people don’t want to do them anymore. So the way you do business reminds me a lot of how my dad does business. Means you’re a good guy.

@iodinecola326

2 жыл бұрын

Brother?

@deusvult6920

2 жыл бұрын

Yeah it's less being competitors and more just getting your share of the available work.

@swskitso

2 жыл бұрын

I was gonna say i worked building and delivering septic tanks and we did never called them competitors they were our associates.

@TRIChuckles

2 жыл бұрын

Also just smart. In long run if all communicate. More money

@lokiprepper

2 жыл бұрын

@@TRIChuckles Exactly. That all do very well for themselves.

The, "thats fantastic he is my buddy and keeps great records. i'll call him up so i know what to do." is where i lost it. I can just imagine her smug little face dropping as she realizes her bullshit won't work.

I worked in the service industry 46 yrs. It's refreshing to see an owner draw the line for his staff Thanks for the matter of fact entertainment

I've had some interesting pump outs. Under decks, under people's houses "basement", we even had one guy build an extension for his house over his tank and had to rip the floor up to get to it. At the end of the day, it's the homeowner's responsibility to make the lids assessable, not ours.

I'd have told her that in order for us to complete the job, she must hire a contractor (assuming she couldn't get her husband to do it) to remove ALL interference from the site and then we would be more than happy to pump it down.

I am a machinist but you make me want to work for you. You sir are an excellent boss. Bravo!

@robertdulaney6785

2 жыл бұрын

He sure does.

@k20nutz

2 жыл бұрын

Ditto

@ScorpionRegent

Жыл бұрын

High praise considering the business, but you aren't wrong. He is an excellent boss.

@danielwells774

Жыл бұрын

CNC is way better than septic xD

She probably pushed for the deck, didn't take the septic tank into consideration and now is trying to get someone else to fix her mess up. HA. Sux 2 B her.

@OffGridInvestor

Жыл бұрын

Most likely. Karen's never listen to other trades warning them, it's all ME ME ME, the customer is always right and I'm the customer.

In retail its usually safe, it's the demanding and expectation that Karen's want. That makes it a long miserable day 😥. No no no, I'll go to your competitor. Please do! 😁

@TheAciddragon069

2 жыл бұрын

i worked for a corporate owned store and my favorite was "well they do it in the store in (insert town)!" "Well there not supposed to have a good day"

@OffGridInvestor

Жыл бұрын

That's the feeling I get towards our repeat customers who are mongrels. It's kinda funny because we keep losing the stuff one guy orders. Last week the truck driver accidentally delivered his stuff to someone else and had to go back to get it. He went off and I was smiling. He's a reseller (usually the only problem customers) and bought the end user with him and she was 120% karen. I get the feeling karma has come back for him. Almost started a fight we me and another guy there. The other guy has been in plenty of fights and lucky he didn't get punched.

@anjhindul

Жыл бұрын

@@OffGridInvestor might I suggest fewer pronoun games? I'm afraid I don't know who is who in your story :( I just know some one was lucky to not get punched.

I was CS for FedEx for a while. One winter there was snow & ice that shutdown the entire central part of the US. Nothing was moving. No planes or trucks. No cars on the roads. Get call, a woman demands her package. I tell her it’s on a plane in Iowa somewhere. She demanded we send a truck to get HER package off the plane and get it to her. I told her several times that a truck couldn’t get to the plane. And it was dangerous to try. Didn’t care. Didn’t care about endangering anyone because she WANTED HER PACKAGE!! NOW!!

@spritemon98

2 жыл бұрын

I'd just hung up the second or third time she didn't listen

@grmpEqweer

2 жыл бұрын

It was probably a personal massager, she needed that bad boy RIGHT AWAY.

@tomg1066

2 жыл бұрын

That was 2014..... I drove from Chicago to Salon, Ohio in that! It was surely BRUTAL...

@cleverusernamenexttime2779

2 жыл бұрын

I got more snow that year than I have total since.

