Active discussions

Meet the Other Phone. Only the apps you allow.

Meet the Other Phone.
Only the apps you allow.

Buy now

Please or to access all these features

Talk
AIBU?

Share your dilemmas and get honest opinions from other Mumsnetters.

Original poster

To be fed up of trades men and their lies

143 replies

cherryys · 30/07/2024 08:31

Just a rant really

We're going through a house renovation and everything is soo stressful but the main stress in my life are bloody trades men who you hire because they tell you they can start tomorrow at x time and when that time comes you don't hear from them for 6-10 hours when they tell you they are at someone else's house 5 hours away and will have to delay you for 5 days....

Why say you can start tomorrow then? I'm about to loose it with all of them when they get here.

My DH is very chilled but I'm on a deadline and I want to pay people who are reliable but none of them are .. they are not cheap and they make promises they can't keep.

Why not be honest and say I'd take the job but can't start until x date. I would appreciate that much more

Yesterday I was meant to have an electrician and Plummer in from 9am and one didn't text all day only to get a text today to say" I was busy see you tomorrow at 8am" (it's 8:30 and no word from him) & the other who turned up at 8pm last night after my kids were in bed ..

AIBU to send them both a text to not bother turning up today?

Hope it makes sense.. I am so angry

OP posts:
AmandaHoldensLips · 30/07/2024 08:51

It's enough to drive you insane, isn't it? The lying is maddening.

I can only say keep a note of their hours, what time they arrived and left, and what they did.

Don't play "Mr Nice Guy" or they will take even more advantage.

Check their work and make sure you're not being over-charged.

Take a deep breath and just get the job done.

I feel your pain.

memoriesofamiga · 30/07/2024 08:54

I totally agree with you OP, we are mid renovation too at the moment and the constant lies from trades is driving me nutty. Decent and honest tradesmen are hard to find.

Put your hard hat on though (see what I did there) as you'll get lots of responses on here from wives of trades saying their husband/partner is as honest as can be. Nobody ever owns up to being shite.

FayeGreener · 30/07/2024 08:55

No you’re not unreasonable at all.
It didn’t used to be like this. It’s because these days tradesmen (if they’re any good) are in huge demand, so they feel able to take the piss.

I sometimes wish I lived in a world where the buggers were desperate for work.

OhmygodDont · 30/07/2024 08:57

feels like it’s impossible to find a tradesman who will arrive even on the day most times let alone on time.

They are a law on their own like scaffolding companies. They arrive when they arrive and leave when they do and your expect to be grateful.

romdowa · 30/07/2024 08:57

Honestly I hope there is a special place in hell for tradies like this. All the wasted hours waiting round and ringing. How they get any business with their carry on I don't know

Dulra · 30/07/2024 09:01

Completely with you I have not had one yet that has turned up when they say they will or even messaged to apologise. We are waiting on roofers to come back to fix an issue (we renovated our house a couple of years ago). Our builder has been liaising with them to come back and there have been so many no shows I have lost count. They were due on Friday our builder was at our house he messaged them to see where they were, they said they were half an hour away. Surprise surprise never showed it is now Tuesday and no word from them. It never ceases to amaze me how any of them stay in business I have blacklisted so many at this stage

Dulra · 30/07/2024 09:02

Oh and I am in Ireland btw so it is definitely not unique to the UK!!

Original poster
cherryys · 30/07/2024 09:04

Ahh sorry to hear you're all struggling with them too ..

I always check reviews before making a call and all of them have 5* amazing reviews.. who gives them these reviews? Could they be fake ?

I've never left a bad review in my life but I'm about to go to their profiles and give them 1* and say how unreliable they are.

OP posts:
OhmygodDont · 30/07/2024 09:04

Maybe people need to encourage their children to join trades or rather not try to push them away from them because everyone must have a uni degree.

More tradesmen/women would mean they couldn’t keep pulling this bullshit as they would be easy to replace. Problem is we don’t have enough to they can pick and choice where and when to go and know 9/10 you’ll still be sat waiting for them.

WhatNoRaisins · 30/07/2024 09:05

Agree. There's stuff we need doing to our house that we've got the money for but we keep putting it off because we can't deal with this bullshit.

ForGreyKoala · 30/07/2024 09:06

It's not something I've ever experienced (in NZ). They sometimes arrive a bit later than they say they will but that's all.

Authorinwaiting · 30/07/2024 09:10

Totally agree!
I work from home so im more flexible but I was wondering how
Those who don't cope.
I read about a lady who would negotiate a starting time with the tradesmen and if they were
Over an hour late wouldn't let them
Onsite. She said she made it crystal clear that if they said they were gonna be there they had to be or she wouldn't pay them.

She reckons that works. I'm in NI and
I don't think it would fly here.

Greytulips · 30/07/2024 09:11

Have you tried getting an apprenticeship? They take them on for a fees weeks works when they have a two man job and then drop them like a stone.

They promise work and do t deliver. They are supposed to teach them XYZ and don’t fill in the paperwork.

College needs an apprenticeship- and without one they lose their place. College suggest ‘advertising on FB’ for places and have no relationship with trades.

So many are dropped in their final year.

Apprenticeships aren’t included in minimum wage so they are paid well under the standard rate.

Apprentices are expected to provide their own tools, own vehicles and pay their own petrol.

Wonder why there’s few takers?

TwoLeftSocksWithHoles · 30/07/2024 09:12

I think some of them are like small children and get bored quite quickly and so a new thing is more attractive than the one they are 'playing' with, or the new job provides doughnuts instead of Rich Tea biscuits, or your job has just got a bit difficult.

