To say tradesman are a bit useless?

I live in a fairly rural area so I appreciate this might not work as well in a city, but all the tradies round here subcontract for the same local contractors and that means they all know each other and have worked together a lot. So if I get a good tradesman that I get on well with, I get preemptive recommendations for other trades in case I need them.

I 100% agree with this,the work being completed to a good standard, but as far as I can tell from your messages, the work has been completed, and there are no issues with his workmanship, just the product is a bit whistly in the wind.

This may well be his go-to fan, and he's fitted hundreds of them without an issue.

I agree with your dad, and he sounds great. Trades like him are sadly very hard to find, in my area at least.

My dads a builder, can do almost all trades. He is of the old school, be won't overcharge and is obsessed with the detail.
He says he doesnt know what's wrong with these young tradies (who he hires a lot). He says they are lazy, cut corners and always trying to finish early and knock off at 2 or 3.
Look for an old school tradie or one who is trying to build his own company and has their head screwed on.

Oh I would prefer to do it myself, and have done so on many occasions in the past! However I'm now in my mid 70s and unable to.

And yes, I'm somewhat an expert - because it's my home, I've looked after it for many years and I don't want it messed up by some 25 year old who thinks he knows it all and can rip off an elderly woman on her own.

Why on earth are you challenging what I posted? Wait until it happens to you - or are you one of the many rogue workmen?

I think this specific example is a bit of an odd one to complain about but I agree with the general principle of 'I don't know what I don't know and I need you to advise me'. I find some tradesmen seem to want me to know exactly what I need/want them to do. I know very little about most aspects of house maintenance, sometimes even just working out which trade I need is not at all obvious to me! So yes I would definitely want some options from eg 'cheapest but x y and z downsides' to 'mid range' to 'premium with advantages x y and z' and then I can make an informed choice.
We are lucky to have had some great people but have also had some really dodgy ones and hard to tell the difference sometimes.
I think I would probably feel less nervous about it all if I knew exactly what needed doing and just didn't have the time/strength/tools to do it myself. I'm a bit more in that situation with gardening so feel less out of my depth there (although also it's harder for someone to cause me extra problems by doing work in the garden so the stakes seem a bit lower...)

A very quick Google suggests Screwfix alone sells over 80 types of bathroom fan, starting at £19.99 all the way upto £150+, with the best will in the world, not many trades are going to have an in-depth knowledge of all fans, never mind what or how they may be affected by a random wind.

He’s an electrician not Michael bloody fish - fgs

You check their work? If you're enough of an expert in whatever they're doing that you feel qualified to check it, why don't you just do it yourself?

Well, storm Benjamin aside, did you not do any research before you had the job done?

Struggling to see how this is a trade's fault for a poorly designed fan?

Depends how the vent was fixed to the outside wall. I had one that blew off fairly quickly because instead of being screwed into the bricks, it had been stuck on with glue

I'm reluctant to employ any trades these days but when I have to, I check their work each and every step of the way now.

I think there are also some lawyers, doctors and civil servants and people in all fields who are a bit useless. I don't think it's just confined to tradies.

There’s a reason some tradies have to be self-employed.

This. You can't say all tradespeople are rubbish based on one experience 🙄

They all think they're the bee's knees though and dislike it if you point out something they've done that you don't think is good enough.

Sadly both me and my husband are pushovers and get taken advantage of.

I'm 50/50 with this.

A lot of trades are absolute crap. I have a patched up garage ceiling from a leaky not-finished-fitting-it replacement ensuite to prove it.
He also killed my dyson, as it got water in the motor and went BOOM when DH plugged it in. 🤬

But.

We have an extract fan with external flaps in the kitchen and it rattles like nobodys business. We also have them in the bathroom and ensuites and they just "thud" when the wind reverses, sucks rather than blows IYSWIM.

Try a different vent cover - have a look on Wickes or Screwfix website - it takes a small stepladder, screwdrive and patience to swap them. The ones with cowling might be less prone to rattle.

I suppose it would only be fair to say SOME are a bit useless but you’re absolutely correct.

I find they just cannot be bothered doing things properly - eg wanting to put trunking all over the walls instead of chasing in a cable (and this is actually a very well respected local electrician), plastering walls so awfully it looks like a toddler has done them with his plastic tool kit etc.

We need quite a big job done in our house, have the money sitting there to do it but the thought of a man fucking up my house is just too much and they are never happy when you raise it with them.

How is the wind blowing a flap open the tradesman's fault, exactly?

Have to agree with this. Also there are lots of videos on You Tube about how to reduce the noise depending on the design - I would just do it myself.

The amount of banging will surely depend upon the direction of the wind and the strength of said wind. How was he to know that you would want a sturdier cover or that the wind would hit in the correct direction with sufficient force to make it rattle???