To be fed up of unprofessional workmen?

[Whyisthissohard96]

Getting the pointing done on our house. Work was meant to start last Monday, they only dropped of the scaffolding on Wednesday which has been sitting wrecking our grass. My partner sent the owner of the company a passive aggressive text last night basically saying that If the aren’t starting the work they could at least move the scaffolding off the grass. No reply to his text.

I am now sitting inside breast feeding my baby and they have came to either move scaffolding or set it up. No knock on the door. I can hear them shouting and swearing at each other. I can also hear them having a tense conversation with my neighbor, because they have parked over her drive (they did this when dropping off the scaffolding and I asked them not to).

I just can’t get over how unprofessional they are! In any other industry you’d be sacked for this attitude, but some how it’s fine for them to act this way.

It's not fine for them to act like this at all. If you have a problem with the way they conduct themselves BEFORE the work has even started you need to terminate the contact with them and get someone else.

What was the point of sending a passive aggressive text? Should have just told them straight what you wanted them to do.

Amazing that they are there at all, I find 90% don't even respond to messages or emails, or call back.

I'm still eager awaiting three plumber quotes since January. All come, look at the ensuite, make the right noises, tell me I can have this sink vanity unit and that toilet etc, show me designs, say they'll get back to me with a price and are never heard from again.

I could kind of understand if it was a peanuts job, but it's around the £3k mark

Have had 2 people out to give me a quote on fitting 2 new windows upstairs. Both very chatty and said all the right things......never heard back from either of them😕

The best experiences I’ve had with trades have been where they’ve also had an effective somebody else organising their admin, appointments and communications. And I get it, it’s a totally different skill set, being able to fix a roof as opposed to being really efficient at responding to enquiries and telling people the process for how their roof will be fixed, the financial calculations for the fixing, and organising the diary for all the fixings to be done.

Your scaffolders sound pretty teeth-gritting - but then, it’s not a job where you’re selected for your people skills, your ability to communicate well using your indoor voice, or your “bedside” manner. At least they’re doing what you wanted them to do and moving their scaffold.

Yes,I'd like to congratulate the OP on finding workmen who actually turn up for work.

Indeed. And then they turn up with a loud, blaring radio, make loud phonecalls to all and sundry, argue with the neighbours and rifle through your knicker drawer in search of something sniffable 😬

Yes, I'm still waiting for the quote from a chap re my shower room. From January! Needless to say I found another chap who gave the quote quickly and did an excellent job. And the quote had all of the work and materials detailed and his final invoice also did the same.

Yep I agree. I think it's weird because they must have done some (a lot) of training to do their trade why does no one teach them basic manners or customer service??

I actually couldn't deal with doing lots of work on my house partly due to this when we moved I deliberately chose a house which didn't need loads doing.

It's so annoying an rude. But they all seem to have plenty of work so maybe it's just a the deal?

My partner has been chasing them up since last Monday with lots of unanswered texts and calls.

the text last night basically said ‘if work doesn’t start by the end of the week you can come and remove your scaffolding from my property or I will be calling someone to do it for you’.

They haven't got enough competition, that's the problem. It's infuriating.

I dream of an amazon-model building model, snapping all the customers with good efficient service.

The downside would be that, like amazon, they'd put the prices up once they've got rid of most of the competition 😂

Getting anyone (good) to do anything trade related is an absolute nightmare I agree. Kids don't want to train to be brickies or plumbers anymore, it's hard physical and often messy work and you can earn a similar wage doing an office based job (or being an "influencer" which is what most of my 20 year old nieces friends aspire to be). My DD goes to college and the department that offers trade courses has very few students. Apparently the application rate for technical jobs like plumbers and electricians has dropped 49% between 2020 and 2022.
Those who can do these jobs can now pick and choose which jobs they want and are very much in demand. They can also charge extortionate fees for substandard work. We have friends who live next door to a house build and the quality and care in the work is absolutely shocking. No doubt there are amazing trained people out there but they are like gold dust and booked solid.

I give it one page max before the "whatabouttery" starts about non paying or unreliable customers but I agree. Most of what goes wrong with tradespeople isn't even shoddy work, it's basic manners and people skills which competent NT adults ought to have without special "training', but seems not.

I have heard the problem to getting trained is finding an apprenticeship. You an do a plumbing course in college but you get nowhere because you don't get anywhere with space for an apprentice after you graduate. I don't know how true it is because I heard it from another parent.

But to the OP, you should be glad they are actually doing your job. It's impossible to find any trades at all.

I totally agree they shouldn't need training. But having met the general public I think they probably do. And the do get lots of training so I wonder if a day on customer service and communication might be helpful.

Having said that I've had a few excellent trades people who I continue to use. But it definitely is the exception not the rule.

Those who can do these jobs can now pick and choose which jobs they want and are very much in demand. They can also charge extortionate fees for substandard work. We have friends who live next door to a house build and the quality and care in the work is absolutely shocking. No doubt there are amazing trained people out there but they are like gold dust and booked solid.

I would understand that

but my issue is more about promising and accepting a job, then simply not turn up or mess people around. It's a bloody waste of time for everybody, them included.

If you don't want the job, "I am booked on a big job until January 2035" is fine.

Just to note in passing: Scaffolders are almost always seperately subcontracted, so a completely different specialist company from the folks who'll actually be doing the required work.

We've had need for scaffolding twice; both times it was a bunch of sweary lads doing the work. Unfortunately both times it was also up for way too long - pushing two months for two weeks of actual building work. The scaff companies just use your property as temporary storage for the scaff until they have need of it elsewhere nearby.

It’s another “thank you Brexit” situ. I think all the solid good trades went back to Eastern Europe after Brexit and we are left with the mainly feckless British trades who overcharge, under deliver and are generally allllmost conmen. In that they promise you the earth, deliver next to nothing (usually throwing in one or two curveballs that either cost loads more than quoted, or store up problems for future), take your money and the disappear.
I wish there were courses where you could learn to do this stuff yourself. Like, if we got taught proper DIY at school rather than being taught bloody algebra or French, that would be better!

The worst thing is the ones who say ' no job too small'. What they mean is they will fit your job in if they have nothing else to do. To be fair, I find if I can get a trade to give me a quote then I'm OK, it's getting the quote that can be difficult.