Can a lone, older woman indulge in a 'fucking tradespeople!' tirade?

[SerenityNowInsanityLater]

I've had scaffolding left up. The company was fabulous when I needed it put up. Taking it down though has been another story. I became their storage.
Calls, messages, emails, all ignored, left unread.

So, this morning, I sent a final text: Thanks so much for sending the guys around. They're dismantling it now. Great stuff! I'm making them coffee!

How fast did the company call me? I barely hit send when they were blowing up my phone.

I hate that I've had to resort to manipulative tactics. I've had to lie and make a huge fake drama in order to get this company to remove their scaffolding.
I'm about to put my home on the market and the last thing I need is to become a scaffolding company's long-term storage.

The scaffolding will be coming down today. Result. Yes. But I feel like utter shit. I hate lying. Hate it. I hate that the guy couldn't just deal with me in a respectful, professional, direct, honest manner, And I hate that I didn't deal with him in a respectful, professional, direct, honest manner in the end. God knows, I tried.

It's really upset me, the whole thing. More than it should.

I don't know if this is a rant or what. But these are the moments when I find being a lone, older woman kind of hard. Maybe I'm making a thing out of this. But I do feel so much more aware of how much I need to protect myself from being taken advantage of.

That's absolute genius OP. Please do update us when they arrive.

the “result” as it stands is that they’ve said they will dismantle to

but presumably they have said that many times in the past

good luck!

Love this! Well done, OP 😀

That's brilliant and so funny.Good for u 👏

the “result” as it stands is that they’ve said they will dismantle to

but presumably they have said that many times in the past

good luck!

I'm going to need it. I think you're absolutely right. I did start my thread too soon. Damn!😬I feel so scared. Isn't that silly? I don't know why but I feel really nervous.

That's so funny - I did exactly the same thing about 7 or 8 years ago! Almost to the word 🤣🤣
I was convinced I'd posted about it on here at the time, but can't find the post, so must have been a different forum.

In my case, they came and removed the scaffolding without me even opening the door - it was totally anti climatic🙂

don’t be nervous OP

they are lazy but unlikely to be malicious

head out (if they turn up!) offer them a cup of tea and then leave them to it

Well done OP for getting them to get their arses round and get it shifted. They are CFs. Same thing happened to us, we had our roof renewed and they took away the front scaffolding but left the back one for weeks. I was told by a very reliable source that they do indeed try and leave it all there until they need it for another job.
There was a thread on this a while back and it was a very entertaining one 😁

Slightly different situation as the scaffolders were contractors working for the building company rectifying some problems on our new build, but when this happened to us we billed them for storage - and they paid! The scaffolding had been left for months in a really inconvenient spot, so we just told them we couldn't guarantee it wouldn't get damaged and our storage fee was something like £50 a week. Still took them another week or so to shift it but they paid our 'invoice' and took it away.

In my case, they came and removed the scaffolding without me even opening the door - it was totally anti climactic

Oh I love an anti climactic ending! That's exactly what I want today! I just got a text from the owner saying, "I'll come and talk to you directly when my guys come around today." I'm wincing.* That's the last thing I want. *Just drowning on the doorstep inside my sea of lies.😫

Wow so many other similar experiences. It's just incredible that we become free storage. It just doesn't bother them in the least to do this to people.
thesmedsandthesmoos now that is a good result! I wish I thought of that!!

Well, let's hope he's preparing his apology speech, @SerenityNowInsanityLater , because what else would he be wanting to talk to you about.

Bloody well done, you have three pages of very impressed MNers behind you - feel the power and don't take any shit or make any tea.

Oh God, that was a brilliant idea! I remember when we had building work done, the scaffolding was up far longer than necessary. Our kitchen was in darkness and we couldn't use the garden. The builders turned up at stupid o'clock one morning, looking flabbergasted that our gate was locked and that they couldn't just casually wander in to retrieve the scaffolding as it was needed for another job🙄

You don’t need to answer the door, you know? Let them get on with it. As long as you’ve seen them sneakily out the window and know they’re getting it done, you don’t need to answer the door.

don't take any shit or make any tea.

😂👏Thank you for this!! I love the tea part because I was thinking, "Oh no. Do I really need to offer them tea?" I just want to curl up and hide, change my name, start a new life under witness protection, disappear. I honestly don't have the courage to make them tea. I don't have the courage to even look any of them in the eye. I feel so embarrassed. 😬

My neighbour up the road, I've just realised, must have used the same scaffolding guy when he had his house painted (by my painter, who has done a couple of neighbours' houses) and banged on my door to check up on, well, not so much me but the scaffolding itself. I could hear him outside my front door saying, "No the scaffolding's all here." So he was talking to the scaffolding company. When I opened my door my neighbour asked if everything was ok. And I just said, "I'll talk later. It's just been a bit stressful and hectic this morning."

I really want to say to the scaffolding company, "So when it all kicks off, you DO have a phone! Because up until now, I wasn't sure!" 😩

I’d be furious that they called a neighbour and sent him to your property. Do you have any way of removing any of the scaffolding yourself? I’d be out there unscrewing whatever I could and chucking it off my property now.

OP you are a legend and I am now so invested in this thread outcome ...

This is GENIUS OP!

Call a local scrap man immediately!!

Yep, that was a bit daft. Dont tell me you paid cash too 👀

My post was re paying before the work was done

Love the witness protection bit @SerenityNowInsanityLater 😁. Take your lack of confidence and put it in a box for later. There'll be plenty of time to take it back out and nurture it once the glow of our deep respect is starting to fade when life moves on, as it is wont to do.

Just now channel your inner all the MNers and just answer the door, if you have to - you are under no obligation remember, with nothing but raised eye brows. Silence is powerful, wait to hear what he has to say and if he's a tit just say "I should have let the other guys take it, I didn't know you'd be this much of an arsehole" and close the door.

Best of luck to you 💪

Currently looking out of my window at scaffolding that's still there 48 hours after the job finished and starting to feel panicky.

Well done for trying to get heard. I’m in same situation. Chimney repointing was finished 2 weeks ago. Still waiting for scaffolding to come down. Keep getting promised but no action. Might have to get deceitful and try some of these suggestions.