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AIBU?

Share your dilemmas and get honest opinions from other Mumsnetters.

Original poster

In not removing review

351 replies

onanothertrain · 21/08/2019 13:16

Contacted a tradesperson for urgent repair, was told no problem, they would check the diary and phone me back within an hour. 4 hours later, no phone call so I sent a text. Another 4 hours later still nothing. I will admit to being annoyed so I left a Google review stating the above. An hour later I got a text asking me to remove the review as they hadn't actually done any work for me and they were working hard to maintain their business. I didnt respond and have now had 2 more texts asking me to remove the review. Im now considering either ignoring the texts and blocking, removing my review but leaving another one explaining why or just removing it all together. Although my stubborn side is not leaning towards the third option. So Aibu not to remove it?

OP posts:
DarlingNikita · 23/08/2019 09:44

Have you not realised he was most likely on another job, for another client?

Then why did he say he'd call her back in an hour, rather than saying 'I'm in the middle of another job but I'll call you as soon as I can.'?

No one has satisfactorily answered that question. In fact those calling the OP U seem to be swerving/wilfully ignoring it.

finn1020 · 23/08/2019 09:53

It’s pretty nasty to leave a poor review based on the circumstances you describe. FFS he didn’t return your call after 8 hours and you’ve chucked a tantrum and posted something that could have a big negative affect on his livelihood? Guess you’ve never had an emergency in your life, been super busy in your day, had something unexpected crop up or just forgotten to do something. I would think you must be a perfect person but you can’t be as that’s bitchy mean behaviour. Chill out, show some compassion for someone who is trying to run a small business and remove your review. And do the work yourself and don’t bother another tradesperson.

FiddlesticksAkimbo · 23/08/2019 09:57

YANBU (unless your review is untrue)

Ilovecolinjackson · 23/08/2019 10:04

Darling Nikita your days are Often so busy, throw in something unexpected, it can happen very easily, throw in the fact that before you even turn yourself around to catch-up they have left a review like that. It's a kick in the teeth. It's also very hard to explain these circumstances to people who have never worked in these environments as when you do they start with offering advice on how they would run your business better etc. It can be so demoralising and makes you question why you started running your own business.

RunawayLove · 23/08/2019 11:10

Nothing about it is nasty Finn don't be silly.

RunawayLove · 23/08/2019 11:12

i actually don't think YABU but I still think you should take it down now you've been asked

Really? You think the poor review was valid but that the tradesperson should be allowed to manipulate the review system by having OP remove the review? How does that make any sense

DarlingNikita · 23/08/2019 11:17

Fiddle, before you even turn yourself around to catch-up they have left a review like that. Well, after 8 hours – quite easy to 'turn yourself around' in that time.

'It's also very hard to explain these circumstances to people who have never worked in these environments'

I work for myself and if I can't promise a call back/an email/a job finished in a specific timeframe, I simply won't promise it.

In this case the review was perfectly true and was based on the tradesman failing to deliver on something HE HAD PROMISED, not something the OP in any way demanded of him.

I'll say it again: it's no wonder tradespeople take the piss if this thread is at all representative of how (potential) customers let them behave.

Original poster
onanothertrain · 23/08/2019 11:25

He didn't return my call after 8 hours even though he assured me he would get back to me within 1 hour. Nor did he respond to the text I sent after 4 hours. If HE hadn't put a time limit on it then I wouldn't have left a review at all.

OP posts:
DanielRicciardosSmile · 23/08/2019 11:26

Surely it doesn't matter how busy you are, it doesn't take any more time to say "I'll call you back later today" than to say "I'll call you back within an hour". It's actually one fewer syllable so woukd be quicker Wink

Ilovecolinjackson · 23/08/2019 11:31

Just to clarify a previous posters question:

We over quote as they ask for a quote, if you ask for a quote and then you tell them you can't fit them in they will be clearly puzzle and thinking but I only asked for a quote. jumping from a request for a quote to not fitting them in is making it a bit too obvious you don't want their custom. As for them telling others about the high quote, this happens a dozen times a year so putting it into perspective almost all are quotes are fair and competitive so others aren't put off.
I had to review Wickes before, mind this was a long time ago, their service in relation to quotation, presale service, booking in and aftercare was great. Since in was a kitchen installation however and the fitters workmanship was so poor that they had to come out and rectify avoidable problems three times and someone had to come from Scotland office to sort it out I didn't give a good review. I didn't matter how good they were before or after, if the thing they provided was utter crap and took an age to sort out and the tradesmen could have avoided the whole saga it defeats the whole point of good pre and post sales care. they would have had a better review if despite have had poor pre and post the kitchen was fitted great the fitters were amazing and nobody needed to follow up and put thing right.
To review a service fully you need to receive the full service from start to finish so your feedback can be constructive, proportionate and well rounded. Just basing it on one small part of a service does not give people the full picture and also doesn't allow the company to make reasonable adjustment.
Ops review whilst leaving her frustrated doesn't really give a full picture of the tradesman only one very small part of the service he provides it needs to be taken with a pinch of salt. How can that kind of review be useful, what if that aspect of him was great but his workmanship utter shite as was his aftercare. What if that aspect was crap but he did eventually contact her and it turned out he was really worth his weight in gold and worth the wait because once she waited he then bend over backwards for her.
Think bigger picture.

