Hardwood installation in Solomons

[NachoLibre]

We want to pull carpet in 3 bedrooms and install hardwood at our condo in Solomons. We would be providing the hardwood and just need someone skilled at installing it. Any recommendations?

[bring_em_on]

El Capitan Martin,

Just texted you some contact info to your phone. Let me know if you didn't get it.


Capt. Keith

[Bay Bob]

Whatever you do, don't use Lowes. We got an non-english speaking Salvadoran teenager and a 12 year old interperter to do the install - - -

That cost Lowes several K in appliance sales - - -

[port fisher]

My best friend has been installing Hardwood Floors for 20+ years. Avid fisherman as well. May be interested in some side work. If you are interested in contact information, let me know.

[Baldzilla 2.0]

Whatever you do, don't use Lowes. We got an non-english speaking Salvadoran teenager and a 12 year old interperter to do the install - - -

That cost Lowes several K in appliance sales - - -

My good fishing buddy MartinM is Guatemalan, I'm sure he'll appreciate this...

[NachoLibre]

Bay Bob: Like Mark said, I'm from Guatemala--and came here when I was 12 and now I'm rich, biatch! Gotta love America! BTW, did the Salvadorans do a crappy job, or are you just ign'ant and racist?

Everybody else: thanks for the good recommendations.

Adios!

[Brandon]

I am not sure that the comment was given in a raciest way or not, but if it was Bay Bob please keep that off the boards. It is not needed in todays day of age. Not to mention my wife is from South America, ie she is spanish :eek2:

I know sometimes things can get taken the wrong way because it is all text on forums, so I am leaning towards the benefit of the doubt that it was meant that the work was done poorly due to lack of skills not ethnicity.

Just thought I should comment on this issue.

Brandon

[Bay Bob]

I don't care what nationality he is, but when he starts cutting my existing hardwood trim with a screwdriver and a hammer then his craftsmanship and training come into question.

When they nail through Pergo flooring when installing 1/4 round and nose molding that is strike two - - -

When they installed the "high dollar" Pergo trim strips by tossing the guts and power nailing them down I question not their nationality, but their parentage !

The problems with the situation is that the installer did not speak english, and the 12 year old "interperter" knew as much about installing Pergo as your average 12 year old.

I am waiting for the Pergo to buckle as we speak since it is nailed through on one side of the room and flush against a sliding door frame on the other.

I have nothing in the world against immigrants since obviously we all are, but if you are going to conduct business here you should be able to communicate with your customers at a level that allows you to understand their concerns .

My thought is that if you have not been here long enough to speak half decent English there is a real chance you have not been here long enough to be fully trained in the job you are doing, especially when it is somewhat "technical" as installing Pergo is - - -

I could have just not mentioned his nationality, and merely said he could not speak English, but having to explain why he could not speak English, was much easier by simply giving his nationality.

I could have cared if he was a Purple Martian as long as he did good work !

[Bay Bob]

"Bay Bob: Like Mark said, I'm from Guatemala--and came here when I was 12 and now I'm rich, biatch! Gotta love America! BTW, did the Salvadorans do a crappy job, or are you just ign'ant and racist?

Everybody else: thanks for the good recommendations.

Adios! "

Fine Martin, hire the Spanish speaking teenager to do the work, and since you probably speak Spanish, then he could leave the 12 year old "interperter" at home and you would not have to stop him from playing with the air nailer - - -

This is not about Nationality, or Race, this is about craftsmanship, professionalism, and experience, this kid had none of the above - - - which is why I bothered to post - - - next time I'll just reccommend Lowes to you - - -

[Baldzilla 2.0]

Fine Martin, hire the Spanish speaking teenager to do the work, and since you probably speak Spanish, then he could leave the 12 year old "interperter" at home and you would not have to stop him from playing with the air nailer - - -

This is not about Nationality, or Race, this is about craftsmanship, professionalism, and experience, this kid had none of the above - - - which is why I bothered to post - - - next time I'll just reccommend Lowes to you - - -

Then why not just say "I used Lowes and they did a crappy job" Why all the details about race, language, age, etc????

[Bay Bob]

Then why not just say "I used Lowes and they did a crappy job" Why all the details about race, language, age, etc????

Race was never mentioned, the language barrier impacted his ability to do the job to my satisfaction, anything more is your imagination - - -

[Baldzilla 2.0]

Race was never mentioned, the language barrier impacted his ability to do the job to my satisfaction, anything more is your imagination - - -

I should have been more clear...why mention nationality, not race. For your clarification, there...why mention nationality. Just say even Lowes Sucks, don't use them...be done with it...don't care how you meant it, it's how it comes across.

