My job as a builder is not just to drive around in a fancy car, sitting on my cell phone and making a lot of money like some people think. I have to deal with many details and pressing decisions all day long.
Grain in the neck
There was nothing wrong with this sheet of plywood. The craftsmanship was fine. Here is a $3600 dollar bookshelf and I am looking at having to tear it all apart because the customer does not like the way the grain looks on one panel!
The painters did their job right but when they stained it, one panel showed a stronger grain pattern than the other. You have little control over that and there is no way to tell what the grain will look like before you stain it. Now the bookshelf is done. The painters and carpenters are finished with their jobs and the customer doesn't like the final look. Who's responsibility is it? There will always be a difference in the grain no matter what piece of wood I put there. Am I gonna rip it all apart at my expense ?
The real issue here is about risks and responsibility. I deal with this type of thing every day. Sometimes you have a hundred of these things come up in one job. The customer will see something that isn't quite right, he sleeps on it and just gets more and more bothered by it. So how do you handle it? That's always the question. Well, I could just tell him, "Don't bug me!" and not talk to him. That's one approach. Or I could offer to talk face-to-face with him and discuss his concerns and see if we could arrive at some mutual agreement. That's a better approach. It is an ongoing challenge, though. I have to respond to my customers' wishes and "keep the peace" but I can't just roll over every time, either.
How the grain problem worked out
Other decisions on the job:
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