DarlingNikita · 23/08/2019 11:40

what if that aspect of him was great but his workmanship utter shite as was his aftercare. What if that aspect was crap but he did eventually contact her and it turned out he was really worth his weight in gold

IME people who are good at one aspect of their business are good at all of them and vice versa.

Ilovecolinjackson · 23/08/2019 11:40

Darling Nikita, do you want to come and work for me for a while and run my garage?
We do have days like that, we can actually be that busy I kid you not. We can intend to ring people back quicky and then the shit hits the fan, something out if our control then The customers in that day get full attention and call backs get put back often to the next day without us contacting them to explain. May be you need to come and see for yourself how mechanical jobs or other jobs like that can end up nightmares where if you don't focus on them not only will the owner be annoyed it's not done but if you don't focus and you make a mistake cos your distracted you could leave a carbon a dangerous condition. it can and does happen a new customer of ours wheels hadn't been tighten properly an a different garage as s mechanic was distracted by another customer.

Ilovecolinjackson · 23/08/2019 11:41

Car in a dangerous state!!!

annielouise · 23/08/2019 11:41

While I wouldn't do that I think it's up to the poster. Having come into contact with a number of tradespeople over the past couple of years I'm shocked at the way they run their business. One person did work on my house that I was happy with. I made them cups of tea and sandwiches and they seemed decent men. They then messed me around on further work - not turning up to give a quote when they said they would, not phoning to say they wouldn't be coming, and this was twice! I still gave them a chance. The third time he had a cold so couldn't turn up. I asked do you want this work as it doesn't seem so. He said he did, came and gave me an outlandish quote! Pissed me off no end. Thought because I'd treated them decently they'd treat me the same. Was very tempted to leave an honest review but didn't bother in the end. I still can't 100% tell if the main one was just crap at business or was trying to wriggle out of it - but I gave him the option to opt out, told him I wouldn't mind if he didn't want to do the smaller job, just tell me so I can get on and find someone else.

The builder in the OP should have apologised to the person and then replied to the review. Saying yes, he'd dropped the ball and should have responded when he said he would. There are so many useless people like this. They need to realise customers want people to do what they say they will. If they make an appointment to come at a certain time, make sure you're on time as I won't use you otherwise. At least phone if you're running late or if only slightly late apologise, acknowledge it.

maddy68 · 23/08/2019 11:42

Crikey definitely remove it. He is a tradesman and busy he would have hot back to you but he would have been working!!! A review can completely destroy a business and he might be excellent!

DarlingNikita · 23/08/2019 11:42

Ilove, 'intending' is not the same as 'promising'; as long as you and your garage don't explicitly tell customers you'll call them back within x time and then fail to, it doesn't matter what you 'intend' and I as a customer wouldn't be annoyed.

And don't patronise me. 'May be you need to come and see for yourself'. Please.

Ilovecolinjackson · 23/08/2019 11:45

No one is good at all aspects of their job, I'm great at the bookkeeping but clearly my typing is shite!
My hubby great mechanic great with customers shite at the bookkeeping, we all have our strengths, good tradesmen focus on their trade usually it's what they're good at that's what they get their good name for, that's what people pay for.

Original poster
onanothertrain · 23/08/2019 11:50

maddy68 take it you haven't RTFT?

OP posts:
Ilovecolinjackson · 23/08/2019 11:54

Yes I probably did sound patronising, but many people seem to thing they have all the answers, they don't. A lot of the posts on here are quite patronising to tradespeople also, I can take it and yes I do throw it back out their. Don't take it personally, if heard stuff like what's on this post a lot and things are seldom as seem but it doesn't stop people thinking they know better or haveing all the answers and comparing things to their business or workplace, they're all different. When everyone realised this may be we will stop patronising each other.

Again don't take it personally, but genuinely, you can't judge how others run their business untill you experience working in their business, they are all different.

Ilovecolinjackson · 23/08/2019 11:55

Christ, my spelling and grammar had gone to eat shit too.

Ilovecolinjackson · 23/08/2019 11:56

Oh hell I think I'm going to lie down......😄

transformandriseup · 23/08/2019 11:58

The Cornish have a term for that called “Dreckly”

I’d think YWBU

Contraceptionismyfriend · 23/08/2019 12:08

YANBU. I'd tell him to stop contacting you.
If he couldn't fulfil his commitment he should have reworded it to ASAP or something similar.

Indie139 · 23/08/2019 19:13

Yabu

RedDogsBeg · 24/08/2019 14:32

The Cornish have a term for that called “Dreckly”, the old joke being it is like the Spanish manana (can't find the wibbly bit for over the n) only longer. Either way no fun when you are on the receiving end of it and all you want is work done which you are expecting to pay for hence contributing to the poor old tradesmen's livelihood.

If you don't want to do the work or deal with customers and live up to their expectations and can't cope with negative reviews or customers who pull you up for promising what you can't or don't want to deliver don't become a self employed tradesman.