Why don’t tradesmen turn up when they say they will?

[Doobigetta]

We’re in the middle of having our third major piece of home renovation done (the kitchen this time)
And all the way through all three jobs, with three different firms, one thing has been absolutely consistent- they don’t bloody turn up when they say they will. If you ask “are you coming tomorrow?” they look hurt and confused and say of course, and then they show up around lunchtime if they said first thing, or later, or not at all. And the bloody job drags on for three or four weeks because entire days have gone past with nothing. It would take about a minute to send a quick text saying, sorry, something came up, will be tomorrow now, but they just don’t do it, and then they get defensive when you point out that you’re getting tired of living with a half built kitchen full of their plaster-encrusted tools. I’ve always worked for big corporate companies, not small businesses, and the one thing all of them drill into their staff is to under promise and over deliver. Don’t make promises you can’t keep, tell customers what to expect, and if things change, tell them! It’s the most basic concept of managing customers, and no tradesmen do it, ever. AIBU to think it isn’t hard and it isn’t too much to ask?

Agree....and why do they come round to look at the job,give you an estimate eventually after many phone calls and then if you accept the quote say they’ll be in touch, then nothing.why not just say they’re booked solid for months and not waste everybody’s Time?

There was a thread recently about someone leaving a review on google about this type of behaviour and the tradesperson asked them to take the review down.
I would say 50% of people said it was normal behaviour and you just live with it!

Personally I think they should be held more accountable.
But then apparently I’m not a nice person!!

Tradesmen are juggling multiple people, jobs, quotes etc. of varying sizes and value. Sometimes coming to work on your kitchen will just have to take a backseat to something either more urgent or that will be a better money-spinner in the longer-term.

It's shit but that's the way it is.

The only way to deal with it is to actively not recommend them to other people (through ratings on Check a Trade or through sites like Next Door) and to use other people in future. You are, of course, taking a risk with using other people but I think getting recommendations from people you trust is absolutely vital.

You have my huge sympathies though OP, I'm renovating a house in stages and some tradesmen have been a bastard nightmare (WTF plumbers!?!?!?). Fortunately, we're on the home-stretch next year and we've got a bunch of tradesmen we trust so should be smooth sailing.

And this is why we DIY. We don't have to wait around and it usually ends up being better quality, because we know we have to live with the end result.

dirty I think most people understand that, but it's the lack of or false information that's so infuriating. If you aren't coming tomorrow that's OK, but tell me the truth. If you are going to be later because you have drop by elsewhere first, that's fine too, but tell me. Its not hard and frankly inexcusable these days with near universal mobile usage.

Tradesmen are juggling multiple people, jobs, quotes etc. of varying sizes and value. Sometimes coming to work on your kitchen will just have to take a backseat to something either more urgent or that will be a better money-spinner in the longer-term.

It's shit but that's the way it is.

This ^^
The nature of most trades is that things like the time a job will take can be estimated but of course things always change or go wrong. They can’t take one job at a time because if it falls through they can’t pay their bills. So they often have a couple on at once. Something changes with one of their jobs then it has to be dealt with. It’s just the way it is.

* I think most people understand that, but it's the lack of or false information that's so infuriating*
This a hundred times. Just be bloody honest. I'd rather not wait about on the off chance.

'Tradespeople' prices are through the roof in the SE - too much demand (currently). A recession is around the corner. Watch how quickly it changes, you'll be being chased rather than being the chaser.

Running a small bussiness is hard. Building work is always bespoke as no two are ever the same. I think most people would struggle if they had to deliver in this way.

But if a tradesman says he'll be round at 8am, then rings at 8pm the night before and says "I'll be round at 12pm instead now because I have to go and price another job, then look at a boiler I fitted last week which is now leaking", I reckon a huge proportion of customers would get really really angry at that. The worst case scenario is that the customer says "forget it, get your tools, I'll get someone else".

That's not a risk a tradesman can take.

OTOH, turning up late and apologising is less likely to escalate.

But, as I said, I have complete sympathy for the OP. It's really shit when you don't know if you're coming or going with tradesmen. But, I've also seen how hard it is for tradesmen to juggle their work and how they can't help letting people down sometimes.

Unfortunately the weather is playing a part at the moment, builders can't build walls in the pissing down rain or heat that cracks the cement. They should however check the forecast and inform you of the problems they are having. Just not turning up isn't good enough.

Our house renovation is taking ages because of this. We wanted a builder to put in a lintel in, emailed and called several builders and had trouble to get people to even quote!

Needed a plasterer for the kitchen, accepted one blokes quote said he would be here on X day, didn't turn up or even let me know. When I finally managed to get through to him after waiting in all day he'd apparently been off ill. Trouble is, when I'd been playing in the garden I'd seen him going round in his workvan several times 🙄

Asked another plasterer if she would quote for loads of plastering work and she had great reviews of, always turns up and does what is promised on her reviews. Takes a week to reply then says I'll get in touch with a time to come quote and thus far hasn't, I give up!

