Was I wrong? Blocked by handyman.

[Elefinstrunf]

I posted on FB wanting a job done and asking for quotes with a photo or the item I wanted repairing.
Someone messaged saying they could do it so I DMd them.
I said could I get a quote please, this was the first person that had responded btw so I had zero context of prices.
He said he would need to measure the item to be able to get a quote and he would need to come to my house.
I replied 'Hiya, if I measured it for you would you be able to give me a really rough quote before I drag you out here?'
He read it immediately and didn't reply.
2 hours later i elaborated with 'Sorry, hope you don't think I'm not serious about the work, I am but I have absolutely no idea what the price mark may be for someone to do this and I would feel awful if you came here to do a quote and it was just unaffordable for my budget. I understand you can't give me a cemented quote but if I could just know the ballpark I would know if its worth the trip for you to come measure up properly. I wouldn't want you wasting your time, as I know quotes eat into time and cost money, thanks!

He read it and blocked me.

I literally didn't know if it might be a £50 job or a £350 job

Was I rude/wrong?

No you weren't. Tradesmen are a funny lot, I've had to employ them in a previous job I had and now we're having building work at home they're just as much of a pain in the arse communication wise.
Move on and find someone else.

look on Checkatrade for a tradesperson and tell them upfront what you need. Get a few quotes before you decide as they can vary hugely.
you weren’t rude, he was.

@Elefinstrunf I've not read all the posts so this might have been said ebut have a look around locally for a 'Repair Café' (they're often run in village halls/churches etc), that sounds like the sort of thing they'd be able/willing to do. Also maybe worth trying the occupational therapy department of your nearest hospital, I know ours has people up cycling furniture and stuff to help with recovery.

If he read it like that he's an idiot, because it's definitely not what the message said and the intent is very clear.

Just let them come over. It's always better for them to see the job with their own eyes and measure up. The more accurate the quote, the better.

Tradespeople are naturally wary of difficult (or seemingly difficult) clients. Also, a lot of them are men (sorry, stereotype!) and tend to be “men of few words.”
DH always says I should keep my mouth shut and not overload tradespeople with too much information as it can spook them off. :)
But honestly, you weren’t rude in the slightest!

No, you weren't at all rude. Tradesmen and handymen often have some absolutely awesome skills, which I hugely admire, but communication is rarely one of them.

Personally thought you were fine! Blocking you is ridiculous!!

I get through by doing research to ensure anyone I invite into my home to do work is reputable, which doesn't take long. It's pretty naive to think anyone who would message you on Facebook is trustworthy.

Tradespeople get regular messages like this, and they're almost invariably from people who want to pay £20 for something that costs £200. I run a business within a trade, and as soon as someone starts going on about budget before we've seen the job, we pretty much rule them out of a quote visit. I understand how you think you were being helpful, but when you need to fit in multiple quotes a week around paying customers, you need to draw a line under ones that are going nowhere.

I posted on FB wanting a job done and asking for quotes with a photo or the item I wanted repairing.

When people do this in my local FB group, every chancer and his dog jumps on claiming they can do it.

I just wouldn't take that risk.

Far better to use the search part, and look up handymen/women with good reviews.

It was a bit waffley, but I'd have probably been the same!

As a lone female, I'm also wary of these things. Personally, I'd have asked for recommendations first, because going to the quote stage.
How I do it, is I'm in a few local FB groups for the more "well to do" parts of town, and ask on there, "Can anyone recommend a "person/company" who can do XYZ. Please only recommend people you've had work off in the past."
That should throw up some names of companies that you can then do a bit of research into first, and then approach them directly based on the vibe you get from them. You'll get some company names, and some random individuals names. I tend to the ignore the comments that just say, "Joe Bloggs/Tony Hall" etc, and start with companies that get comments like "I had some new doors made by French and Sons Carpenters. I was really pleased with them, here's a link to their website/fb page."

You were a bit waffly @Elefinstrunf but to be fair, I can be the same!!! I tend to overthink things, and over explain things, and type 60 words when 20 would have done. 😆 My DH laughs at me for this. It's just me though, I can't help it, and I can't change!!!

