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Original poster

Why is there so much disdain towards tradesmen on MN?

241 replies

Enfys1982 · 28/02/2023 21:41

I’m genuinely baffled by it. Most of the men in my family are in trade. including my dad and brother. They are not lazy cowboys or crooks, my dad has worked since he started his apprenticeship when he was fifteen and has never been out of work since (he’s now semi retired) and barely had a day off sick either. He pays all his taxes and his is a registered Limited company with companies house. All are as honest as the day is long. No tax dodging or cash in hand jobs.

Please also be assured that none of them are ‘thick’ as posters are implying on one thread. You won’t see a ‘thick’ plumber or electrician as they need good GCSE grades, particularly in Maths, English and Science, to get a place at college to train. It’s very, very competitive and anything less than a B is pushing it for a place. They’re not going to let ‘thick people’ install gas boilers or rewire peoples homes ffs🙄

Rant over!

OP posts:
Cam22 · 28/02/2023 21:42

Some people rate professional men more, I think - university educated and all that.

ShakespearesBlister · 28/02/2023 21:43

Because they have a penis.

GPFavo · 28/02/2023 21:45

Yep. Much like the disdain for teachers, lawyers, GP receptionists, GPs, teenagers, nurseries, bankers, politicians, the media, pensioners, trans-women, estate agents, waiting staff, business owners in general… is there anyone mumsnet likes except nurses?

daisypond · 28/02/2023 21:45

Mainly because of the tendency for them -not all, I’m sure - not to turn up when they say they will. Or not to finish the job properly. But mainly the first one.

Unbridezilla · 28/02/2023 21:45

Because most people I know have been stung by someone cutting corners and doing a shoddy job. Or not turning up when they say they will.

Lots of trades people are good at the actual task, but awful at running their business. And that damages trust.

TheLaughOfRustyLee · 28/02/2023 21:45

Because so many of us have been done over or let down by tradesman over and over again? I'd say 1 out of 10 have been good. The rest - absolutely full of shite.

HedgehogB · 28/02/2023 21:46

Enfys1982 · 28/02/2023 21:41

I’m genuinely baffled by it. Most of the men in my family are in trade. including my dad and brother. They are not lazy cowboys or crooks, my dad has worked since he started his apprenticeship when he was fifteen and has never been out of work since (he’s now semi retired) and barely had a day off sick either. He pays all his taxes and his is a registered Limited company with companies house. All are as honest as the day is long. No tax dodging or cash in hand jobs.

Please also be assured that none of them are ‘thick’ as posters are implying on one thread. You won’t see a ‘thick’ plumber or electrician as they need good GCSE grades, particularly in Maths, English and Science, to get a place at college to train. It’s very, very competitive and anything less than a B is pushing it for a place. They’re not going to let ‘thick people’ install gas boilers or rewire peoples homes ffs🙄

Rant over!

Totally agree. I was getting sucked in so left the post. The attitudes! Thinly veiled disdain for ‘lesser’ tradespeople.

Ivesaidenough · 28/02/2023 21:47

I think people are put off by bad experiences. I have had 30 plus years of employing various tradesmen for different things, and out of about 100 visits I can count on one hand how many have been a good. experience, where I would recommend the person or use them again. I'm in London though so maybe that's why?

Fairislefandango · 28/02/2023 21:47

Presumably because they have personal experience of frequently being let down by tradesmen. I doubt someone would complain about tradesmen on MN if they had been happy with the service provided by the majority they'd used!

LemonRoseCat · 28/02/2023 21:49

I have heard that in the UK we have notoriously shoddy standards for trades compared to countries like Australia.

LolaSmiles · 28/02/2023 21:50

They’re not going to let ‘thick people’ install gas boilers or rewire peoples homes ffs🙄
And yet people all over the place have experiences otherwise with dodgy work.

Anyone who thinks tradespeople are lesser is being silly, but your gushing about how you're not going to get a place training unless you're academic and nobody's going to be allowed to rewire homes if they're thick is a bit naive.

roundcork · 28/02/2023 21:50

This reply has been withdrawn

This has been withdrawn by MNHQ at the request of the user.

Original poster
Enfys1982 · 28/02/2023 21:50

@Cam22 I agree. Pure snobbery because they didn’t go to Uni but are still probably better off than them. Funny that I’ve never met anyone who has been done over by a trades person. Nor have I heard of any not turning up, but then I I’d not want to do work for someone who blatantly looked down on my because of my career choice.

OP posts:
minou123 · 28/02/2023 21:51

Im not sure what threads you are referring to.

But MN is much like the news, only the bad and the ugly will be discussed.

