Handyman - your opinions

Presumably the £15 was for the extra time it took to put up a curtain pole he didn’t know about. Those windows are very close together so I don’t think it would look strange to have one pole.

I wouldn’t be thrilled about the sawdust. It’s hard to know what happened with the blind but overall I would not be impressed.

You should change the locks but that’s easy to do on your own.

Very strange he was demanding to change your locks, like as if he had the other key and could get in anytime. What a creep.

If he was on the other side of London, how does that work on NEXTDOOR, I thought they had to be in very close proximity like within a few streets away from your own street.

I cant see he has done a shoddy job with the blinds and the saw dust is easily to clear/hoover up.... but I wouldn't want him back fixing the blinds anyway...you should have checked if he was recommended ir looked on favebook and posted on a local group, people often recommend xyz on there based on their own good experiences...

Let the 15 quid go, its not much in the grand scheme of things.

Take care 🌹

Your message implied one pole so I can undo why he's asked for more.

No idea on the bathroom blind.

The pile of sawdust is annoying but it happens.

Why did you pay him if you weren't happy?

You can now ask for a reduction. You're not happy with his work so chalk it up to experiience.

As for the locks. These do need changing.

Sorry, I wasnt being rude about NEXTDOOR...im not on it, so queried how it works iykwim

Honestly - I don't think it's worth your time and energy. You don't want him back - the bit about trying to sell you a lock would put me off - and for £15 it's not worth the bother. Write it off to experience, I always look on my local Facebook group for several good reviews from different people. If you ask for someone to do a job invariably you'll get self-recommendations or 'my brother-in-law/best friend could do this ... ' so I try and look for genuine independent reviews. It's not a nice feeling that he did a shoddy job, but worse things happen. I doubt he'll agree to refund any money and that will be even more annoying.

Even if one long curtain pole didn't look ridiculous (it would) it's no more work to put up two poles than one - you still need the same number of brackets across that kind of distance.

But I don't think you'll get anywhere with trying to get any money back so I'd save myself the stress. Can you leave him a bad review in a few months time and change some details so he can't trace it back to you?

2 windows in sitting room which need A curtain putting up

TBH, I'd read that as 1, single curtain and 1, single curtain rod going across both. If you'd said '2 widows in our sitting room which each need a curtain....' then its clear you want 2 items putting up.

I would have expected him to attempt to clean up the dust or at the very least, as you if he could borrow your dust pan and brush if he didn't bring his own. We've had a lot of trades in recently and I often prefer to tidy up myself. I know I will do a better job and put the rubbish in the appropriate bins.

Given the wording of your message, and the fact you already paid (even though you weren't happy 😕) I'd change your locks and leave it. Do you honestly think he would return your £15??? The time to negotiate was there and then, not AFTER payment.

" That need a curtain put up" - did you have more discussion that that ?

Why couldn't you do it all yourself? Not that hard. It appears you have a partner too, between you you could have done it easily. There are loads of you tube videos showing you how.

I'm in my sixties and have put up curtains poles, blinds and shelves in every house I've owned since my twenties, I would never have paid for someone else to do it. I've also never bought any curtains or blinds, have made them all. I taught my children, male and female, to use a drill, put up a shelf etc, they put them up in their own houses. It's simply basic DIY skills.

I wouldn't have been impressed by piles of dust and being charged more. But I wouldn't have paid if I wasn't happy, it's almost impossible to get money back in that type of situation.

Is that what you actually asked him - ' To fit curtains on both of my living room windows '
did you later ealise that you had missed the word ' pole ' out as I read it as you needed someone to hang the curtains not fit poles on which to hang the curtains

Did you question the additional £15, if not why not.

I think it's perfectly clear from your message what you wanted.
I wouldn't be happy with this. He should fix the blind at no extra cost and definitely ask him what the £15 covered. I've been stung a few times with various "tradesmen" and I think there are a lot of chancers about.

Well done you. Aren't you amazing 🙄 There are many reasons you might get a handyman in, disabilities, time, cost of tools or simply just don't want to do it yourself. Your comment is pointless and doesn't answer the OPs question.

I think you message was ambiguous - you say ‘a curtain’, not ‘a curtain over each window’ or ‘two curtains over two windows’.
So he did a poor job. Chalk it up to experience and move on.