The plasterer I found eventually for my kitchen was quick but awful, he'd barely out his tools down before going on about his payment. He was ridiculous, we'd barely got to see the work to see if it was OK and there were bits he'd not done as promised but just wanted rid as he made my skin crawl.

Communication is key. They piss me off, they get no further custom. I sacked a carpenter because he took the piss, in a weird way, sawing up random bits of wood (nothing to do with hanging new doors upstairs) on our drive til nearly 9pm one day. Drove me nuts.

I’ve met some right cowboys, too, one plasterer who knew all the local travellers (who tried to nick the rads I’d stacked on the drive whilst painting the downstairs) and plastered in all the sockets in one room then didn’t put pva on one wall so the plaster promptly fell off and wouldn’t come back.

I’ve finally found a good plumber, ex-student and his dad. They turn up when they say they will, too. Brilliant. Still waiting for the plasterer to get back to me with a quote, from a week ago ‘I’ll have it to you by the weekend’. Sure, yeah, right, mate. Think I’ll just phone someone else.

@Billbaggins- The thing is that they don’t tell you that they are not coming.
Most people don’t mind as long as they are informed

The logistics of trades work is quite complex as described above, but the tradesperson is a “worker” not a logistics person or planner and not really a business person tbh. They don’t have the software, resource or skills to properly schedule jobs so they can make them on time. I work for a construction company and know how complex scheduling is

@Passthecherrycoke Yes, you've said what I was trying to say far more eloquently.

I actually think there's a really good business in doing scheduling for several one-man-band tradesmen for a small fee each.

I once had a painter and decorator to paint my house
He came around and gave me a quote and said that he could definitely start in a month.
He didn’t turn up, so I rang him. He then said that he could start the job in another month. I told him not to bother.
The thing is that some of these builders forget that recommendations are their bread and butter. I would not recommend anyone who is unreliable

@madhatter1965 it’s not about demand it’s about a huge huge shortage of trained tradespeople and that won’t change.

Agree op.
It's infuriating, you take time off work or arrange for a day at home and I'd say 60% of the time they don't show. For , why say you will come and then not turn up? Why not call and let us know?

In no other industry would this be acceptable but it seems the norm, i don't get it. And of course the customers are over a barrell because they're all like that.

The excuses upthread are interesting. I can't see any good reason for not keeping customers informed rather than treating them like they are an inconvenience at best. Get really really angry and tell them to fuck off, most people would do that, like fuck they would! Firstly customers are normal people not abusive sods on a hair trigger! Secondly it's so hard to find anyone to do anything, no way! And how on earth is it logical to think people should be more angry to be advised of lateness, freeing them up for a few hours, than left to sit there for hours waiting in on someone who will not be there. Why is their time more important than the customer, is what it boils down to.

Interesting insight into mindset there

I booked in 4 different tradesmen to come and give a quote for some work. 1 came, 2 didn't come (without any explanation), 1 came and then despite several time asking never sent a quote.

Each time I booked time off work to be there for the appointment. Its rude and unprofessional. Don't book the appointment if you don't have the time to come.

I’m not saying it’s right btw, my other half does a trade and he, most of the time if possible will let his clients know if he’s running late etc although in his trade it’s not as much of an issue with overrunning than with others. Some are great and punctual. Some are awful. And I disagree with the comments that letting the client know is always better, I understand why some wouldn’t bother.

But it’s just so blatantly disrespectful of customers’ time to take the attitude that they’ll only be pissy with you if you tell the truth, so you won’t bother!
I do understand the point some people have made that jobs overrun and priorities change. And I also understand that when you’re a sole trader you might not have the skills or the tools to manage your schedule. But I’m not talking about small one-off jobs booked at short notice. I’m talking about work costing thousands, where one guy is in charge and half a dozen others do the actual work. Surely that guy HAS to have a business head, and part of that is giving your workers instructions about where to go and what to do, and making sure that happens, and therefore being able to keep customers informed?

DirtyDennis, why do you think that you could schedule work more reliably? I'm in engineering and the schedulers only really provide coordination between groups and tool support, they have no idea what a task involves or how long it takes, for that they rely on the engineering staff.
It's a mixture of the minutia and the unfathomable (weather, people and exposed issues) that cause scheduling problems in small building projects. Even a "job taking weeks and costing thousands" is in reality a small job and not likleyhood of be assisted by MS project or permavera- would you pay extra for the privilege?

I think dirty Dennis was just mooting the idea of a scheduling service (which do exist) not saying they could do it

I also thought of the thread Watchingthyme mentioned. To be fair, I think most of the people on it defending useless tradesmen are married to useless tradesmen (quite a few of them said they were) so the replies were skewed.