Reputation is everything

Easter Egg hunts can be hazardous to your health. 16 people set out from my house this Saturday to locate well-camouflaged chocolate treats. Only 15 returned...

I found the 16th hunter sheepishly retrieving their right foot from a broken step which had given way under the most minimal of pressure. Another job added to my DIY list for Monday morning. 

Taking a look underneath the broken step had me scratching my head. I have no idea how it lasted as long as it did. The steps were built before I was the homeowner, and not by the Master builder who built the house. Being a sturdy 6cms thick, the step itself was undamaged. The problem was that the only thing holding up the plank was a 3cm sliver of wood either side, stabilised by some now-rusty nails which had inevitably failed. 

It got me thinking about the build process. What happened? Who planned it? Who chose the materials? Did they run out of money? Did they deliberately do it on the cheap? Or were they asked by their client to make it as cheap as possible? Did the client squeeze them on price so hard that they were forced to use materials that were never meant to last? Or was this a lack of care and attention? If so, where else did they cut corners? Is something else going to give way sometime soon? 

Knowing the house as I do, I am sure that this was a one-off. I am just being paranoid, but when a product or service fails, it affects your trust in the supplier. Why risk your reputation for the sake of buying some slightly-higher priced stainless steel nails or putting in a couple of extra blocks of supporting wood? Cheap materials and poor craftsmanship are a bad mix, as are short arms and deep pockets. You get what you pay for. 

Reputation is everything. 

PS: Rebuilding the step was a pretty fun challenge as it turned out

PPS: For the compassionate amongst you, the guest was uninjured and enjoyed a few hot cross buns and a cup of hot water for his troubles.