Category: The Handyman Biz

His Loss, My Gain

My last three days with Morgenstern Home Services was just like my first three days.  Disappointment.

The first day was cancelled before it began.

The second day I was called to go to a job to do these tasks: replace a piece of siding, replace a roof vent cap, replace a window and a sliding glass door.

The third day the rest of the job was cancelled by the homeowner.  I received a call just as I arrived, the homeowner also then told me that she didn’t like his demeanor or professionalism, so she had decided to cancel the rest.  The only thing remaining – the sliding glass door.

The homeowner then went on to ask if I had a business card so she could contact me should she want to hire me.  I drove home and printed out some new business cards, and went back.  I didn’t push my business offerings, I just made sure she had my contact information.

I was surprised to receive an email that night thanking me for the work I had done on her house, and asking what kind of fees would be associated with transferring some negatives.

I quoted her my price, and she sounds interested.

It may be a dead end, but she said she would reorganize her collections and get back with me.

I guess my customer service skills aren’t that bad after all.

Numbered

My days with Morgenstern Home Services are numbered.  Today, expecting some sort of work to do, I was given the run-around.  I was told that the boss would get back with me, and he never called.  This can’t and won’t last much longer, in these trying times my pocketbook can’t take it.

I e-mailed the CSR and asked if I could come in tomorrow and Wednesday to work.  They said it would be okay.  I will also be working full-time at Technology Services for the month of August.

If I could only get a “permanent” solution.  I’ve been trying since September of 2006 with no real luck.  My wife thinks it would be a good idea for me to be in the university environment, so I have been trying hard to achieve a position at IU.  Here are some numbers to give you an idea of the sheer number of jobs I’ve applied to at IU.

# of jobs applied to:  61
# of interviews:  2

Most of these positions are “starter” office positions, which need little or no specialized skills mind you.  There have been a couple which tickle my fancy as they have been video related.

Those numbers don’t take into account the endless number of positions outside of IU that I have applied to as well.

In other IU news, I have finally received a university identification card.  I doubt it will help, but perhaps it might show some sign of permanence?

Back at the Olde TS

Today I have begun working at the Kelley School of Business in the Technology Services department again.  Right now I am only working on Thursday’s and Friday’s.

Hopefully this will give my ankle enough of a break to actually heal.  I hope so, as the pain is constant and uncomfortable.

I’m unsure how long I will stay with Morgenstern Home Services, as the hours have became not steady.  The price of gas is also really cutting into things, as I’ve had to fill up my tank typically twice a week.

I have sent an email to the CSR, and am awaiting a response as to when they would like me back.

The one thing that bothers me about leaving Morgenstern is the flexibility and the pay, as it is much more than I have made in a long time.  But the savings in fuel would more than make up for that difference in pay.

It’s one of those tough decisions that everyone has to make sometime in their lives.

The Company Van

As you may or may not know, I am a handyman for a small company called Morgenstern Home Services.  While most of the time I am fixing some problem at somebody’s house, on occasion I am working on the only “company” vehicle.

It’s a 2001 Ford E150 that gets the job done.  The only job it doesn’t get done is getting what you need easily.  That is about to change.

A few weeks ago, the front brakes went out of it and needed replaced.  This van is used almost daily and it being out of commission for even a few hours puts a big hurt on this small company.  I took the initiative and told the boss that I’m an expert on brakes, and I would be happy to do it for him.  I saved him a ton of time, and I’m sure a few bucks.  He thanked me by paying me 4 hours of extra pay, which I greatly appreciated.

As you can see from the picture, the van is merely a cargo van, nothing special.  The one hindrance is that it’s highly disorganized.  My boss, Rick thinks highly of me and wants me to come up with a storage system for it.

My first thought was to find one online and just install it.  I then understood why he wants me to build one, storage systems for these vans run in the thousands.

They didn’t have any work for me to do today, so I’m working on this project, which he told me he would pay me for researching and designing.  I’m writing this blog to document that, in case any questions arise.

So taking some design queues from other storage systems, I have designed one for our van.  I have plans drawn out, and a materials list.

Hopefully he will like it, and want me to go forward with it.  I’m planning on handing it in to him tomorrow.