Original poster
cherryys · 30/07/2024 09:16

Authorinwaiting · 30/07/2024 09:10

Totally agree!
I work from home so im more flexible but I was wondering how
Those who don't cope.
I read about a lady who would negotiate a starting time with the tradesmen and if they were
Over an hour late wouldn't let them
Onsite. She said she made it crystal clear that if they said they were gonna be there they had to be or she wouldn't pay them.

She reckons that works. I'm in NI and
I don't think it would fly here.

That's such a good idea 🤣

OP posts:
VickyEadieofThigh · 30/07/2024 09:17

That's generally been our experience in the past too - apart from the amazing roofers who recently re-roofed our house, who arrived bang on time each day, did their job very well and cleaned up after themselves, too. That I'm commenting on it shows how rare it is!

The ones that piss me off most are those who don't keep in touch - how hard us it to text and say "Sorry, running late...etc"?

Itsjustmeheretoday · 30/07/2024 09:24

I totally agree OP. I don't think they're all dishonest, they seem basically disorganised and a bit useless (at being organised)

Shodan · 30/07/2024 09:28

Around here it's often the building inspector who is the cause of delays! Nice bloke but very pernickety. I recently had 'my' brickie back to build a small retaining wall in the garden but had to wait an extra 10 days because the job he was on had to have additional works to satisfy the inspector.

I sent the brickie a slightly tart text asking for a 'realistic' idea of when he might be back and he stuck to that date, fortunately.

So something like could account for a small amount of the delays. But I found that a lot of tradespeople favoured big jobs over my relatively small one, which was very annoying. I was lucky in the end though- I started shamelessly asking everyone I knew if they knew a roofer/electrician/groundsworker personally and got most of it sorted that way.

Lampzade · 30/07/2024 09:30

I once had a tradesman ( electrician) tell me that he was on his way ( five minutes away)
I am still waiting for him three years later…,

Nosleepforthismum · 30/07/2024 09:30

Greytulips · 30/07/2024 09:11

Have you tried getting an apprenticeship? They take them on for a fees weeks works when they have a two man job and then drop them like a stone.

They promise work and do t deliver. They are supposed to teach them XYZ and don’t fill in the paperwork.

College needs an apprenticeship- and without one they lose their place. College suggest ‘advertising on FB’ for places and have no relationship with trades.

So many are dropped in their final year.

Apprenticeships aren’t included in minimum wage so they are paid well under the standard rate.

Apprentices are expected to provide their own tools, own vehicles and pay their own petrol.

Wonder why there’s few takers?

That sounds like an extremely shitty builder tbh. My DH has an apprentice. He gets paid a full adult labourers wage, was provided with a set of basic tools and is picked up every morning and dropped back home every evening so he doesn’t even pay commuting costs.

Anewuser · 30/07/2024 09:32

Totally agree OP.

@WhatNoRaisins says. We need work done on our house - a lot. We have the cash but don’t have the energy at the moment to face the hassle.

Over the years, we had plenty of work done and have heard all the excuses, van broken down, family member in hospital, bereavement etc. and those are the ones who actually get back to you.

I can’t cope with no communication and no shows…..so if anyone knows reliable trades people in Surrey?

ContactNightmare · 30/07/2024 09:35

cherryys · 30/07/2024 09:04

Ahh sorry to hear you're all struggling with them too ..

I always check reviews before making a call and all of them have 5* amazing reviews.. who gives them these reviews? Could they be fake ?

I've never left a bad review in my life but I'm about to go to their profiles and give them 1* and say how unreliable they are.

These reviews are often posted by friends and family who do get a great deal. Personal recommendations only for trades here, because of the total BS online

FayeGreener · 30/07/2024 09:42

I think a lot of people gloss over bad points (lateness, not turning up etc.) in their reviews for fear of “losing” the tradesman in case they want to employ him again.

MoodEnhancer · 30/07/2024 09:45

I completely agree - it’s infuriating. That is why when I find good people, I treat them well so that I can hold on to them because they want to help me. E.g. I ensure to pay invoices (including deposits) within a couple of hours, if they are at mine over lunchtime I make them a sandwich, and I always make sure I take some time to have a chat with them etc. If they are at mine until late finishing work, I will often give them a couple of beers. I also recommend them to others and ensure they know the recommendation is from me so I am seen as a source of work.

It might seem over the top but it works - as a result I now have a reliable: builder/roofer, electrician, carpenter, and handyman. I have built up a good enough rapport with them that they will go out of their way to help me quickly when I need them (our very old house always needs something!) Also, where possible, I hire women, as I have found them to be more reliable so several on my trusted worked list above, are women.

FayeGreener · 30/07/2024 09:49

MoodEnhancer · 30/07/2024 09:45

I completely agree - it’s infuriating. That is why when I find good people, I treat them well so that I can hold on to them because they want to help me. E.g. I ensure to pay invoices (including deposits) within a couple of hours, if they are at mine over lunchtime I make them a sandwich, and I always make sure I take some time to have a chat with them etc. If they are at mine until late finishing work, I will often give them a couple of beers. I also recommend them to others and ensure they know the recommendation is from me so I am seen as a source of work.

It might seem over the top but it works - as a result I now have a reliable: builder/roofer, electrician, carpenter, and handyman. I have built up a good enough rapport with them that they will go out of their way to help me quickly when I need them (our very old house always needs something!) Also, where possible, I hire women, as I have found them to be more reliable so several on my trusted worked list above, are women.

This is very sensible of you, but you shouldn’t have to do it! You shouldn’t have to give them beer and sandwiches!