Trades not giving quotes

[tobee]

I know this has been done before.

I know people will reply that not all trades people are like this etc etc.

But is this commonplace at the moment?

Trying to get various trades to do jobs for us and just left in limbo. Feel so put off.

Need some gardening jobs done (once a year type stuff). I've asked 4 separate companies. 1 said not their type of job. Fair enough. 1 said send some photos of job to be done. Nothing back after sending them. 1 came to look to send a quote. Nothing back since. 1 no reply at all. Now Dh sent photos to a different company on a recommendation. Nothing again.

Even though there's a cost of living crisis (supposedly) no one seems to want the work. Plenty of other things we're going to need doing over the next couple of years and I think it's going to be like this every time.

I'm presuming they don't actively turn down the work because other jobs for other people might fall through?

Anyone else?

Seems to depend where you are regionally. What gardening do you need doing? There's loads of men with vans and a chainsaw round my way all competing for unskilled work.

But generally speaking good tradesmen are always busy and often dont need t advertise. They can pick and choose work so if your job isn't attractive to them then you'll struggle.

If they've gone to the trouble if visiting to suss it out then fail to quote it's either cos they simply didnt want the work or you said something that put them off wanting to work for you!

I feel your pain,I'm trying to get loads done in the house and it's so hard getting anyone to commit to do anything.I dont get why they can't acknowledge you and send a quick reply even to say sorry Im fully booked etc to save you waiting in limbo.

Exactly @KobraChick

Yes I'm starting to get a bit paranoid that they don't like the look of us @Treestumpp
😬☹️

It's the waiting around for quotes after they've responded that's so frustrating. I can't think of anything else where this happens; apart from trades. Just let us know already! Then I can get on with trying somewhere else.

The guy who came around to look said roughly how busy they were and it seemed reasonable. But I immediately got the feeling he wasn't going to bother.

I wish I was of a practical bent and I could have trained to be a tradesperson; keep people hanging and be enigmatic. Imagine having the financial certainty to not worry.

We're in London btw.

Actually, I'm getting more wound up now. If they don't like the look of us; more fool them as I have the money ready and waiting. I'm not suggesting they come and live in my house with me!!!

Some businesses get arsey about one off jobs cos they want the regular income - cleaners/garden services/car detailers/window cleaners etc. It would help to know the nature of this annual work.

They want regular work not one offs so they will prioritise those and fit one off jobs in around it

I've no idea. And I probably will never know if people don't give me the quotes will I? It's stuff we've had done in the past and it's not been like this before.

Although I sound hacked off I'm perfectly pleasant to everyone I've approached.

What other professionals behave like this? Just not getting back to you? None spring to mind.

You can't be under the impression the trades are being squeezed by the cost of living crisis? I can't think of one trade that doesn't have more work than they can shake a stick at and until we train an army of skilled workers, it's likely to stay that way.

This is sadly common. We have a lot of issues. I think by the sounds of it a lot want to be tied up with longer projects and not just a few days work. We've had a bit more luck with less established people who've only been in the trade a few years and are still building a reputation for themselves. But it's a risk taking in someone less experienced and has resulted in some avoidable mistakes. But they have rectified without complaint or attitude.

Love it if o could afford to be arsey in my work about jobs not being good enough!! Just say that they can't do a one off. Not just crickets .

It's hedge cutting; almost tree surgery level and removal of ivy from two parts of the property. Idk a half day work? Stuff we'd struggle to take the rubbish to the tip and hoped to get it done professionally so it wasn't hacked about.

@tobee In theory no private professional has to get back to you - solicitors, estate agents, the service industry - but generally they want your business. Trades can also do whatever they want and obviously demand is outstripping supply. Get the bacon sandwiches and good coffee on the go when you do manage to get a bite! You mention one a year garden stuff so why not try the lads from last year?!

Well I wondered if they were impacted by many from EU returning home. And I was told only a few months ago there were tradespeople for all types of skills desperate for work as no one had spare cash to pay for stuff 🤷🏻‍♀️

More fool me.

I just don't remember it being this bad!!

