Page 3 | AIBU to not allow the plasterer to play his radio?

Skybluepinkgiraffe · 13/07/2021 10:52

It feels like te classic #bekind, from some posters.
Be kind to your plasterer because you're oh so unkind for wanting to be able to get on with your own work.
I like your attempts to compromise, personally. I think that's what being kind is.

MaMelon · 13/07/2021 10:53

I think you're being more than reasonable, given your updates, and I hope he came back

Agree with this. Sounds like he just doesn’t likes earbuds and prefers his radio on - which is fine in normal circumstances but not fine when people are trying to work.

A compromise could be that he has it on very low, turns it off when you’re on a call, and shuts the door in the room he’s working in.

Notimeforaname · 13/07/2021 10:55

This is mad. Leave him alone with his music. The music will not harm you or your neighbours.

You are payin him for a service and he likes a bit of music. Stop putting the man out by suggesting this and ordering that for him. I'm sure his ''massive radio '' wouldnt be on loud.

Get a ''quiet plasterer'' with whom you have discussed decibel levels before he takes the job. Tell him you need the work done in near silence.
Jesus christ the amount of people in the world who accept nothing short of exactly what they want,the way they want it.

Live n let live lady. Bit of quiet music for a few days...not a huge deal. Christ. You want it quiet for your work...he likes a bit of sound for his. Ita only for a few days. Cant you put up with another persons routine. for a few days.?..you and your neighbours wont spontaneously combust.😂

PattyPan · 13/07/2021 10:56

Yanbu, I think you are being more than reasonable - I wouldn’t have bought him earphones! Of course you can’t have the radio playing when you need to be on calls.

StoppinBy · 13/07/2021 10:56

YANBU. He is being paid by you in your home to do a job. If the music will bother you he can work without it.

I do have to say that I can't stand background noise like music when I am working on something but my hubby always cranks it up when he's working.

Hubby can of course work without it and I am quite sure your plasterer can too.

DavidTheDog · 13/07/2021 10:56

YANBU. I love listening to radio 4 or podcasts, and wander around most of the day with earbuds in. Why workmen feel entitled to blast out a local radio station all day (and then shout over it) I don’t know.

Original poster

Shedbuilder · 13/07/2021 10:57

@Sugarplumfairy65

YABU to expect any window company to make good your plastering and decoration when fitting windows. If you read your contract, it will tell you that its your responsibility. They are window fitters, not plasterers

Thanks, SPF. I work in the construction industry myself and I know the ways of contracts and contractors. The fact that the fitting team turned up and told me in front of witnesses that they'd forgotten the item of equipment they use to carefully cut through plaster and plasterboard, but they wanted to go ahead anyway, was noted and the resulting serious damage photographed. We'll probably end up with a small claims case.

I have a team of tradespeople and my employees/ sub-contractors work to the guidelines of the considerate contractor scheme, which involves not playing music.

In the old days, before wifi and the radio on your phone and earbuds I would have been prepared to find a compromise but these days I expect tradespeople to come prepared.

OP posts:

Honeyroar · 13/07/2021 10:58

Trouble is, whether you’re being reasonable or not, you’re likely to be left with a half finished job and good tradesmen can be hard to find.

HarebrightCedarmoon · 13/07/2021 10:58

YANBU, I wouldn't put up with fucking commercial radio in the background while I'm working and DH has meetings all day so it would be really unprofessional. We had landscape gardeners playing a bit of music but that was outside and not particularly loud, not a problem. But in your house, your rules and that's it.

Cooldryplace · 13/07/2021 10:59

I think you were unreasonable "nipping it in the bud" before he even turned it on. I wouldn't expect it to be loud, but played at a normal level, in a separate room, I wouldn't expect it to disturb you or anyone outside an open window . My DSs have the TV on in the next room while I'm working, it's really not a problem.

NeedNewKnees · 13/07/2021 11:02

YANBU. The neighbours’ builders have been driving me insane with the volume of their radio for weeks.

Fairyliz · 13/07/2021 11:02

@Notimeforaname

This is mad. Leave him alone with his music. The music will not harm you or your neighbours.

You are payin him for a service and he likes a bit of music. Stop putting the man out by suggesting this and ordering that for him. I'm sure his ''massive radio '' wouldnt be on loud.

Get a ''quiet plasterer'' with whom you have discussed decibel levels before he takes the job. Tell him you need the work done in near silence.
Jesus christ the amount of people in the world who accept nothing short of exactly what they want,the way they want it.

Live n let live lady. Bit of quiet music for a few days...not a huge deal. Christ. You want it quiet for your work...he likes a bit of sound for his. Ita only for a few days. Cant you put up with another persons routine. for a few days.?..you and your neighbours wont spontaneously combust.😂

By the same token can’t the plasterer put up with so else’s routine for a few days?