[Bay Bob]

I stated facts in my original posts, the installer was a teenaged, non english speaking Salvadoran.

Being a teenager is relevant because he could not have much experience unless they install a lot of Pergo in El Salvador.
The non-english speaker statement is important because it indicates that he had not been here long, and could not effectively communicate with his customer.
The Salvadoran part was to indicate why he did not speak english, and bears on his total experience in the job he was hired, and paid handsomely to accomplish.

I stated fact and you and your pal scream racism - - - it has been my experience that the first person to claim racism is the real racist.

[Baldzilla 2.0]

I stated facts in my original posts, the installer was a teenaged, non english speaking Salvadoran.

Being a teenager is relevant because he could not have much experience unless they install a lot of Pergo in El Salvador.
The non-english speaker statement is important because it indicates that he had not been here long, and could not effectively communicate with his customer.
The Salvadoran part was to indicate why he did not speak english, and bears on his total experience in the job he was hired, and paid handsomely to accomplish.

I stated fact and you and your pal scream racism - - - it has been my experience that the first person to claim racism is the real racist.

That's about as hilarious as it gets...yeah my ethnic friend who hangs out with me a lilly white guy sis a racist, and me, who is white as can be, with 3 regular fishing buddies, one hispanic, one black, and one asian is the racist...cover it up anyway you want, no matter how you meant it, it's how it came across...and it came across racist...it's all about perception, that's all I'm saying..not that you are a racist, but that you sounded racist...

[NachoLibre]

Dude,your beef with Lowe's was that they sent "a non-english speaking Salvadoran teenager and a 12 year-old interpreter to do the install". Nowhere do you say that they did a poor job. That's really all that should matter when you have someone providing a service, right? So, why not say "they sent a kid and a guy who couldn't speak English and they did a crappy job of laying the Pergo, which I couldn't explain because of the language barrier" ? I think you assumed that your point of view would be common here and that I would be put off by having the work done by "a non-English speaking Salvadoran teenager and 12 year old interpreter". I couldn't care less if it was done by a Brittish 89 year old with a glass eye, a stutter, and a spider monkey on his shoulder as long as it got done to my expectations. Then Baldie pointed out that the kid and installer could have been my cousins :eek2: and things got fun.

I don't really take issue with it. You're entitled to your opinions, but I'm also entitled to call you out on your intended message.

BTW, I got all my flooring from Lowe's and went ahead and got all stainless appliances to make up for the business that they lost from you. (Gotta support the local economy). I'll say hi to the Salvadorans for you!

[Baldzilla 2.0]

Dude,your beef with Lowe's was that they sent "a non-english speaking Salvadoran teenager and a 12 year-old interpreter to do the install". Nowhere do you say that they did a poor job. That's really all that should matter when you have someone providing a service, right? So, why not say "they sent a kid and a guy who couldn't speak English and they did a crappy job of laying the Pergo, which I couldn't explain because of the language barrier" ? I think you assumed that your point of view would be common here and that I would be put off by having the work done by "a non-English speaking Salvadoran teenager and 12 year old interpreter". I couldn't care less if it was done by a Brittish 89 year old with a glass eye, a stutter, and a spider monkey on his shoulder as long as it got done to my expectations. Then Baldie pointed out that the kid and installer could have been my cousins :eek2: and things got fun.

I don't really take issue with it. You're entitled to your opinions, but I'm also entitled to call you out on your intended message.

BTW, I got all my flooring from Lowe's and went ahead and got all stainless appliances to make up for the business that they lost from you. (Gotta support the local economy). I'll say hi to the Salvadorans for you!

Senor Martin,
Donde esta la pergo?

[AIK68J]

I couldn't care less if it was done by a Brittish 89 year old with a glass eye, a stutter, and a spider monkey on his shoulder
!

Hey Martin I think that is this guy the I hired to do some catering for a party and for what it is worth the spider monkey did not speak english but he did however know how cook french provincal chicken like a mofo. I believe however the spider monkey was born in captivity to a Braizllian and Argentinan monkeys (who also did not speak english but threw feces left handed which is on the wrong side as most Good American monkeys throw with their right hand). The British guy with the glass eye and stutter could play a mean banjo too while the monkey danced for entertainment during the meal.

[Bay Bob]

Dude,your beef with Lowe's was that they sent "a non-english speaking Salvadoran teenager and a 12 year-old interpreter to do the install". Nowhere do you say that they did a poor job. That's really all that should matter when you have someone providing a service, right? So, why not say "they sent a kid and a guy who couldn't speak English and they did a crappy job of laying the Pergo, which I couldn't explain because of the language barrier" ? I think you assumed that your point of view would be common here and that I would be put off by having the work done by "a non-English speaking Salvadoran teenager and 12 year old interpreter". I couldn't care less if it was done by a Brittish 89 year old with a glass eye, a stutter, and a spider monkey on his shoulder as long as it got done to my expectations. Then Baldie pointed out that the kid and installer could have been my cousins :eek2: and things got fun.

I don't really take issue with it. You're entitled to your opinions, but I'm also entitled to call you out on your intended message.

BTW, I got all my flooring from Lowe's and went ahead and got all stainless appliances to make up for the business that they lost from you. (Gotta support the local economy). I'll say hi to the Salvadorans for you!

I thought it was pretty obvious that no teenager (especially one who does not speak English) could do a professional installation on Pergo, I thought that the 12 year old interperter was a pretty good indication of the lack of professionalism of the installers and Lowes.

I thought a reasonable person could come to the conclusion that the installation was less than satisfactory.

Of course I did not take into consideration that you are a person who sees everything in a racial context.

Are you related to Al Sharpton and Jessie Jackson ? ? ?

Are you a race huckster ?

And just in case you lost something in the translation, the term Salvadoran indicates nationality, not race.

[NachoLibre]

Actually, Bay Bob, I rarely get into race discussions, but I have been known to call people out when they throw veiled commentaries around. Your post presented ethnicity (which correlates with race) as your main issue with Lowe's and I called you out on it. Now you're back-pedaling and continue to throw defensive comments around. I could care less what you or any other random stranger thinks of Salvadorans or any other ethnicity/race, including my own. You obviously had an opinion and now don't have the stones to stand behind it. So I'm not a race huckster. I'm more of a bullshit caller.

I'm done replying to this thread. I know guys like you and you'll continue defending your position with semantics and red herrings*.

*Disclaimer: I could care less if the herring was red, purple, white, or black.

[Bay Bob]

Actually, Bay Bob, I rarely get into race discussions, but I have been known to call people out when they throw veiled commentaries around. Your post presented ethnicity (which correlates with race) as your main issue with Lowe's and I called you out on it. Now you're back-pedaling and continue to throw defensive comments around. I could care less what you or any other random stranger thinks of Salvadorans or any other ethnicity/race, including my own. You obviously had an opinion and now don't have the stones to stand behind it. So I'm not a race huckster. I'm more of a bullshit caller.

I'm done replying to this thread. I know guys like you and you'll continue defending your position with semantics and red herrings*.


*Disclaimer: I could care less if the herring was red, purple, white, or black.

I am done replying too, but let me finish with a bit of a reality check for you race baiters.

Apparently you have not quite mastered the English language as evidenced by the way you misuse terms like "racist" and "ethnicity" - - - let me help you out with a little definition

"Ethnic groups are not races, since ethnicity can be more precisely defined than race or even logically independent: Serbs and Croats are also Slavs, and a Jew might be black or white. Nor does membership of an ethnic group relate a person necessarily to a particular territory in the way that nationality does. Nevertheless, ‘ethnic conflict’ can be the same thing as conflict between nations or races as it can also be conflict between religious groups. Ethnic conflict in Northern Ireland (‘Catholic’ and ‘Protestant’), Lebanon (where Christian Arabs have been in conflict with Muslim Arabs), and in the Balkans (where Orthodox Serbs differ from Catholic Croats and from Muslims principally in terms of religion) are all conflicts primarily identified by religious affiliation. Language, for the Basques, Welsh, or Georgians, for example, is a more important badge of ethnicity than race, nationality, or religion."

I shall repeat the facts from my original post since you seem to have trouble grasping facts.

The installer was a non English speaking Salvadoran, and he was accompanied by a 12 year old "interperter" - - - - - who we ended up babysitting.

The installer had crap for tools and his techniqe was amatuerish.

From my original post a reasonable person could establish that Lowes and their installers were inexperience, lacked communication ability and were extremely unprofessional.

You and your race card playing pals somehow twisted that to call me a racist.

Fact is I never mentioned race or ethnicity, only nationality.

In reality the installer could have been a blue eyed blond haired South/Central American. I have traveled widely there, and (real) blondes are not unheard of.

Race and racism exist only in the minds of you and your pals in this situation.

And speaking of racism, I have observed first hand how you "enlightened" Central/South Americans have treated natives and darker skinned citizens in your own countries. You have one he!! of a nerve and considerable"huevos" to mention racism in relation to this country - - -

I hope that in the future people judge you as quickly based on your appearance as youquickly judged me as a racist based on a factual account of my experience - - - in reply to a question THAT YOU ASKED !