Until Death Do Us Part: My Renovation Story

[renoseeker 0]

I edited this out, due to popular discontent

Edited November 5, 2011 by renoseeker

[renoseeker 0]

I edited this out, due to popular discontent

Edited November 5, 2011 by renoseeker

[adidaem 6]

Now, please calm down.

Hey, don't take me wrong. I'm not at all 'uncalm'. More 'bemused' than anything else. Enough to pique my interest to reply in the 1st place.

I sincerely feel that this chemistry thing is over-rated. I did my reno just months ago. And I can tell you honestly that this chemistry thing is just a sales technique. It's not that I don't like my renovator or what. It is a sales technique. Just like "building rapport". Just like "small talk".

Different people have different requirements and values. I believe people can use your renovation pics against other renovations to make their own assessment of what sort of renovation they want.

You say you want protection. And yet you go with chemistry? I just don't get it. There are thousands of CASE complaints every year. If chemistry can really lead you there, then where did the complaints come from?

Hey, I'm not the one trying to make money out of other people's renovations. Or having some business model. I believe I'm giving a valid point. Why don't you address the question of providing 'protection' against worst case scenarios? If your response using job search firms and Google search analogy is used in a scenario where unhappy customers complain to the press, good luck.

You can hate me or think that I am shameless promoter, it's ok. But my intentions is good: I want a better renovation industry. A more safe one. Renoseeker is my idea of revamping the industry, because my parents got conned before, 10 years back I think. Which is why I am doing the renovation search this time, all by myself.

If you have a better idea, why not share it with everyone?

Again, I'm not making money, nor do I have any intent to help you to make money. If you truly only have good intentions, then don't make it a profit seeking venture. If not, then I can only assume that it's not truly selfless.

To all,

I am not promoting anything. I just want to see if the idea is sound. In previous posts, I defended my ideas, simply because I feel that my idea can work.

I am the sort of guy who thinks that everything can be solved. So, I would defend my ideas...until a better one came along.

It's not like I post comments here I would get paid. I really just want to share ideas. I may come across too blunt and direct (hence, "self promoting) but I am just blunt and direct...

So, why not we just focus on improving the idea or suggest a better idea?

You say that but like I'd mentioned, I can't see how the last few posts are not self-promoting. Any ideas will benefit you right? Anyway, if you think your idea is sound, pls go ahead with your venture and ignore us naysayers.

I still think this thread belongs to the 'Business Ad' category.

==========================

You can hate me or think that I am shameless promoter, it's ok.

Edit/update: People who are commenting don't 'hate' you I'm sure. Using 'hate' makes it sound so personal. Why take it so personally?

Edited November 4, 2011 by adidaem

[knownothing 0]

Hi Renoseeker,

I think you have yet to address the question of the limited selection of renovators.

My opinion is that unless your operations have become incredibly big, there is no real incentive for renovators to sign up with you and give u a cut of their profits.

You have given extra work to the renovators --- more manpower is exhausted to cope with an intermediary and also the house owner. Operating costs become higher and surely they get passed to customers.

I think the most likely situation is : all the renovators which are engaged through RS will all mark up their pricing to pass on the costs to home owners. We will be better off looking for renovators ourselves, coz the same job, going through the same renovator, will be cheaper this way.

Home owners are limited by the number of renovators you have in your panel. I will be better off sourcing for renovators myself, having the discretion to select and interview anyone, everyone in the market.

If you are thinking of doing this like a search engine like goggle and yahoo, then do it like a pure search engine. If you are not thinking along this way, then dun use your business model and compare it with goggle and yahoo.

I think your model will only work if renovators believe in this model. Not the house owners. Your should seek more feedback from renovators rather than from us.

Edited November 5, 2011 by knownothing

[knownothing 0]

And straying from the topic:

Y i say that this is a promotional thread : to sell and/or promote mkt awareness.

1) you already have a hidden agenda, which is to promote your ideas, from the first day you joined renotalk forums. Look your your recent joined date and your nick.

2) i have seen you post in a lot of other threads, and most of them are just to clock post counts --- to increase your credibility.