@Eye_Of_Odin978

2 жыл бұрын

@@grmpEqweer bruh Im dead "Personal massager" Lmao Maybe she'd have a man who could fill that role if she wasn't so unpleasant

Amen, the USA needs more business owners like you!

@niyablake

2 жыл бұрын

People who don't think the customer is always right

@The1Ramsey3

2 жыл бұрын

@@niyablake the customer is not always right.

You are a great owner/boss who really cares for his employees. God bless you sir.

If I ever go into the Poo Pumping business, you're the guy I want to work for. If my business ever takes off enough to have employees, I'll always try and treat them as well as you do yours.

@westondavis1682

2 жыл бұрын

I hope you do, but let this guy tell you hoe many employeed he went through over the years to get a crew he could respect. When you find good employees you give them the world, till then you get tired of being an asshole to people that only want a paycheck for doing nothing.

@dee_dee_place

Жыл бұрын

@@westondavis1682 And these days, the work mottos are: Fake It, Til You Make It AND Quiet Quitting I get that most employers don't treat their employees the way Mr. Butler does but, that isn't the way to get better treatment at your job. It makes you look like a lazy jacka** who probably doesn't even deserve the compensation your employer is presently paying you.

Working with the other companies of your community: This reminds me of a story that happened in south of France. It was in a remote industrial area and a company had really bad financial problems. They were about to close the business. Since there quite large this means that it would impact the whole eco-system of the area. The CEO of another large company of the industrial area view this as a threat for he whole area economy, so what he did was give his financial director part time for 6month free of charge to help the other business get over the bad days. This to say you don't always get bigger by crushing the others.

@seanhartnett79

2 жыл бұрын

Interesting

Well said and very true i cleaned carpets professionally for 20 years in my town i knew all the carpet companies here, we all worked with one another gave advise, helped with jobs ect

I’ve always seen my “competitors” as fellow tradesman. More than enough work to go around and help each other with.

@Eye_Of_Odin978

2 жыл бұрын

Absolutely. I run a gunsmithing shop, but I know two other gunsmiths in my area. We don't even bother calling each other "competition" because me and one of them just do it as side work, and that third guy is retired and just does it for fun and extra money. We all know each other, and I actually got into the business because of that retiree who taught me a few basics before I got into Senoran Desert Institute. But even if we did do gunsmithing as a main job, there's still enough work to go around. It's not a big deal, really. If one of us gets a job were not equipped to deal with we'll send it to one of the other guys. That makes both our businesses look good in the eyes of the customer, and guarantees that they feel like they're being valued instead of jerked around.

I love the forward thinking, using assets from outside of your wheelhouse is impressive!

@KipdoesStuff

Жыл бұрын

forward thinking, assets outside his wheel house? what are you talking about? He called her bluff, thats it.

@ScorpionRegent

Жыл бұрын

Rainey - I'm with Kip. James was fully in his wheelhouse as a business owner. Seriously he didn't even need his phone. He could have said, "That's what I need for the job to get done. If those other guys can do it different, then by all means call them. I have other work to do. Have a nice day." By pulling out his phone he showed her that she wasn't going to get anyone to do what she wanted. That shows he respects his competition enough to not make her their problem.

Well said and I am glad some employers are willing to say no or even challenge a customer, especially when the safety of their staff is in question.

Glad to see your interactions with your competition. Same here with us, we pass parts back and forth as needed, different brands sold etc. Had a customer once try that on us and we said fine call that company then. Before we were on the street our supervisor was on the phone with their guy to give him a heads-up. No idea who made the repair but it wasn't either of us or the third main contractor in town.

You honestly seem like a great person to work for. As a small engine mechanic I had a boss that would loss his ass over any customer to seem like a hero. Then chew me out that we didn't make money. Left in peak season due to it

I'm learning more from watching you than what academic studies could ever teach me.

I love that you put your workers health and safety first and just general well-being. i just really appreciate you as a person, sadly not all bosses are like you

It helps when they’re nasty. It would’ve been much tougher telling a nice friendly little old granny with a backed up toilet that she’ll have to start using the gas station.

