Got chewed out by a building manager at a job in Austin last month

I was working on this old Otis in a downtown Austin office building and the manager came down yelling about how I was taking too long. He said I cost them $500 in lost tenant access fees. But I was just following the manual for the brake adjustment, you know? I mean it's not my fault the old rails were so worn they needed shimming. Now I always ask for the building's service history before I even start a job out there. Has anyone else run into managers who don't get why some repairs just take longer?

3 comments

3 Comments

danielnelson1mo ago

Honestly that sounds like a pretty normal day working in an older building. I mean yeah the guy was probably stressed about his budget or whatever but $500 in lost access fees? That's nothing in the grand scheme of things. Most building managers I've dealt with get antsy when they see a mechanic taking longer than a coffee break. They don't understand that you can't rush something like a brake adjustment on an old Otis. You know you're going to run into issues with worn parts and messy service records. I've had managers try to threaten me with fines or calling my dispatcher. Just tell them to take it up with the office and keep working. You did the right thing following the manual.

elliot_gibson271mo ago

Ha, right? That's like saying $500 is a big deal to a building that probably drops that much on fancy coffee for the tenants every month. The guy probably spends more on his lemon-scented lobby cleaner than on fixing the elevator. Funny how they panic over a few bucks while the elevator's been a clunker since the 80s. If he wanted a smooth operation, he should have bought a newer model instead of yelling at the repair guy. Classic case of a manager who has the budget but not the brains to use it.

joel_jones1mo ago

Read an article saying half those old Otis units are basically held together with duct tape and prayers.