3) you sound like you are doing promotion rather than sharing your ideas here

Afternote: i have not been posting in RT forums for quite a long time because i dun see a need to. But i just dun like the way u try to disguise or hide a promotional thread and term it a a sharing thread. True, you try to provide some good Reno info at first (which is ripped off from others) and share some pics of your reno. These small things u try to do are just hoodwinks to me. You try to do it like a t-blog so you can put your thread here because t-blog is the most active and has the highest traffic. I wont mind if you are honest right from the start

Edited November 5, 2011 by knownothing

[friends78 0]

Such an interesting thread to read early this morning.. Decided to read it cos saw the last poster was 'knownothing'. Someone I'm know. Then saw adi's comments. Another friend I known. They are real people I trusted cos we met. The greatest takeaway to be in this forum is to make friends. One particularly whom I still contact her almost daily to gossip and rant if I'm unhappy. And another who will drop her work immediately to reply when I emailed her to check on FS matters cos she sensed the urgency. All these little things that my forum friends do for me have no $$ involved. We shared ideas, comments, views cos we been thru it and don't want others to bang wall and become great friends with those we clicked. It's as simple as that. No $$ involved.

Saw something interesting u wrote 'Some of them have their renovations completed years ago and they still come back and recommend a particular renovator. To be honest, I find it hard to believe that there are no personal / commercial interests in play for this group of people.' Think u have slapped yourself hard. U have this kind of mentality cos u came in with the agenda; commercial interests. So please stop saying that u are trying to help people... improving the reno industry.

I wonder what will you do if a reno company suddenly offers u a higher commission so that his company's video can stand out from others? Will u start to hide all the good videos or claim that the reno companies not free for meetup, no response etc and only present all the 'Cannot Make It' videos to compare with the reno company who offers a higher conmmission? Sorry to say that as long as referral fees is involved, you will never be a fair party.

Also, please act like a real person. I realised that you have been asking for reno contacts and now u claimed that your reno was completed a mth ago?

By the way, I won't be posting after this reply cos I don't want to 'bump up your thread' to let u have the opportunity to claim about you being 'wei da' to help new owners.

[renoseeker 0]

Hi all,

I read your comments and reflected on my behaviour so far.

What you guys say is true. I am ashamed to say that indeed, I have started out with an agenda. I should not have done that.

I should not be using my T-blog to try to pitch the idea. My intentions when I started this T blog isn't pure, now that I think about it.

I think that it is because I was too engrossed into the $ part that I lost myself. I really thought that this idea would work and people would sign up. Believe it or not, I am not an evil man, simply an imperfect person, blinded by greed

I truly wanted to improve the reno industry. I truly wanted to share ideas. That haven't changed, even now. To say that I was trying to get my post counts up is really sad.

knownothing, I have checked out some of your posts too and I could also say that you are trying to get your post counts up. Not all of your posts are golden, you know? Same for anyone out there I guess. I mean no offense.

Oh hi! I graduated in the early 90s! My sis graduated in the 80s though.

"Boon Lay Garden Pri School...

Our very own knowledge pool

We dive in, young and playful

and swim out mature and faithful..."

Haha. Nostalgic! They changed the song when I was in Pri 6.

Oops sorry, gone off topic. This should be a reno blog! Paiseh!

friends78, I asked for contacts because I wanted to check prices, to see if I got chopped. Buyer's remorse. That time, I haven't finish my reno yet.

My mistake is that I used the word "business model", which leads to people thinking that I was trying to make money off people's renovations. To this day, I have not made a single cent off the idea. I really didn't expect such a negative response.

I guess it is because the people here are just too close minded. I am also a member at The Warrior Forums, and you can share any radical ideas there without such negativity. No offense meant, just my own feelings about Renotalk.

I wanted to share my idea, but instead lead to people to think that I am dishonest and self promoting. To be honest, I have no idea how to share my ideas without sounding self promoting. I really, really just wanted to share my idea. I think I went along the wrong way to do it, which leads to people thinking that I am a fiend.

I have learned my lesson. I guess I still have a lot to learn as a person. I want to thank adidaem, knownothing and friends78 to show me how flawed and how greedy I am. I have lost myself...and humiliated myself. Thanks for the "hit in the head"

I promise that I will continue to improve as a human being. Luckily, I am still young.

I would need to reflect on my behavior. But I am still determined to make the renovation industry a little bit better for everyone. Because once a problem gets to me, I cannot get it out until I solve it. Yet another of my personality flaw.

This is the last time I would share my ideas here. I would also stop using this account. Please try to forgive me, guys. I truly meant no harm. I would remove all posts I made.

Have a nice saturday, everyone.

Edited November 5, 2011 by renoseeker