Issue link: https://read.dmtmag.com/i/465691
WORLD FENCE NEWS • MARCH 2015 • 83 having trouble getting rockets up there to bring it back! The P.C. once again informs me that the "big city" fencers stocked it, and why was I having so much trou- ble? But hell, I been on the phone to the "big city" boys, and they must be hoarding it for themselves. Well, the P.C. fi nally gives up on us and buys a green vinyl job from an out-of-town competitor, along with 20 gallons of white vinyl paint. He's go- ing to paint the green vinyl white?! I suppose it could be done, but I don't feel too bad over losing this job. Apparently the competition couldn't get white vinyl either. I store the "paint the green fence whatever color you want" idea away for future refer- ence. I'm still waiting to see if it can be done! Personally, I wouldn't touch the paint job with a 20-foot piece of top rail. If it messed up, my insurance company would never forgive me! Well, the communication mess-up continued. My next P.C. was a con- tractor who was remodeling conve- nience stores all over the state, a real "Weisenhimer." He tells me how great he is, and that he usually does his own fence, but every now and then subs it out to the "locals." He tells me what he wants, what material I will need, what grade of chain link and what kind of wood. He wants 12 ga. "cheap" on the chain link, with slats to match the store colors: Red, orange, tan, purple. The wood is pressure-treated 6" x 6" x 6" – 3' in the ground, 2 x 6 boards, P.T., two lag bolts to each end, etc. I give him a little on the slats – I say that they are called fence fi llers around here. Slats are wood; fi llers are plastic or aluminum. I tell him it will be two days before I can get any 72" delivered, since we were out. He gets all riled up on this one, and makes references that us "hick town subs" don't want to work. In the big city, subs would fall all over them- selves to get a job offa him! Why, he even bet me the local hardware store would get some in by dawn if he asked 'em to! I inform him that he is welcome to have a go at it, since I personally knew that they had discontinued their line of 12 ga. 72" cheap stuff a month ago. (Which also explains why I was out. Their customers came to me and cleaned me out!) I also said the "slats" would have to be checked out. I could get 'em the next day after the order was placed, but the colors were up in the air. After all, they were a little odd. Once again, I get the "hick town subs" vs. the "big city subs" routine. Mr. "Big City Contractor" is look- ing for someone to kiss his "buhalla," and it ain't going to be me! As far as I'm concerned, he is always going to be a dollar short on what he is willing to pay us to do the job! I refer him to another fence com- pany that was doing some 72" around the county. I give him a ballpark fi gure on what the job could cost, allowing $200 or so more for different prices on fence fi llers. I also explain I got my own work backlogged into next week, and I couldn't fi t my schedule into his time parameters! He throws me one more "small town subs don't want to work" com- ment, so I pull out my string of licens- es covering fi ve counties and show them to him. I tell him they are as good as his, and the only reason I am not certifi ed statewide is because my wife is! Us "small town hicks" do get around, you see. He didn't have an answer for that, since my credentials outnumbered his. However, I did run down some fence fi llers for him, and almost had the colors he wanted. It was like a breath of fresh air when I called these people. I came upon some of the samples their sales- people had left with us. I was in the process of scrubbing a beautiful green moss off the passen- ger side truck door of our truck (yes, moss does grow on truck doors). Well, anyway, I call these won- derful people, and I get a gal named Tricia who defi nitely knows her fence fi llers. My samples are out of date, but she feeds my info into a computer of something, and tells me how many of each color I'll need, any alternates that are available, and how much they will cost. They took a $200 order like it was a million bucks! That's service! Eat your heart out, you guys who are hid- ing that white vinyl! Shame on you! Just kidding! But it shore would be nice to get some service like this when us "small town subs" need it, even if it is only once a year! Who are you callin' a country hick, Bubba? continued from page 46 THANK YOU. We would like to thank everyone that came out to FENCETECH 2015. It was a great show, we met a lot of interesting people, and we had a blast showing off our innovative new product. Visit our website fulltiltgatekit.com or contact us for more information and updates as we ramp up production of the Full Tilt Gate Kit, the gate kit you've been waiting for! Available soon for: W O O D • A L U M I N U M • S T E E L • P V C FULLTILTGATEKIT.COM 844-385-8458 · orders@smith-brothers.us Adjustable up to 25°, this patented gate bracket is going to revolutionize the fence industry. Well, the P.C. fi nally gives up on us and buys a green vinyl job from an out-of-town competitor, along with 20 gallons of white vinyl paint. He's going to paint the green vinyl white?! I suppose it could be done, but I don't feel too bad over losing this job. Apparently the competition couldn't get white vinyl either.