No. Not only did a lot of skilled workers leave after brexit, many who were hanging on for retirement threw the towel in with COVID, meanwhile we haven't been training up kids to fill their places.

Then we have the new green technologies kicking in, so sparkies and plumbers are in particularly hot demand.

There aren't enough workers to go around.

Thanks! I will happily provide coffee and all the rest! The people from last year weren't able to do the job properly as didn't bring the right tools which put us off and they came from way out of the area. So wanted to try someone closer.

Guy who came a few times before the pandemic haven't seen in ages, he used to do a neighbour who's moved away and we stupidly lost the number. He'd ring the bell and ask if we wanted him to do us.

Another couple of lads were recommended in checkatrade but were cowboys and dumped the cuttings up the road, in a neighbouring garden 😮 And we had to take to the dump ourselves anyway. Think they faked their reviews. But that's another story. So we no longer trust checkatrade
If you ask for recommendations from neighbours and friends people can be cagey because they want to keep hold of them for themselves!!!

Yep. I'm trying to get my gutters and patio cleaned.
Radio silence..........

I had this last year for a garden renovation project which in the end cost me aroung £5K. So not a tiny job. I approached 7 companies. One said no right away as too busy, fair enough. Three made appointments and never showed, two didn't reply, one came but never quoted.
The final one I got through Mybuilder and he was absolutely brilliant. He came when promised and sent a detailed quote. I had a good idea what it should cost having paid for similar work in DS's garden the previous year. They gave me a date and stuck to it. Did a lovely job and I've recommended them to everyone.
So maybe try Mybuilder? I've used it a few times with mostly good outcomes.

Well as you will see, we've had slightly varying amounts of work done, some gardeners, some tree surgeons and some more odd job men. We tend to get several things done at once and so differing amount of work @AmusedTraybake. General tidy up, hedge trimming, proper tree surgery done about 4/5 years ago - they tend to give us a one off quote. All different amounts of work

@tobee indeed, any website like checkatrade is a con. The tradies just pay to join and pay for leads etc. They'll take on anyone willing to pay and all reviews are tip top as they don't want customers not to use them. Even many trades hate them.

Same goes for most profitable supposed verification sites - carehome.co.uk, good garage scheme - you simply will not find a bad review, so it makes them all pointless. Its nothing more than a moneymaker. Personal recommendations is what you're looking for. I guess being in London doesnt help. The traveller community round my way would have that garden waste cut and taken away for you in no time.

Thank you for your replies @Treestumpp and @Pritas.

Of course if someone actually came and did the work we'd sing their praises to anyone that would listen, get repeat work etc.

Presumably that's not of interest to them though.

I think mostly it's the waste of time and effort. How long should you hang around for a reply, all those times (in the past) where you wait in and no one shows up.

So yeah, the waste of time and the not knowing what's going wrong.

in london its not just hard but very expensive to get almost any trade - they don't come out and if they do its a ridiculous quote and when they do several of them am sure they get one client

Local Heros - run by Brisish Gas - we have used them because they gruante the price and work unless new items found - not cheap but reasonable - but I noted the other day they closed

we have a mixer tap slight, intermittent drip - its a solid tap and they don't make them like that - they have valves I think I was told and not rubber washers - the valves are called ceramic discs

got several quotes online/email and called out the cheapest - just under 200 quid inc vate - the parts cost 10 quid at Screwfix but as its an older tap and the ceramic discus vary in size by mm's plumbers often carry several sizes - usually we change them but we could not undo the screws - 200 quid

several months ago, a rifge tile in strong winds moved - correcting that an a bit of cement, 250 quid for 20 mins work if that aie - 20 mins to unload ladder, do job and ladder back on van - some were saying 400 quid - in poor weather really hard to get hold of roofers

I hear you OP, It’s been a nightmare for me too. If you finally get hold of a decent one, hold on to them for dear life!

This is exactly how it works. I finally got a good one yesterday to do one job (I’ve waited months to find someone who actually showed up) and he told me exactly what you’ve said. The cowboys sign up, get a few jobs, do them cheaply then disappear. There is no recourse when the job they did fails either. I’ve had two of my brand new blinds broken by such a bastard cowboy and there’s nothing I can do.