Workman being reckless in my home? Am I being silly?

[Overthis22]

I was getting my fusebox replaced today and some additional sockets added to my home. It’s in my utility room above where my washing machine is. I was chatting to the workman (general chit chat) and I witnessed him actually stand on my washing machine to reach the box rather than use a step ladder 😵I immediately recoiled from the inside as it’s white new but never said anything as i hate conflict but now I’m beginning to feel annoyed with myself. Is this acceptable behaviour from the workman? Do people generally use their washing machines in favour of ladders? 😵‍💫 Will my machine be ok?

I had a workman stand on my kitchen cou yet rather than use a ladder, he broke it . I was not impressed.

You should have spoken up. I'm surprised by the audacity. Tell him when you get the chance not to do that. Apart from anything else it's massively unprofessional!

You should have said 'I'd rather you didn't stand on my furniture or white goods if you don't mind, don't you have a ladder? He was just being a lazy arse and couldn't be bothered to go and fetch one. Don't put up with this sort of treatment from workmen OP, it's unprofessional of them, and if he damaged anything, and you didn't tell him off, then he'll expect you to pay to put it right as you didn't object.

Oh dear. Puts me off getting any work done at all. Why can’t folk just be decent. I don’t want to have to tell them. I wouldn’t dream of standing on someone’s counter or washing machine. I’d use a sturdy chair if I didn’t have access to a ladder but that’s my limit

there are a lot of stupid people. not cool and very stupid, careless behaviour. you can't win with some trades people though, they get the hump if you "tell them off".

i had my downstairs toilet redecorated a while - back everything else had been removed and cleared away by me.

only thing i had not cleared out was the toilet brush - it really was not large or in the way, butted right up to the toilet bowl, not wall where he might need to paint around

instead of the painter/decorator leaving it on the floor or if it was in the way, leaving it outside the toilet door in the hall way floor, he took it out of the toilet, walked with it through the hall and set it on my kitchen table .

I posted about this on here and got told i was being unreasonable to be unhappy the painter/decorator put it on my dining table.

All you have to say is 'please don't stand on my washing machine'. However if he breaks something he has to replace.

We had decorators in. We’d moved everything out of the way. One of the decorators decided to move a cupboard in the hall to stand some paint pots. Without moving the lamp that stood on top. Which fell off and broke it’s fixing. The lamp is one of a handmade pair and we’ve never been able to find the right fixing since. The man that made them died a while back so can’t ask him. Bloody annoying.

They are a law unto themselves unfortunately.

Workmen are only physically capable of seeing the task they have been hired to do. Electrician will think nothing of trampling over all new flowers in garden, killing them. A carpenter will chop through the new electrical cables laid by his colleague that morning. A painter will drip paint all over a new wood floor then walk with wet painted shoes over carpet. A plasterer will spray plaster and glue all over newly installed windows then, if questioned, happily say “Don’t worry love your cleaner will get it off” (The cleaner will not be able to, btw.)

Builders will search out your mugs and use them to scoop concrete.

Others will find a tea towel and use it as a rag for chemicals.

All of these have happened to me.

Oh and if you are female, you don’t get to tell off tradesmen, they’ll just sulk and work slower. But if you playact being an anxious old lady who’s eg neurotic about her beloved new floor, they may toll their eyes and decide to humour you by working more carefully.

Or if you have a DH / tall son, they’ll acceot a telling off from the man.

'Do people generally use their washing machines in favour of ladders?'

I've not see any window cleaners hump round a load of old washing machines instead of ladders. Not yet anyway.😉

Unfortunately, it's the norm for a lot of tradesmen to have zero respect for your home, belongings etc. They can get away with poor attitude because they know they're in demand and customers have little choice.

Luckily, we have a few who we keep using because they do a good job and are respectful, but they're hard to find. Once you find a good one, you really need to keep them, even if more expensive, and it's too much of a risk to use untried/untested tradesmen even for the simplest of jobs. We tend to phone those we know and trust for recommendations of other trades we may need - the respectful ones know who else is like them and are usually happy to give names/numbers etc.

Our latest fiasco was having a carpet fitted. We'd completely cleared the room, put cover cloths over the window bottom as we knew they'd want to put their tools down somewhere. I walked in to see how they were doing, and one of them had put a can of red bull on the brand new wood fire surround top - I asked him to move it and put it on the cover cloth on the window ledge instead. Lots of huffing and puffing and eye-rolling (of course). But when I looked, it had left a circular stain on the fire surround - our brand new one that had only been there a couple of days. Which I've been unable to remove. So, the carpet firm now have a bill for a new fire surround. Completely and utterly unnecessary and just shoddiness and laziness from the carpet fitter, especially when there was a window ledge with covers on it. But even so, did he really need to bring his red bull into the house for what was a 30 minute job in the first place? Why not just leave it in the van?

I agree with @Badbadbunny We moved to a new country in the summer and we were having a nightmare getting good tradespeople (as in ones that actually turned up!) The carpenter and plumber we used were excellent and they recommended people for the jobs that we were being let down for. Now all done with no problems.

I once had a workman drop kick a bit of rubbish into my Christmas tree whilst calling the tree a cunt.

the apprentice who was with him asked if he thinks I’d complain as they left and he told him “you can do what you want in these houses, nobody gives a shit”

it was a council house.

I was just about to come on say this, i live in a HA house and keep it clean and tidy and well decorated.

A few years ago the HA replaced 3 windows in my house a few days before Christmas and they used a local firm, i have never seen such shoddy lazy and disrespectful workmanship in my life. I had cleaned the whole house because it was nearly Christmas, I got in from work, saw the mess and cried.

The bath was full of plaster/rubble
They had broke my toilet roll holder and soap dish off the wall
Mud and other crap all over the carpets and up the stairs as no mats were put down
Broken shards of glass just left in the garden - despite having kids and dogs
Plaster on the walls that had gouges in it
Rubbish left everywhere, empty tins and masking everywhere

The HA and the company did not give a shit when i rang to complain. The HA have it in the contract that the house has to be kept in good condition but they are happy for cowboys to come in and do the worst jobs possible and leave me to pay to repair it all.

Him standing on the washing machine is not acceptable.

However, it will not have done it any harm.

Just move on.