AIBU to expect work persons to bloody TURN UP and why don't they?

[BegoniaBigtoes]

Supposed to have someone coming round today to give the car a deep clean. I wasn't surprised when the time they'd agreed came and went and when I phoned they said ah yes we're delayed and can't make it till tomorrow, because an earlier job took too long.

No sorry. Certainly no fecking attempt to phone me to let me know
But why, I genuinely want to know, why are they like that? It's a good 60-70% who don't turn up, don't keep to the time, don't keep you updated, mess you around, and then When you contact them you get loads of defensive excuses instead of "oh sorry about that", and I end up feeling like an uncool teacher talking to a 10-year-old boy

I'm self-employed myself, times are tough for everyone, and I would never treat a client like this. why do they do it?

I don't know, but it seems to happen to me all the time too - no one ever seems to turn up when they say so, don't ring, don't rearrange. When I'm paying good money for an item or service I do wonder why people can't be bothered.

If it's something optional like a car clean (as opposed to a burst pipe/gas leak/boiler breakdown that has to be sorted immediately because it's dangerous) just use a different company. Don't give them your money, and politely tell them why so they can learn if they choose.

I need some plumbing work done - have no hit water but do have a work around so not urgent - and am paying a bit extra to a mate. I know he'll do an excellent job, turn up when he says, i can trust him in my house, and his quote included work that brings me up to modern building regs for not a significant amount extra (£300 instead of £200 for a fair bit of extra pissing about).

Is there a local teenager who'd do it after school? I used to pay a neighbour's 15 yo a fiver to splash a bucket over my car once a week and he did a great job, way more than the sloshing it gets from me!

Thanks purple, I did say they could come tomorrow but you're right and I've now decided to get someone else. Car needs a professional internal clean really because of smelliness from mouldering food and vomit deposited by my charming dc (we don't bother with the outside!). I've had it done before but it was ages ago and can't remember the company sadly. If its done well it is lurvely.

Car obsessed teen should be easily able to do that if you provide the chemicals and maybe a bit of guidance the first time!

drives me nuts. Could not begin to list the number of times this kind of thing has happened and its not just the general unreliability of it and the fact that you've waited in etc but the fact that they don't ring. Given that we now live in a time and place where pretty much everyone (and certainly mobile self employed tradesmen) have mobiles there really is no excuse. Its just bad manners plain and simple and people don't get to re-book with me. If they have not got a decent excuse as to why they didn't turn up and why they didn't ring, I tell them I'll get someone else.

I had a plumber turn up 2 days late whilst the replacement plumber I rang was there - had the cheek to ask why I had not rung HIM to let him know I had gone with someone else!!!

Told him he had forfeited that right when he didn't turn up or let me know...... I was secretly glad to waste his time as much as he had wasted mine

YANBU at all! We're wrestling with what feels like five hundred different tradespeople at the moment (just moved house), and it drives me absolutely demented. If the job's too small and you don't want to take it on, or you don't like the look of me, don't say you'll do it!

I am nice to work for as well - I provide tea and biscuits on tap, I pay up as soon as the job's done and if someone's good I recommend them to other people.

YANBU. It drives me batshit. We are mid-renovations and so far have been let down by 2 different workmen (painter - had to drop job through no fault of his own but never bothered his arse telling us, electrician who destroyed half the house but don't get me started on him...). We have found others to do the work but it causes major delays which makes me with a baby on the way.

I think if you have a professional job / attitude you can't understand this attitude - certainly I can't because I couldn't get away with behaving like this in my job. But if you're running your own business, especially tradesmen, you live or die on your own behaviour as you understand OP. TBH many of the workmen here got ruined during the boom - making massive money, tonnes of jobs = a fuck you attitude. Now the good times are gone lots of them can't accept or understand that there are LOADS of unemployed workmen ready to do the work.

I needed my car doing before it was sold. 4 different companies - yes 4, never turned up OR rang me to say why
I found one in the end, after wasting half a day waiting in for people to turn up

This is the main reason why I love my builder. He's not the cheapest but he ALWAYS turns up when he says he will and he ALWAYS answers his phone.

Yeah if I find a good builder/DIY/car cleaner I keep hold by bribery, endless tea and bacon sandwiches

TheFarSide, I'll trade your builder's number for our carpenter's if you're in London - our carpenter is brilliant, we've used him for years and I wouldn't even bother getting quotes from anyone else.

Your thread could not have been more timely. A workman was supposed to be getting stuck in to a job tonight and no sign of him He was one of the few so far who hasn't been a complete arsehole. He knows we need this work done this week and plastering done for painters to come next week.

Well thanks to this thread, useless cleaners dumped and a new one booked. (with an approx 30% chance of turning up... )

When I phoned the useless one to cancel, I was halfway through speaking to a woman, when the bloke I'd spoken to before obviously appeared in the distance. She yelled "Oi!!! PHONE!!" to him and then walked off, leaving me hanging. How about "Oh wait a minute he's here, I'll put you on."

To be fair, there ARE good ones. We had fantastic joiners to build fitted shelving for us, they couldn't have been more polite, punctual and tidy. So I am not dissing them all. But what planet are most of them on?

Bytheway1 - love your plumber story! Classic. I once had to get a locksmith to put new front door lock in, I phoned several for quotes. One got back to me quickly with a good quote and seemed OK, so I booked him. Another one phoned back days later, I said sorry I'd used someone else and it was done, and he gave me a mouthful of abuse!

That was my phone getting put down.