The 'handyman' blocking you was pathetic and childish though, and you're better off rid of him. What a weird thing to do to someone!

!

I see. Well.....you already knew, then, that there might be a chance you could be waffly. Trades don't generally do waffly. You've got your answer as to why he got frustrated and blocked you, I assume

Agree, I have a tradie husband. And he's not quoting before he sees the work (unless it's a regular)

Sounds like it was a very small job you wanted done very cheaply. He probably thought it wasn't worth his while.

You weren’t rude but I don’t think you realise how annoying it is.

I manage my husband’s business facebook. The amount of people that ask for quotes with a photo when he need to physically look at it. The rough quote might be completely off as when they see it something could be wrong that they were aware of then get accused of trying it on.

And then you get “but it’s just this”!!! 9/10 times traces people need to see the job to quote accurately and stop being understood quoted.

It's almost impossible to give a quote with a photo and if you'd sent me those messages I'd have blocked you and moved on too.

You are asking for a quote that is pretty much the same as asking how long is a piece of string.
Anyone who would give you any sort of quote without actually seeing it would be doing a bad job.
In my experience of customers, you have at best a 50/50 chance they'd even give you the right measurements.

What is the body of the cabinet made from?
What condition is it in, does the design have room to add a door in a way that won't look like awful and can it even take the weight of a door without falling apart or forwards when the door is opened unless back straps are being fitted?

What finish is on it and do you want it matched?
Do you want the whole cabinet refinished or just the door matched to the existing quality of finish on the cabinet?

What sort of glazing are you expecting and does it have to match anything else?
Is this matching an existing door or does a door frame need to be designed and fitted?
What sort of hardware?
There are so many more questions, but there's a few off the top of my head that I'd have.

Everyone 'just wants a quote' until they are getting the work done, then suddenly they want the solid brass handles that cost an extra £450 with inset ebony escutcheons and locks they never mentioned at no extra cost because they have a quote, before they change their mind again and wish they'd asked for the door to be fitted opening the other way.

You need to know exactly what you are asking someone to quote to do and they need to actually see what it is.

Too much waffle. Plus he couldn't really do it like that, he'd need to feel the weight of it to be able to know what material the door would need to be. Too much weight on the front could topple it.

I work in the trades and we actively encourage potential customers to send us enough info so we can quote without visiting where possible - visits cost time and money. We would've been pleased at your proactive offer - better we give you a ballpark and don't waste anyone's time if it's not for you. It certainly wouldn't be worth blocking you over. It makes me wonder what his motives were for wanting to come to your home.

You meant well, but the way this guy works is to hear from a possible customer and go round to have a look at the job before deciding whether he wants to do it and how much to charge. You tried to get him to do something different; he doesn't know you and thinks you might be a pain to work for. That's my guess anyway.

"I need this done."
"I'll come over and see."
"Cool, thanks. I'm free <insert dates>."

That's it.

They can communicate, just with far fewer words. They're very busy people, the more they have to read, the less time they have for the next query.

Has everyone forgotten the scary thread on here recently? A man who turned up from Facebook marketplace, supposedly to buy the poster's fridge, but really to sexually assault her. Sounded fucking terrifying.

Lucky escape OP. You were right not to give your address. Never give your address to anyone off FB unless they are posting as and verifiable as a business. The man referenced above pretended to be a woman when replying to the ad.

💯

@AutumnCosy2025 you were not rude or unreasonable. As part of his job he should be able to communicate with different types of customers. Some will be anxious and over wordy whilst some barely communicate at all.

You were civil and clarified where you thought you needed it and the issue isn’t that you were ‘too wordy’ as so many PP seem to be jumping on, as you can’t help your communication style but for the HM to block you over a potential job on the basis of that really is truly ridiculous.

Theyre busy people but have time to do a visit that could take 30mins with travel time and might turn out fruitless, rather than saying 'max it would be is about 150 quid, i can do a proper quote if thats in your budget'

A sentance that takes 20 secs to write, butbits more time saving to travel to do a quote first?