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????

@Carrotcakey: I feel your pain! I don't know how people can buy houses and get them done up for a living. I suppose you get a regular group of tradesmen that you trust through, and who trust you.

One of my brothers is a bricklayer and is booked up until at least next summer, anyone decent round here is just incredibly busy. He does pick and choose jobs and will only do something if it’s worth his while but that’s his prerogative tbh, I’d do the same in his position.

His name is good so he can afford to turn down jobs he doesn’t fancy or which sound like a nightmare and he’s also put off by people who put pressure on him for freebies etc so tends to steer clear of certain calls when he has other people happy to spend on big jobs which will look good in his portfolio.

Obviously when times get hard he doesn’t have the luxury of doing that and when he was starting out he did anything and everything and got pretty ripped off by some customers just to get a foot on the ladder.

Someone will definitely want the work you might just have to be prepared to wait a little longer at the moment.

@LakieLady He has 2 theories: one is that because people had to cancel expensive holidays this year, they're spending the money they would have spent on their holidays on their houses; the second is that, having all been cooped up together and WFH for months, they now want extensions built so that they have somewhere to work and can stay out of one another's way more easily.

Yes, both plausible, I suppose.

I don’t think this is a new thing. It’s always been the way. If we found a reliable tradesman, he’d have plenty of work, but trying to get a quote is hard enough. I managed to get some work done recently, but had to just go with the only firm that bothered to respond to me. It’s a massive bugbear of mine - yes, if they are good then they will be busy. But they should also be courteous and respond to people when they advertise ways to contact them. I would have no issue with yes we can do that, but it will be Q1 next year. They just don’t bother.

We're absolutely stuffed with work at the moment, people seem to want wardrobes/beds/tables before Christmas. Unfortunately a colleague has Covid so everything has been delayed by 2 weeks. I hope it continues. Tbf we always reply to emails and quote everything or direct the client to a trusted firm.

Van men are usually rude so no surprise.

Of course they’re picking and choosing the easiest or most profitable work. What do you expect them to do?

Of course they’re picking and choosing the easiest or most profitable work. What do you expect them to do?

I think I answered this. The thread title was "AIBU to wonder IF....." not "AIBU to expect every builder to want to take my jobs". I wanted to know If this was worse than usual, the reasons for this, and what the reasons are for why they won't just come out and SAY the job is too small for them.

And tips on how to get my work done! I perhaps need a little one man band maybe who only WANTS to take on little jobs here and there. Maybe someone who has part-retired or something. It's finding someone who isn't a jack of all trades/master of none though. It's difficult.

I guess they’re just being efficient with their time, OP, as we all try to be. Anyway, glad you got some answers!

All the tradesmen around here are jam packed - many are even hiring because they have so much work on. DH is a plasterer/tiler and he's got work coming out of his ears - he's got work booked until Easter at the moment and he just had a request he's had to turn down as he can't get the job done by Christmas.

But it's always been the way that little odd jobs aren't very popular - they're time consuming and don't make much money once you factor in travel, providing a quote, getting supplies, travelling back etc. It's far easier to take on a big job with guaranteed day rate.

If it's only little jobs (which it sounds like) try getting a general handyman in instead. Gutters could probably be done by a window cleaner at the same time as they do your windows, too. In general, little jobs aren't popular for the self-employed as they just don't have a big return and tend to be a lot of effort!

Thankyou, Vanilla. It's probably soffits rather than guttering so think I need a roofer. Flashing needs repairing too.. It's possibly a bay window issue. So not that straight forward.

My shower is the thing that's niggling most at the moment, I guess because I see the impact of being without one daily.

Anyway, thankyou everyone. I can see that I'm not alone in experiencing this. And at least I understand now why they don't want to take little jobs on. I just wish they were more honest.

Just an update: another roofing company been contacted today. 4 month waiting list. Rang someone else whose wife (I think) answered, and she seemed to be talking to her husband. Perhaps he's having a day off of course but there was a lot of "oooh, when do you think you'll be able to get up that way, DH?" It's 4 miles away, 15 min drive. They just seemed very reluctant to take anything on although she was actually very nice and took notes of what I needed looking at, and took my number.

Really hope you get somebody to come and give you a quote soon, OP.
The man with the 4 month waiting list, did you offer to come and price up?