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AIBU?

Share your dilemmas and get honest opinions from other Mumsnetters.

Original poster

To think the electrician should of knocked?!

51 replies

Bellad19 · 29/02/2020 12:10

So here’s a bit of background info!
Husband arranged for electrician to come and look at our cooker, the electrician is not someone we know literally someone he found on google. His visit was at 9:30am, when my husband booked this he didn’t realise I was working the night before, but irrelevant as I would sleep through a tornado and I wear ear plugs in the day and I’d be in the bedroom where the cooker most definitely is not 😂
So anyway, I’m in bed asleep, electrician obviously arrives and my husband had said to him I’ll go and play with DC in their bedroom so we are out of your way because DC was trying to touch the tools etc!
Next thing I know I’m waking up and a strange man I’ve never seen before was stood my side of the bed knocking on the wall!!
My bedroom door had been closed and he said he needed to knock on the wall to make sure he was drilling in the right place or something. My DC bedroom is right next to mine and we are in a flat so all on one floor so electrician could of easily asked DH is it okay if I just nip in this room with the door closed?
Luckily I had pyjamas on and had the duvet over me but I do normally sleep naked.
I’ve not really had workmen in the house before so is this the norm? Are they just allowed to go wherever is needed or if they need access to another room and the door is closed should they ask permission? I just assumed I’d be fine sleeping while he was here and didn’t even consider that a job in the kitchen would require him to come into my bedroom.

Opinions please, DH is fuming!

OP posts:
tryingtoloseweightnow · 29/02/2020 12:11

He should have asked.

Marnie76 · 29/02/2020 12:39

He should have knocked. Maybe he didn’t realise anyone was in there. But when he saw you in bed, he should have backed out and asked your husband.

Cabaceo · 29/02/2020 12:46

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CaptainButtock · 29/02/2020 12:48

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SoupDragon · 29/02/2020 12:49

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envelopeofpubes · 29/02/2020 12:50

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coconuttelegraph · 29/02/2020 12:51

I’ve not really had workmen in the house before so is this the norm? Are they just allowed to go wherever is needed or if they need access to another room and the door is closed should they ask permission?

I'm pretty sure there's no handy workman book of rules Grin

But as a general rule I would think they should HAVE knocked

Pumperthepumper · 29/02/2020 12:52

Where has 'should OF' come from ? It's everywhere.

Because in some accents the ‘-ve’ part of ‘should’ve’ sounds like ‘of’ and some people haven’t had the benefit of a stellar education, or parents who prioritised education or attendance at school, some people have learning difficulties that make correct spelling and grammar difficult AND (a big one) some people don’t speak English as their primary language and may slip up for time to time.

It’s not that hard to ignore, it’s very clear what the OP meant.

SoupDragon · 29/02/2020 12:52

It’s not that hard to ignore

Apparently it is for some people.

pigsDOfly · 29/02/2020 12:56

I image he would have know where your DH was so it would have made sense for him to knock on your children's bedroom door and tell your DH that he needed access to any room with a closed door, rather than just opening random doors.

Maybe he did knock and you didn't hear him, given as you say, you're such a heavy sleeper and he assumed the room was empty so just opened the door. Although, as pp said he then should have backed out, closed it and spoken to your DH.

Cabaceo · 29/02/2020 12:57

It's become far more prevalent though. I don't remember seeing it in the past, rather like the use of 'less' is edging out 'fewer' - common now, even on the BBC.

pigsDOfly · 29/02/2020 12:59

What's the point of posting just to correct someone's grammar?

Does it make you feel superior?

TheGreyInThisCity · 29/02/2020 12:59

Oh FGS OP made a minor grammatical error, there’s no need to bang on about it, it’s perfectly clear what she means.

Yes he should have knocked, or at least apologised once he realised you were sleeping in there.

Pumperthepumper · 29/02/2020 12:59

So?

letsgomaths · 29/02/2020 13:03

I remember "fuming" aged 9 when I walked into my bedroom, to find the carpet taken up, and two men messing about under the floorboards to fit a pipe for the shower being installed in the next room. Nothing had been said about invading MY bedroom for this job!! Angry (Misses point of thread)

Only twelve replies in at the time of posting, and this is thread is MN at its finest, my bingo card is going tick tick tick. Grammar police, and tradesmen's behaviour, where whether they're doing a good job or not is the least of everyone's concern. Someone will be asking if he did a poo next.

Yes, he should have knocked before entering a room with a closed door. But suppose the DH had refused him permission. Would the thread title then have been "AIBU about my spineless DH delaying a vital plumbing job, because he was afraid of my reaction to being woken?". Or maybe your DH had told him that you would sleep through a tornado, and to go right ahead.

tryingtoloseweightnow · 29/02/2020 13:18

Oh and here come the grammar arseholes

DowntownAbby · 29/02/2020 13:30

@tryingtoloseweightnow

You missed the full stop at the end of your post.

Puzzledandpissedoff · 29/02/2020 13:35

he said he needed to knock on the wall to make sure he was drilling in the right place

Anyone else picturing Basil Fawlty ... ? Wink

And to answer the question, yes of course he should have knocked; surely it's the sensible thing to do?

Reginabambina · 29/02/2020 13:43

Really tragic that people think knowing to say should have is a sign of a ‘stellar’ education. Confused

That aside, he should have asked. We’ve always had electricians ask whether it’s ok to go into x rooms before going into them even if the door is open and it’s obvious that no one is in there.

1066vegan · 29/02/2020 13:44

I think your DH is at fault, not the electrician. Somebody coming to do a job needs to knock on the front door before walking into the house. But once they're inside then it's up to the occupant to say, "btw please don't go into such and such room" otherwise it's natural for them to think that it's ok to start work and that they can go wherever they need to go to get the job done.

Nowayorhighway · 29/02/2020 13:46

I’m an English teacher but even I accept should of is simply viewed as a variant of should’ve. It doesn’t necessarily mean a person is uneducated or stupid.

That aside, of course the electrician should HAVE Wink knocked first and checked.

YappityYapYap · 29/02/2020 13:48

Christ on a bike. Another thread descended into correcting something so trivial. Why are all you people wasting time on mumsnet when you could be teaching English?!

Tanyanichols · 29/02/2020 13:52

Ok, change of subject a little...
I had to let a plumber in once and just had a towel around me. Timing!!!

Original poster
Bellad19 · 29/02/2020 13:54

Thank you so much to everyone who replied to my actual question! Good to know for future that if I’m sleeping I’ll remind my husband to warn any workmen not to venture into the bedroom lol!

Thank you to those who corrected my grammar also, good to know for future use so that I don’t make a mistake :)

OP posts: