# IC or Employee



## BamaPPC (May 7, 2012)

Anybody else wondering when we get to sign up for benefits with SG?

From SG memo -

Additionally you cannot push back and dispute a work order just because you don’t like the pricing- there will be some orders you will break even with or even take a loss but unfortunately the pricing is what it is and it will not be altered. This is being monitored and watched, we will recruit and replace vendors who are placing fraudulent or frivolous bids as well as any vendors unjustly disputing scopes and pricing. 

This is crazy. We aren't allowed to bid, and if we do we are subject to being fired. Any SG contractors on here willing to talk to the DOL?


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## safeguard dropout (Apr 21, 2015)

BamaPPC said:


> Anybody else wondering when we get to sign up for benefits with SG?
> 
> From SG memo -
> 
> ...


Craigslist Hack has been saying for a long time that the numbers simply don't add up. How right he is....and with SafeGuard there will be no adding, only subtracting.

Your signature line says you have some regrets, some things you shouldn't have done.... Is signing with Safeguard one of those regrets ?


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## BamaPPC (May 7, 2012)

If I only knew then what I know now...I've been with them for a while. In the beginning we were making good money...now, they've squeezed all the blood out of this turnip.


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## safeguard dropout (Apr 21, 2015)

BamaPPC said:


> ..... they've squeezed all the blood out of this turnip.



Hey, you are not the bloodless turnip, Safeguard is. Cut the parasite off!


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## Craigslist Hack (Jun 14, 2012)

They crossed the line years ago. I know you don't want to hear it but you have held on too long. You need to position yourself to walk away.


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## RoadWarrior (Jul 28, 2016)

Run run far away from that garbage company. It's mind control. We walked when we replied to an auditors email asking for simple clarification and we got a reply we are not to speak to them. They control your work, your money and your mind if you let them. There's far better companies although few and far between that will still own a portion of what you do but offer much more flexibility, appreciation, and respect to you as a contractor. Reply to them ask them for their contractors license in your state to do business. I know my state requires that the company sending the work is licensed for the work they are subbing. My reply to all the bid cuts is simple...this is a bid from a licensed contractor. If you don't like my bid seek another. I'm in business like you to make money not work for peanuts. 
We have done direct work for safeguard and third party a few times never have I seen a more ridiculously ran company. Good luck and again it's time all safeguard contractors walk away.


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## MKM Landscaping (Sep 27, 2012)

Its ok you take a loss or break even, they are not taking a loss, they are buying islands!


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## Wannabe (Oct 1, 2012)

I always found it "odd" the similarities between the P&P business and the "new" insurance repair work similarities until the other day I was in a deposition when I got questioned for over an hour on how pricing of P&P work is determined. Being I have been "out" of the industry since 2011 except for some direct realtor work I couldn't respond to current pricing methods BUT I came to realize that price controlling in the insurance industry has/is becoming similar to the P&P business. Other industries are paying attention to the SG's business model. 

Example: I am representing a homeowner in a large roof claim, the insurance companies estimating software is Xactimate. The insurance company used xactimate to "determine" the roof replacement cost at $255 per square for the entire roof structure (including all items such as 10 cents, ice/water shield, drip edge, felt, Rolloff container etc). The homeowner called several reputable roofing companies and none would complete for that price. Upon reviewing the case the actual "non-manipulated" pricing on xactimate reflects a price of $512 per square.
When talking to the adjuster his response was: " well we can find a lot of contractors who would be happy to do the job at that price and we won't adjust to the correct pricing" Does this sound familiar?

Coinsidence? Once maybe but when it's becoming a regular pattern it's more than an anomaly. 

At least in the insurance repair trades those contractors are fighting back and it's a pleasure to be the one swinging the bat fighting back. Anyone want to learn this trade? P.m. me since more homeowner advocates are needed.


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## SeenIt (Jul 30, 2015)

*Is this real?*

Is this verbatim from their memo? Absolutely crazy.


