Builder 45 minutes late with no text or call and now wants to come

[rosecin]

I had a small job in the garden that needed doing and the builder was booked for 3pm.
No text or call to say he was running late etc.

I deleted my address from WhatsApp as he hadn’t read the message yet at 15:39 and then he calls.

I didn’t answer as I have kids to look after etc and this has caused me a massive inconvenience today and my whole day was arranged to accommodate this.

AIBU to block him and find someone else?

Good luck getting a tradesman who doesn't run late.

I don't think 45 minutes is that unreasonable, given that he could have been (e.g.) up a ladder without access to a phone.

I think it's rude and rather silly of you to ignore his call as a kind of revenge tactic, sorry!

I wouldn’t think 45 mins was that late for a builder. Sometimes they can’t tell if the job they are on before coming to you is going to over run. I’d let him come.

I had to message him to confirm and offer my address.

He hadn’t even read my message with my address.
Surely he could have at least sent a quick text to let me know he was running late.

Do you often cut off your nose?

He might have not been in a position to safely text you.

Is this the first time you've ever used a tradesman?

Tell me you don’t have much experience with builders and contractors….. without actually telling me that you don’t have much experience with builders and contractors…

Do you want the job done, or don’t you?

45 minutes late is within the realms of reasonable for jobs part way through the working day, they can’t guarantee how long a previous job will take. Deleting your address after 40 minutes seems quite odd

If you want the job done, you need to get over it. You'll be finding another tradesman otherwise.

Tradesmen often run late. It's not the nature of their job that they can just down tools at precise times to make it to their next appointment.

You really need some flexibility here and to understand this is quite normal.

Do as you please but a petulant response seems counterproductive to me.

Yabu.

They often run late over the course of the day as many jobs have unexpected elements that make it take longer. Plus traffic etc.

If they said 3 to me, I’d be expecting them from 3 ish onwards. I’d tell them I’d be out on school run at x time but that otherwise I’d be in.

I have had jobs done in the past as had no issues.

The text language doesn’t seem very professional saying “true say” and calling me “blood”, I posted an add on My Builder and was desperate to get the job completed and he said he was free today.

I just spoke to him via text and he says he isn’t free now until Monday.

Jesus. Love you need to get an actual grip. Perhaps he has read notifications off. Also if he were in the middle of your job would you be happy he was stopping his work to text his next client because they wanted his attention? Hope you have a big pair of scissors to cut that nose off.

Well coming from a building family the amount of times your on a roof and can't take messages or there's no phone signal and it's very rare to be spot on time if your jobs over run which they pretty much always do

You say you are desperate to get the job done. Hmmm then why did you cut your nose off to spite your face when he was running a bit late?

He can't just down tools mid way through a job and 45 minutes really is not much.

Last time I visited the dentist I had to wait for over 30 minutes for my appointment that was booked at a specific time. That's just life.

Good luck in finding someone, most are 45 DAYS not minutes late

At only 45 mins and I’d think I’d lucked out and got a really good one

People get delayed. You are going to have a very stressful life if things like this, that are really of no consequence, get to you.

Probably using the toilet in the last customers house.

45 mins late? Good luck finding a replacement who meets your standard.

Yeah, you are being unreasonable. Are you sure he said 3pm? they normally give a window of time - 3-5pm or something, or "after 3pm".

They can't guarantee 3pm on the dot, it's just not possible. You never know exactly how long the job they're on that day is going to take, if they are going to finish early or late, or if there's traffic or a queue at the suppliers. Sometiems the last customer they went to quote is what's called a "talker" who yap yap yaps about their garden flowers and their grandkids and they have to be polite and listen because they want the job but would rather measure up and leave.

If they really did give you 3pm instead of a window, you probably should sack them for being clearly inexperienced.

And why are you getting a builder to do a small job in your garden, anyway?

I disagree that it’s acceptable. 40 minutes is only acceptable if they pick up the god damned phone!
Funnily enough I can manage to factor getting from A to B on time for my clients there is fuck all reason why tradesMEN can’t. It’s just laziness and lack of consideration. If there is any risk of a job taking longer than anticipated then you don’t book appointments then. Simple!