AIBU to wonder if some tradesmen are picking and choosing work at the moment?

[CurlyhairedAssassin]

Having a nightmare at the moment trying to get contractors for various jobs to even answer the phone or respond to an answerphone message at the moment. When I DO manage to speak to someone they say they are busy and will contact in a few weeks. They never do. Or that they will "call next week sometime giving you an hour's notice" which is feck all use to a family where both parents work 100 hours between them, one of them in a school so no leave allowance, the other in law enforcement with highly irregular hours.

This has always been an issue, but it's terrible just now. We managed to get an extension done a few years back and I remember the builders being so flakey when someone rang them while they were working here. Just non-committal, or would visit them to quote and tell me "oh I could tell they were going to be a nightmare, I don't think it's worth it". They were only interested in the big jobs which would earn them most money.

I'm starting to wonder if tradesmen even want the work at the moment to be honest, and am wondering if any self-employment grants have had anything to do with it? (I don't know the rules for this). I can't get a roofer out to fix 2 or 3 problems with my roof and/or gutters. I can't get a plumber out to fit us a new shower. I have tried and tried. We have had to put tarpaulin on the roof and hope for the best for now. No-one rang me back when I left messages about a boiler service, or fitting a new tap so in the end we had to go with British Gas on a contract. They were fantastic, came exactly when they said they would and did the job, yet I often hear of people moaning that British Gas contractors are rubbish. Well - at least they turn up when you ask them and do the job you've asked them to do!

A roofer who said he'd call me back to arrange a time to come only lives round the corner from me. His van is nearly always outside his house so unless he's working on his own house he just isn't working at the moment, or is maybe picking and choosing lucrative jobs only like new roof rather than roof repairs?

What is going on????

There's a huge backlog of work for tradesmen at the moment because of the many months of lockdown where they were only doing emergency work - so they're busy busy busy. Not to mention, they have even less time because they or their employees or suppliers are regularly needing to isolate so they lose the ability to work for up to 14 days when that happens.
I feel your pain. We're renovating and tradesmen are completely filled up for the next couple of months.

All tradesman are busier than they have ever been, nothing to do with grants, there is just more work than there are traders. I’m currently having a bathroom done, have got to wait for the decorator for 6 weeks.

I know quite a few tradesmen and they're all really busy, some are having to turn work away.
People are spending money on their homes and gardens as opposed to spending it on socialising and holidays.

roofers and gas engineers will be in their busier time due to the change in weather. If you're not getting in until 9pm then it can get a bit late to be calling back. It's not ideal but there's only so many hours in the day.

But one of the advantages of being self-employed is you are free to pick and choose work, I'm not sure why you think they shouldn't be able to?

YABU for suggesting the self employment grants have anything to do with it!

Lots of people (us included!) are getting work done on the house as being here so much through lockdown meant we couldn’t escape from the less than ideal living space we had so decided to fix it.

Nearly every other house near us is having some kind of work done, so I think they are just very, very busy. Even a contractor working for a neighbour who we asked for a quote hasn’t got back to us yet (fair sized job too).
If we wanted to compromise on quality we could probably get someone else but I’d rather go by recommendation for the popular ones who are good than have someone who does a crap job.

I do remember years ago getting someone round for a quote. He took a fair amount of time measuring up etc and said he’d be back in touch within the week. If it wasn’t for the fact my friend was visit g and heard him say that I might have thought I’d dreamed him because I never heard from him again!

When you're self employed you can pick and choose what you want to do. Its always been like that.

Similar problems here OP. I had an electrician I've been using for years do some work for me in the summer. Up until recently he's been reliable, professional and very, very good. He didn't finish my job, said he'd be back on the Saturday to finish off and promptly vanished for a week and half, with no idea when he might be back.

I put it down to one of those things as he's been very trustworthy to date and asked him to come and quote for some more work a couple of weeks ago. He didn't show up on the day we arranged 'his van got hit' apparently , no offer of a rescheduled date.

Finally got him round, said he'd get the quote to me in 2 days (this was important as I have scaffolding up which he needed to do the work before it comes down). I chased him up after 5 days, he said he hadn't been able to do it as 'his daughter was rushed into hospital' . Given she was ill on the Friday and the quote was due on Weds I'm not sure what the relevance of that was.

He finally sent his quote, I asked when he could start and he's ignored me ever since. I feel so badly let down, I was his first client after he set up his own business and been very loyal to him over the years but I'm obviously not a big enough client anymore.

They've always been like it IME. Might turn up, might give you a quote. Even when I've said there's no rush I don't sometimes hear back 🤷‍♀️. I'd prefer a quick, "sorry we are incredibly busy we can't fit this in" reply.

Yes tradesman are having to turn work away. They’re extremely busy. My DH is fully booked until April now and that’s including some weekends just to get people in.
He worked through lockdown from April onwards and it’s definitely nothing to do with the grants and they were a small amount. I think the first one was £7,000?

Perhaps he's getting picked up by a work mate, or his van is not working? More cost effective than two vehicles for one job.

Rang my gas engineer to service the boiler in August, have rung 3 further times, he just says " your on my list"!!

@Saucery definitely right not to compromise on quality. Any tradesman available within the next 4 weeks isn’t very good at his job!

I'm sure they will all be chasing us up once recession starts to bite and the work dries up. I'll certainly remember which ones behaved professionally and which didn't. Nobody minds the odd missed appointments, delayed quotes etc if they keep you informed, it's the lack of basic courtesy and manners that drives me to distraction.

OP why do you think that someone self employed shouldn't be able to pick and choose what jobs they do?

I think they're really busy.

People stopped having anything done for a while, then had a whole summer looking at their homes and spotting all the things that need doing, in a way that you don't when you're rushing in and out to work and social things. Plus (if they stayed in work) they're better off financially with vastly reduced outgoings and they're at home to have people come round to quote etc.

Lockdown backlog + delays due to lockdown states + disruption to usual childcare (self employed person has more flexibility) + commercial businesses going bust leading to more disruption + busy season for roofers/boilers + WFH meaning everyone sees their house in daylight hours now.

Dare I say it, but tradesmen coming over from Europe might be heading home now if they weren't already pre Brexit shenanigans - I will strongly suggesting trades to my daughter's as career paths!

I'm planning to have a small building job done. The builder has been excellent in terms of the quote and communication but they told me from the start (in Aug) that they can't do the work until Jan.

Tradesmen are often one man bands and for some, sales/marketing/communication isn’t their forte. It’s just supply and demand. Also mega shortages in supplies over spring summer probably didn’t help the supply chain.

It's always this way. We're lucky if they turn up even to give an estimate.

It is a total nightmare. Mind you it is always like that around here.

A great time to learn some.advances DIY skills and have a go yourself.... I'm considering doing this with the render on mine. But it isnt really an option if it is e.g. gas or electrics.

am wondering if any self-employment grants have had anything to do with it? laughing at this. The grants would probably cover rent and insurance etc for a yard unused for 6 weeks, plus the deficit of trying to recover from a slow February for builder when no one wanted work done and everywhere flooded.
Everyone is busy catching up. It's normal for a reputable trades person to book appointment a week ahead. No one is picking and choosing at the moment I can assure you, but occasionally with customers you get the feeling they will be more trouble than the job is worth.

My typos aren't usually this bad - I have a plaster on my thumb!!

We wanted a few windows replacing and a new door, got a local company in and was told mid Jan as an estimate of when they could fit us in....we are just sticking with what weve got!

Tradesmen have always been able to pick and choose. They are seriously busy right now. All you can do is try to make your job look attractive.