Should I be a free filing cabinet?

[Jims5543]

Originally Posted by GH85Carrera

We had one large firm stiff us for a just under 30K and we hired an attorney to get a judgement against them. When they went to bid on a federal contract, the bid was thrown out because they had a judgement against them. They suddenly found our phone number did still work. They wanted the judgement released ASAP and they FedExed us a check. We made sure the check cleared, and then we called the attorney and had her send a bill as well for all the legal costs. Once that was paid, we told her (the attorney) to release it whenever she happened to get around to it. They ended up paying us 100% of the bill, and the attorney fees.

That company actually called us to do a project after that, and we told them check for full amount before we start the airplane. They did.

It worked out great for us, the attorney was a friend that was willing to file some paperwork and all she wanted was the possibility to get paid if the client choked up the money.

When I put my foot down with the builder, he had another surveyor the next day ready to go. I tried to hire an attorney at first, all the local attorneys would not take him on because he was so well connected.

I tried to hire a Palm Beach attorney, they wanted a 5K retainer. I said forget it, I ran that route once before.


I had an attorney play games on me over a 22K bill where I did an Alta survey on a 5 acre shopping center.

He never paid the bill. I hired an attorney and put a lien on his property.

He hired more expensive attorneys and ran me around the block until I had racked up a 10K legal bill. That got me to the table.

I got $7500 out of mediation.


For years after that they asked for copies of the survey, I told them copies run $5000 each.

Then they asked for a cadd file of my survey, I told them that was $20,000.

They gave up after 10 years.

[Jims5543]

Originally Posted by SCadaddle

As Jim probably knows, the "Insider joke" within our profession of Land Surveying is:

"What's the difference between Doctors and Surveyors?"

"Doctors bury their mistakes, Surveyors monument theirs!"

Yes we are indeed idiots. When I real our Standards of Practices (new name for MTS) I sometimes shake out head, you know some self righteous ahole who never worked a minute in the field made many of the rules.

There is a new one here is Florida, if you are caught disparaging another surveyor to a potential client, you can go up before the board for discipline.

I refuse to ever turn another surveyor in, it is not my style and I believe in karma. I feel bad ones will work themselves out of business on their own.

[MBAtarga]

Originally Posted by wdfifteen

Yes, that's probably what I'll do. Maybe give him a 99 year lease for $1 or something. It's in a flood plain so it will never have much value. I've lived here two years and the farmer has had to have a dozer come and push sand off of it due to floods both years. I'm not sure why he bothers with it. It's across the creek and through the woods from our house - basically inaccessible. It has no value to me, unless there are minerals underground. Maybe I'll go shoot at it and see if oil bubbles up (Beverly Hillbillies reference there).

It would be best and safest to get something in writing. In the state of GA, adverse possession law requires 20 years of occupation. Google search appears for OH, its 21 years of occupation.

[jyl]

Know nothing about the work of a surveyor, but I think I'd be inclined to stamp every page with a big disclaimer. NOT A CURRENT SURVEY. NOT TO BE RELIED ON. SURVEYOR MAKES NO REPRESENTATION OF ACCURACY OR COMPLETENESS. PROVIDING THIS COPY DOES NOT CONSTITUTE PROVIDING SURVEY SERVICES. Something like that. It would suck to get sued by someone claiming that he relied on your old survey and that by sending it to him you implicitly represented its accuracy and restarted the statute of limitations for a survey error. I quickly scanned some state statutes and some provide that the limitation period starts running from recordation while others provide it starts running from the survey service date. I would most definitely charge a meaningful sum for providing the copy. Professional surveyors' organizations must have a best practices recommendation for this.

[dad911]

Originally Posted by Jims5543

Oh, the email that triggered this, I answered this morning. Told them I do not release older surveys without updating them. I offer a 50% discount to go back out, recover the property corners (we then check them with GPS) and note any changes to the property.

I was told they do not need a new survey they want a copy of the old one, the client did not get one at closing.

Yet they know I surveyed it and told me the date of my survey.

I have not even bothered with a response at this point, I hate liars.

Have some fun with it. Erase the scale, Put a big red disclaimer across it, covering the important stuff, mark it not to scale and expired, then squish one (not both) directions so it can't be traced...... and add watermarks (real water of course)......

[KFC911]

^^^ ...and in metric or cubits

[wdfifteen]

Originally Posted by jyl

Know nothing about the work of a surveyor, but I think I'd be inclined to stamp every page with a big disclaimer. NOT A CURRENT SURVEY. NOT TO BE RELIED ON. SURVEYOR MAKES NO REPRESENTATION OF ACCURACY OR COMPLETENESS. PROVIDING THIS COPY DOES NOT CONSTITUTE PROVIDING SURVEY SERVICES. Something like that.

Seems the point of doing a survey is to be accurate.
If not, at least be more creative - or honest.
“I was drunk and stroking my pecker to an old Madonna video when I wrote down these numbers and whatnot, so .... whatever. Sorry about the stains.”

[SCadaddle]

I have a note in the title block of my Survey Plats that reads: "This Plat of Survey is not valid unless signed and embossed with a Surveyors Seal." The official ones that go to the client get signed and dated in BLUE ink and then embossed with my seal over my signature and date. They can make all the copies they want, and a generic copy will have my signature and date in black print. If you can't "feel" my seal then it's not valid. The State of Mississippi gives me the option of using a wet ink stamp (which most outfits create and insert as a "block" in their cadd drawings) or an embossed seal. I choose the latter.