people offering scrap/wanting scrap removed - sense of entitlement

From an actual Craigslist AD: "You and your truck or trailer need to be on time for pickup and safe with the haul away. If your not able to do a clean load of this or I get the feeling you're sketchy there will be no metal for you."

Is it normal that reading this bothers me? Do I have the wrong attitude and i just need a vacation or is this a sense of entitlement? They are not offering to pay for someone to pick it up - so they are requesting for a free service.

I am the guy that shows up after the 2 no-shows, or if I am the first responder, I am there on time as promised. I even showed up after working on a Saturday (last Saturday) when the roads were covered with sheets of ice in my RWD truck. I understand there are some people that give recyclers a very bad name. Still... no.

I would never respond to this AD, not just because of the spelling or the fact that I am a part-timer and I can't pickup scrap until tonight and I am not going to collect tonight anyway. It's actually seems to be a good amount of metal but I still wouldn't do it.

Maybe it is reasonable and I am just in a bad mood LOL

No, you had it right the first time. They're the problem.

I would not take the ad personally, a good scrapper or even business person will meet these expectations as I am sure you would. At least you know the situation before you commit. Some of my best customers have had bad experiences in the past and they become the best advertising.

I mean....they don't sound super pleasant to deal with and also some scrappers behave atrociously. Firm boundaries on craigslist is somewhat necessary. They don't have to be schmucks about it but I get the boundaries

as long as theres a decent amount of scrap to be had for free, i would tolerate some degree of arrogance, stupidity or bad character etc

and maybe these ppl are nice, its just that they have been stood up & let down previously by scrappers with a bad work ethic so they're trying to prevent that happening again.

I think what the ad is saying is "No Meth heads Please."

Sounds that they must have had a bad experience with a scrapper before.

I know my body shop guy tells me tails of the guy he use to call. Fridges on the tail gate not strapped down, always wanted him to weld his frame, Would just show up and start going threw his dumpster....

My hvac guy tells me stuff too. He leaves the stuff in his side yard, and the other guy would take the good stuff and leave the rest. Said he would look out the window and stuff would still be there. He would pull the acr's and copper ,brass, wiring from condenser units and leave the rest.

I know I shouldn't let it bother me. I have replied to and picked up from some people that automatically assumed the worst and have had bad experiences including no shows, for example via text I was asked "Do you know where Brighton is?" It wasn't that far from me at the time and I had already given them an ETA of when I would arrive based on GPS and adding 10 minutes..and already being familiar with the city (under promise over deliver). I understand. They don't know me, and they have had some bad experiences, but that post just was over the top a bit and got under my skin a tad, it seemed a little unnecessary.

A lot of good advise in this thread.

For whatever it's worth : It's a good idea to develop a very short memory when you're providing service to the general public. You're bound to run into a few difficult people here and there. Those are the one's that really stand out in your mind.

It will make you bitter of you hang on to those memories and grudge over the personal hurts.There will come a point where you burn out.

You're better off to stay focused on the task at hand. Grow a thick skin, never take the things that others say or do personally, and get the job done. Business is business. Keep your eye on the prize.

~ It's all about the Benjamins. ~

To me it seems that they are fed up with the "Craigslist type culture" of responses they might be getting. I used to do a ton of business on CL but abandoned it when a better alternative came along . for a while it was much better but now the cranks are finding it. There are some real hosers on CL and it's hard to filter them out sometimes. Def a thick skin helps... sometimes you deal with it like hills says.... the benjamins make it worth it...
if you its worth it and you do it right you can laugh on your way to the bank...

I am sure there is scrapper somewhere that would claim to need one for the holidays (not me) and leave out the part that he or she needs the $$ for the metal or to sell the working stove. I certainly wouldn't take it and would respect at least his wishes anyway even if they are... messed up for lack of better words.

He at least separated "scrapper" and "crackheads".

https://denver.craigslist.org/zip/d/...753756558.html

In case this CL AD is deleted and/or someone picks it up, this is the AD:

It's a picture of an old stove with the coils not the glass flat top, white in color.

Quote:
"10 years old. Works, with manuals. Free to a needy person who needs a stove for the holidays. No dealers, scrappers, or crackheads. This is being listed today only. Call me - I won't respond to emails."

Quote:

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Originally Posted by hills

A lot of good advise in this thread.

For whatever it's worth : It's a good idea to develop a very short memory when you're providing service to the general public. You're bound to run into a few difficult people here and there. Those are the one's that really stand out in your mind.

It will make you bitter of you hang on to those memories and grudge over the personal hurts.There will come a point where you burn out.

You're better off to stay focused on the task at hand. Grow a thick skin, never take the things that others say or do personally, and get the job done. Business is business. Keep your eye on the prize.

~ It's all about the Benjamins. ~

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Some good advise there.

I am not typically negatively oriented and typically mock (to myself) and laugh about self-entitled idiots if I even bother to notice them but hey, I am human.

Thanks all, I needed to "hear" that.
:)

Good advice they all provided.

I'll keep it simple.

I agree. Both CL posts come off as entitled *******s. :) I'd tell you how I really feel but....

Nice thing about what we do, and or working for yourself...I don't need a short memory. Why may you ask?

Cause I work for me. No boss. Nobody to go whining to but...me.

Therefore..if you act the *******, continue to speak to me as if I'm stupid or with disrespect, then I can turn around an leave just as easy as I pulled in an parked.

This works for me for several reasons...1. I don't like to be disrespected. Your money doesn't change that. 2. I don't like being spoken to like an idiot. 3. Life is far to short for me to deal with rude people. 4. I'm profitable. I don't need to take every call/person that comes my way, and can afford to be picky. I'd rather be picky then pissed off. I'd rather make less money then be disrespected.