HarebrightCedarmoon · 13/07/2021 11:03

I think you were unreasonable "nipping it in the bud" before he even turned it on

I don't. The workman was unreasonable to just assume it would be ok and not to ask first.

Polkadots2021 · 13/07/2021 11:04

@Shedbuilder

I have a plasterer booked for four days of fiddly work all over the house, repairing the mess left by the so-called specialist fitters we paid a small fortune to install triple glazing —but I'm not going there!

We both work from home and around us we have other households with people working from home and noise-sensitive older people. It's a hot day and our windows are open because it's hot and to keep the air moving just in case of Covid. So when he arrived yesterday with his giant radio we nipped the problem in the bud early on and said sorry, both working from home, both need to be able to think and make calls without background noise — no radio. Which he glumly accepted. Today he's had a brief conversation with us about how tedious his work is without music in the background, so we suggested he use his phone and some earbuds. But no, he doesn't want to run out of data and he doesn't have earbuds.

We've ordered some cheap earbuds and we'll see if we can rig up some kind of free wifi connection for him tomorrow, but he's really huffy and I'm wondering whether we'll see him again tomorrow. He's a good plasterer and we've waited two months to get him. Are we being unreasonable?

Yes = we are unreasonable
No = we're no unreasonable

OP he is totally bizarre. Who doesn't have earphones? And a bit of silence never killed anyone. Goodness gracious, YA totally NBU!!

Kanaloa · 13/07/2021 11:04

She isn’t ‘putting him out.’ She has hired him to provide a service, if he finds the working conditions intolerable he doesn’t need to take that job. He isn’t doing her a favour, he’s being paid to do a job.

UrAWizHarry · 13/07/2021 11:05

"Can't believe how entitled some people are."

Couldn't agree more. Imagine being so entitled that you are disturbed by a radio you can't hear.

Aisforharlot · 13/07/2021 11:06

Wow, HIBU.
I had a cleaning job that was tedious as fuck, but we weren't allowed a radio or headphones.
He needs to consider this an investment for future clients and buy some wireless headphones and download some podcasts or something.

MurielSpriggs · 13/07/2021 11:06

Absolutely not unreasonable - that's what headphones or earbuds and Spotify are for. If he likes music while he works they should be as much a part of his equipment as a trowel.

Boood · 13/07/2021 11:07

I can’t believe anybody thinks YABU. Imagine if a tradesman working in an actual office insisted on having music playing out loud?! I would let him use the wifi but I certainly wouldn’t think it was my responsibility to buy him headphones, that’s mental. It amazes me how much some people think tradesmen need babying.

IllForTooLong · 13/07/2021 11:08

He's a good plasterer and we've waited two months to get him.

That's your bottom line.
You might be used to work with different rules etc.. in your work. But he is self employed, can decide who he is working for and how.
On the other hand you have some jobs that need repair and he is good at it.

Personally I would chose to have the job done well....

fairislecable · 13/07/2021 11:09

I have a friend who was having extensive decorating done and she specifically booked the guy who did not play music aloud. (Sometimes he used earbuds).

When she said this in a book club it was duly noted by all and many asked for his contact details.

Your decorator should think ahead as lots of possible clients may be put off if he only insists on his old technology.

Mirrorxx · 13/07/2021 11:11

Our neighbours are having an extension atm and I wish their builders would wear headphones. The radio is so loud I can hear it throughout our house and everyone we ask them to turn it down they turn it up again the next day

Loudestcat14 · 13/07/2021 11:11

@Sugarplumfairy65

YABU to expect any window company to make good your plastering and decoration when fitting windows. If you read your contract, it will tell you that its your responsibility. They are window fitters, not plasterers

That was my takeaway from the OP too! Window companies never make good on plastering, it's always in the contract.

Plus not letting him have the radio on really low in one room – i.e. he needs to compromise by not carrying it around the house – seems really churlish. It's boring work otherwise.

IllForTooLong · 13/07/2021 11:11

Btw re your surpise about data etc...

Not everyone is cofortable with using mobile phones to their full capabilities. Or be happy with earbuds.
I use my phone to listent to music, more particlularky radio. It uses data. I never use earbuds.
DH doesnt have any music on his phone at all. And certainly wouldnt want to take it to work like this. Too risky to damage it really, especially if you use earphones that are plugged into your phone etc....

There is a reason why he is using one of the 'construction worker radio'. They are indestructible.

But the bottom line is that you can't tell him how to listen to his own music!

Turdibacious · 13/07/2021 11:12

@Sugarplumfairy65

YABU to expect any window company to make good your plastering and decoration when fitting windows. If you read your contract, it will tell you that its your responsibility. They are window fitters, not plasterers

What companies are you using? We recently had windows fitted and decorator came afterwords to make good (and did a fantastic job).

He had a massive Makita boombox, I didn't even know they made them. I just sucked it up for a couple of days and used a headset with my laptop. I reckon the finish was worth it.