Thread: Progress on the bus . . .

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or lack thereof.
Shot up to Thames to check out progress on the fitting of the interior on Monday.
They've had the bus six months now, and progress so far is:
the floor has been levelled and laid,
the side panels from the driver's seat one side, and the door the other side have been installed up as far as the windows,
the seat belt mountings for the rear passengers have been made, mounted, and certified,
the toilet / shower cubicle is installed, but not finished,
the sink bench (with sink,) has been installed, but not finished,
the walls for the slide-out pantry on the l/h side have been mounted, but nothing else has been done to it,
the grey water tank has been installed, but not finished,
and arrangements have been made with a local sign shop to transfer the graffiti from the ceiling back into the bus.

Sigh.

At this rate I'll be trading the bloody thing in on a zimmer frame before it's even on the road!

(And no Charlie; don't even mention ice-cream! )

Oh Crap!!! Sigh.............

Dosen't seem like anyone is even concerned about that bus, but you and us..

Maybe we need to get a bunch of the guys to fly down with tools, jb? Gotta be frustrating.... At least you're heading into Fall....

Originally Posted by cffisher

Dosen't seem like anyone is even concerned about that bus, but you and us..

Ain't that the truth!
You surely dribbled a bib-full there Charlie!
But how do you get people to rattle their dags and get a move on?
I'm a placid fella by nature, but it appears I'm just gonna have to 'come the heavy'.
(I'm told I can be quite intimidating just because of my size. Six ft tall and 200 lbs. Not to mention my appearance; scruffy, unshaven, battered leather work boots, and shoulder length hair.)
But it irritates me that it should come to this.
I'll be back up there within a fortnight, immediately after Beach Hop, and that will be the approach; unless there's substantial progress.
Bugger!
I don't want to pull this sort of thing; but if needs must . . .

Originally Posted by rspears

Maybe we need to get a bunch of the guys to fly down with tools, jb? Gotta be frustrating.... At least you're heading into Fall....

That sounds like the go!

I'll supply the beer!

Hell JB., that is frustrating for you and she indoors. While the sign writer is at that little task on the interior graffiti maybe have him or her sign write the name " Slow Motion " across the back. You certainly must be a darn patient type of guy as I would of lost my cool by now as I used up all patience nearly 40 years ago when I cave up smoking. Next time you walk into the shop in Thames and you ain't happy with the progress, ask the owner if he doesn't like Taranaki Money or if he believes it isn't valued the same as Coromandel money as he appears not to be in a hurry to earn your money.

....or a different tack? Perhaps mention that the Producer from "Fair Go" called a few days ago, wondering if they could stop by to do a follow up segment, showing the finished project and perhaps highlighting some of the shops that went "above and beyond" to get it done for you, since it sat idle for so long at NTSA? Then explain that you had to tell them that it appears to be somewhat stalled again, can't really pinpoint why...... If they don't get the message that they might find themselves starring on the evening news they're dense. Of course that assumes that they care.....

Whip:
The name has already been decided:

Need help on bus origins.
(Thanks to Roger Spears for that; that has been copied and is in my folder awaiting the painting of the exterior.)

Roger, these people belong to some obscure sect that doesn't allow its followers to use either radios or TVs; so a 'Fair Go' threat would mean nothing to them.

I know that a punch in the head and a meeting of minds are two entirely different things . . . but sometimes the implied threat works wonders!
So I'll try it.

Oh, now that you have mentioned that about the firm in Thames I know who you are talking about as when I was in sales they were one of my customers. I can honestly say that they pay their accounts in the same method , really slow to the stage I was losing the commission off the sell due to them not paying so once I had the money closed their account and forgot them altogether . Can I ask why you send the bus there ???

I sent the bus to them because they hold the NZ franchise for the particular interior that we had seen and liked.

I wish I'd known of your experience before I engaged them; an individual/business that is lax in paying their accounts is very often lax in other areas too.
That knowledge may very well have frightened me off.

Well sorry about that and I will refer you back to post about punches in the head etc. as I believe that maybe the only way to frighten them to a better work standard that suits you to achieve the end result in a timely fashion. I wish I could help you there but it has been awhile since I had any dealings with them.

That's all good mate; you weren't to know.
I can't blame anybody but myself, it was my decision, and mine alone.

But they are the only people who purvey that product in New Zealand, and it was that product we wanted.

Well I tried the 'heavy' approach, and it worked to some extent; in that their speed increased from snail pace to turtle pace.
( . . . and I absolutely hate doing that . . . acting the bully is not my scene . . .)

Sooo . . . onto the telephone yesterday and an ultimatum was issued: Have it done by the end of this month, because that's when it's being pulled out, finished or not. I can't afford the time to have it sitting while we're overseas.
It must be in the paint shop before the 7th June; because that's when we fly out.
(We don't really; we fly out on the 23rd, but they're not to know that.)

The response?
"Oh! Well it looks as though we're going to have to work weekends then."
To which I replied: "Bide a wee here mate; I think you're confusing me with someone who gives a s**t! Because it's coming out 3rd or 4th of June; depending upon when I can get an appointment for a Certificate of Fitness booking. End of story."

So that's the deadline.

I've already spoken to Frank Bruyston of Thames Towing, just down the road from the Testing Station, who told me that if I needed any mechanical repairs for a Cert. I was welcome to use his tools and facilities.
(Frank's a member of the N Z Morris Minor Club . . . has a Morrie with a 350 in it, and a good bloke. Sometimes it's not what you know; but who . . . )

Well, I've got to say that you've been more than patient with that crew, jb. They seem to be a bit clueless as to promises and expectations. Oh, and your "Bide A Wee?" I think maybe that's a way of saying "I hope it helps", or "I hope it works", but then you tossed in that you really couldn't care less because the die is cast, deadline set, right?