Ben H Posted April 27, 2011 Report Share Posted April 27, 2011 To get my first threating phone call of the year. Did a flip a few days ago, that was simply a polished turd. Older house, with trusses, someone decided years ago they wanted a set of attic steps. Of course they hacked up a truss to get in it, knocked out the webbing, cut the bottom chord, etc... Called it what it was, a hack job that needed to be an engineered fix, buyers didn't want the house after the inspection (not just the screwed up truss) and I get a call from the "Flipper" saying I scared these poor kids to death, I cost him the sale of a house, and "he knows all kinds of people in the Real Estate Business and he'd make sure I NEVER get another referral in this town again." The really bad part of the situation is the buyer was a wounded solider from the war, he was told by the flipper the house had all new plumbing, electrical, insulation ,etc... The only thing new was the plugs, switches, plate covers, and a few p-traps. So sad you would lie to the face of a man who just got back from a war, that allows you to peddle your shit houses to naive people. Good to know I'm finished I suppose, I guess I'll go dig ditches...[:-cry] Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
kurt Posted April 27, 2011 Report Share Posted April 27, 2011 Nope, business will get better. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Terence McCann Posted April 27, 2011 Report Share Posted April 27, 2011 Tell him to take a number as the line in front of him is long and distinguished. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
gtblum Posted April 27, 2011 Report Share Posted April 27, 2011 Tell him he's mad at the wrong guy. He should be pissed at the one who wrecked his house. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
mgbinspect Posted April 27, 2011 Report Share Posted April 27, 2011 Nope, business will get better. Yup, life and time just keep marching on... You'll do fine. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Robert Jones Posted April 27, 2011 Report Share Posted April 27, 2011 You will get more referrals from your client than anything the "flipper" would have provided you. Nice job! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
mgbinspect Posted April 27, 2011 Report Share Posted April 27, 2011 How'd flipper get into real estate anyway? ..a fish out of water. I mean, it's not like he needs the money after all of those movies... Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Robert Jones Posted April 27, 2011 Report Share Posted April 27, 2011 Times are tough right now! He(or is it a she?), can get a loan on name alone. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Bain Posted April 27, 2011 Report Share Posted April 27, 2011 Like I told you earlier, people simply like to bitch, get it off their chests, and walk around thinking you give a rat's ass. Always be polite and let them say what they want to, and after it happens a couple more times, you'll find that you'll have forgotten about the conversation five minutes after it occurred. In your OP, you committed an error that for absolutely no reason is a pet peeve of mine. So I'm gonna bitch a little now, too, with nothing but kindness. The seller didn't replace the plugs. He replaced the outlets. The plug is the thing you stick IN the outlet. Electricians make this same error when they label panels, but that doesn't make it right. Your pal, Me Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Marc Posted April 27, 2011 Report Share Posted April 27, 2011 Receptacles, not outlets. Outlet consist of the box and incoming cable. Marc Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Ben H Posted April 27, 2011 Author Report Share Posted April 27, 2011 Like I told you earlier, people simply like to bitch, get it off their chests, and walk around thinking you give a rat's ass. Always be polite and let them say what they want to, and after it happens a couple more times, you'll find that you'll have forgotten about the conversation five minutes after it occurred. In your OP, you committed an error that for absolutely no reason is a pet peeve of mine. So I'm gonna bitch a little now, too, with nothing but kindness. The seller didn't replace the plugs. He replaced the outlets. The plug is the thing you stick IN the outlet. Electricians make this same error when they label panels, but that doesn't make it right. Your pal, Me The first paragraph was insightful, and educational. The second was more of a blah, blah, blah. [:-dev3] Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Terence McCann Posted April 27, 2011 Report Share Posted April 27, 2011 Receptacles, not outlets. Outlet consist of the box and incoming cable. Marc I think either could be used Marc as it may be more of a regional thing. If I said electrical outlet to any electrician up here the meaning would not be lost or misconstrued. