Dumb stuff like this

Yesterday I spotted the following ad on kijiji re a person offering his services with a metal detector and thought to myself - this guy is dreaming if he thinks people are going to beat a path to his door....here is part of what the ad read:

"I will look at a dry area for $50 for first hr (wet extra) and $30/hr after that .you must dig the spots that I tell you too. any item that is not your item I will keep. "


I responded to his ad and blasted him for being so greedy and told him that if I knew of someone who had lost an item and needed help that I would do it for free.....I can see someone accepting a small reward or perhaps some gas money but come on...actually the ad initially read $90 for the first hour but after I told him to get real, he lowered his price - but it is still way out of line.

With as many people who now own detectors, I doubt he will get much business. I'm with you Don, would detect the lost item for free or at least to help gain permission to an area that has potential. It has happened may times, and I typically get offered a reward without even asking.....

Out here there was a lady with a garret posting on Craigslist that she will search your property for treasure and her detector picks up metal 10 feet deep, lol.

She must have the ATX....lol

You know people will do anything for a buck and some people will pay. But just the ad alone is so stupid that the guy that is using a detector wouldn't know where to put the gas to start the darn thing

LowBoy

TAKE A LITTLE TIME KICKBACK AND WATCH SOME OF MY DETECTING VIDEO'S BELOW ON YouTube

[www.youtube.com]

If you don’t dig it, then how are you going to know what you’re missing!
How can you have your pudding if you don’t eat your meat!

You never know....what sounds stupid to you, may be making somebody else a lot of money. I knew there were people that I worked with, that mowed yards for people as a side job, but it almost floored me when they told me how much they were getting paid to mow these yards every week. I will tell ya this...it sure beats the $5-10 I was getting for mowing the neighbors yards when I was a kid...and I had to use a push mower that took the better part of the day to finish with. These guys have big zero turn mowers that can be done in mere minutes...and are getting $50-60 minimum, no matter how small the yard. They said if they score a subdivision where the houses are right next to one another, they can knock out 4 or 5 yards in an hour without losing any drive time.

My cousin put a post on Facebook one day, as she was doing her laundry, that she loved to do laundry and fold/put up clothes. Somebody responded with what she thought was a joke and said something to the effect of "well you can come and do mine if you want...I'll even pay you". Turns out, that person wasn't joking. One thing led to another...and another...and now she has an almost full time job doing people's laundry. Nothing more....just laundry. Wash/dry/fold.

Over here you run into billboards advertising laundry and pressing services.
I'm that sad guy who on Monday morning gets to drive the laundry to the pressing service.

Now if I could get the wife to sit on top of that mower and drive it round the yard!
While I do the ironing,.... when H&LL freezes over!!!

HH
Johnb



Edited 1 time(s). Last edit at 10/12/2013 09:54AM by scoopjohnb.

I found a lady's class ring and mothers day ring yesterday and she and her husband wanted to pay me for finding and returning them. I said your not paying me a penny and to me it was priceless for her to get them back.

Its called free enterprise and although a true metal detectorist would not charge or ask for a reward is perfectly legal.
I understand your feelings but you don't tell your carpenter or auto mechanic what to charge and imagine same goes for this circumstance.
Barnum of the old Barnum and Bailey Circus always stated there is a sucker born every minute and he was correct to a degree....

Yeah but this guy says you dig the hole and if it is not what you lost I get to keep it. Like the carpenter saying you hold the wood and I will nail it to the wall...

LowBoy

TAKE A LITTLE TIME KICKBACK AND WATCH SOME OF MY DETECTING VIDEO'S BELOW ON YouTube

[www.youtube.com]

If you don’t dig it, then how are you going to know what you’re missing!
How can you have your pudding if you don’t eat your meat!

Ya I don't see anything wrong with wanting to make some money for finding someones precious lost item.After all...You have spent years learning how to use your detector..And if your good at it..You should get paid..I've had numerous people call me over the years wanting to borrow a detector or hire me for something they have lost..The last gig was a man who lost his wedding band out in the woods setting up his tree stand...He looked for it for 3 days with a friend of his and his detector..So when he called me up and wanted me to try..I told him I would..I found it within an hour and he gave me a 100.00 ...I didn't ask him to pay me..But I'm not going to turn the payment down either..After all..I deserved it....So if you want to find things for people for free...Good for you..But don't tell me I'm not a true detectorist for charging someone..My goodness...Last i checked..My plumber,mechanic,electrician,doctor,electric company,gas company,gas station,grocery store etc...charged me

I think the principle here is that you do the work for free, finding lost valuables. But, if the owner wishes to show gratitude for the recovered item and offers you money then it acceptable to take it (and to reject it).

If you charge for your service, then that is also acceptable, but less noble. It is a business then and not a philanthropic project. Both are fine, but one shouldn't masquerade as the other.

As stated in my original post - I thought his prices were outrageous but the kicker for me was he had the nerve to indicate that he wanted to keep everything else found....so let's say a person loses a ring on their property which has been in the family for generations (the property that is) and this clown finds a different ring and makes the claim that it is his - that is what really irked me.

Sorry to ruffle any feathers should have said the average detectorist but to me the challenge is what its all about...Indeed batteries, detectors, gas and time and knowledge all deserve compensation and having contractor work done on my house several times lately surely was charged.
On the other end of the coin one winter spent 2 hours in the snow looking for an expensive diamond ring and when I found it....lady wanted to write me a check for 2 hours minimum wage plus a couple bucks in gas as I had to travel so it takes all kinds. Every incident is different and found some expensive and sentimental items along with several sets of car keys, wells, boundary stakes so I know the drill and indeed rewards etc. are well earned...

Already, three people have pulled over while I was detecting and asked me to hunt for their "just below ground level" property stakes. I told them I would as lonmg as I have the rights to hunt their property. So far, no problem. They told me that the surveyors wanted 80 bucks a stake to find them. "Can you believe THAT???!!! Now....how much will you charge me". Me: "Ahhhhhh nothing (pause) except the rights to detect your property and cover my holes and leave the sod like I found it. That's my charge". I have gotten the job three times! It just so happens that they live on a very historically-sterile piece of real estate. BUT.....I had that enjoyment of assuming that 'there could be anything here'. There was nothing. lol
This is weird: Yesterday, and old friend and mechanic asked me if I would use my detector to help him find his watch. Said he lost it while he was running from the law. LOL!!!!!!! "Heck, sure...as long as you ain't got nothing growing in there or brewing, or cooking, or there ain't any weird chemical smells!!!! I ain't going to the State Pen for your watch!!! if you can guarantee that......then I'll run in there, with you leading....and I'll see if it';s there real quick-like." (It's on his own property. He got drunk and loud and had the law called on him and decided that he didn't want to spend the night in jail that night, about a year ago...lol) Well, He DID spend the night in jail. But will saw breyer scratches and other bruises. Anyway......sure I'll help the feller find his watch. I mean.....why not.
I really don';t agree with the person in that ad that DonM shard with us about. But, I'm just not the type of guy to call him and correct him. The feller might end up being the next Donal Trump! LOL Happy Hunting and property stake locating!!!!

My daughter wanted to put a fence on her 2 acres so she called the surveyer that surveyed it when she bought the land. He wanted $200. to find the underground rods. She called me to see if I could locate them, Well i'd bought a whites 6000 di pro coinmaster at an estate auction & wanted to try it. It took about 45 minutes to find them. I dont detect much(am very time constrained) but I can see looking for property stakes would be a good way to gain access to private land.