There is zero point starting a thread "Oh my god, just had the best builder ever do some work on my house"
The first post will be: That's nice, dear. 😁

Naturally people need advice/rant about goddam awful trades people they've had to deal with.

I have a thread on here somewhere from the time the floor fitter sexually harrased me.
Does that mean I think all tradesmen are perverts? No. But I will talk about it.

Notwavingbutsignalling · 28/02/2023 21:51

It’s snobbery. A manager of a call centre said to me that his father had said ‘whatever you do, don’t end up on the tools’.

cassiatwenty · 28/02/2023 21:51

Someone said that being a "tradie" is seen almost as a badge of honour in Australia

(@HedgehogB 🖐😊)

ladykale · 28/02/2023 21:52

No one thinks they're lesser.

  1. They often don't show up when they stay they will.
  2. Or quote for a job never to be heard of again. 3) Or lie and take on multiple jobs, do one day of work to lock you in then call in "sick" while they do other jobs
  3. Or by a miracle actually show up and do an absolutely shoddy job...
PolkaDotMankini · 28/02/2023 21:54

I think most people (including me) have had at least one bad experience with a tradesman and it makes them wary. You're inviting a complete stranger into your home to do a specialised task, often costing a lot of money. Will they turn up? Will they finish the work? Will it take a lot longer than they said? Will the work be safe and to a good standard? Will they be honest and treat you and your home with respect?

A good tradesman is worth their weight in gold. Joe Public just have no way of knowing who's good and who's a cowboy and there are enough of the latter about that everyone has first-hand experience of them.

ladykale · 28/02/2023 21:54

Enfys1982 · 28/02/2023 21:50

@Cam22 I agree. Pure snobbery because they didn’t go to Uni but are still probably better off than them. Funny that I’ve never met anyone who has been done over by a trades person. Nor have I heard of any not turning up, but then I I’d not want to do work for someone who blatantly looked down on my because of my career choice.

Maybe because you know lots of tradesmen and therefore get reliable service. Sucks for the rest of us.

Gardeners.
Plumbers.
Painters.
Electrician.

In the last 18 months alone bad or poor experiences with one of each!

Suzi888 · 28/02/2023 21:54

GPFavo · 28/02/2023 21:45

Yep. Much like the disdain for teachers, lawyers, GP receptionists, GPs, teenagers, nurseries, bankers, politicians, the media, pensioners, trans-women, estate agents, waiting staff, business owners in general… is there anyone mumsnet likes except nurses?

Trans women? Is that a career move?!
😂plenty don’t like nurses either. The hate is equally distributed I feel.

lazycats · 28/02/2023 21:55

I’ve had mostly good experiences with tradesmen but the “turn up whenever they feel like” criticism is totally warranted. I can’t really think of another profession that does that.

Original poster
Enfys1982 · 28/02/2023 21:55

Yeah. You can pretty much walk into Australia if you’ve got a trade and many do go to start a new life. Judging by some of the attitudes on here it’s unsurprising that many do just that 😉

OP posts:
BibbleandSqwauk · 28/02/2023 21:55

Oh come on OP..are you honestly saying that you've never heard of any tradesman not turning up when they say, or not at least ringing with a plausible reason? I think people are v v busy, with full time jobs, childcare pick ups, school runs etc and cannot afford to waste days of annual leave for nothing to happen. Someone on the other thread explained why it can be that jobs over-run or are delayed. That's fine, but FFS tell the client who is sat waiting around . Honestly, I think if simple communication was better, a lot of this frustration and disdain would be less.

Ludo19 · 28/02/2023 21:56

Ivesaidenough · 28/02/2023 21:47

I think people are put off by bad experiences. I have had 30 plus years of employing various tradesmen for different things, and out of about 100 visits I can count on one hand how many have been a good. experience, where I would recommend the person or use them again. I'm in London though so maybe that's why?

I'm in Scotland and I agree with you.

I know someone who installs gas boilers/corgi registered and has a good cannabis habit, I know because I caught him rolling a joint in my house, as it turned out I wasn't the only one with this complaint, but we're all wiser after the event......

Elvis1956 · 28/02/2023 21:57

Sadly and I speak as someone who went from a high level professional job (where I spent millions and I do mean millions every year on building works) to work on the tools...there are many trades people who let themselves and test rest of us down by
. Not turning up
. Not communcating ...don't tell the customer there's a problem or a different way of doing something
. Turning up, measuring and then not quoting
. Not having the balls to say sorry I don't want the job
. Going to other jobs half way through mine....understand if it's an emergency but found a brick layer painting someone's house! I've still got most of his tools.
I could go on...the bad apple spoils it for the rest