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Original poster

Why are some tradesmen so unreliable?!

64 replies

newjobblewobble · 05/09/2017 18:56

Have contacted 3 separate guys for a quote to refit my bathroom. All came recommended.

First one - no reply to my Facebook message, or voicemail, nothing.

Second one - spoke to him, then just didn't show up to price.

Third one - Came out to price 10 days ago.I Haven't heard from him since.

Same story when redecorating a bedroom a couple of months ago. One no show, one never heard from again. So bloody infuriating! 4K sitting in the bank and nobody seems to want it.

OP posts:
GotToGetMyFingerOut · 06/09/2017 22:38

Newjob he still goes to college?

My husband's a decorater. His problem is people call and expect work done yesterday. He has now built up a good repeat customer business so usually people need to wait a month till he can get to him and people won't do it. Or people moan and say I can get someone to paint my whole house for 150. Then they go with that person and are let down.

Where are you finding these tradesmen? I know my husband would never ever not turn up, not give a quote etc. The only time he may need to move back coning to give a quote or starting a job by a day or two is if the job he's on has taken longer due to unforeseen circumstances stances (fecking builders/electricians etc taking ages to finish or marking walls that have been finished and need redone)

Also maybe be honest with yourself, could you be coming across like you are going to be a bit of a nightmare to work for? He'd still quote etc but I know lots of tradesmen who just don't bother if someone on the phone or in person when quoting comes across like they will be hard work.

Original poster
newjobblewobble · 06/09/2017 22:49

He's not doing decorating at college. He's doing some PT joinery course.

I honestly don't think I come across as hard to work for. I know I'm having a right good moan on here, but nothing I've asked for has been out of the ordinary, and as I live near to where i work, I've been really flexible about when they can come to quote, letting them in to get started, telling them I'm not in too much of a rush, etc.

3/5 the tradesmen I've mentioned haven't even bothered to meet me!

OP posts:
Oliversmumsarmy · 06/09/2017 23:22

I wanted someone to put a new flat roof on my garage. I put the job on Rated People. Cant remember how many people looked at the job (around 180-200). Not one person wanted to quote. I'd already done a basic calculation myself and thought it should be about £12000. (very large garage and stable block).

It took me the best part of 6 months to find someone to do the roof. I went through Yell calling everyone within a 50 mile radius and got 3 quotes.
1 was quoting £50000
1 quoted £1800 but could only show me the tiny roof he had fitted onto his gfs house and
Last one quoted £11000. He charged me £11000 for the work and came and did the job within a few weeks.

I would love to have a tradesman who I could call on and give repeat business to but no one wants to do anything.

JaniceBattersby · 06/09/2017 23:49

It's just so, so busy in the building trade at the moment that most tradesmen don't have a chance to stop. With Brexit looming, fees a real feeling of making hay while the sun shines. My husband is choca so picks only jobs that are simple yet profitable. Anything complicated or not massively profitable just has to wait until he can fit in the chance to quote. If he gets to the job and realises it's going to be anything less than straightforward then he either declines to quote or quotes high. He always turns up on time and is communicative though. I think it's been a year since he quoted for anything and didn't actually get the job. Good, reliable tradesmen are rare.

numbmum83 · 06/09/2017 23:56

Seems a change to read posts about tradesmen actually not turning up , usually they've took the money and some a runner with it lol

bitemytoenails · 06/09/2017 23:59

because it is a sellers market, they can pick and choose what job to take. capitalisim is great

GotToGetMyFingerOut · 07/09/2017 00:16

My husband's always worrying that work will dry up. It's a constant worry being self employed. So he always goes to price work, he's always polite and clean and tidy. And even if it will be a month he tries to book them in but people won't wait for decorating, they want it done now.

If anyone's in south west Scotland and need a good reliable decorater I can give his facebook business page via pm.

Wingedharpy · 07/09/2017 00:54

My sister did manage to get a window fitter out to look at one bedroom window she wanted replaced with double glazing.
He stood and looked up at it from outside the house and she asked if he wanted to come into the house so he could see the window concerned from inside/closer quarters.
He said "It's ok love. I'll get my ladders from the van".
Off he went to his van, jumped in, drove off and she hasn't seen him since.
That was 3 years ago.

Oliversmumsarmy · 07/09/2017 07:03

because it is a sellers market, they can pick and choose what job to take. capitalisim is great

Its always been a sellers market. 30years ago I contacted 50+ kitchen fitters/carpenters to fit a kitchen. Kitchen was not exactly square/rectangular so kitchen companies refused to do the job. I got 2 quotes over a period of 2 years.
One was more than we had paid for the house
And the other was who we went with.
It has always been like this.

Oliversmumsarmy · 07/09/2017 07:03

because it is a sellers market, they can pick and choose what job to take. capitalisim is great

Its always been a sellers market. 30years ago I contacted 50+ kitchen fitters/carpenters to fit a kitchen. Kitchen was not exactly square/rectangular so kitchen companies refused to do the job. I got 2 quotes over a period of 2 years.
One was more than we had paid for the house
And the other was who we went with.
It has always been like this.

