Old lady pulls a gun on me & then gripes to my employer about me...

MadMan4Ever

MadMan4Ever

Sig-Sauer devotee
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Walnut Cove, NC
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I hate people sometimes.... I go door to door installing updated electric meters, not calling ahead because that would be intelligent & corporate doesn’t work that way. :rolleyes:

I knock on this door and nobody answers, so I leave the brochure detailing the features, etc. then go to the side of the house to do the install. I get half way thru then hear this old battle axe call out “anyone on the side of the house better come out real slow, right now”.:eek:

I do so because I didn’t see the pistol in her hand. I explain how I knocked but nobody answers, I’m quiet and polite, I don’t get loud often... I’m more soft spoken.

She says she has bad knees and it takes her a while to reach the door. I politely suggest she might be interested in one of those doorbells that have a camera & you can talk to the person at the door without even leaving your couch.;)

She says nothing nasty to me at the time, but towards the end of the day, I get a call from my boss asking what I said to her, she calls Duke to raise a fuss about me not having my badge, how I didn’t have any business telling her to invest in a security, how I have no idea what security she has... :rolleyes:

I simply state I don’t know what security she does have, but I DO know she did NOT have that doorbell camera because I’d have used it if she had..:mad: And I had my badge & everything else, she just made crap up.

I wish my boss had the courage to tell his bosses to go to hell more easily...now I work too hard to tolerate anyone trying to get me fired because I try to help them. We need more emoticons to capture my aggravation more fittingly.

I’m not fired or anything yet but it doesn’t endear me to my employer when we have to have stories like this.
 
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I feel your pain also, we have certain locations at work we don't go to or go to without police escort because of being threatened before.
 
CZfool68 said:
Those evil onex that travk us. Get him! :mad:

Old lady was right! :p
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I usually tell folks I can deactivate that feature for an additional $50. Gotta supplement that 401k somehow... :D

But seriously, I keep folks safe. I was at a neighborhood in Winston Salem that had a lot of expensive looking houses, but the wires on them were shoddily done by the contractors who built them. I took the time to spot them and get them fixed.

That may not sound heroic but I get raises based on production, not quality. Taking time to do this job right costs me. Plus there is all the gear I bought for this job that the company doesn’t supply....

I had wanted to move with the company but after all this lately, I doubt I will. :(
Not sure how I will make it after this contract ends, but I’m needed here in NC.
I was born a person shopping at Goodwill & reckon I’ll check out the same way.
 
......when you go door, you have to expect some trouble...... Some people just dont want you on their property period. Tell corporate about this.....a homeowner needs a heads up.

Did you have a marked company vehicle in the driveway, or visible from her house?
 
MadMan4Ever said:
I usually tell folks I can deactivate that feature for an additional $50. Gotta supplement that 401k somehow... :D

But seriously, I keep folks safe. I was at a neighborhood in Winston Salem that had a lot of expensive looking houses, but the wires on them were shoddily done by the contractors who built them. I took the time to spot them and get them fixed.

That may not sound heroic but I get raises based on production, not quality. Taking time to do this job right costs me. Plus there is all the gear I bought for this job that the company doesn’t supply....

I had wanted to move with the company but after all this lately, I doubt I will. :(
Not sure how I will make it after this contract ends, but I’m needed here in NC.
I was born a person shopping at Goodwill & reckon I’ll check out the same way.
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At least you can sleep soundly at night. Dealing with the public is not easy.
 
Dealing with the public is a pain in the arse.The stupider they get the less patience I have.That being said don't offer any unsolicited advice.Even if you are right it likely won't be appreciated or heeded.
Loe Friday was right, "Just the facts ma'am".
 
Dealing with people is why I stopped being religious... hard to believe Jesus would die for these people, had I been in the gospels I’d be the pistol whipping apostle...:mad:

More like this...
 
Dale Flinchum said:
Question to the OP; what do you do when you come to a property with "no trespassing" signs?
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Lady in the OP had no such signs, and lived in a neighborhood, not country like.

We ignore them generally as the utility has a right to perform maintenance at any time, etc. It’s one of those “fine print” details you sign when you get electricity. ;)

I respect locked gates, as for dogs, I have to gauge them based on my gut.

But like I said, I think they should do this job with fixed appointments only. But managers being managers won’t likely go for that. They just want to get mad when we have to stick a screwdriver thru someone’s dog. :rolleyes::mad:
 
MadMan4Ever said:
Dealing with people is why I stopped being religious... hard to believe Jesus would die for these people, had I been in the gospels I’d be the pistol whipping apostle...:mad:

More like this...
Click to expand...
You always got Peter. He was armed the night Christ was attested. Whacked the ear off of one of the soilders used as back up and Christ restored the ear and hearing.

Sent from my SM-J320V using Tapatalk
 
MadMan4Ever said:
Lady in the OP had no such signs, and lived in a neighborhood, not country like.