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## Fantasticfordme (Aug 31, 2015)

It is an obscene policy to expect that a contractor will do any job at a loss, I understand that when dealing with the "Nationals" and order mills not every job will return the degree of profit that we may want or expect, but I will not do a job at a loss, not happening. As for frivolous bids, they create the situation by not approving bids at a competitive rate or issuing the generic bid approval work orders that are 25 percent of what you bid. Stand by your principals and do quality work and you will survive. You will find a decent company to do work for. I receive work from one National wannabe and they expect as an allowable or line item bid to remove debris at $16.50 a cubic yard, and that is also to include cleaning roofs and gutters (or .33 cents a linear ft lol)...I don't do it and tell them I won't do it if called into question. Maybe because my on time and quality percentages are near a 100 percent is why they put up with it. My point is don't do work for free that is called being an indentured servant which went away in America 100 years ago. And yes sadly one day someone will come along and pick up garbage at $16.50 a yard or less and I will be shown the door...which is fine...this isn't servitude.


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## Doc (Sep 3, 2015)

*Here's what you can do*

After every post about safeguard you can post something similar to this:

Safeguard sucks. Safeguard rip off. Safeguard scam, etc.

Include the keywords that safeguard uses to recruit new suckers.

What was the keyword (or phrase) that sucked you in? What did you type in the the search engine? Use that in your signature and in the body text.

Whatever your heart desires. You get the picture.

Hell, put it in your sig if you know how. Rarely does google recognize keywords in the signature so manually putting it in the body of the text (cut/paste) may be a better idea but it can't hurt to put it in the sig.

The search engines will pick-it-up on the next scan of Preservationtalk.com.

If enough people post similar things it will go to the top of the search. safeguard (sic) won't be happy when their search results drop. Ef the MotherFer's and make their life miserable.

Preservationtalk.com (<---keyword) has enough traffic to generate top search hits.

Hit em where it hurts.

See how I did that? Easy.


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## Craigslist Hack (Jun 14, 2012)

Doc said:


> After every post about safeguard you can post something similar to this:
> 
> Safeguard sucks. Safeguard rip off. Safeguard scam, etc.
> 
> ...


You aren't factoring in that newbies are smarter than all of us veterans. You are also forgetting that Safeguard has more volume than any other company and anything you lose you can of course make up in volume.


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## NorthwestWA (Jun 25, 2016)

*Safeguard DOES suck*

WOW.. I can not believe that had the nerve to tell their vendors that they will complete work and break even or at times take a loss. That is just insanity. Can anyone forward that to a legal department? Seriously. This is Federal Dollars we are talking about. HUD money should be used to pay for the services needed to bring a property into Conveyance Condition. The Money is set by the FED as a competitive and fair rate. But Safeguard is refusing to pay a livable wage to have that work completed? So we are doing work for HUD at a loss? Does that make sense to anyone? Or am I over reaching on my argument? I think the Attorney General needs to hear about it. There should be a law against this. There are laws against price gouging... there should be a law for this as well. Talk to your congressmen. Talk to your attorney general. talk to your Senator and /or even your Governor. The work we do in preservation impacts our regions economically. There is also safety issues. Would a politician like to see these vacant properties full of squatters that is clearly bringing down property values? Would they like to see what Safeguard is doing with the money that is supposed to go to these properties and the contractors completing the work? It is time to rise up people.. It is time to organize. If Safeguard holds the majority of the work and is crippling our industry then it is time to start breaking them down. 
Complaining on threads is only a fraction of what should be done.

Safeguard is ripping off contractors. Safeguard is ripping off the working class. Safeguard is destroying the industry. I have never worked for them. I would NEVER do work for them..


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## BamaPPC (May 7, 2012)

Craigslist Hack said:


> They crossed the line years ago. I know you don't want to hear it but you have held on too long. You need to position yourself to walk away.


 Believe me, I am working on it. I have aggressively started looking for other streams of revenue.


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## Craigslist Hack (Jun 14, 2012)

BamaPPC said:


> Believe me, I am working on it. I have aggressively started looking for other streams of revenue.


We are down to 2 nationals and even that is a limited role. I am dealing with a $5,000.00 charge back from 2013. You are always vulnerable.


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