To ask why trades person felt it was ok to do this?

[EmilyBolton]

so I’ve got builders in at the moment. I have to keep everything on even keel as it’s taken 12 months to find someone willing to do job 😱

They have keys to the garage and back gate to come in and out. They come through the garage to access room they’re working on. Room they’re working on has access door to main part of house. No lock- just internal door…but it was sealed off to prevent the dust coming through.

I came home on Friday and walked into kitchen/Diner/lounge and saw that a plant pot and fabric cover I had placed over my tumble drier had been removed and was now placed on my dining table.

should explain tumble drier normally in garage. I moved into the dining area while building work going on so I can still access it. But I don’t want to look at a tumble drier in my lounge for next 3 months so had put a cover over and a plant on top.(ok, I know that puts me into a bit mad category!)

Now I’m not stupid. I am very aware that tumble driers are a fire risk at best of times. When I use it , I lift my cover off and ensure air can circulate properly. I also don’t leave house with a tumble drier on- never have since all the cases reported of self combusting driers. I live on my own so actually only use the thing very rarely anyway.

The tumble drier was not on when I was out.

One of tradesman in that day was the electrician. I am assuming that he entered the lounge/dinner through the (sealed) access door to access electrical points from the other side of the wall. I am assuming that he then saw my decorative tumble drier, and that he took it upon himself to take the cover and plant off the dryer and put on the dining table. No note. No text to explain why or even that someone has come into the main house whilst I was out.

I am assuming that this person decided I was clearly stupid and was actually using the dryer with the “camouflage ” features up in place and creating a massive fire risk and decided to take it upon themselves to solve this “problem” without any discussion, or checking with me to see if I was really that stupid . It feels like a very heavy dose of “mansplaining” (especially as they all know I’m living on my own and of retirement age). It just feels so bloody patronising as well as an intrusion in my home by whoever it was that felt entitled enough to start rearranging my stuff.

Aibu to call the manager (who is overseeing project) and ask who did this, why and why they thought it was ok to move my stuff without permission, or should I just let it go in interest of keeping everything sweet and happy . I have been trying to shrug it off since Friday- but it feels like an intrusion. I don’t want these guys wandering into my house while I’m not there and doing stuff I’ve not given permission for them to do.

@EmilyBolton if the agreement is that they need to infirm you if the days they need to access the house, then yes, speak to the main bloke & ask why you weren't informed. Then ask why your stuff was moved about. You live alone, your entitled to feel your private space is not being intruded upon without your knowledge/permission.

Electricians have voltage detectors - little gadgets they plug into sockets which emit a high pitched sound if its energised. So they don’t need to use your appliances for testing.

I renovate houses a lot and it would not cross my mind to mention this. I trust the builders I use. I think you'd come across and a bit bonkers if you mentioned this to them.

🤣🤣🤣🤣🤣

True, I’m married to an electrician, but he’d have to move the drier to find the socket to test. He’s probably forgotten to put the shroud and urn back.

I'm as irritated by mansplaining as the next woman. But firstly, there is no evidence this guy intended to indulge in any. And secondly, unless the person on the receiving end is also a qualified electrician, it's probably reasonable to suppose he may actually have some words of wisdom to impart. Sometimes some people (even men!) know things about something we don't, and might be of use to us. Otherwise we'd probably not need to employ them.

Just ask. Don't assume. Good chance there is a totally different explanation.

Since it’s probably illegal to film people without their knowledge, you would obviously alert them and explain why you were doing this? Hoping to catch them out so you can stiff them on the final price?
Thought not.

It's such a tiny thing. No harm was done. let it go.

This is one reason why my H refuses to work in the general public’s houses any more. And why it is more and more difficult to get anyone to do so.

Batshit people

If your husband can't be bothered with basic courtesy @AnyFucker like asking a homeowner's permission before letting themselves into the property on days they don't normally work there, or giving the householder a heads up that goods many need to be moved, then it is probably better that he doesn't do work in
private homes or do anything that requires a modicum of emotional intelligence or manners. He certainly wouldn't be getting any repeat business, anyway.

My Dad is an electrician and would probably give you a lecture on the cover! He goes to so so many tumble drier fires that none of us in the family have one in the house!

and yes, they do catch fire when not in use also!!

he may just be a caring electrician who was concerned about fire risk!

How do people think electricians get new sockets in and around the house? Do you think they just stand in the garage and summon it like Thor? If they need to extend a circuit they need to make sure it is safe to do so and that might mean going into your house. If you have an electrician turning up to your home, best to work from the assumption they might need to come in.

Is it sexist - probably
Is it patronising and intrusive - for sure
Is there anything in it for you by complaining - I don't think so

If you contact them I would suggest the following (possibly faux naïve tone) IF his boss believes (as we clearly do) he was being an arse he'll get told; if his boss doesn't believe he was being an arse then a more hostile / annoyed letter wouldn't have had the intended effect anyway.

