AIBU to just fire the builder?

[venys]

I have posted before about my general problems with builders and my falling apart house. Our bath and toilet needed replacing 6 months ago, and it was months just to order the bath due to the incompetency of the retailer. Then we couldn't find anyone qualified or willing to do the work, but our plumber was the only one to quote. He has come in and taken apart the bathroom and went home sick without telling me. He is now off for three days and no communication again today. We have one very substandard bathroom in the loft using it with three kids crowded up there (nothing is finished in our house and there is stuff everywhere). I am at the end of my tether with these builders - even the good ones don't turn up. Eg my painter was the last guy hired and turned up 2 out of the 6 days we arranged. I have had 2.5 years of this with tradies and domestic workers and I had actually vowed never to hire anyone again. I really want to fire this guy because I have lost patience. But we will have no proper bathroom and who knows if it will ever get fixed. And no ceiling in the toilet and no insulation in the loft. I literally don't know what to do any more!!! Don't say I am unlucky because it seems as though 95% of the people we hire are unreliable. I actually don't know what to do any more apart from sell the house as a project. Can't do the work myself because of the kids and childcare issues (read nannies are rubbish too). And I wouldn't know where to go. Can I just fire this guy and muddle along? I feel so rotten.

How rubbish for you. Is this the first time you've used this plumber? He might actually be sick. It sounds like you just need to grin and bear it until the bathroom is finished (quickest/cheapest way of getting it done). How are you getting recommendations?

I have actually used this plumber 3 years ago and he was very good. But he was from myBuilder so needed a reference I think. He is actually sick but shouldn't have pulled my bathroom out and should at least communicate with me. The problem is these "self employed" guys is they think they have no one to answer to. We are self employed too and it's called customers. We would never in a million years not just leave the job and not tell the customer we were gone. I am now a SAHM and these guys think they can do what they like with me!!! I would be more empathetic if every other f"'#ker didn't do the same.

Totally agree rubbish customer service. But if he's a good plumber and your options are limited, I think I would let it go.

I doubt they're treating you differently as a SAHM btw, suspect they're just generally like that!

So your plumber started doing the bathroom and then went off sick?
What exactly are you complaining about - is he supposed to get a glimpse into the future "oh I'm going to be ill I won't start work today just in case"?
I can see it's annoying for you, but you do have a working bathroom so not pissing in a bucket. He should have been back in touch to say he was still poorly, yes, but otherwise I think yabu.

He turned up sick, then took then bathroom apart and then took off. If he had any brains he wouldn't have turned up to the job in the first place. The bathroom upstairs in the loft is not waterproof and we generally don't use it. So the splashing from my disabled son has come down into the toilet below where the ceiling has caved in.

Two years ago our builder and "friend" (now not speaking)) left for three days without a toilet in the first floor while he took off doing god knows what. I had to hump my disabled son up three flights of stairs to use it. These guys simply don't care about the impacts and managing the projects appropriately.