We ignore them generally as the utility has a right to perform maintenance at any time, etc. It’s one of those “fine print” details you sign when you get electricity. ;)

I respect locked gates, as for dogs, I have to gauge them based on my gut.

But like I said, I think they should do this job with fixed appointments only. But managers being managers won’t likely go for that. They just want to get mad when we have to stick a screwdriver thru someone’s dog. :rolleyes::mad:
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You'd likely be out of a job with fixed appointments because most of us would just be a pain in the ass and keep the old meter that works fine. Your dispatch vpcenter would be like a cable company and offer appointmenrs from 12-5. And we'll call when we're on the way. Most people will jist say no thank you.
 
Dale Flinchum said:
Question to the OP; what do you do when you come to a property with "no trespassing" signs?
Click to expand...
They install them any way. They own the meters so they can service and replace them as needed. They drove past 5 signs at my house to replace the meter, but I didn't complain, I like having electricity.
 
SPST said:
I could see big problems if an unannounced worker stuck my dog in my yard with anything!
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Exactly... then you have the folks who don’t even put up a “beware of dog” sign because they heard it makes them more liable if it does bite someone. :mad:

If you are going to own a “hound of the Baskerville” type dog, put up a damn sign.

I don’t enjoy hurting dogs, hell I tell folks as a matter of routine how the hardest part of my job is all the animals I can’t keep.:D:)
Just today I got to pet a German Shepherd puppy like this. :D
 

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MadMan4Ever said:
I hate people sometimes.... I go door to door installing updated electric meters, not calling ahead because that would be intelligent & corporate doesn’t work that way. :rolleyes:

I knock on this door and nobody answers, so I leave the brochure detailing the features, etc. then go to the side of the house to do the install. I get half way thru then hear this old battle axe call out “anyone on the side of the house better come out real slow, right now”.:eek:

I do so because I didn’t see the pistol in her hand. I explain how I knocked but nobody answers, I’m quiet and polite, I don’t get loud often... I’m more soft spoken.

She says she has bad knees and it takes her a while to reach the door. I politely suggest she might be interested in one of those doorbells that have a camera & you can talk to the person at the door without even leaving your couch.;)

She says nothing nasty to me at the time, but towards the end of the day, I get a call from my boss asking what I said to her, she calls Duke to raise a fuss about me not having my badge, how I didn’t have any business telling her to invest in a security, how I have no idea what security she has... :rolleyes:

I simply state I don’t know what security she does have, but I DO know she did NOT have that doorbell camera because I’d have used it if she had..:mad: And I had my badge & everything else, she just made crap up.

I wish my boss had the courage to tell his bosses to go to hell more easily...now I work too hard to tolerate anyone trying to get me fired because I try to help them. We need more emoticons to capture my aggravation more fittingly.

I’m not fired or anything yet but it doesn’t endear me to my employer when we have to have stories like this.
Click to expand...

Were you in a company marked vehicle? If not, you would get the same from me.
 
Of course I’m in a marked truck, I’m not going to drive a personal unmarked vehicle... only way I could make myself more noticeable is to do like the Middle East does and just ride around firing machine guns in the air. :rolleyes:

I have marked truck, flashing strobe, neon yellow vest, hard hat , etc. I look every bit the part for what I do.

And nothing in any of your homes is worth wearing long sleeves for in this heat. o_O
 
I don't know, I would be pretty pissed if somebody told my elderly mother to invest in a better security system. Of course, she would have told you how she felt about that advice right then and there.

That said, I feel for you being stuck between sorry management and the public at large.
 
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MadMan4Ever said:
Lady in the OP had no such signs, and lived in a neighborhood, not country like.

We ignore them generally as the utility has a right to perform maintenance at any time, etc. It’s one of those “fine print” details you sign when you get electricity. ;)

I respect locked gates, as for dogs, I have to gauge them based on my gut.

But like I said, I think they should do this job with fixed appointments only. But managers being managers won’t likely go for that. They just want to get mad when we have to stick a screwdriver thru someone’s dog. :rolleyes::mad:
Click to expand...

Thanks for the reply, I thought the powers of entry were in your favor. I have worked in similar situations where you're basically on your own with the deck stacked against you, not a good day when things go bad. I learned quickly to never walk around folk's houses without first making sure those in the area know my presence and purpose, always using the "yes, mam, no mam" in conversations, and most important, when dealing with old people, speak loud and slow before making any move. Most of the time when an old lady comes to the door there is an old man standing at the window with a shotgun, seen the curtains move plenty of times. I always drove my vehicle up near the house and if no one answered the door I went back to the vehicle and laid down on the horn several times, listening for movement. A lot of times the people are outside, maybe working their still or their cash crop and just need a little time to gather themselves before appearing. Slow and easy worked for me when first approaching the owners and fast with the work and out the drive when done. Good luck.
 
premise said:
I don't know, I would be pretty pissed if somebody told my elderly mother to invest in a better security system. Of course, she would have told you how she felt about that advice right then and there.