@scottmcneely1927

Жыл бұрын

But people like him still do that anyway.

I used to work in a small community in a tiny computer shop back in the 90's...there were two other competing shops but we all were on good terms and would deal with sort of thing from time to time. Miss those times.

Always be on speaking terms with your competition. Sending work to each other is a good way to maintain a good relationship, and will often pay dividends.

I'm glad you didn't fall for it. So many people do because they want something done. I, myself, call around and get quotes BEFORE I make my decision. I'm not going to waste the time of a businessman, nor waste MY time to either have to have it redone later or continually fix the problem. If a problem can't be fixed, either WORK AROUND the problem, or move. Any homeowner should know that or look into things BEFORE they sign on the dotted line to buy a home. Thank you for this information.

As Darrell Waltrip said sometime you have to have co-ompetition.

Thanks for taking a stand. Everyone benefits when a Karen gets humbled.

Half of my property are tank and leach field. And you know what I'm building on top of it? Not a damn thing.

Love this guy! Bosses who stick up for their workers are the best!

THANK YOU!!!! Great quote. There are a thousand jobs out there. I don't need to do the ones that are unsafe! ------- James Butler.

I’m so glad that you are so focused on the best interests of your employees and safety. I am pretty sure that your employee retention is very high.

“Top of the mountain kind of place” 😂. Love it.

You are a top notch boss, calling out customers when there wrong and treating your team with understanding and consideration ( that's rare in most lines of work) and still running a business as a leader not a boss is above and beyond genuinely so under appreciated. Good on you and hope the best in your business future you have earned all the praise you get its well deserved.

It's important to keep an open and healthy relationship with other competitors in the industry. It not only helps keeping customers honest, it helps keep grifters amd snake oil peddlers away from the industry.

@Rishnai

2 жыл бұрын

Well said and agreed!

I'm always happy to hear about employers who take care of their employees like this. Thank you.

Dad owned a towing business. We did, indeed, work a lot with our competitors. Some of whom we were friendly with, some of whom not so much. But yeah, they all knew each other. It was a small town, and bridges could get burned very fast. The thing about Dad is that if he decided he wasn't going to do something.....he didn't care what happened last time, or with whom. Man had made his decision.

I don't look at massage therapist as competitors. We all bring something to the table. Each of us have different skill sets, different tool boxes, and different life experiences. All of this contributes to our practice. And if I am unable to provide a service for my client, or a specialty, I have no problem referring them to another practitioner so they can have better care. That being said. One instance I had a client asked me for a full body massage in 30 minutes oh, he was a big guy. I said no not possible. So he got an upper body massage. He then booked with a another massage therapist and asked for the same thing, and got the same answer. I tried to say that it could be done. The thing is, we work together. In most clinics that I have worked in we keep soap notes. This is your cya notebook with your client. Any communication, plans, techniques used, and observations that you have are generally put in these notes. I had another client who had come in intoxicated. The front desk noticed his condition, but declined to question him on it. He had done this before with another therapist, however she did not notate her SOAPs that he cannot come in while he's intoxicated. So I got that dubious honor. And then I updated the Soaps stating that he has been informed that he cannot come in when he's drunk. It's very important in our professions to have open communication with our competitors as well as our co-workers. That way when circumstances such as these come up, there is open communication and we know what is going on, or we can find out what is going on.

I've seen a few of your videos now and I have to subscribe purely out of respect. I have to support such commendable behavior. Thank you for making the world just a little bit better! Keep being awesome!

This right here is what aggravated me when you cleaned the work trucks that is the employee's responsibility. You are proving how good a boss you are by having their back and even saying forget the job over their safety and so on. Great job 👊

Thanks for making these videos and sharing them. Your wisdom, compassion, and common sense are a breath of fresh air.

It’s great how well you get along with your competitors, and been meaning to tell you I like those sunglasses. Lol

Not often you'll see an employer who will stand up for their people the way you do. Happy and healthy new year to you and your family.