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Bain Posted April 27, 2011 Report Share Posted April 27, 2011 Receptacles, not outlets. Outlet consist of the box and incoming cable. Marc Please see definition #4 from Merriam-Webster: Definition of OUTLET 1a : a place or opening through which something is let out : exit, vent b : a means of release or satisfaction for an emotion or impulse c : a medium of expression or publication d : a publication or broadcast organization 2: a stream flowing out of a lake or pond 3a : a market for a commodity b : an agency (as a store) through which a product is marketed 4: a receptacle for the plug of an electrical device Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
SNations Posted April 28, 2011 Report Share Posted April 28, 2011 Please see definition #4 from Merriam-Webster: Definition of OUTLET I think a better reference would be the IRC: Outlet: a point on the wiring system at which current is taken to supply utilization equipment. Utilization equipment: equipment that utilizes electric energy for electronic, electromechanical, chemical, heating, lighting or similar purpose. So a light is an outlet, for example. Receptacle: a contact device installed at the outlet for the connection of an attachment plug. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Erby Posted April 28, 2011 Report Share Posted April 28, 2011 Y'all are stressing me out. I need an 1b! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
kurt Posted April 28, 2011 Report Share Posted April 28, 2011 Gawd, I'm not like you guys, AM I? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
mgbinspect Posted April 28, 2011 Report Share Posted April 28, 2011 Please see definition #4 from Merriam-Webster: Definition of OUTLET I think a better reference would be the IRC: Outlet: a point on the wiring system at which current is taken to supply utilization equipment. Utilization equipment: equipment that utilizes electric energy for electronic, electromechanical, chemical, heating, lighting or similar purpose. So a light is an outlet, for example. Receptacle: a contact device installed at the outlet for the connection of an attachment plug. That's exactly where I ended up about a month ago, while rewriting my report - a work still in progress. I purged my report of the word outlet, which I found to lend itself to too many possibilites, and replaced it with receptacle. I suppose it's splitting hairs, and both work in most folk's minds, but it seems that receptacle is more accurate. Survey says... Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Marc Posted April 28, 2011 Report Share Posted April 28, 2011 I changed all my boilerplate from 'outlet' to 'receptacle' about a month ago after Chad posted something about it. Makes sense. Marc Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
mgbinspect Posted April 28, 2011 Report Share Posted April 28, 2011 Maybe it was Chad that got me thinking that way too, when he scrutinized one of my reports. I honestly don't recall, but it's been a month or two ago. At any rate, it's a done deal now. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Ben H Posted April 28, 2011 Author Report Share Posted April 28, 2011 I'm with Kurt, are we really debating IF "outlet" is acceptable description? I'm sure it could be a regional thing, but I'm fairly certain that 99.9% of the people will know exactly what a outlet refers to under the electrical section of a report. Kinda hard to misconstrued it when it's accompanied by a picture of the 120v receptacle with a big fat red arrow pointed directly at it. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
kurt Posted April 28, 2011 Report Share Posted April 28, 2011 FTR, I use receptacle in written reports, but I often say outlet because when I've said receptacle to clients, they get confused. I still think I'm not like you guys, AM I? just kiddin'............we're all hopeless nerds. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Jim Morrison Posted April 28, 2011 Report Share Posted April 28, 2011 I almost exclusively use 'receptacle' in reports but I might also use 'outlet' from time to time. Don't bother writing reports for your fellow home inspectors. They'll never pay your fee. Write your reports for your clients. As long as they understand exactly what you mean, you'll be just fine. This place is a wonderful receptacle -I mean outlet- for my thoughts. Hey, either word works well there. Jimmy Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Jim Katen Posted April 28, 2011 Report Share Posted April 28, 2011 Per NEC parlance: A receptacle is a type of outlet. There's nothing wrong with referring to a receptacle as an outlet, it's just a less precise term. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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