to wonder how anyone manages to get quotes?!

[VelvetSpoon]

I've got a list of jobs that need doing at home. I don't have the time, inclination or ability for much of it, so I need to pay someone. No issue with that. But getting anyone out to give me a price seems impossible...I've this week contacted 12 people, no response from most of them, and the rest...

'can I come now and take a look'
(half 3 on a Weds)
I explain sorry, I'm at work but if I make a special effort I'll be home by 6pm.

That's too late, can I let them know when I'll be home before 4.
(I work til 5, so short of taking a day off, can't be home at 4!)

Other responses have been similar, asking to come in the middle of the day, or at 9am - when I said I'm at work from 9 one guy said he'd come at 8.30 - not much help as I leave at 7.45 and I don't really want anyone here at 7.30.

Is it me? I appreciate that one of the jobs is outside, so might be easier in daylight, but it's still lightish here at 6.

Honestly, I give up! I just want to pay someone to do some work. The worst bit is, from experience I know I'll only get a quote from half the ones who turn up, but getting anyone to come out at 6 or weekends seems impossible.

I do appreciate people have lives etc but I also have to go to work - am I really going to have to take a day off to do this, assuming of course they can even turn up on that day!

How do other people manage?

I don't know if it is available countrywide but we have a local website called 'street life'.
You register online and I have used it to get local builders.
People recommend tradesmen and handymen.
There's one handyman on ours whom comes highly recommended to do all sorts of jobs.
I'm saving all my little ones and giving him a ring in a couple if weeks.

"That's the benefit of running your own business - if you do need to do something in an eve or weekend, you can adjust the remainder of your week."

The thing is, OP, when work is really busy there simply isn't any time to move things to. You can then pick and choose which jobs are most convenient for you. And TBH it's often not even a case of picking and choosing- there are only so many hours in a day, if you have plenty of jobs coming in during your preferred hours of work then you're not going to turn some down to work at a time that's less convenient to you, or try to work every waking hour (leading to stress and burnout). It's easy to say you would choose your own hours if you were self-employed, but the truth is you're often at your clients' beck and call (though they don't realise it).

This is not to say that your problem isn't bloody annoying, of course.

Oh I feel your pain, we have a leak in our roof and it's been a pain to get people to come and quote for it, finally got a couple of quotes and the landlord picked one, then the guy never turned up to do the work by which point the other roofers had other jobs booked.
Fast forward a few months, the roof is still leaking, finally got a guy out earlier this week who was going to start the job at 8am today, as of yet hasn't turned up.
It's like nobody wants the work.
I imagine as the weather gets worse roofers will be in even higher demand!

It's a nuisance, isn't it. I have the sort of job where I can work from home occasionally for an hour or two first thing and then go in for 10, but it sounds like you can't do this?

My Dads a builder/decorater/do everything else kind of man. He works so hard and often gets home from work at six and then goes straight out again to give people quotes. Or he goes on the weekend.
I suppose most companies have to work office hours, if I were you I would look into someone who's self employed so has more inclination to offer a quote outside of office hours

Hovis, the people I've contacted have been smallish firms or one man bands. Doesn't seem to elicit any different response.

I could go in later, or leave earlier, but this is expected to be done as an exception, ie at most once every couple of months. Due to health issues I've had to leave early twice in the last fortnight for Drs appts, so can't really be asking for more time.