To be fed up of trades men and their lies

[cherryys]

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

Oh don't get me started! we moved here 6 years ago and still haven't got everything done.
As well as the broken promises of start dates, start times and then making a shitty job of it, it's the time wasted having someone round saying they'll send you a quote and that's the last you hear of them.
Several things I have found out. Ask at your hairdressers for a reliable tradesman. Some of the companies we have had have been recommended by someone from my hairdresser.
DO NOT HAVE WICKES FIT YOUR KITCHEN OR BATHROOM!!!!!!!!!!!
I could cry every time I walk in my kitchen. The fitters were terrible. We had to have the plaster redone, the flooring taken up an relaid, the worktops replaced and many other things. Luckily it was paid for by credit card and we were within the time constraints to issue an Article 75 and got most of our money back. Wickes weren't interested.
Hope you get your house sorted soon. I would say the hassle is worth, but honestly? I don't think it is! (Sorry!)

Is there any sort of regulation of these cowboys?

In theory yes, but most of the "trade bodies" exist mainly to protect the tradies themselves - probably because they're often the ones funding them - and many of the real cowboys will go nowhere near supposed regulation anyway, relying instead on those fake social media reviews

I did strike lucky with my new plumber during covid though. The old one had retired, and stuck with a real emergency and a group who mostly weren't even answering their phones, I took a risk on an unknown fully expecting to be ripped off ... and found he's the best plumber I've ever known

@Whatabonkersworld we had the most bonkers quote from Wickes. £90 for moving a socket three feet to the left, when the kitchen fit was already going to involve going back to bare brick.

Most builders around my way only seem to help each other out with doing up properties to sell on for big profits. It's impossible to get anyone round for any smaller jobs, they don't seem interested.

We use people through word of mouth only. No online reviews, they are often fake. And not to be ageist, but we've definitely notice da trend where older tradies are more reliable and honest on the whole. Don't trust anyone who is free immediately. A tradie with a waiting list is probably worth it.

Actually, I’m thinking maybe I need to see if there are any trades women out there. I feel I would get a better experience

I wouldn't assume too much in advance, @willWillSmithsmith - the only difference there is that, instead of "the van's broken down/the tools have been nicked", it can be "little Johnny's in hospital/the childcare let me down"

For all the grief men get on Mumsnet you don't need a y chromosone to lie and cheat, and women certainly aren't immune

Omg I'm in the same situation.. an electrician has taken about 6 weeks longer than he should. We are so close to finishing our refurb but he never bloody turns up. It's so frustrating 😞

oh I’m with you completely it’s a nightmare

getting quotes as well is so painful, we wanted a quote from one guy who was literally working on our estate (hence why I contacted him) and three days in a row he didn’t show up to quote as he forgot the last day he just completely no showed.

I’ve found a good builder and electrician so far and I wouldn’t use anyone else but dreading when I need another trade

We're having work done atm through insurance and let them hire the contractors. It's been great so far. The tradies don't want to lose the business so are on their best behaviour.

That's a shame, female trades workers could make a killing due to all the flaky tradies that are out there.

Sadly not our experience. We engaged British Gas to replace a boiler, thinking that we'd have come back as they're a big, reputable company. But they just sent a random subbie gas fitter, fitted the boiler OK, but caused a massive water leak in the kitchen which ruined the flooring and floorboards/joists (wasn't obvious at first), and cracked a few roof tiles when he went up to fit the venting tube which caused water coming in through the ceiling! Both were insurance jobs, but it took months to get the repairs done, again with a random selection of subbies randomly turning up. Someone came to take up the old flooring, leaving the rotten floor boards. Someone else came to remove the floorboards but was only "contracted" to fit new floor boards, but joists also needed replacement, and he wasn't "contracted" to do that. Someone else came a couple of weeks later to do the joists. Then someone else to do the floorboards, finally someone else came to "quote" for flooring. Plasterer came to repair the ceiling but he refused to do it because half the floor was missing! It was all an absolute shambles that took 2-3 months due to complete disorganisation on the part of BG to put it right!

We only used British Gas because previously we'd used a reputable local firm to replace the boiler maybe 10-15 years previously, who'd likewise just sent a random subbie to do the job, who botched literally everything he did. Leaking pipework upstairs, a replacement radiator that didn't work, and a boiler than kept cutting out. And both the firm and the subbie were Corgi registered! After that fiasco, we said we'd use BG next time, but they were just the same!

That’s what I would have thought. Oh well, back to living in a doer upper that’s never going to get done lol.

Sadly there is a massive shortage of trades across the board. Too many kids are encouraged to go to uni when in reality they ar ebetter suited to a trade and will earn much more by so doing.

Couple that with the "no hope" kids you see on tv from sink estates with no prospects; perfect candidates to be trained up as tradies imo.

The best tradies I had were from Poland, Brexit means we need to use our own talent better rather than just relying on "cheap imported trades"... buty that seems beyond the wit of our governments to make happen.

I did this and the work was still crap. I honestly think it’s because I’m a lone female.

We are having an extension built. No builder - we are just getting the trades in as and when we need them and DH is doing as much as he can himself.
Like a muppet I waited in all day yesterday for our bricklayer to turn up. He turned up this morning and I can’t bring myself to go out and say hello. In fact I’m not going to. No cups of tea from me today. I’ve got plenty to do upstairs - I’m sorting out my wardrobe and digging out my holiday clothes for packing. Then I’m having a long bath and then will watch the Olympics.
He’s been saying he will be finished by Friday for the past 3 weeks. Well yes he could - if he was ever here.
I can get away with leaving him to his own devices for one day because he is working on a straight run today, but I’ll have to talk to him tomorrow (if he turns up) because like most of the trades he will do the brickwork above the window his way which will be nothing like how I want it doing.

I wonder who the people are who are getting their jobs done on time with no hassle, because it’s certainly not me or anyone I know! It’s like there must be a parallel universe or a magic word that I’m not privy to.

Totally agree. My son’s not academic friend is at Uni doing a generic degree, which he is not enjoying. My son thinks he’d be far better off learning a trade, but it’s become a vicious circle of needing (but not really wanting) a degree.

Between the unreliability and grossly inflated quotes and labour costs, we try to do most of the DIY at home ourselves. Youtube 'how to' videos have made a massive difference to successfully doing so many things at home, luckily. We've saved thousands of pounds by doing a lot of things ourselves.

My 14 year old daughter even picked out new colours and re-painted her own room a couple of months ago; it looks fantastic!

Usually people on tv doing renovations who miraculously have a full team on speed dial. I watched Escape to the Chateau and they always had roofers, plumbers, builders, diggers etc the minute they needed them (all mostly English too).

I definitely do sandwiches every day when I have tradespeople in. Plus several cups of tea!

Heartily agree!

I'm in the same boat,posting about some of the things that have happened to us would be like giving out my name and address.

It should be 50% of the price then they f*ck up the work and agreements.
If I was PM it would be my first law to pass.

It's rude, how would they like it?
Some have obviously
got to much work, and are badly organised.

Don't say you'll do something or come at a certain time if you can't.

Actions speak louder than words.

I once had a painter who messaged at 8:30am saying "I just need to pick up some paint and I'll be over". He should have been there at 8am and we just needed white bog standard paint, but it was a huge job. 12 rooms to be painted and a £4k job.

By 11am, I had called and messaged and he said he was still in the queue.

He turned up at 12pm and I said "No thanks, we don't want to work with you, you're too unreliable".

He absolutely kicked off, called me all the names under the sun.