Having a permit problem, brand new builder, what should i do?

[huggytree]

First of all thanks for everyone for all the advice you've given me. My plumbing business IS improving...slowly, but surely....i went months with almost no calls. I sat home almost every weekend. Now I get a few calls a week and have been doing atleast 1 job per weekend. Sometimes a full day sometimes only 4-5 hours...but atleast its something and its been steady. Hopefully it can only grow....I am feeling alittle more positive about things.

Anyways, I called a remodeler which ive called once before and asked again if i could have an opportunity to bid on his next project...He said he has something right now and come take a look at it. I did, I must have impressed him since I got it without bidding against anyone else. I did the job the next working day and everything went perfect. My plumbing is so solid you could use it for monkeybars...i spent extra time to be perfect to impress him. I found a few extra's which needed to be done, got the ok and did them...i left feeling very good......

Now the bad news....Its in the city of Milwaukee....ive never done work there before. only the suburbs surrounding it.....Well my State issued Masterplumber license isnt good enough for them...I need a milwaukee license. i dont have to take a test or anything, just PAY A FEE(suprise) and fill out a form and submit insurance forms....You arent supposed to do any work without a permit. My wife faxed and called in a credit card the morning of the project..so i was ok.....but i wasnt...they didnt even call back...we called the next day for an inspection and they said i wasnt on file....so now its done the builder cant cover up my work and i cant get an inspection or permit. A packet of info. is on the way from Milwaukee for me to fill out. I need original copies of cert. insurance and bonding cert. so i cant just get a quick fax...also it says 3 days to verify once they get it....so i have 3 days to get the forms, 3 days to get my insurance mailed to me, 3 days to mail it back, 3 days for them to verify. Also my wife thought they said someting about inspecting my work somewhere else before accepting me..anyways add up all the days before i can get a permit and an inspection...its like 2 weeks...

plus someone has to be there for the inspector...and you cant set a time...just a day....so am i supposed to sit there for 8 hours?

Ive called the builder 3x and havent gotten a call back....so either he is busy(probably the reason), angry, or doesnt care.

No one else handles permits this way...you mail the permit with your masterplumber license # and the $ and your done...I didnt know...

What should I tell the builder besides the truth?(that i dont know what im doing in milwaukee eh?).

He is a great contact and I feel my odds of losing him are 50/50 at best. His reputation is hurt because of me. His project will now be 2 weeks late because he cant continue.

and best of all i will probably get fined $110 for working without a permit..

[SteveC]

All you need do is take your contact out to lunch, offer to pay his $110 dollar fine if he gets one... and tell your contact you are getting everything sorted out... as small business owners we all understand red tape.

[leatherneck]

Honesty is the best policy! Trying too make up excuses will just get you further in trouble. He will appreciate your honesty.

Mak.

[BillR]

I think I'd echo what other people said, with a twist. People respond to incentives. You need to give him a positive one that will counter the negative one he's received from this experience.

I would call and leave a message and just tell him...

1.) You understand this is disappointing for him
2.) You had submitted payment, etc, before the job was started.
3.) To the best of your knowledge your knowledge that was it.
4.) In order to keep his business you are willing to _____________________.

I don't know the answer for #4 but you can probably find something that would be a good incentive. Maybe you do the next job cheap or whatever.

[reemshuks]

I agree with what everyone else has said. Be honest and open with your client. Hopefully they will understand and appreciate it. Good luck!!

[scpromos]

Originally Posted by huggytree

i dont have to take a test or anything, just PAY A FEE(suprise) and fill out a form and submit insurance forms....You arent supposed to do any work without a permit.

This sounds like a business license. Technically you're required to get one in every city you work in. As for the permit, did you speak with the remodeler? It's possible that you might be able to work under his permit and you don't need to get a separate one.

Originally Posted by huggytree

I need original copies of cert. insurance and bonding cert. so i cant just get a quick fax...also it says 3 days to verify once they get it....so i have 3 days to get the forms, 3 days to get my insurance mailed to me, 3 days to mail it back, 3 days for them to verify.

Can your insurance broker email a clean copy to the city? Maybe fax or email a copy immediately and place an original in the mail. Have a copy sent directly to the city and another to you. Ask the city if they could expedite the process because the project is on hold. Plus there's always overnight delivery. It doesn't hurt to ask.

