Why I don't spray Orange Paint!

**boblocates** · July 22nd, 2009, 06:27 PM

Qwest will be making it's announcement for new locate companies next week. Insiders are telling me that ELM has stopped ordering supplies for the states they cover. Not sure what they know.

Seems to me that Qwest seems to beat you down, then when they can no longer do it they just shop you out.

**boblocates** · July 22nd, 2009, 06:35 PM

FYI - I am not a ELM fan. In fact they are on the bottom of the list. From talking with employees, managers, owners, customers and seeing all the changes I would rate them:

1. One Vision
2. Utiliquest
3. CLS
4. Stake
5. Golden State
6. Elm
7. SiteWise
8. Unibar

**noOT4me** · July 22nd, 2009, 06:41 PM

Consolidated Utilities should be at the top of that list somewhere. I have no major complaints over my 11 years with them (especially after seeing what some of you guys have dealt with). Never been harassed and my check shows up every other week.

**OVUS1** · July 23rd, 2009, 10:15 AM

I would agree with noOT - CUS has a pretty good crew here in Georgia and up in Virginia.

I did a lot of work for Qwest years ago when I worked for Radiodetection, but have been out of their world for some time now. We are migrating as far away from fiber locating as possible - too much liability and cost for repairs/downtime. We still locate some communications on the private side of the house, but that's about all the orange paint we have in stock here.....

**50/60** · July 27th, 2009, 07:28 PM

Has anybody heard anything on the Qwest contract? It has been really quiet here in Colorado.

**boblocates** · July 27th, 2009, 11:46 PM

Yes, Qwest is still talking/meeting with SiteWise, SafeSite and Underground. Not looking good for ELM.

You have to think about the whole picture. Qwest isn't in it for quality, it is the act of "damage prevention" at an all lower price. Phone gets hit? Eh big deal now a days everyone has a cell phone. Phone is not critical like gas or power where someone can get directly hurt.

Now how can ELM come up with a cheaper price with the other companies marking another utility. Not only that you can't just give it ONE company, you have to divide it up with the current ones because they don't all cover the entire state. When your talking 2, 3 bucks more for a single times that out 200k, 300k in tickets it adds up fast.

Do the math, change is coming!