Ever had a job go completely sideways?

Ugh, I've got this job I'm working on which had been giving me knots from the get go. I didn't want it. They asked me to quote on it but I was too busy. Then a week later they just called and said do it, schedule this date and get the cable in. Ok...

Here is a list of headaches. Some are mine, some are theirs, some are just random freak bs things. I had to write it out this morning to help with my therapy haha except I'm not really laughing. Helps to look at it visually to understand how it all unravels so I don't ever ever run into this crap again. Rule #1. Don't effin rush!!

1. Equipment will arrive 2-4 weeks late, broke, delay in invoicing causes rush to finish overlooking WO equipment ordered
2. overlooked cable installation for access points (didn't ask, didn't tell)
3. Need to pick up raceway, wood frame building
4. return on the 25th to complete for no reason
5. Trouble passing 1 cable network extension, need to use new spare cable which could have been used for the 2nd AP
6. return to replace provided patch panel, take out one I bought for no reason
7. neglect to clean up mess, customer complains
8. Equipment finally arrives, cabinet too big for one person, need to pay out of pocket for second person (fri 13)
9. lift doesn't work, postpone access point and cable installation in warehouse (Fri 13)
10. need to drive all the way to main branch to pick up key (toll bridge charges) after I already get home.
11. Return additional time to install cabinet with hired help, install 2nd floor cable and AP (Saturday)
13. Had two jacks fail miswire after I inspected all jacks before loading panel. wtf???
14. Had to repair another short in another jack 2nd floor
15. Return again to install warehouse cable and AP with new lift (Monday) Hook up equipment
16. WAN connection doesn't work
17. Customer keeps me on the phone for 30 minutes troubleshooting why my MAC address is on the network
18. Bring 2 Beldens for 2 ap. One breaks in my hand while terminating. First time ever. Find another jack & terminate it
19. Originally bought 12 jacks, there were 11 drops before AP install. 11th jack open pairs, used 12th jack
20. Can't find Telus line they tagged
21. Return on own time to double check Telus dmarc, find pairs (toll charges 2x)
22. AP termination bad again, check jack and it's open, no spare Beldens, need to return one more time for just one jack
23. Customer complains because two phones were connected upstairs instead of downstairs.
24. Tip rounded off and had to run to Canadian tire for another one
25. No fax line ordered customer requested. Will need to return again to cross-connect
26. Customer moves furniture to other side of the room after cable install. Need to make 2 additional patch cables to reach
27. Aprox distance traveled 600+ km.
28. Working for free at this point
29. Moral at an all time low

eta: cable drop count turned out to be 13, not 10 as per the work order
So...how was your day?

Dude...
I ate Cake....

a reply to: DogMeat

lol

a reply to: FlySolo

I say burn the place down and start over.

That was hell of a messed up install just for cable phone internet and fax.

What was it in, a building built in the 1920s?

a reply to: johnwick

You don't know how much of a pain it was/ still is. Should have been an easy install. Until I tried to fish the cable and noticed the horizontal firestop.

Quit your job & become a vagrant in some tropical climate.

Going sideways will be a good thing after that!

I had one job we had to build a milestones restaurant. Right from the start it went sideways. Because it was above a grocery store we had to do coring at night. We damaged some merchandise. Then when the plumbing was in there was a leak and it flooded the store. Plans were changed on the fly by the owners. Barn board that was freshly put up had to be taken down and numbered to be put back up later because put too thick a plywood on the wall that broke fire code. I think someone pissed off an inspector because all three washrooms were redone to finish three times. It was the worst job I worked on. I had to move a whole ceiling of lights because the electrician didn't put them in the right spots above the seats. Then the supervisor buggered off so basically I was left with the mess to sort out. We were trying to get the restaurant open before the Olympics in Vancouver started. Parking was a nightmare too and I got numerous tickets it was brutal and another supervisor got fired.

originally posted by: FlySolo
a reply to: johnwick

You don't know how much of a pain it was/ still is. Should have been an easy install. Until I tried to fish the cable and noticed the horizontal firestop.

I love wall fishing....my dad did electrical work and subcontracted cable.

One day he said "hey boy, you wanna go fishing?".

Ya I ended up covered in fiberglass insulation crawling around the attic so we could drop the cable down through the top plate, but drilled the hole about 4 inches to far to the right, missed the stud spacing we were trying to hit, and didn't figure it out until the old man came up there and remeasured and drill the hole in the right spot.

Then I got that "you know how the read a tape measure damnit" looks.

Lol...the life and times of a 8 year old american boy on summer break.

Good times.

a reply to: Eunuchorn

I thought about that. Just get a sea worthy kayak and paddle on out to one of the many islands off the BC coast.

originally posted by: celticdog
I had one job we had to build a milestones restaurant. Right from the start it went sideways. Because it was above a grocery store we had to do coring at night. We damaged some merchandise. Then when the plumbing was in there was a leak and it flooded the store. Plans were changed on the fly by the owners. Barn board that was freshly put up had to be taken down and numbered to be put back up later because put too thick a plywood on the wall that broke fire code. I think someone pissed off an inspector because all three washrooms were redone to finish three times. It was the worst job I worked on. I had to move a whole ceiling of lights because the electrician didn't put them in the right spots above the seats. Then the supervisor buggered off so basically I was left with the mess to sort out. We were trying to get the restaurant open before the Olympics in Vancouver started. Parking was a nightmare too and I got numerous tickets it was brutal and another supervisor got fired.

hahaha maaaan I feel your pain. The the traffic tickets part too to boot.

a reply to: FlySolo

Whenever something is just taking up way too much time and energy, I just think "They do NOT pay me enough to be doing this".

Let me guess: you are also trying to juggle other work responsibilities and hassles while this is going on?

Sounds like an electrician or even just an extra set of hands from an electricity-savvy person would have made this undertaking much more manageable. But I know how it works in the corporate world... you're always stretched too thin and they expect you to get it done early (and underbudget).

I commend you for taking personal time (and expense) at making sure things were how they were supposed to be. At least it shows you really care about your job and are dedicated. I work for a non-profit and I can relate in some ways - some jobs require a lot of sacrifice.

Just don't lose your sanity over it

Oh wow! That sounds a nightmare. I remember seeing jobs advertised back in the mid/early 1990's for "cable pullers", offering £300/£400 hour in London. It looked like easy money but in reality it involved crawling through all sorts of odd places in old Victorian buildings and literally hauling tens of meters of thick yellow coaxial cable behind you; basements, eaves, risers, above ceiling tiles, and in office snake pits (under two inch thick carpet tiles). If you were lucky, there were conduits where cables would be tied to a weight and blown along using compressed air. A whole six story building would have interior walls needing to have stone walls drilled through - the dust was likely to set off fire alarms.

a reply to: FlySolo

What a mess, I know them contracts can be annoying.
Oh, my day... had a 100mbps line dropped into the house and mounted 4 repeaters while my wife carried on at me. Oh, and I put a bridge doctor in my 12 string. Now I am just waiting for the Fishman ;-)

Cheers - Dave

Yeah update. Back again because the two analog lines they told me to put in port 9&10 isn't showing up. Turns out it was the "other" ports 9& 10 it's supposed to go into. Could have noticed this yesterday when I was already here. Now they lost remote access and I'm sitting in my car waiting for a phone call for the past 40 minutes. Clock has strarted ...tick tock

Just wanted to say it sounds rough.

I've never had anything go wrong... ever.

God loves me, you see ...

(Of course, I am being dry and sarcastic)