Tradesmen - are they all the same?!

[Percypigfanatic]

Just as the title says really. Another day wasted, tradesman meant to come this morning to finish off a job I’ve been waiting 4 weeks for (already paid for materials) , third time the guy has let me down and no excuses this time and won’t answer the phone. If I hadn’t paid him already I would have told him to do one! He’s done work for me before and it’s pretty good standard but he’s just so unreliable this time.

Just as a background, I’ve had various works done to a house I’ve just moved into. Got several tradesmen in for different things and I’ve noticed a pattern. Half the time you book a quote in they never show up (or apologise) . Then when they are booked in they don’t show up when they say they will (and need to be constantly chased) I’m talking 5-6 different companies here and they are ALL the same. I find it really rude and exhausting. The last lot of tradesman chipped my kitchen floor and pebbledashed my toilet 😞😑

I do the research before I get someone in and all these companies have 5/5 reviews on Facebook or similar. I don’t understand this, is it just me they are treating badly or are people used to them being unreliable? Or am I just very unlucky?

@bigbluebus I live in a city and the person who did my fencing lived down my road until recently. 😂

In cities it is easy to hide but you can choose trades who live very locally or you have a connection to as most people don't like to shit in their back yard.

No it won't if they are plumbers and electricians they will always have work but not big jobs. Other trades will find it may be weather dependent.

An additional 15000 electricians will be needed to meet the demand for green technologies over the next five years. At the moment they are retiring quicker than they are qualifying. I don't see sparkles losing job security.

Exactly what Unicorn said. In our experience, nearly all tradesmen are the same, and it’s not good.
plumbers, chippies, plasterers, builders, sparkies - and especially decorators.
we have an amazing chimneysweep/ wood burner fitter though. Returns calls, comes when he says, does the job he is contracted for, leaves the place clean. It’s a low bar, but he is the only tradesperson in the past two years who has reached it.

Shall I wish redundancy and it’s accompanying awfulness on you too? What a horrible thing to say.

@TheMousePipes I'm sure they were talking about the awful tradesmen they have encountered who don't deserve to be in business, not all tradesmen.

When my current awful situation with builders reaches a conclusion I will be shouting my experience from the rooftops in the hope that nobody else books them again.

That’s a much better way to put it. Let’s go with that.

I hope your builders pull themselves together and the job looks great when they (finally) finish it.