Why are trades people so incredibly unreliable?!

[motherofkevinnotperry]

I need someone to explain why. What's so difficult with "I'm sorry, I'm not able to do that" or "I'm going to be late", "I'm fully booked", "I need to reschedule" etc etc. How long do you give them before moving on and finding someone else?

I have had more than my fair share of trades just not turning up, making false promises on work then not fulfilling it. They're all so unorganised and terrible communicators. It's so infuriating. Just tell me!

Totally this x

I agree. I was reading with interest until she revealed the REAL reason tradespeople can’t stand her

Thanks for the feedback but if you'd bothered to read the post you'd realise the issue isn't people refusing to do work for us or a failure to quote. It's a failure to communicate effectively and manage expectations. If your going to visit between 1-2 then do just that or drop that person a text to tell them otherwise. It's just common courtesy and good manners.

I must be very lucky then as I have never been let down by a tradesman. I’ve recently had carpets fitted, rooms decorated, gardening work done, patio relaid and also an electrician sort out a dodgy light fitting. I use a local group, “Next Door” , to get recommendations from local people, go to local shops or ask friends/ neighbours. I tend not to use adverts or large companies.

Once I’ve used someone to my satisfaction, I don’t bother getting quotes for new work as I’d rather employ someone’s whose work I have seen than the cheapest person. I’m slowly building up a list of contractors who I can trust and happily recommend them to others.

The worst I had was the landscaper who I’d agreed would relay, clean and regroup the patio, he was difficult to tie down for a start date but I’m glad I persisted and he did a brilliant job. He said that he often took longer to complete a job as he found all sorts of unforeseen issues once he took slabs off - he certainly did at my house!

I also pay for British Gas Homecare 400 cover so most of my plumbing, heating and electrical repairs are covered.

I hate it when people say "oh you must be a horrible customer" - half the tradesmen don't even get a chance to find out because they don't turn up to quote!

My husband is a trade, he would come back at you with clients flaking out at the last moment, changing their minds once the job has been started then objecting when the quoted price goes up and the job taking longer because he has to undo work he has already done to fit in the alterations. Clients wanting to get the materials because they think they can get them cheaper and then not doing so or getting the wrong stuff so he has to spend time getting it themselves. Clients asking him not to come on a certain days because they have other plans throwing his work schedule out for the next 3 or 4 jobs .... shall I go on? I certainly could ...

I absolutely did not say that trades are dumb nor illiterate! I said that it is common that they don't go into further education nor gain admin skills in office jobs! I'm a plumber ffs! My dads a brick layer. Not doing academically great in school does not equal thick and nor did I say that! I'm shocked that's what people have taken from what I wrote- which I is just my thoughts on why and nor more than that- my opinion. I didn't do well at school because I don't thrive in that environment and ime the same is true of most tradesmen I know. I've since gained a degree and don't consider myself stupid and my opinions certainly can't be said to be coming from a middle class perception as another pp suggested.

@Theelephantinthecastle Pimlico plumbers will turn up but you've no guarantee that they're actually any good. We've used fantastic gardeners who did the job but I wouldn't say they were particularly skilled - certainly the finish wasn't!

I'm not entirely sure what you're suggesting? People with the same trade or multiple trades - which is more construction company like?

I think timings wise, unless you are talking about pretty small jobs, any construction professional is going to have some issues.

By further education do you mean degree because plumbers and electricians are meant to have qualifications.

There are some very rude messages here! Can I suggest that unreliability is actually a national epidemic now, and involves many different businesses, from getting work done at home, to retail, to banking etc etc. To many businesses it simply doesn't matter. I don't have a solution unfortunately, except that the first time someone doesn't turn up and doesn't let me know is the last time. This at least reduces the stress. I think it is unreasonable to single out particular groups e.g. trades.

I think people underestimate the skill and value of a really good administrator. One team we hired was a husband and wife team (and about 4 younger lads working for them) and the husband was the construction expert and his wife did all the administering.

