This has been on my mind all day so please forgive me if i rant away.
Two jobs in our house this year
- Having outside of house painted - windows, doors etc. Two guys quote, both were recommended. Picked one, he started in April. He comes and goes on the job, stops and starts and leaves for weeks at a time. I say nothing, smile sweetly, make him tea. He sends me an invoice in July just as he finishes. But he hadn't finished, or at least i though he hadn't. All the cracks had reappeared straight away, window cills were not finished properly, windows has bits missing etc etc, screw holes werent filled properly. I ring him and nicely explain that there are some snagging issues. he marches over and gets very shirty because he has so many other jobs on. He made notes of what needed to be done and agreed to come back and do them. It goes quiet for 2 months. He comes over last week to remind himself of what needs to be done, and seems really arsey about it. I have never withheld money, he asked for partial payment and I even offered him more of the balance if he wanted it, because i trusted him to do the work. He was so rude, i think because he is very stressed with other jobs, he actually had me in tears. All gone quiet and i daren't chase him but am just hoping he will come back this year to finish up.
- Painter is friends with builder. Job two involved builder doing lots of panelling, laying wood floors and painting. He has been lovely, we have got on well but i again have been very understanding about him leaving for weeks at a time, he does about 2 days a week with us even though he said initially it would take a month to finish. he started in May. As always there was extra work involved, which i kept asking him to cost out before he did it so I knew what to expect. He does the jobs anyway, or some of them, no major extra work, just thinks like fitting some door furniture etc. I keep asking him for the costings which i finally got last night when he emailed them. I think he has been really unfair and overcharged. I do think that this is because he underquoted originally, but that was nothing to do with me. So now he is trying to make up money by overcharging me. He quoted to do all the decorating too which isnt something he would really do, and now he has loads of other jobs on i can tell he is getting really fed up and frustrated with being here because he wants to move on. But this isnt my fault. Again, I have been a good client, paying him whenever he asks, letting him use our garage as his workshop for the last 5 months, making him tea, telling him how nice his work is, listening to him chat about family etc. I now feel like he has stuffed me. He is due back tomorrow and i really am dreading it because i think it will get difficult. I also am unhappy with aspects of his work, mainly his decorating because it isnt very good (I could do better!). If i mention this to him i know he will be very unhappy because it will delay his other jobs. I have even found some local painters who have been to quote at my suggestion so it will relieve him of some of the work here. So I've spent all day with a toddler wrapped around my leg as i am walking people round the house - just to help him out.
Am i a mug. We've had quite a bit of work done in our previous houses and i dont think i have ever had grumbles or difficult situations like this. Now two at once, and worse that they know each other and will just think it is me being a pain in the arse.
But should i really have to spend my evenings when the children are asleep filling and painting to make good what they haven't done?
On another note, we finally decided to hire a cleaner and this is her third week. She is a lovely lady but is dreadful. Doesn't hoover properly, there are marks on the pictures which have been there for a few weeks now, tables covered in dust. I asked her if we were paying her for enough hours and she says yes, all good, so then why isnt she doing the jobs that i have asked her too.
I just feel a bit fed up and quite let down. I could paint better than our painter. I can clean better than our cleaner. And i really dont think my standards are particularly high. If i didn't have two young DS I would probably be doing it all myself for free.....