To think a heating engineer shouldn't be smoking inside my house

[msfreud]

Getting some work done at the moment upgrading the heating system/fitting new rads etc.

Saw the heating engineer walk through the house with a lit ciggie yesterday - he said he wouldn't normally smoke indoors but was just walking through (from back door to front door). Now he's here again and my whole hallway/staircase smells of cigarette smoke, I'm sure he's smoking again. (I was in an upstairs bedroom with the door closed and could smell it.)

Should I say something or is it such a small thing that I can just easily air out the house when he's gone and it's not worth it to create bad feeling? No one else in the house other than me and him at the moment. A non smoking household otherwise.

No no no! That is sooo wrong.
Go and have a word.
If anyone did that in my house they'd get a piece of my mind.
And I'm a smoker!!!!

Yes I would, very annoying. Not only that, how safe is that if he is a gas engineer

Definitely say something. That's outrageous. And I'm a smoker.

YANBU! I would ask him to stop, and complain to the firm you are using. As dingit said, it sounds unsafe as well as unpleasant.

Is he an employee if so ring up the firm he works for and complain he is well out of order, if he is self employed then chuck him off the job, its your house, your rules if he doesn't like it tough

Self-employed. Came with great references/recommendations on local website.

Not exactly going to chuck him off the job when I have no heating or hot water until tomorrow. But reassuring to know you all agree with me re: smoking.

Noooo! That's wrong. I'd have to ask him (really nicely and probably cringing, cause I'm like that) to stop.

My DP is both a heating engineer and a smoker and he would never,ever smoke in or even near a customers home!
Its dangerous (gas or oil is explosive) and actually illegal as it is his place of work.
Of course it is also extremely blood rude!

*bloody

It's illegal to smoke in a place of work. And he's working.
That's quite apart from common decency and manners.

Workmen always smoke in the van in my experience.

I'm a supporter of the right to smoke, but what he did was just plain rude.

Ok You can't complain to his employer. How about when the work is about done pour a cup of water over the seat of his van.
When he looks puzzled say "I don't normally piss in a van but...." :)

I was unhappy that the man painting my windows on the outside was smoking (the windows were open so smoke drifted into the house) but I was too much of a wuss to mention it.

I know you need your heating fixed, but he relies on his good name. Just say "Could you please not smoke in the house?". He's unlikely to leave the job in a strop, is he?

When he has finished and you are happy with the job, post a review:

X is a great heating engineer, The job went well, on time and to cost. It is a pity he is not as careful about where he smokes as, on a number of occasions, he smoked as he walked through my house. Wholly unacceptable behaviour.

He can't argue with it, as it is factual and begins with praise for his work!

Yanbu I'd be seriously pissed off. I'd review him on every website I could find saying that he smokes in customer houses.

That's a bloody cheek of epic proportions! Surely people know that nowadays you simply don't light up in other people's houses, whether or not you are just "walking through"?

I'd be very thoughtful about recommending any tradesman/woman who hadn't got that basic nicety worked out!

Of course you can tell him!

I assume you haven't paid him yet, so he's hardly going to walk out or do a bad job.

You need to tell him as it is out of order.
Nobody smokes in our house because we spent a lot of money on decorating and furnishings and it isn't good for the children. Its totally unacceptable.

Oh, and me/ dh and ds2 are smokers too.

He is now smoking outside the house with the door slightly ajar, which is at least an improvement. I haven't said anything yet. Maybe he is reading mn.

He should be smoking outside full stop. Smoking in an enclosed space at a place of work is illegal. He is rude. Its someone house and the stink of smoke gets into everything.

I think it would be better to say something now rather than let him carry on as if everything is ok and then leave a nasty review or something.

It staggers me that the workman thinks that it is ok for him to do this (and in reality he is probably fully aware that he is seriously pushing his luck.)

I don't think you need to say anything too aggressive - simply 'actually I'd prefer it if you didn't smoke in the house at all - thanks.' Of course if he reacts badly or ignores your request then you should respond with all the negative reviews you can muster.

'Please don't smoke or light cigarettes inside the house.'