They were incredibly efficient because the wife sorted all the technical stuff - from quoting to scheduling to sorting the materials - so the husband and the team could turn up, do the work (which they did pretty well) and then go home.

You see it all the time with small businesses - the bloke who taught ds to play tennis was fabulous at showing a 4 year old how to do a backhand - but his ability to run a business was completely non existent.

I’m the other way around - I would be brilliant at running a business - but I have no special skill whatsoever!

Don't get me started.

We have trades in the house right now who are totally unreliable and think nothing of just lying through their teeth. Only one of them seems to know what he's doing. The others are just useless bastards.

The job started weeks and weeks late, they keep going AWOL, and if you don't watch them like a hawk they cut corners or just sit around on their phones.

I think admin is a huge issue not because they don't know how to do it, but because it is so time consuming. How does a wife with (presumably no construction experience) quote for work?

And the previous contractors took an 8k deposit for the works then fucked off never to be seen again. Getting the money back has been like trying to get blood out of a stone and I have to keep threatening court action so they keep up with the crappy part payments.

My bil is a builder, Dh used to work for him when young, and we still know other builders, plasterers, electricians etc. All very busy.

But I have had lots of friends let down, and the poor communication is so irritating. I know it goes on.

Kirinm- not necessarily but rather paper based or academic education and as a plumber myself, with a gas safe registration of 10+ years I know we need training, and that we need to pass exams and re sit those to retain our registrations- but you know as well as I do that city and guilds courses/ apprenticeships etc are not focused upon administrative skills! I'm not at all saying that trades aren't skilled or stupid I was simply offering MY OPINION on why they are often unreliable. That's all.

Mind you - at least they didn't eat my crisps...

www.mumsnet.com/talk/am_i_being_unreasonable/4752965-tradesman-ate-my-crisps-do-i-bring-it-up

@kirinm but in London the choice is between:

Phoning multiple tradesmen, 40% don't return your call, 30% say they will come and quote and don't show up, 10% come and then don't actually send back a quote, 10% quote and then ghost you if you try to book, 5% accept the job and then ghost you, 5% accept the job, rearrange several times and the work is sometimes good and sometimes not

Fantastic services/aspect/Pimlico plumbers - 99% the time turn up, sometimes good, sometimes not.

Fwiw fantastic and aspect have both been pretty good for us, Pimlico less so. They are more expensive but we have jobs and simply don't have the time to chase down individual tradesmen any more.

I am suggesting that multiple electricians or plumbers or whatever work together, hire someone to do the admin and allocate work so that the issue you described of jobs overrunning/etc would be better managed. Effectively Pimlico plumbers but on a smaller scale.

@kittenkipping lol.

@Mumoftwoinprimary

I think people underestimate the skill and value of a really good administrator.

100% agree. Pre computers/internet, even the smallest of businesses/self employed would have someone doing their admin, book-keeping, etc (often their wife!). These days, people think they can do it all themselves because they have "apps" or software that markets itself on being easy to use, etc. What that has caused is that self employed, like tradesmen, are spending too much time doing things they don't need to do and not enough time on actually doing the work they're trained/qualified to do.

I've dozens of tradesmen as clients, most think that they can do their own admin, book-keeping, VAT returns, etc., and the majority make a right pig's ear of it, costing them lost time, and yes, lost money, when they miss deadlines, forget to invoice, don't chase unpaid invoices, etc. The ones who still have an "admin" person (often still their wife!), make more money, have more time, are more reliable, etc simply because they're not spending lots of time during the day doing "admin" tasks.

I totally get the frustration. The reason we ended up with fantastic gardeners is because the gardener who promised to come didn't and then ghosted us. We had the same issue with plumbers - my DP ended up doing our bathroom in the end.

The fantastic gardeners who came also suggested we contact them directly to do work privately.

I asked someone to come in to quote. He said Tuesday. I said fine. He asked if I was in all day. I said I was. He didn't turn up. He then messaged the next morning asking if I could do Sunday morning. No explanation or apology.

It's just so rude.