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AIBU?

Share your dilemmas and get honest opinions from other Mumsnetters.

Original poster

To expect a workman I booked a month ago to turn up and actually do the job?

20 replies

flossie64 · 02/07/2008 09:53

I am at the end of a building project and had booked a tiler ( as rare as hens teeth round here) to come and lay my flooring.
He spoke to us on Sunday and said I will see you 8.30am tuesday . Rang 7.45 and said "i've been ill all weekend and won't be coming"no mention of this on Sunday evening.
I texted him and said I will see you tomorrow (Wed) unless I hear different from you.
I rang him at 8.45am ,said hello , he went into a spiel about taking child to school see me at 9.30.
Came back from my school run to a missed call, no message . So I waited until 9.40 rang again, after much huffing and puffing he told me he was sick again.
Am I asking too much to get a bit of communication and truth from him?

OP posts:
ajandjjmum · 02/07/2008 09:56

Doesn't sound hopeful - how good is he?

hertsnessex · 02/07/2008 09:57

get someone else, he's a messer.

KnickersOnMaHead · 02/07/2008 10:01

Message withdrawn

lucyellensmum · 02/07/2008 10:02

flossie, he sounds like a nightmare. And you have reminded me of mine, well DPs, he is round at a job now fixing a mistake that someone made with the wrong grout. Sadly at our expense and the expense of his blistered fingers . These things have to be done.

I would sack him and get someone else. OR, and im being perfectly serious too - do it yourself. It is honestly quite easy to do, especially if you invest in an electric tile cutter for the awkward bits. Its really satisfying and will save you a fortune. IF you can get some childcare, give it a go. All you have to do is put a baton on the floor/wall where you want to start and ensure that its straight. IF not straight due to a skewed room (most of them) follow a line from the door where your line of vision will run. Starting is the awkward bit but other than that, its a peice of cake. You can buy spacers and there you are, job done, money saved, big achievement feeling [grin} Then you can have the satisfaction of phoning Clint Eastwood and saying "its OK i did it myself while i was waiting for you!".

Original poster
flossie64 · 02/07/2008 10:08

aj-he comes very highly recommened !!
I would get someone else ,but thats easier said than done,waiting another 6-8wks to get another good one . That would be in the school hols and I could not face that with a house unusable in any way.
God I'm frustrated .

OP posts:
Original poster
flossie64 · 02/07/2008 10:11

lem- I cant do it myself unfortunately as we are having underfloor heting with it and they are travertine not ceramic so they need to be wet cut( not sure about that).
I do think I may smash a tile over his head when I see him, thsts if I can lift one, they weigh a ton.

OP posts:
lucyellensmum · 02/07/2008 10:12

DO IT YOURSELF

lucyellensmum · 02/07/2008 10:15

x-posts, don't do THAT yourself - sounds like a specialist job to me. lol.

Could you approach the people you got the tiles from, from what you say i think you should be looking for someone else. My betting is this guy has taken on more than he can chew and is procrastinating. My DP wouldnt do that and he can turn his hands to anything, he knows when to leave to the pros though. He IS a pro, hes a carpenter, he would do ordinary tiling as he has an eye for strightness and patience, but something like that is best left to guys who are trained.

Original poster
flossie64 · 02/07/2008 10:19

I am now going out for a large coffee and very large cake. Possibly a bit of retail therapy
Too pissed off to think about it , may hand the baton to DH, it may be done by the next millenium then

OP posts:
Ripeberry · 02/07/2008 10:20

Suppose i'm a messer as well . Every 6 weeks i go to a ladys' house to polish her brass, she has 3 rooms stuffed full of it and it takes at least 7 hours (over 2 days) to do it.
Yesterday i was supposed to go in, but my DD1 had other plans and now has chickenpox (poor thing), so i can't do the polishing for another 2 weeks now.
Give this guy another chance, it was just my BAD LUCK that my DD1 caught the bug JUST now.

lucyellensmum · 02/07/2008 10:29

ripeberry, i wouldnt need much of an excuse not to do that, credit to you for even considering it

Katisha · 02/07/2008 10:30

You have my sympathies.

