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AIBU?

Share your dilemmas and get honest opinions from other Mumsnetters.

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Original poster

to ask workmen to turn radio off?

59 replies

DailyFailstinks · 20/04/2017 09:28

I've got two carpet fitters working here today.

They arrived half an hour ago and brought a portable radio with them - which they promptly turned up to full volume.

It's a terraced house so I can't escape it. Would I be unreasonable to ask them to turn it off or is that not the done thing?

OP posts:

MaisyPops · 20/04/2017 09:56

I'd just ask them to turn it down a little, probably whilst offering a cuppa.

But then I usually don't get uptight about that kind of thing and tend to make any work people a brew whilst they're getting on .

Original poster

DailyFailstinks · 20/04/2017 09:59

Of course I've already made them a brew! First thing I did when they arrived. I am a northerner after all

OP posts:

ByeByeBadman · 20/04/2017 09:59

Really? Rude and entitled?
I had no idea people were so intolerant.

Batgirlspants · 20/04/2017 10:02

Oh op my deepest sympathy. We had builders in who played 'sounds of the 80s' loudly for 3 weeks. I went out. I didn't have the guts to tell them to turn it down but I agree it's rude and entitled. And it defiantly a male thing.

I had a lovely female oven cleaner who used headphones to listen to radio 4! that I wouldn't have minded turned up.

Happyhippy45 · 20/04/2017 10:07

I would have just let them get on with it tbh. I'd rather not rock the boat when someone is doing a job for me.
I hate background music/radio/tv etc though. Drives me to distraction.

Hopefully the job won't take too long and you'll get your peace back soon.

We had a house being built (right) next door to us (by our landlady.)
Two guys had their radio on all day. (Outside) Local station. Naff music. They randomly sang segments of just about every song played, along with their mindless chat and banter. Seriously it was torture. We didn't ask them to turn the radio down but should have told them to SHUT THE FUCK UP every now and then.

UndersecretaryofWhimsy · 20/04/2017 10:07

I'd just feck off to a coffee shop to work, tbh. I did once ask the dude to turn it down when I was at home ill, though.

limitedperiodonly · 20/04/2017 10:07

Do it. A neighbour's workmen did this, so I asked her to tell them to turn it off before I did because it was driving me potty.

They did, but I shouldn't have had to ask. She's one of those many people who see a polite and reasonable request as confrontation and was more afraid of upsetting her workmen than the people she has to live next door to all the time.

Whenever people have come to work for me, I've been struck by how considerate and tidy they are. I think most workmen are but some people are twats.

I'd also guess that carpet fitters would refuse a cuppa in case they spilled it on your brand new carpet. Though, of course, it's polite to offer and let them use your loo

PuntCuffin · 20/04/2017 10:08

I work from home in a role which requires me to be on the phone a lot. We have been having building work done for nearly a year. I accept the noise of radios (and the accompanying caterwauling) as part of the package. Only once have I asked someone to turn it down when I had a call with a government agency. I think most of my colleagues can probably identify my builders from their singing voices by now!

GU24Mum · 20/04/2017 10:08

I wouldn't have said anything TBH - unless you've got a truly enormous house, I'm guessing it isn't going to take weeks on end to lay the carpets and I'd rather keep them on side - less chance for them being a bit cavalier with the skirting boards when they lay the carpets....

Iamnuts · 20/04/2017 10:14

A neighbour of ours had some serious work done on their house last year which took the whole spring and summer and well into the autumn. Radio on the whole time, but also the workmen were singing along to the music - in falsetto voices. Grrrr.

KungFuPandaWorksOut16 · 20/04/2017 10:14

Male entitlement?
Rude?
Entitled?

😂😂😂😂

alicemalice · 20/04/2017 10:14

I think it's rude, well done for telling them to turn it down.

BalloonSlayer · 20/04/2017 10:18

We had some in-house people at work (ie employed by the same company) come to do something in the office and on went the radio LOUD. I was new so didn't like to say anything but was aghast at how rude it was - I was trying to make business calls with Bollox FM blaring out in the background and the guy singing along to I'm Too Sexy. I did explain to the people I was calling that we had "the men" in, but still!

QueenOlivine · 20/04/2017 10:25

I'm usually the first to moan about male entitlement, but OTOH I would want the radio on myself, so I wouldn't want to say they couldn't. I'd want it not too loud though.

I have had workmen round who've brought a radio but asked me first if it was OK to have it on - that was reasonable.

nothercupoftea · 20/04/2017 10:34

I hate it, why do SOME builders have to put the radio loudly on all day long! Why do they think it's acceptable to disturb the entire neighborhood for days / weeks or even months? Do they think they are bad enough with building noise that we won't care about music on top of that?

Most of us manage to work without disturbing other people, why can't they do the same? It's rude, inconsiderate and show that they haven't got 2 brain cells between them. We did have some bad specimen in my office once. They were quickly shown the door, what did they think we were doing all day?
Thankfully, other builders are very decent people.

Timeforteaplease · 20/04/2017 10:35

I work from home and there's no way I could so that with a radio blaring outside the office door, so I would not be asking them to turn it off, I would be telling them. Simples.

scottishdiem · 20/04/2017 10:38

Male entitlement? In an ever increasingly desperate attempt to blame men for everything, this counts as scraping the barrel. There are many examples of clear male entitlement on this site but this isnt one of them. FFS.

Mind you, if you are inviting people into your home because you cannot do these jobs yourself then you are inviting people into to their business. Its their place of work for a wee while. Learn to share space. Or learn to do the job yourself. Asking them to turn it down but off seems a harsh.

rightsofwomen · 20/04/2017 10:41

Oh dear...you'll think I'm bonkers then.
I've been round to my neighbours' (yes, more than just the one neighbour) house in the past to ask their outside workers to turn the radio down.
They've always been lovely about it.
I think if you are disturbing others then it's not unreasonable to be asked not to - if you are able to obv.

UnconventionalWarfare · 20/04/2017 10:52

No radio adds 50 quid a hour to the standard rate take your pick 😂

C8H10N4O2 · 20/04/2017 11:24

You know I've never thought about it until this thread but none of the women who have done work in this house (both cleaners and decorators) have every had a loud radio with them. The decorator had ear phones I think.

Every man (building and decorating) has had the radio on.

User4231 · 20/04/2017 11:37

I had workers round recently, I work and study from home and a lot of it involves phone calls and video messaging, my assignment started the day after they arrived and ended the day before they left so I had to do the entire thing with their music blaring out. Not to mention my neighbour had a weeks old baby I was so conscious of disturbing.

But I do think mine were overly rude as they did let themselves in to my study room on numerous occasions, demanding I charge their phones and take their calls. I mean did they think I was their bloody secretary?

Anyway, having said all of that, I would agree with various PPs that you should perhaps ask them to turn it down rather than off. It is temporarily their work space, I completely understand that, but it is also your house you have to continue living in.

Whathaveilost · 20/04/2017 11:45

I would tell them to fuck off out of my house
Yeah, that's really helpful. It would leave the OP with carpets half done until she could get another contractor in which could be a week away.
Jeez, you would think they had moved in the way some people talk.

My mums cleaner always came in and switched Smooth or some other bland generic shit radio on without asking. Eventually she did have to be told because it was everytime. If it had even a one off nobody would have bothered.
It's not only men!

HookandSwan · 20/04/2017 12:46

Our painter and decorator used to whistle while he worked! Omg it used to make me want I tear my ears off.

WhatALoadOfOldBollocks · 20/04/2017 13:33

YANBU. I wouldn't dream of turning up to a client's house and putting a radio on without first asking them if I could. How rude. It's their territory FFS!

GeminiRising · 20/04/2017 13:40

Mind you, if you are inviting people into your home because you cannot do these jobs yourself then you are inviting people into to their business. Its their place of work for a wee while.

Yes and as PP said previously, the law requires them to have a licence from the PRS/PPL to listen to music in their place of work - and a more expensive licence if they are broadcasting it to a member of the public (OP) - therefore if they haven't got one then they need to turn it off.

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