"Sir and Ma'am, we would like to prewire your home and make it a Smart Home. Our expertise is such that we guarantee a 20% chance of doing it the way it is supposed to be done. What? You don't want us? But it's free! Wouldn't you like to reconsider?"

Licensing can be as worthless as a revenue generating agency that lives to preserve itself. It is only as good as its enforcement.

We were licensed for the repair end of things for almost 30 years but there were never enough agents in the field to weed out the unlicensed guys. Most unlicensed people don't have a clue that a license is needed, by the way. I consider licensing a dubious venture and another tax for me, based on previous experience. No thanks.

Certification? Bring up the expertise level of techs and CI companies? How generic is the certification exam going to be? What guarantees that the CI guys are going to do better work when done? How many complaints have you read here of the hacks that were certified by the current industry association had to be followed by a real CI to clean it up? No thanks again.

It's a pity, but you can't protect clients from bad installers any more than you can protect them from bad handymen. They have to get references, follow up on previous clients, and so on - as in "do your homework before signing up a CI."

Mr. Stanley was kind enough to scan the ad, which I posted and wrote about here: [Link: cepro.com]

I even interviewed the guy over at Local 46.

Well,

I know why the Master Builder's Association doesn't get any more of my money. All I ever got was guys expecting something for nothing and now they have it right here in print. Client's didn't really make a big issue out of me being a member... kind of like CEDIA.

As the governing body of this association I would have rejected this ad based on the fact that is does de-value the services of other members. It also shows just how desperate these guys are. I hope the unions dry up... I've always felt they were protection for lazy people. My wife just had to join one when ATT wireless was bought by Cingular. All they've done for her is strip her seniority and make her bid for shifts with people who are just starting there (she's been there for almost 15 years).

I once had the "fun" experience of doing some stereo wiring in a condo unit with a bunch of union electricians... I've never been more uneasy in my life... spent the day looking over my shoulder while they kicked my drill and kept asking me "what union are you with?" I was happy to end the day without getting my ass kicked. Afterward... something told me to go in with the owner after hours and check all my wires... sure enough, these bastards had cut speaker wires by nipping out one lead and stuffing the damaged area within the hole in the studs. The owner and I complained but the big boss didn't give a rats ass and while I'm sure they were lauding themselves for screwing my "non-union ass"... my system luckily finished without a hitch.

I did a condo pre-wire for Mag, once... Union job. I went to lunch, came back and 5 -500 foot rolls of the high-end monster cable were GONE... The super just said, hell I don't know where it could have gone, and kept walking.

(I'll bet those guys don't believe in Global Warming either)!!! :)

How big was the condo?

In my opinion, the union isn't loooking to put IT guys out of business, at lkeast not directly. They're doing it in order to get more house-wiring work from house builders. It's plain old job security.

If they can make a house more valuable, the builder can profit more. They have a "better" product to sell (the "smart" house), can ask more for it, and don't have to spend any more to get it wired.

This kind of thing happens in every industry sooner or later, and will continue as long as there is an uneducated consumer market. Until it matters to the buyer, functionality is an unknown commodity.

Once a home-buyer has to pay to have repair and rewiring work done, and wonders why he has to pay twice for the "same" work, then he'll know better next time. Until then, he won't know why.

The customer needs to know why it matters who does the low-voltage work, just as with almost everything else. The GC chooses sub-contractors based on profit potential, not performance.


As for sabotaged work, I would do one thing: take pictures and file charges. Okay, that's two things. I know many say there's no point, but I'm stubborn and relentless when it comes to that crap.

Years ago, when I was subbing for a big security company in Minnesota, I had the unfortunate pleasure of dealing with union electricians. About every 15 minutes, they would stop me and harrass me about my lack of a union card. Job wasnt even a union job. Complained to the super and had them thrown off the job when I threatened to file a harassment suit against the builder and the electricians. You don't have to put up with that s%#t.

Larry,

We thought about taking to the next level but who do you charge... there were at least 20 guys in an out of my area and I haven't got video of any one person doing it. I'm just glad I had the foresight to meter those wires... and like i said, I feel like I won because their sabotage failed.

(4) units in the building. I'd just started on the first one.

the builder I showed this to is not interested in this "deal" because he knows smart homes are "wireless" and therefore because no wire is needed it should all be free anyway!

that is classic!

don't get me started on painters!