# Throwing in the towel



## PPCMgr (Oct 9, 2012)

Well, the day has come, we have decided it is no longer profitable to be in this business. Safeguard has squeezed every little bit of juice out of us and with the current demands of bidding everything, everytime (sometimes 20K plus bids when we are there for a simple grass cut), a few hundred photos to sort through, more and more trip charge for jobs that are two hours away (one way), etc., there is just no more room to even pay the bills. 

So yesterday we send all our clients (some of whom we have worked with for many, many years) our goodbye's. We regret to have to let go of our employees, they have been great and loyal. I am not the owner, but since I have been here from the beginning and thus intimately involved in the business I feel like I am losing my business, even though it is "just" my job. I am still going to follow this forum, I am curious how things will end up in the end. I wish you all good luck. The owner and I have new plans and I am sure we'll be ok.


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## Splinterpicker (Apr 18, 2012)

PPCMgr said:


> Well, the day has come, we have decided it is no longer profitable to be in this business. Safeguard has squeezed every little bit of juice out of us and with the current demands of bidding everything, everytime (sometimes 20K plus bids when we are there for a simple grass cut), a few hundred photos to sort through, more and more trip charge for jobs that are two hours away (one way), etc., there is just no more room to even pay the bills.
> 
> So yesterday we send all our clients (some of whom we have worked with for many, many years) our goodbye's. We regret to have to let go of our employees, they have been great and loyal. I am not the owner, but since I have been here from the beginning and thus intimately involved in the business I feel like I am losing my business, even though it is "just" my job. I am still going to follow this forum, I am curious how things will end up in the end. I wish you all good luck. The owner and I have new plans and I am sure we'll be ok.


Sorry to hear (read) your heart filled departure. I wish the best for you and your employees. It would be a nice jesture to have a departure BBQ for the employees. I have done this in the past and it eases the "pain" and is a write off for the owner so its a win win .


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## thanohano44 (Aug 5, 2012)

PPCMgr said:


> Well, the day has come, we have decided it is no longer profitable to be in this business. Safeguard has squeezed every little bit of juice out of us and with the current demands of bidding everything, everytime (sometimes 20K plus bids when we are there for a simple grass cut), a few hundred photos to sort through, more and more trip charge for jobs that are two hours away (one way), etc., there is just no more room to even pay the bills.
> 
> So yesterday we send all our clients (some of whom we have worked with for many, many years) our goodbye's. We regret to have to let go of our employees, they have been great and loyal. I am not the owner, but since I have been here from the beginning and thus intimately involved in the business I feel like I am losing my business, even though it is "just" my job. I am still going to follow this forum, I am curious how things will end up in the end. I wish you all good luck. The owner and I have new plans and I am sure we'll be ok.


Godspeed


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## david (Apr 11, 2012)

*hi*

hope you the best i have gave up all but 1 account and it is just local,same reasons not enough pay too much running,had to file a loss for last year


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## REO2Rentals (Sep 18, 2012)

PPCMgr said:


> Well, the day has come, we have decided it is no longer profitable to be in this business. Safeguard has squeezed every little bit of juice out of us and with the current demands of bidding everything, everytime (sometimes 20K plus bids when we are there for a simple grass cut), a few hundred photos to sort through, more and more trip charge for jobs that are two hours away (one way), etc., there is just no more room to even pay the bills.
> 
> So yesterday we send all our clients (some of whom we have worked with for many, many years) our goodbye's. We regret to have to let go of our employees, they have been great and loyal. I am not the owner, but since I have been here from the beginning and thus intimately involved in the business I feel like I am losing my business, even though it is "just" my job. I am still going to follow this forum, I am curious how things will end up in the end. I wish you all good luck. The owner and I have new plans and I am sure we'll be ok.



I'm sorry and sad to see one of the great pp have to closed it door because of all these nonsense...............Remember this “When one door closes, another bigger and more beautiful opens!"; and May the Force be with you:icon_wink:​


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## garylaps (Sep 28, 2012)

I have these thoughts EVERY day These companies are over the top. They don't pay you for the REAL work you do and never EVER appreciate your saving the property from thousands of dollars in damages but gladly pay you for the stupid $hit. There is something about doing a job that you KNOW isn't right and still have to submit a pic of a a dehumidifier plugged a wall socket that is dead and is noted so in the list of property questions....AND getting paid for it. OR how about the pic of the thermostate set at 55 when there are pics of all the damage to the boiler and bids to replace the entire system... dumb, stupid, outragest. 
When this economy turns around NOONE, I mean NOONE will put up with this $hit.


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## Cleanupman (Nov 23, 2012)

PPCMgr said:


> Well, the day has come, we have decided it is no longer profitable to be in this business. Safeguard has squeezed every little bit of juice out of us and with the current demands of bidding everything, everytime (sometimes 20K plus bids when we are there for a simple grass cut), a few hundred photos to sort through, more and more trip charge for jobs that are two hours away (one way), etc., there is just no more room to even pay the bills.
> 
> So yesterday we send all our clients (some of whom we have worked with for many, many years) our goodbye's. We regret to have to let go of our employees, they have been great and loyal. I am not the owner, but since I have been here from the beginning and thus intimately involved in the business I feel like I am losing my business, even though it is "just" my job. I am still going to follow this forum, I am curious how things will end up in the end. I wish you all good luck. The owner and I have new plans and I am sure we'll be ok.


 Good luck to you...keep us posted...if you will....


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## brm1109 (Sep 17, 2012)

I wish you the best...


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## Racerx (Aug 29, 2012)

I completley get it, to be honest we have'nt done any property preservation work in over a year, after our last big client(Altisource) did their RFP things went from 100 mph to almost 0 and we went back to our orgin which was a general contractor , I read the forum daily just to stay in touch with things in the industry and I'm deluged daily with low ball offers from all of the "Regionals" that have popped up lately (today included)and I just can't see doing the same things we used to do for less than half the money.

The funny thing is as I'm out on my daily business I drive past properties where the snow has'nt been done sometimes weeks after the last snowfall,or numerous city citations taped to the doors for various infractions,more than likely because the "winner" of the RFP can't find a legitimate contractor to service these properties at their bottom basement prices.:furious::furious: ...end of rant


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## STARBABY (Apr 12, 2012)

Good luck! 

 
It`s funny to look back ten yrs ago and compare it to today! Fuels more, insurance cost more, materials cost more, ect but pay has went down! I guess it`s all the new guys getting in and not having a clue as to what their costs are or better yet letting a national tell them what they are!
Had a regional (off Lamco network ,THAT`s another rant!) call me the other day asking me if I could help them out with a winterization! I asked where it was and told them my price for a Dry wint was $100! They told me they only paid $45 for Dry Wint. I said I wouldn`t even pull my truck out of the drive for that!!!!!!!!


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## GTX63 (Apr 12, 2012)

PPC, a lot of people wonder how they will survive without these clowns. I have yet to have met or heard from anyone that regretted the decision to quit taking work from them. Now that you have taken the biggest step, the rest is gravy. You will still get the phone calls and emails trying to suck you into that "favor" and the $55 wint 30 miles ones way. Not thinking twice about telling them not "no", but "hell no" is a great feeling.
Godspeed to you and your boss.


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## BPWY (Apr 12, 2012)

I know the feeling.


I started my latest round of bank work spring of 09. I had done some work for a regional back in the late 90s early 2000s. Completely different then.
Any way it didn't take me too many months to figure out that bank work wasn't a long term business model and began transitioning my business towards lawn care. By the end of 2011 I had started letting PITA customers go. Since the first of this year I've made the decision to let the remaining ones go.

Now I haul crude oil between snow storms and come spring the lawn care will kick back up full bore. Crude oil isn't going away and I can draw $175 to $250 a day in just wages. Its dirty work but I don't have to worry about charge backs or straight up not getting paid at all.


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## Wannabe (Oct 1, 2012)

The P&P business paid for schooling for other business ventures which allowed us to quit, except for realtor work only, the P&P field. 

Personally I got tired of chasing dimes while stepping over dollars


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## BPWY (Apr 12, 2012)

Same here Wannabe, P&P paid cash money for a lot of lawn equipment. 
None of the major components were NEW but quality used can still go a lot of years.


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## GaReops (Aug 7, 2012)

My question is how do you Mopar guys put up with the MPG?!


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## SIR (Feb 5, 2013)

Its simple you buy the 5.9 cummins diesel and you get 24 mpg


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## Gypsos (Apr 30, 2012)

GaReops said:


> My question is how do you Mopar guys put up with the MPG?!


My 1998 Dodge RAM 150 5.9 liter engine 4x4 gets 21 MPG without the trailer and about 15 MPG with it. 

176,000 miles and still going strong. I am putting in a new engine this year because the rear main seal is leaking and one of the lifters died about 40,000 miles ago. Sounds like a typewriter on steroids going down the road. The cost to tear everything apart to fix them is only a few hundred less than a new long block.


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