It’s awesome that you keep in touch with your competitors. Strength in unity.

There's plenty of jobs/money to go around. As a farrier (horseshoer) we did the same thing. We weren't "competitors, or enemies"...we were simply guys doing the same job, who would drink beer about once a month and keep up with 1) bad customers (just like this) 2)changes/new techniques that we read/learned/tried. So keep it up brother. You are the same as me, just in a different field. And most impressive is a boss that cares more about workers "long term careers" more than making a buck. 💪

So I picked up your feed and loved the way you discussed business. Showed your discussions about work and with customers to my brother. With your handling of some scenarios we have dealt with customers and each other better…thanks!!!

"There's a thousand jobs out there. I don't need to do the one that aren't safe." Oh I love this sentence :D

I respect the fact that didn’t make your workers do that bs. Props to you man.

Im a business owner and I have learned a lot from watching your videos. I'm getting my staff a gym membership for example! Thank you for your amusing outlook on your job. It's hilarious 😂

Thank you! I found the same to be true. It’s refreshing to find people like yourself exist. There just aren’t enough of us.

I really like that you stick up for your employees. Thanks for sharing.

Love love love how you just deal with the problems and situations of having a business. You do great you do wonderful and I love watching your shorts. People are silly to think they can get away with such shenanigans lol silly silly people

"...I don't need to do the ones that aren't safe." So true! An accident with a mega-big insurance claim could make it your last job.

That is so true and so absolutely awesome! Thank you for having integrity and being awesome!

I can't stand these ritzy customers who haven't a CLUE on the actual job they aren't qualified to do, which is why they call someone BUT to LIE or demand that you do something you KNOW Isn't safe? Not worth the lawsuit basically. I'm a 3rd generation glazer so I feel for you on the "safety" aspect as well as these karens who use their husband's money to get what they want. Love you TikTok content btw!

James, I do gotta say I really like your channel. I just found you randomly on Shorts and I checked out your channel. You and I seem to have a lot in common. I'm a businessman myself, I honestly think that your channel is one of the few on KZread actually worth watching and learning from.

Great point... Good for you for knowing the BEST way of running a business,. Know your competition, it's not a bad thing...

Every business owner needs to be like this. My husband is one of these people. He treats his staff and patients well. Even so, there are still ungrateful people.

Employee and personal safety is paramount, you sir are an excellent employer❣️❤️

Props to you for not dealing with her bs

Thanks for speaking and being on behalf of the workers. You’re a class act sir.

From one Butler (maiden name) to another, love the directness and honesty.

People are crazy. Love the channel and how you run your business. Class act.

This video.You putting your people first and the work second. you just got my subscription. Stay cool out their man.

U know that's really cool that ur company can be on such friendly terms with other companys doing the same work & how u can work together to help each other out & tip them off about bad customers.

Great story. Thank you.

Sometimes, the more money people have, the more they think of you as a peon, insignificant enough to do anything for a price. I've also come across self made millionaires, who understood the meaning of hard labor and treated you as if you were family. They put out food and beverages for you, and if they could, they wouldn't mind putting on work clothes and working alongside you. They may be few and far between, but they are out there.

@cleverusernamenexttime2779

2 жыл бұрын

Chances are she's never earned a dollar in her life. Spent plenty that someone else earned though.

My wife is in regular contact with all they competing campgrounds in our area we all help each other. If we have a bad renter or no pay customer we immediately message all the others to let them know so they don’t get ripped off or have to deal with an unreasonable customer.

You have to look out for #1. Good on you for doing that AND looking out for your team.

Your content is awesome for more than just septic tank companies. Bosses everywhere should be clocking this channel

Good on you. I agree 100% that your safety is more important than a paycheck. Your meaning any employee, or owner of a company.

i worked for a corporate owned company and if i had a dime for every time i heard "well they do that at the store in(insert town)" i wouldn't need to work ever again. my response was always "well they're not supposed to"

My dad had the same rule as you do how to treat competitors, employees and the waitresses that served him every week. When he passed these wonderful people outnumbered the number of family present. The waitresses that still had a uniform came in uniform. My dad #1. Taught us great lessons #2. Taught us how much respect for others really means. You are awesome and remind me of Another Good Man❤

Lovelovelove this broadcast. You rock! Salutations from Vermont!