I want to know why workmen are ALWAYS on their mobiles, but NEVER to me to say when they are coming/not coming. I really hate this assumption that I am sitting in my house with nothing better to do than wait for them, and I think it's plain rude to fail to turn up without ringing. Drives me bonkers.

They all seem to be busy taking on other work and not being able to organise the jobs they have already taken on, so you are always second or third in line to some other person who they have also told they will go to that day.

Rant rant...

lucyellensmum · 02/07/2008 10:38

Kitisha, i share your pain, but from the other side of the coin. My DP is a builder and is extremely good at what he does. Too good for what he is doing tbh. His organisation on the other hand is dire. I see this is widespread.

The trouble is, jobs often take longer or there are unforseen problems which put jobs behind. You are then faced with a situation where you try and organise the works too get it done in the most time efficient manner. This doesn't always work and you often get problems with waiting. I think builders should make this clear to people as i think it is unrealistic to give absolute start dates. I also think it is totally unreasonable for the builders to leave it to their long suffering partners to try and sort it out . A bit of give and take on both sides is what is required. But if you are going to have building work done, expect disruption - shit happens.

Ripeberry · 02/07/2008 10:53

You'd be surprised! It's good money at £8 an hour and free cups of tea!

lucyellensmum · 02/07/2008 11:03

oh when you put it like that I can't offer money cut i can make you as much tea as you can drink if you want to come and tidy my pit . Actually, id polish anything for £8 an hour too

WilyWombat · 02/07/2008 11:04

DS is a workman I think you will find the not calling to tell you there is a problem is nothing to do with being a workman and everything to do with being a man He knows you are not going to be happy therefore he avoids the issue by not calling you...that is men all over.

I have to call clients for hubby to tell them if he is running behind for whatever reason...most of them are lovely but there have been occasions - most notably when DS aged 2 admitted to hospital where the client just said "oh but will my kitchen be ready for christmas" obviously as she was a client I managed a diplomatic reply when I was really thinking "actually with my child on oxygen in hospital I really couldnt give a flying f*ck about your kitchen"

Those clients we try to encourage to go elsewhere and as hubby has a good reputation and is rushed off his feet we can afford to only take the clients we like

lucyellensmum · 02/07/2008 11:27

Willy im in total agreement. I have even had a client telling me that it was upsetting her because she had friends visiting and she NEEDED her staircase to be finished so that the hall looked lovely. Limited sympathy actually - we are trying to scrape a living just now, if you want upsetting try not getting any money in because the job is behind through no fault of your own, try worrying about paying the mortgage, and all the other problems that life throws at you. Some people just have a skewed idea of what is important.

WilyWombat · 02/07/2008 12:16

There are trademen who will start 3 jobs, leave them all half done then return to them at their leisure but to be honest these are in the minority. You could weed these ones out by not taking the cheapest/quickest/verbal offer and using someone recommended to you.

As we dont get paid till its finished its in our interests as well as the clients to get the job done as quickly as possible. Sometimes you have to leave a job and go back (eg if you cannot get materials) we dont do it to annoy the client tbh its just as annoying for US

LOL I keep getting called Willy

Katisha · 02/07/2008 12:35

Yes I can see why builders take on three jobs at once and that they can't say exactly how long each will take.

It's the wall of silence that grates. Specially when I have taken a day off work etc.

Original poster
flossie64 · 02/07/2008 12:47

I would have been quite accepting if he had said to me a job has run over time and I can't do yours until, say, next week . Its the fact that he is hiding behind others i.e. his wife and child to get round the problem .
People are much more open to honesty than being given the runaround.
Thank god i didn't give him money upfront to buy the adhesive etc.
I always pay people who do work for me promptly.
The builder who did the actual build ,said i was thge first person to try and keep giving him money so quickly. And he has been in the game for 25 yrs

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