AIBU to not allow the plasterer to play his radio?

[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

@VoiceFaceArse

I can now understand why more people really struggle to find tradesmen. 😬

We don't struggle. Not remotely. I can see why some tradespeople struggle to find work, though.

@Doodlebug71 “my husband takes calls from bigwigs at IBM” sounds like parody- the kind of thing a proud but clueless-about-work Mum would say about her wonderful son’s “top graduate job”, when said son actually works in a call centre on the IBM customer service line and the closest he has come to a “bigwig” is his greasy-haired manager Dave.

Why are you bending over backwards to appease & facilitate this man as if he were a guest - or a grumpy teenager?

Jeeze, he's got your number.
"glumly accepted" - "really huffy" - FFS.
How are you allowing this manipulative childishness to escalate - & why are you running around after this bloke ordering him earbuds & fretting about free wifi?

You hired him with the expectation that he is a professional who will take your money in return for a good job. The fact that he can't blare music out in your gaff while you do the jobs you are paid for is immaterial to your contract with him.

Over the head earphones are being used more by people who want to listen to music and need to move. They stay on as well as ear defenders.
You'd have to turn down a fair bit of work if you can't work without music playing, especially big, good paying jobs for businesses, housing associations, hospitals, residential homes etc.

I genuinely don’t understand why people are acting like this tradesman is doing op a huge favour and she should run round after him with ‘nice drinks and biscuits’ or let him have music on when she doesn’t want it.

She doesn’t need to run round after him, he’s literally being paid to do his job.

Reminds me of the saying, 'and she ended up with a face like a plasterers radio'

And buying him earbuds/paying for his phone data is ridiculous and utterly unnecessary.

Wireless over the head earphones, that should have been.

@Bluesheep8

*I don't understand how this has got to six pages. Surely you say "we're working from home, so we need peace and quiet" and tradesman says "ok I'll keep my music on low, let me know if it's too loud and I'll turn it down more".

Why make things difficult that don't have to be?*

Finally, some sense!

It doesn't make sense because the nature of the work he's doing would mean that he was having to cart the giant, heavy radio around the house every 10-15 minutes. Either that of he'd have to have it blaring out on the landing or stairs so that it could be heard from every room in the house.

We've arranged to go out to work this afternoon: I've booked a site meeting that I didn't need to do till next week and my partner is going to go and work at a friend's house. We've warned him the neighbours are out in their gardens and may be round to complain if he's too noisy and we've reminded him that tomorrow we'll have earbuds and he can work and listen at the same time.

He seems slightly bemused and it occurred to me that he may not have a smartphone. I've known others involved in wet trades who've ruined so many phones they've gone back to the easily-replaced dumb variety at work.

Today he's had a brief conversation with us about how tedious his work is without music in the background

To which - instead of caving in like a pair of ninnies - the optimal answer is:
"I'm sorry you find the job tedious but it's only 4 days, & I can't do my job with music on. Still, the quicker you crack on with it, the quicker it's done - now, can I make you a cuppa before you get back to it?"

I totally understand. Dh is being driven nuts today by music from our neighbour’s builders while he tries to work and take calls.

I think your mistake was not mentioning it when the plasterer quoted for the job if it was that important.

He seems slightly bemused and it occurred to me that he may not have a smartphone.

Yes, that’ll be why he’s looking bemused, he doesn’t have a smartphone.

@VoiceFaceArse

I can now understand why more people really struggle to find tradesmen. 😬

Same here. If you go on the property forum there’s threads moaning that tradesman don’t get back to them. Probably the same people that hand the tradesman a list of rules for working in their house 🙄

"Today he's had a brief conversation with us about how tedious his work is without music in the background"

The tradesmen I know would rather wear headphones because they find, chatting (and older clients love to chat), children's noise and day time television, tedious.

Perhaps you could explain. I'll have a look later, maybe. I'm guessing you're both trolling right now, so...

Trolling? Nope. But read your post back, Its been a while since Ive read anything quite so pretentious on here tbh.

I mean come on.... they're welcome to sit in the garden for their breaks/lunch if the weather allows

Husband has regular and sporadic calls, including video calls from bigwigs at places like IBM

Is that You Mrs Bucket?

You honestly checked the price of the radio? You sound unbearable, I'm surprised he hasn't ordered you a pair of earplugs.

Can I ask a question? I’ve never had a cleaner so I don’t know what’s normal, but do people who have one supply their cleaner with tea, coffee, biscuits, lunch etc? Whenever we’ve had tradesmen, those things have always been offered and gladly accepted, and I know it’s ‘the done thing’. I will also ask the people I know who have a cleaner about this, but just thought I’d ask on here too after reading this!

I understand totally - I hate the sound of music or noise when I am trying to work (and even when I'm not) - I asked the scaffolders over the road to turn their music down (which they were playing from their van) as it was pissing me off.

I am trying to imagine what the giant radio looks like. Who has a giant radio in this day and age.

I totally understand. Dh is being driven nuts today by music from our neighbour’s builders while he tries to work and take calls.

Are the calls regular and sporadic from Bigwigs at IBM though?

Mumsnet is so weird about tradesmen. You're never allowed to complain about them no matter what.

YANBU. I also find it hard to work without music, so I make sure I have earphones and songs on my phone if I'm working out of the house. I don't expect everyone else to listen to my choice of music because I'm not a twat.

I am trying to imagine what the giant radio looks like. Who has a giant radio in this day and age.

Is anyone else picturing Dom Joly shouting into his massive mobile phone?

@SirenSays

You honestly checked the price of the radio? You sound unbearable, I'm surprised he hasn't ordered you a pair of earplugs.

I'm in the construction industry. De Walt and all the other equipment suppliers send me their catalogues. I know these things.

@Bluesheep8

I totally understand. Dh is being driven nuts today by music from our neighbour’s builders while he tries to work and take calls.

Are the calls regular and sporadic from Bigwigs at IBM though?

“VIDEO calls” no less!

Your house your rules. I don't think you're being unreasonable at all. It would drive me to distraction having crappy music piping all day when I was trying to concentrate. Hardly your fault if he finds his job boring.