MissBeehiving · 07/09/2017 07:31

I'm a solicitor and seriously thinking about retraining as a plumber - I can never find one that turns up! One of my colleagues is having to take this week off so that he can attend to the plumbers needs whilst having a bathroom refitted. If you don't have everything perfect for them, then they flounce off to another job. I don't think that I have ever been asked if a time is convenient- if you do get them to agree to come out and take the day off, they frequently don't turn up and don't call to tell you that. There is no way that I could do that in my job.

My electrician is very good though - and he says the same things about plumbers.😄😄😄

It was interesting reading up thread about flat roofs - the quotes for a project we were building ranged from the expensive to the astronomical (£100k) which we couldn't afford, so DH (an accountant) trained as a flat roofer, got accredited to install a particular manufacturers products that come with a 25 year guarantee and including the roof products, it cost £15k.

wowfudge · 07/09/2017 07:40

@MissBehiving that has been our experience of plumbers too.

Androidsdreamofelectricsheep · 07/09/2017 07:59

We found a retired plumber who will do little jobs (fitting new taps) at a very reasonable price. DH overpays him in the hope that he will come back if needed!

Oliversmumsarmy · 07/09/2017 08:05

In our area probably 20miles radius of where we live there are umpteen colleges only a few offer plumbing courses but only 2 don't ask for any qualifications.
Between them they only have space for 32 students.
Now if you want to do Media the spaces run into 1000s.
Something has gone very wrong with our education system.

FWIW I do up houses/flats and have noticed in the past few years one particular profession has suddenly become very popular with very posh ex public school/privately educated boys straight out of University or even A levels.

museumum · 07/09/2017 08:10

Round here you need to be gutting a full house or building a big extension to get a tradesperson.

We use British gas homecare to get plumbers and electricians right away if anything goes wrong and I do painting myself.

AnarchyKitty · 07/09/2017 08:14

GotToGetMyFingerOut
I agree. My partner is also a decorator who always turns up. But he's finding it hard to compete with people on FB who will jump in on trade group's and say they'll do it for £50!
Although he's uite often got the job of fixing the bodge jobs they've done.
If anyone is in Ayrshire, I can recommend him.

Original poster
newjobblewobble · 07/09/2017 13:32

Well, I take it all back! Came home today to a quote from the bathroom guy, and less than I expected as well! Feel bad now! But I'd never have started this thread if he replied to my text Blush

OP posts:
LagoDiComo · 07/09/2017 13:36

Same problem in London. No hope of getting three quotes. Achievement to get someone to agree to come and then to actually send a quote. You end up worrying that anyone who will come is rubbish. I guess it's all the improving not moving, just not enough supply for demand. Might get worse after we exit the EU as the builder we eventually found was Romanian.

Oliversmumsarmy · 08/09/2017 01:20

Brexit has nothing to do with this. It has always been like this

Alicetherabbit · 08/09/2017 07:43

Last year I rang ten companies for a large amount of work on the garden, two showed up to quote, neither sent a quote back so we did the work ourselves, a month later still slaving away in the garden one of them turned up and got angry at me for not chasing him for the quote?!?!

SummerKelly · 08/09/2017 07:55

I had a local windows company come out, give me a quote but then when I said I wanted them to do it they were really evasive. I've had three electricians say they'd call me back and not bother. Why do they not just say they can't do it rather than leaving me chasing around? Do they need customer service skills adding to their training? Or do they think customers should be chasing them if we really want it doing?

wowfudge · 08/09/2017 07:56

Angry with you? That is ridiculous of him. I have a rule that I don't chase tradespeople. I will ring and/or text a couple of times to firm up dates if necessary, but that's it. Either they want the work or they don't, but don't make all the right noises then disappear off the grid when we want to book you - that just makes you a time wasting liar.

Crumbelina · 08/09/2017 07:58

Were project managing a large extension ourselves and hiring separate trades (also in London). I had no idea it would be so hard to get people! We have about £15k of bricklaying work (double storey extension and garden wall) and getting people to quote has been almost impossible. I've contacted 14 companies, 4 people have visited and I have 2 quotes. I've got a couple more people visiting and then hopefully 16 contacts will produce 3 quotes. Exhausting! Confused

MorrisZapp · 08/09/2017 08:15

It's the hardest work there is. We've been let down or ignored by a series of bathroom fitters. I just don't get it? If you're so over run with business then why advertise? Why agree to come out? It makes me so furious.

When DS is older I'm going to try to steer him towards a trade. Its clearly a licence to print money.

thenewaveragebear1983 · 08/09/2017 08:26

They've got enough work and don't need or want your business. It's as simple as that. They should tell you this, rather than just ignore you, but if they wanted your business they'd be there.
I'd keep looking for someone else.

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