Originally Posted by huggytree

plus someone has to be there for the inspector...and you cant set a time...just a day....so am i supposed to sit there for 8 hours?

Most cities are pretty understanding and know that you can't be there all day waiting. Get the name of the inspector and give him your cell phone number. Maybe he'd be willing to narrow the window down. Some inspectors are pretty laid back, it just depends. It's also possible to ask the builder to meet with the inspector. He might be willing to do that, especially if he's on site all day.

Originally Posted by huggytree

What should I tell the builder besides the truth?(that i dont know what im doing in milwaukee eh?).

I'm surprised he didn't mention to you that their was such a lengthy process to get a permit. I'm sure he must have gone through it to start the project. It would have helped if he had said something. Doesn't he already have a relationship with the inspector. He must have met with him on or more occasions by now. Seem a little odd that he would leave you high and dry like that.

Originally Posted by huggytree

His project will now be 2 weeks late because he cant continue.

Hopefully it won't come to that. I would definitely try talking to someone at the city. Explain to them the situation and that this is your first time working with Milwaukee. Ask if they can expedite the process. Maybe you'll find someone sympathetic to your situation.

[huggytree]

The "Peoples republic of Milwaukee" will not do anything extra for me. They will not accept any fax or copy. Everything has to be original and the instructions are for a lawyer. We have spent 3 hours on the phone and finally we understand what they all want. My wife if picking up the forms from the insurance company tomarrow and will deliver them to the city hall on friday.

They were horrible to deal with on the phone, their website doesnt work. We finally did find the forms online, but they were old. They faxed the wrong things to us, then forgot to refax the correct stuff. we had to call 4x today. then would not answer any questions until we read the instruction over(which were the same as we downloaded last night). Think about my story when you think of National Health care...it will be the same....The bigger the city the more B.S.

If anything is wrong with the paperwork we will have to start over.

What is it all about??? getting $50 from me...nothing more....no other community in the area does it this way...its not a business license...its being registered in milwaukee as a master plumber....my license # isnt good enough.

If all goes well I will be 1 week late with inspection....if it goes badly it will still be 2 weeks...

The builder still has not called me back(i dont know what to think of that). The $110 fine goes to me, not the builder(if i get caught).

I have been honest all along and depending on how it goes when he DOES call me back I will offer a 10% discount on the next job i do for him to make up for it....Thats a great idea and probably up's my odds of keeping him from 50/50 to 75/25.....

I am hoping he doesnt care and understands and thats why he hasnt called me back...its strange....i called 3x and will not call again until its all straightened out and I need a time for inspection.....

thanks everyone for your advice...once again something i didnt think of.

[scpromos]

Originally Posted by huggytree

Think about my story when you think of National Health care...it will be the same....The bigger the city the more B.S.

I'm really sorry to hear about that. Those big cities can be a real pain to deal with.

[huggytree]

Hurray, my wife drove to milwaukee and I now have the permit and am now registered in milwaukee....it cost me $150 for registration and bonding fee and $100 for my wife for her time. I did it in less than 1 week. total time spent 7 hours.....almost as much time as the job took me to do.

Now I called the builder on his home phone and his cell and no response. This week seems to be a popular one for vacations, so i am hoping thats the problem. Its up to 5 phone calls now and no response. I will not call again until next week.

If he is not on vacation then there is a problem....i still need to get paid.. He has a good reputation, so i am only 10% worried right now.

[huggytree]

The builders wife finally called me sunday night and was told to make the inspection monday afternoon. We called 1st thing monday morning and made the appointment. I got a call on my cell phone saying he wasnt going to be there and to cancel. i canceled. I called back and left a message saying when should i reschedule it. he called back and said to make the inspection for monday afternoon again and that someone would be there. every other trade was getting there inspections and he would pay his guy to sit there. but need an exact time....so now i had to call the city back again for the 3rd time on 1 hour to reschedule again and was given a 2 hour window...

i called him and finally got ahold of him in person and offered to pay his persons wage from the time of the last inspection for another trade to the time mine arrives(2 hours max)....

He has been horrible as far as getting a hold of him and what he did today made no sense at all.....i wanted to yell at him, but i kissed his a**.

I hope to hold onto him, but i cant do anymore.