You want me to be a professional, then treat me like one.

YMMV.

I'm sure people have had bad experiences. I get that, maybe it scarred them for life. Whatever. I've had bad experiences to. Yet when I go into a Burger King or Walmart, I'm not an ******* to everyone and rude.

My respect, dignity, etc have no price tag. anyone calling me for scrap metal is unlikely to be able to afford my price if I had one. ha!

Point being - Rude people suck. An I won't cater to them. Plenty more fish in the sea.

Sirscrapalot - No shirt, no shoes, no problems.

The ones that want me to pay them 2-3x what their scrap is worth are the ones with the sense of entitlement.

Quote:

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Originally Posted by SKWrapper

From an actual Craigslist AD: "You and your truck or trailer need to be on time for pickup and safe with the haul away. If your not able to do a clean load of this or I get the feeling you're sketchy there will be no metal for you."

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If this is at a business, it's understandable. They've got better things to do than wait for you to mosey on over eventually and leave the place a mess.
But no matter where it is, it's also understandable that they would expect someone to be professional.

I saw a craigslist ad last fall that was posted at noon and said free scrap if you can get it all by the close of business today.
So I called and found out it was the truck repair shop 1.5 miles from my house.
Guy sounded pretty demanding over the phone, turns out it was because he was busy as a one legged man in a butt kicking contest and the Borough put him in a bind.

His shop fronts on main street.
The borough let him know that morning they would be tearing up the sewer line in front of his shop at 8am the next day and his front door to the work bays would be inaccessible for about a week.
How nice of them.

He had another door in the rear he could get customers trucks in through, but he rarely used it and all of his scrap was currently piled up in front of it.
He said he normally has one of his employees take it in, but was slammed with so much work that he couldn't do it so he put the ad out and this would most likely be a one time thing.

Well, I got it done by close of business and swept his floor in front of the door (because there was lots of little bits and they were ferrous)
He was happy it was done, and I got 2030 lbs of misc ferrous scrap and 1810 lbs of old semi brake drums, which my yard pays rotor price for.

All because I took a chance.

Quote:

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Originally Posted by SKWrapper

I am sure there is scrapper somewhere that would claim to need one for the holidays (not me) and leave out the part that he or she needs the $$ for the metal or to sell the working stove. I certainly wouldn't take it and would respect at least his wishes anyway even if they are... messed up for lack of better words.

He at least separated "scrapper" and "crackheads".

https://denver.craigslist.org/zip/d/...753756558.html

In case this CL AD is deleted and/or someone picks it up, this is the AD:

It's a picture of an old stove with the coils not the glass flat top, white in color.

Quote:
"10 years old. Works, with manuals. Free to a needy person who needs a stove for the holidays. No dealers, scrappers, or crackheads. This is being listed today only. Call me - I won't respond to emails."

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A needy person who needs a stove for the holidays, lol you get the stove today but the turkey is frozen solid, at least the listed scrappers before crackheads....

Quote:

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Originally Posted by EDC76

The ones that want me to pay them 2-3x what their scrap is worth are the ones with the sense of entitlement.



If this is at a business, it's understandable. They've got better things to do than wait for you to mosey on over eventually and leave the place a mess.
But no matter where it is, it's also understandable that they would expect someone to be professional.

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It wasn't a business and their AD was far from professional. I understand being busy, or even demanding to a point, if you need something done now you need it done now no need to sugar coat it, but there is never an excuse to be rude and/or disrespectful.

Quote:

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Originally Posted by Sirscrapalot

I agree. Both CL posts come off as entitled *******s. :) I'd tell you how I really feel but....

Nice thing about what we do, and or working for yourself...I don't need a short memory. Why may you ask?

Cause I work for me. No boss. Nobody to go whining to but...me.

Therefore..if you act the *******, continue to speak to me as if I'm stupid or with disrespect, then I can turn around an leave just as easy as I pulled in an parked.

This works for me for several reasons...1. I don't like to be disrespected. Your money doesn't change that. 2. I don't like being spoken to like an idiot. 3. Life is far to short for me to deal with rude people. 4. I'm profitable. I don't need to take every call/person that comes my way, and can afford to be picky. I'd rather be picky then pissed off. I'd rather make less money then be disrespected.

You want me to be a professional, then treat me like one.

YMMV.

I'm sure people have had bad experiences. I get that, maybe it scarred them for life. Whatever. I've had bad experiences to. Yet when I go into a Burger King or Walmart, I'm not an ******* to everyone and rude.

My respect, dignity, etc have no price tag. anyone calling me for scrap metal is unlikely to be able to afford my price if I had one. ha!

Point being - Rude people suck. An I won't cater to them. Plenty more fish in the sea.

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:)

People with that type of attitude - that is assuming a certain group of people - "scrappers" - are all the same based on their one or two bad experiences, makes you wonder what other groups of people they have had bad experiences with and how they talk with those groups of people etc...

Are the expectations from the poster of the AD on how/when the scrap should be picked up unreasonable? No.

Is the way they communicate their exceptions disrespectful, degrading, rude, and unprofessional? Yes.

I agree with you - I don't have time for that.

I dunno... it might be kinda fun to call them from a couple of different numbers... Tell them you will be there at such and such a time. Call them a few minutes before that time and reschedule. Then call a few minutes before that time and see if they'll reschedule again. Call from a different number and set up another pickup while disguising your voice.

But, probably best to just let angry bitter people be angry and bitter on their own time. Scroll down to the next Craigslist ad and forget about it.

Yep. Sir Scrapsalot is correct. Some people think scrappers are the same as Harvey Korman's *iss boy". I don't think so but as ECD76 said, sometimes first chances work out!!

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=JGfXiIXTpE0