I came home on Friday and was horrified to see that such and such had been moved I was really worried because I thought that the builders or possibly burglars had been looking around my house and moving stuff about. Eventually I realised that it was probably the electrician moving them because he thought it was a fire hazard - very thoughtful I'm sure but could you check it was him and then reassure him that I wouldn't use the dryer with the cloth on it but I don't need to use the tumble dryer very often so it's really no bother for me to move my own things when I need to. It can feel really worrying and intrusive when someone moves your things without asking if it's ok or even explaining what they did and why.

Do you really think trade worry about repeat business from people who don't trust them to enter another room in the property they are working in, or move a cloth from a tumble dryer without express permission? Have you any idea how in demand the trades are? They can choose their clients. You're very naive if you think they have to indulge customer's whims out of gratitude for being given a job!

There is very little money to be made in domestic jobs for lots of reasons. The rising costs of materials, lack of apprentice-trained tradesmen and this

it’s just not worth the hassle. This is why we all struggle get good people in our homes, they have all fucked off to more lucrative and less demanding commercial ventures

If my DH had the slightest inkling he was being filmed on a job he’d have picked up his tools and walked out.
DH once walked off a job because the woman didn’t want holes in her walls for wall lights, he’d sweated his bollocks off in her boiling hot loft, dropping the cables down the cavity wall, he returned to the lounge and picked up his chasing tool to make the holes for the cables to come through for said wall lights.
She threw a fit, didn’t think he’d be wrecking her house. “Can’t you just connect them to that socket”?
DH, No. I’ve dropped cable down your walls, it has to come through the walls to connect to lights. I can’t do that without making holes. She didn’t want the holes so he walked out.

I know an electrician who saw a potentially dangerous situation and didn't say a word to warn the guy and later that very same day the guy died.

Extreme compared to your 'dilemma,' but never be insulted if someone wants to help you.

Tbh, I can't believe you've written 9 paragraphs about something so ridiculous.

Stop puffing your chest out and try thanking him instead.

I'd leave it. It sounds very minor in the grand scheme of things. Especially when it's taken a long time to get the work started.

Someone moved a cloth and a plant... hardly a world-shaking problem!

I've probably missed something as I've been wondering how he got into the kitchen if the door was sealed off. Anyway...

Was the machine plugged in while you had the cover and plant pot on it? In that case, I would say it should be switched off at the socket and unplugged for safety.

I wasn’t going to reply again to my thread as I had said I’d taken the advice that IWBU and should leave it. I’ve been happily letting it go today.
but just seen this 🤣🤣🤣🤣🤣no, really mines not like that ..honestly….

i didn’t know you could buy a cover…now I’m really tempted to see what other ones you can buy 🤣🙄😳

I would just leave it.

But I do take your point, builders, plumbers etc. are trades that are still in the 19th century.

I guess it is is due to the fact that they are small businesses, and even big businesses just use a load of small business subcontractors.

These types of business call really do with being more professional.

To all those replying..thank you..liked the light hearted comments as although my post may have read like I was an obsessive bat shit deranged old bag…I was genuinely taken aback by random shit being moved in my house with no explanation, really rather perplexed and bemused. Ok, Ill hold my hand up to being a bit batshit with camouflaging the tumble drier though. But I wasn’t obsessing on it..just mulling shall I say something ..hmm..I’ll ask MNetters
( and sorry for the 9 paragraphs poster, I’m very verbose 🤣🤣🤣9 paragraphs when one will do😉)
I was not seeking to destroy an electrician career and go in to his boss like a raging banshee accusing anyone of anything. Like all of you have said trades are extremely difficult to get- I’ve been waiting a year for this and my usual interaction with them is upbeat, flexible and grateful. I’m happy for them to use my loo btw (but they prefer theirs) or make them tea (but they like theirs in the van). Contrary to what some have concluded I’m don’t disrespect trades- I spent my whole career working in manufacturing facilities and factories alongside production Operators and engineers and “trades” and I have a great deal of respect for people with expertise and skills I don’t have- that’s why I’m paying an astonishingly large sum of money and not trying to do it myself 🤷🏼‍♀️
The whole reason I posted was because I am certainly not wanting to upset or annoy or irritate anyone- I’m shit scared that my work will get completed at all given the issues I have had over last 12 months trying to get the work started by anyone

I did say earlier..most people are saying ignore it…I’m going with that sound advice.

thanks..and still laughing over the frilly cover..reminded me of those crochet dolls my granny used to put over the spare toilet roll

E.g.

Id of presumed he needed to randomly check the power outage on some of the sockets or something or maybe something had tripped the electrics.