Forum Archive: Posts by: argentina

Chauvinism is bad for business.

The second largest group to purchase homes, after married couples,are single women. On my block alone at least a third of the homeowners are single women. BTW this is the group that by and large started CHNA which spearheaded the Landmarking of Crown Heights North…yes the core group (the Board) was mainly women.

While it may seem archaic to post on gender inequality the fact remains that in spite of our buying power many contractors/building supply vendors make inappropriate remarks and behave in offensive ways that frankly will continue to loose them business, at least mine.

Todays’s event prompted this post.

During a transaction at the electrical supply store on Rogers and Licoln Place in response to my question on price, the proprietor made a comment about women ,trying to be jokey I guess.

THen his assistant said: “Want me to beat her?”and chuckled.

I could hardly believe it.

“Excuse me…what did you say?”

“oh…maybe I should get my whip…ha ha”

“THis is not amusing…joking about violence against women is not funny….it’s offensive and you are out of line”

He got very tense, stopped laughing and the owner stepped in and apologized, then the staff member who said it apologized …

In the past weeks while this current renovation has been underway some of the comments made by folks interviewed:

“Don’t need to worry your pretty little head about that” (not hired)

“You look so delicate”(not hired)

“Oh you seem like you have a brain and know what your are talking about” (lol NOT HIRED this guy had the thickest Bensonhurst accent imaginable)

“linda…sweetheart”(not hired)

One friend shared that a contractor actually made a physical pass at her while she interviewed him for roof replacement…this woman owns a couple of apartment BUILDINGS plus her own brownstone…she was mortified and he was not hired.

This is not everyone but the lack of awareness is common enough amongst contractors’& vendors’ and prompted this post.

Just ended another contentious contractor episode. THis contractor was hired to replaster walls, paint and install crown moldings. He did a mediocre job on the first two and on the last day(I had to tell him it was the last day since he was milking the job) he ran around trying to find someone to install the crown molding he had been contracted to install.

I had noticed he had not brought tools no meiter or chop saw and that morning we argued about the fact he had not done any of this.

While he was gone, his helper approached me and told me that I should know that his boss was not capable of doing the crown molding. He was not equipped and he only did plastering and painting.He said I was a nice lady and didn’t want to see me get screwed. Unbeleivable.

I had signed him on precisely because he said he could do all of it. I withheld some of the final payment and he is threatenning me with court for this.. I am fed up and filed a Better Business Bureau report but what else can I do to charge him with fraudulent contract?