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?

The annoying thing is that many of the most reliable and professional trades don't need to advertise at all and are kept busy on word of mouth. So getting their details is the gold standard and it requires being ruthlessly nosey about who friends/ neighbours/ family have used when it works out well - even if you don't have a particular job in mind at the time.

I think getting hold of a gardener during summer for a one off job must be particularly hard though, op.

Yes - have contacted no less than 12 people to do one of 3 jobs, or all 3 together depending on what they say they can do. Had 2 people come out but neither replied. There's easily £7k worth of work, so not small potatoes but obviously not as big as somehthing else I suppose.

I miss the Eastern Europeans, friendly, polite, good workers and keen to do good work.

There are plenty of professional and polite tradespeople around but you are fighting over the remaining labour.

I feel your plight OP! It has been a nightmare just trying to get big, well paying shit done! I could flash £10k for 20 minutes of work and they’d still have to think about it. I finally got the tradesmen in and it was a 5 week nightmare. I miss the Poles! I miss the Polish tradesmen so much. I absolutely notice the lack of service, quality, and work ethic since the number of Eastern European tradesmen reduced. I did my house up 12 years ago and then recently this April/May. And it has been a totally different experience this last time. So stressful and unprofessional.

Partly unlucky but probably because you didn't ask to see their waste licence, or check the register to ensure they had one.