That said, I feel for you being stuck between sorry management and the public at large.
Click to expand...

See that’s the thing, I merely suggested that one of those doorbells might be a godsend for someone in her condition. If you have bad knees and can’t move fast, if you are laying down, or even at work, you can answer the bell and not give away your position to the stranger at the door.:rolleyes:

I was the epitome of politeness, I just see no reason for her to get upset and try to call my boss. I was tempted to head back down there to confront her but I decided to just have a pizza at home. :)
 
My field guys have all the same problems. We schedule them for service appointments and installations, but when you’ve got to upgrade an entire area the only way to do it is to march down the street taking them in order and deal with any fallout.

Talking at lunch today, have to do an upgrade next year that will put 500 homes out of service and then service has to be restored one location at a time. We’ll have every available tech working it, but I’m afraid the fallout is going to be epic.

None of my guys have had to stick a dog yet, but there are places they won’t go while the dog is out. Most of my guys are armed, I assume that Duke wouldn’t support that.
 
MadMan4Ever said:
Lady in the OP had no such signs, and lived in a neighborhood, not country like.

We ignore them generally as the utility has a right to perform maintenance at any time, etc. It’s one of those “fine print” details you sign when you get electricity. ;)

I respect locked gates, as for dogs, I have to gauge them based on my gut.

But like I said, I think they should do this job with fixed appointments only. But managers being managers won’t likely go for that. They just want to get mad when we have to stick a screwdriver thru someone’s dog. :rolleyes::mad:
Click to expand...

I understand that is their "Company Policy". My company policy says that anyone entering the 1 acre fenced curtilage around my home without prior notice is a dangerous intruder. As such, there will be at least one barrel pointed at their head until the danger is eliminated.
 
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MadMan4Ever said:
See that’s the thing, I merely suggested that one of those doorbells might be a godsend for someone in her condition. If you have bad knees and can’t move fast, if you are laying down, or even at work, you can answer the bell and not give away your position to the stranger at the door.:rolleyes:

I was the epitome of politeness, I just see no reason for her to get upset and try to call my boss. I was tempted to head back down there to confront her but I decided to just have a pizza at home. :)
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Polite as it may have been, I would have felt my mother spiritually throat chop me about the time I started giving advice to an old lady on her property. As well as you may have meant, intended, or sounded, it ain't going to be taken that way.
 
MadMan4Ever said:
See that’s the thing, I merely suggested that one of those doorbells might be a godsend for someone in her condition. If you have bad knees and can’t move fast, if you are laying down, or even at work, you can answer the bell and not give away your position to the stranger at the door.:rolleyes:

I was the epitome of politeness, I just see no reason for her to get upset and try to call my boss. I was tempted to head back down there to confront her but I decided to just have a pizza at home. :)
Click to expand...

Being old myself I can relate to her reaction to your suggestion. By doing so with your suggestion you became a door to door salesman trying to run a scam on her. In her way of thinking you were sticking your nose her business and she wanted nothing to do with something she did not understand. She does not trust you, you never gained her confidence. Not saying you did anything wrong but folks, the older they get, don't have the trust they once did. The evening news makes sure of that.
 
I received notice in the mail that Duke would be swapping the meter in the near future. So, I wasn't surprised when I viewed my camera and saw a guy drive up, park his truck, fish something outta the back and go around to the side of the house. A few minutes later, he returned to the truck and drove off.

Only strange thing is...the meter looks the same to me as before. :confused:
 
Apparently some of y'all haven't had the pleasure of having a blind old mom like I do.

And go ahead and call the cops. She likes the attention.
 
InvisibleOne said:
I understand that is their "Company Policy". My company policy says that anyone entering the 1 acre fenced curtilage around my home without prior notice is a dangerous intruder. As such, there will be at least one barrel pointed at their head until the danger is eliminated.
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No lawyer, but if you're talking an acre out in each direction fenced in, that's probably too big an area to be called curtilage. :p
 
Come inside my fenced property or attempt to during a state of emergency declared by the governor, while curfews local and county are in effect and one will be shot. No warning.
I don't give a shit who you work for or what you claim.

Sent from notthedroidyourelookingfor
 
pinkbunny said:
No lawyer, but if you're talking an acre out in each direction fenced in, that's probably too big an area to be called curtilage. :p
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Depends on several factors, among them overall size of the entire parcel. Though generally considered to be that fenced area consisting of the house, woodshed, chicken-coop or barn in close proximity, but excluding the "fields beyond".
No specific size has been established. It is left to jurors to interpret.
 
Oneofsix said:
Come inside my fenced property or attempt to during a state of emergency declared by the governor, while curfews local and county are in effect and one will be shot. No warning.
I don't give a shit who you work for or what you claim.

Sent from notthedroidyourelookingfor
Click to expand...
You must have been on the clock when you typed that. :D
 
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