Unreal

If you want another reason to be grossed out at the idea of staying at a hotel, even a “high end” one, take a look at this video.

So for the better part the past two days I have been at a branch trying to get it set up.  There are two parts to the install, the computer that attaches directly to our network and 5 computers that connect to the state motor vehicle network.  The state has it’s own installers that set these up.  Actually the state contracts HP to do the work and in turn HP contracts out other people to actually do it.  Well I was told by an HP project manager that the installer was supposed to be on site yesterday first thing in the morning.  Well the guy didn’t actually show up until about 2 in the afternoon.  Luckily I had my stuff to keep me busy during that time but by the time they showed up I was pretty much done with what I had to do, however I had to stay and babysit.  The story I got was they were delayed doing a job on the east coast, that was why they were late.  When I first heard the excuse I immediately came out with “That’s fine, but there is no way I am staying late on site because you were late getting here.”  After more excuses it was determined that he would try to get it all done during normal business hours and if they didn’t finish they would finish Wednesday morning. Ok fine.

So I spend Tuesday afternoon supervising what they were doing, answering questions that came up, trying to be “nice” even though I was still annoyed at them showing up 6 hours later than what I was told.  When I left on Tuesday I was told by the guy that he was going to be picking up a few patch cables he needed to connect stuff up that evening and he would be back on site this morning bright and early, like 7:30 or 8:00 am. Ok, sounds good.

So I get myself on site at 7:30 and go inside and wait.  There was nothing for me to do as our stuff was all up and working and the state systems could not be finished up until the cables arrived.  So I wait, I wait.  I read magazines, I read yesterday’s paper, I talk to the other employees there.  As of 9:05, no one is there yet.  Then I start making phone calls, a bunch of them.  I do not have the phone number for the actual installer but I do have his boss’s number.  I called and called and called.  It took awhile until I got a hold of the boss.  When I finally did he was apologetic for the guy’s tardiness but he didn’t know where he was.  He said he would get a hold of him and have him call me.  Well every 20 minutes or so the same cycle repeated, I got angry, I call the boss, the boss apologizes again, tells me he will have the installer call me.  This happened 4 or 5 times, each conversation I had with the PM got angrier and angrier on my part.  By the time guy was three hours late I had enough.  I called the PM again, livid that this son of a bitch didn’t have the common courtesy to at least call me and tell me he was delayed for god knows what reason.  The boss tells me he just talked to the guy, he said he was a mile away from the location and should be there shortly.  I said fine, if he shows up in the next 15 minutes we can move forward. If not, I want him pulled off the job and someone else sent.  Well 20 minutes passed. The guy still didn’t show up.  I got in my truck, called the PM and told him to tell the guy to get lost, I didn’t want him to finish the install and I didn’t want him to EVER be involved with another Collier County installation.  The PM understood my frustration and was happy to schedule another guy to come out early next week.  I told the manager at the location if the installer shows up, tell him to call his boss, he was done.  I left the site at 11 am after waiting there for THREE and a HALF HOURS. 

So after I get back from the gym I get a call from the location manager.  The installer finally showed up and started to do stuff without talking to anyone.  She told him he needs to call his boss.  Evidently he did call the boss and the boss fired him on the spot.  The manager said the installer was on his cell phone screaming at the guy offering up excuse after excuse about why he was unable to pick up a f’in phone and call.  I told the manager if he doesn’t calm down, have a deputy throw him out of there.   Things eventually calmed down and the guy left.  He still was fired.

When I relayed the story to my buddy at work he asked me if I felt bad that I got the guy fired.  I didn’t, not in the least.  To me there is just no excuse for what he did.  It takes 10 seconds to call someone to update them on your situation.  If he is unable to do something so simple, he needs to find himself a new line of work. Good riddance.

Update: This is the story I got from the branch manager as to why this guy was late.

The guy said that he went and bought the cables to finish up the install and they cost $105.  He said as a result he had no money for a hotel.  (Um great invention called credit cards) He also mentioned that his job as an HP sub-contractor (that he just got fired from) was paying $110,000 a year so I am not sure how he couldn’t afford a hotel room. So since he had no hotel money he slept in his vehicle all night.  He said something about he was harassed by the cops around 7:30, I assume for sleeping in the car.  He also said that there was no time set for him to come back in this morning which is a flat out lie.  He told both myself and the branch manager he would be in sometime between the 7:30 and 8:30 range.  There was no explanation given for the time elapsed between him being harassed by the cops at 7:30 am and the time he finally rolled into Orange Blossom which was sometime between noon and 1pm.  No explanation as to why he was somehow unable to make a phone call to give me any clue to his whereabouts during that entire three and a half hour time period.

What a circus. Good riddance.