You seem like a very respectful and reputable boss and company, thank you it's so rare these days but very enjoyable that ppl like you still exist.

Excellent job! There’s so many people that try this garbage, including careless bosses. Know your job, know the limits of your job, know when clients, customers and/or supervisors are trying to pull one over on you. They fold like this Karen more often than not.

This man being in business is just freaking fantastic for everybody. I'm so happy that he looks out for his people. Yes, it is important to get the job done, but at a certain point, it isn't worth it. The customer is absolutely NOT always right. Thank you!

And sometimes your competitor is a better option. I ran a hobby store. My customer wanted a particular puzzle, we carry it, but wouldn’t have it until the weekend.. after their daughters birthday. I called my competitor, they had it! I asked them to put it aside and set up the customer. The customer told me “I’m going to buy that puzzle there, but I will come back to your shop. You care about your customer.”🎉😊

The best in us is brought out when we work together, support each other, and when we stand in solidarity against greed. Keep on, brother.

She needs a carpenter to frame in an access panel in the deck - call us when it’s done

Again, You are not just Their Employer You’re Their LEADER. I wish more Employers were like you. Hats 🧢 off to you Brother.

Outstanding!! I wish more business owners/managers would stand up to bad customers and look out for their employees. People act like asses because people let them.

Thanks for putting up videos with such great business advice for young entrepreneurs

I wish every boss/employer was like you. You expect work to be done, but sounds like you treat your crew like a family. The world would be a better place with more people like you.

Make no mistake, every local business has a blacklist. It's common for the local businesses to share their list.

@xaenon

2 жыл бұрын

I know we did when I delivered pizza back in the day. We gave each other a heads-up for potentially dangerous addresses, too.

"The other store never checks my ID". "Then go to the other store".

As a Veteran on a fixed income it is so nice to see a company that has integrity. I just received a “free” roof inspection that told me my roof needs replacing and it is”the worst roof in 12 years they have ever seen”. I saw pictures and know I need work done but as a disabled veteran I can’t afford a new roof and don’t know who to trust. I haven’t been able to sleep since seeing the pictures of what’s going on with my roof but don’t know who to trust to give me an honest answer.

100% correct. In my industry we know everybody. When you get a shithead customer, it will be known and the "shithead" will ALWAYS pay the "trouble to deal with fee" no matter who they call. It's either that or pay travel time to a company from out of the area, and even if you do that, they will be wary as to WHY you are calling a company from outside the area. Just good sound business practice. AND, good on you for not making your guys do a job that you also would not be willing to do. YOU are a true boss and leader!!

James - Thanks for the great video. My boss taught me a valuable lesson. In business you do two things, make customers happy and turn a profit, they aren't mutually exclusive. It is really hard to say no to a customer, because word of mouth advertising is priceless. When you run into a customer that you can never make happy and will never make you any money, it is time to say no. You have to have standards, otherwise no one will respect you and your business will fail. It should go without saying that safety is one of those standards. Keep up the good work.

Thank you for your business, acumen and knowledge

glad you did that, I hate this people that think are above others and brag about how rich they are and later don't want to pay.

I'm gonna go out on a limb and say they didn't get a permit to build that deck.

Absolutely Agree With You 100% It's Only Smart Horse Sence To Have Your Business Have A Working Business With Your Compensators.

She assumed all you guys were competing at one another's throats and planned on taking advantage. Good on you guys for not falling for her crap

I’ve worked with my local contractors for years. We aren’t just competitors we’re all friends. Everyone helps each other and we live with stuff like this daily. Good for you standing up for your guys.

When I get customers like this, or the ones that say they saw how to do it online, or they have a friend that can do it, they get the same response. "Oh yeah? You should go ahead and call them then because we aren't doing it".