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AIBU?

Share your dilemmas and get honest opinions from other Mumsnetters.

Original poster

To want to name and shame ''proffesional'' gardening firm for their nasty comments (IMO)?

78 replies

QuiQuaiQuod · 21/09/2017 15:43

Don't know if HQ will let me name them, but if you livearound the Heathrow area I can pm you with them.

Theyre even in that 'check a trader' thing.

Anyway. I ring them to ask for a quote for one hour or so of help in garden (Im disabled and cant manage).

guy quoted me £185.00 ! whaaaat?

I said a few years ago a guy did an hours work , a proprer gardneer and charged me £20.00. (Ive lost his contact details hence me phoning around).

guy on phone said,in a sarcastic voice, and I quote,' ' only 20 quid? 'he must have gone back to Romania by now.''

I said 'pardon'?

he said 'must have been a foreigner then''.

I said ' er, no, guy was English'. thinking thatw as a nasty remark to make .

When I said gardener was english, guy on phone (again in a sneery voice) says ''well hes probably on the dole right now.'' i was like, whaaaat?

so I said 'you are supposed to be a reputable firm, and yet youspeak to people, and about people like that? thats not proffessional. especially to a potential customer, which by the way you wount get from me''. and cut phone call there and then.

AIBU in thinking you dont say things like that to anyone? Im not one of the PC brigade that every single thing would offend, but i thought his attutude and tone was certainly not proffessional.

OP posts:
Original poster
QuiQuaiQuod · 21/09/2017 15:43

excuse my bad spelling btw!

OP posts:
NameChangeNeedsSleep · 21/09/2017 15:45
Hmm
Pastacube · 21/09/2017 15:46

He doesn't sound that bad and tbh £20 is way low could you just get a kid who wants some extra cash to help

DailyMailReadersAreThick · 21/09/2017 15:48

£20 is not "way low." It's the going rate here, a few miles outside of London in a home county. Hmm £185 is bloody ridiculous.

Trollspoopglitter · 21/09/2017 15:51

Well it's not terribly professional to reply to a quote "what?! Someone else did it for 10% of your cost."

Next time try, "thank you for your time, goodbye"

Politeness is a two way street and your reply was rude.

NotTheDuchessOfCambridge · 21/09/2017 15:55

He quoted you a price for his work, you then told him you wanted it done for a ridiculously low price. You should have just said that its too expensive and hung up.

Original poster
QuiQuaiQuod · 21/09/2017 15:56

I thought my reply was firm, but not rude, obvs Im wrong, but i thought he needed telling he cant speak to clients like that. it wasnt even about me, i felt bad for the people he was insulting.

and i didnt want to waste another penny on that call.!

and troll, i qu0ted what other guy had charged me before as i thought rates were around that, i was shocked at the price he gave me.

OP posts:
NicolasFlamel · 21/09/2017 15:56

He shouldn't have been rude but if you don't like someone's quote just don't say no thanks!

DailyMailReadersAreThick · 21/09/2017 15:58

Can posters say where they are where £20 per hour is ridiculously low?

Mrsemcgregor · 21/09/2017 15:59

£185 an hour for gardening. Career change time for me!!!

Original poster
QuiQuaiQuod · 21/09/2017 15:59

Not, please read OP properly, I did NOT tell him i wanted cheap labour, i asked fro a quote and was shocked at the price for 1 hours work (I explained what work needed doing and it was nothing too strenuous).

it was too expensive,especially me being disabled and cant afford anything like that at all, meanwhiloe so its okay for him to make remark about Romanians and dole?

OP posts:
guilty100 · 21/09/2017 16:04

Oh come on people, don't be ridiculous - £185 for an hour's gardening work is absolutely ridiculous. I think most people pay under £20 an hour.

SilverySurfer · 21/09/2017 16:07

£185 an hour is obscene unless that meant 10 gardeners working for an hour on your garden. Mine charges £18 an hour for weeding, digging etc and £10 for mowing the lawn.

QuilliamCakespeare · 21/09/2017 16:07

To those who say £185 isn't unreasonable: our gardener charges £30 to mow both lawns which takes 60-90 mins.

OBface · 21/09/2017 16:08

I've just paid to have my lawn mown and paid £20 an hour. In fact the guy only asked for 15 ph but was so helpful I gave him the extra.

£185 per hour is crackers.

Notanothernamechangeaddict · 21/09/2017 16:08

People pay around £10 an hour for a cleaner, so £20 an hour for basic gardening (mowing/weeding/tidy up) sounds realistic

Original poster
QuiQuaiQuod · 21/09/2017 16:09

i phjoned another company and they quoted pretty much the same, but at least the guy wasnt rude and understood my dilemma, but said its the more or less the going rate now, (a huge leap from a few years ago though), i was exprcting i suppose about £20-£30- an hour if anything. he said, better for me to hire a local guy or something, or ask a friend .

OP posts:
sporadicrains · 21/09/2017 16:11

Er... £185 per hour for gardening and some of you think this is reasonable? You must be living in cloud-cuckoo-land.

£20 or so an hour is around about the going rate for gardening work.

Namechangedforthi5 · 21/09/2017 16:11

I agree that £185 is steep but you really are making a drama out of the phone conversation.

ptumbi · 21/09/2017 16:11

I think £20 is quite high for an hours' labouring - I used to do a small job and got £10ph only a year ago.

But I sympathise - I asked for a quote for a carpet plus rug to be cleaned, and was quoted £85! Checkatrade as well. I emailed a local guy, recommended on our neighbourhood pages, he did a cracking job for £40! (and he was Romanian!)

Original poster
QuiQuaiQuod · 21/09/2017 16:11

so these cheaper rates some of you are paying- anyone in my area could give me a contact detail? pm me.

around Heathrow area.

thanks.

have to log off now (for my meds and see to disabled DC!) so will tune in tomorrow or whenver i can next.

OP posts:
britbat23 · 21/09/2017 16:12

Is there some miscommunication going on? Are you phoning companies that usually do big corporate jobs and contracts and have a minimum price for a job to put off individuals with their little garden trimmings?

Because that's the only way to explain why you are being quoted such exhorbitant rates for one hour's work in the garden.

I would have thought that garden handypersons advertise themselves at much lower rates on Gumtree or in local papers.

Original poster
QuiQuaiQuod · 21/09/2017 16:13

Name I did ask if I was BU! Didnt mean to make a mountain out of a molehill, i just didnt think (repeating myself yet again) that a professional company was a bit harsh with their remarks.

OP posts:
guilty100 · 21/09/2017 16:13

I'm confused by the fact that both companies are saying the same thing, OP. That seems odd. From what you say about them telling you to hire a "local guy" you're asking them to come a way to your house - is there a reason you're not hiring someone more local?

What is the job you're asking to be done and is it definitely £185 an hour and not £185 for the job? If you are asking for something skilled like tree surgery, it could easily cost £185, but would probably take a lot more than an hour start to finish.

Original poster
QuiQuaiQuod · 21/09/2017 16:14

Brit I only have the leaflet for 'check a trader'. i dont have yellow pages or local gardeners, having said that, I ve just realised the local paper comes out tomorrow, ill have a look there for services! thanks.

OP posts: