Boonthavorn bugger things up

Perhaps Robbie Burns came to Thailand. With a slight amendment, his poetry rings so true here:

The best-laid plans of mice and men go oft always awry.

Never mind the mice, whatever you try and undertake always gets screwed up at some point.

Take my condo reflooring project, currently on day two of an estimated four (probably five, maybe six). Having rejected the rather cheap offerings of an obvious alcoholic, we decided to go with Boonthavorn, probably the largest tile supplier in the country, with a monster outlet in Pattaya. They come and measure the rooms, we choose the tiles, they give us a price that is more than the alcoholic, but not too steep, and we say yes. Tiles are all paid for and on Monday at 0830 the Boonthavorn project manager arrives on site, complete with crisp shirt and clipboard. Confidence is inspired and the workers duly arrive and rip out the floors.

No sign of the manager this morning, but here come the workers and here come the tiles; similar but slightly different tiles for each of the rooms. They start work and before too long there are tiles on the floor in both rooms. This is all going rather well. Then the phone rings.

It is she who must be obeyed in a state of some panic. The salesgirl from Boonthavorn (not the manager), has noticed that only the tiles for the bedroom had been delivered to our condo. Which means that the tiles they were happily laying in the computer room onto quick-drying cement were the wrong tiles. Pass the phone to the chief worker who gives that “oh god I have fucked up but I am going to smile anyway” grin, and then rushes to lift up the tiles in the computer room and transfer them to the bedroom before they have to be chiseled off the floor.

So now the computer room looks like this:

I think I will cancel the tiles that have not been delivered and go with the “hastily scraped away in a panic” concrete look.

Comments 🔗

2009-06-30 | Wenthworth says

Ecomentalists will want everyone to have dirt floors soon so you’re ahead of the curve.

2009-06-30 | mart says

Wondering what would have happened if the saleswoman had not called. Would you have ended up with the tiles for each room covering half of both rooms? Would have made the alcoholic laugh…

2009-07-01 | Spike says

Yes, we would have half a floor in both rooms. Then they would have had to chisel out the wrong floor and buy me new tiles.

Part of me was tempted to let that happen; just to punish them, but I want them finished and away as soon as possible; before they break something else.

I suspect the alcoholic would have stuck them to the ceiling.

2009-07-01 | todd says

probably for the best considering the position that they started laying the tiles from.

2009-07-01 | genuine j says

Flooring is boring!

2009-07-01 | Spike says

Walls are worse, next is the painting.

2009-07-01 | Billy says

And what is wrong with alcohol fuelled tiles on the ceiling?? … on behalf of self, Jock, Walter, Ron and several others, I take the greatest of umbridges at your refusal to employ alcoholics … we are people too … and need the cash ….

2009-07-02 | mart says

Alcohol at work is not a problem. At least not one that two or three bottles of M-150 and a yaabaa pill couldn’t solve!