Aaargh! Why are tradesmen SO unreliable??

[Gasman28]

Perhaps all of you 'professionals' out there can enlighten me.

WHY ARE TRADESMEN SO BL***Y UNRELIABLE AND UNPROFESSIONAL?

Seems not to matter whether a small or large job. Why the hell do tradesmen either turn up late or not at all and then not provide quotes when they say they will?????

In my work, if a tender is late it is ignored. If one is late for a meeting, then the door is locked. Let someone down....... you don't work again!

What is it with tradesmen??

In my opinion, it's not only rude & uncouth but down-right un-professional!

Love to hear what the tradesmen think......

First of all, what type of work were you after being completed?
Did you ask friends or neighbours for recommendations?
Have you tried looking in your local newspaper for tradesmen?
What type of work are you involved in?
Are you a sole trader, limited or large company with employees?
It's a fact of life that not everyone will deliver the goods as specified.
Are you that good that not a single client of yours has a gripe against you?

 

[jockscott]

The best customer comments are:

It will only take you an hour. (How the f**k do you know? Would you say that to a surgeon?

It's a very easy job (You do it then)

Whilst you are fitting my bathroom, can you paint my kitchen for free?

How bloody true, squeaky. I've lost count of the amount of customers who reckon it's only going to take an hour,, (yeah right) The customers who tell me, it's easy. (have they actually tried it, or is their time more important than mine?)
And the customers who expect you to spend an extra 3 hrs doing the extras (for nothing) on a job they think will only take you an hour( because it's an easy job)

 

[r.bartlett]

When I lived in Cheltenham I would always book the first appointment of the day with my dentist. 9.00am. Not once did I get into the chair before twenty past. Often I would see her casually swing by at 9.10am without a care in the world. No apology . Same here in Newbury only the first time my new dentist did it I tore him a new arsehole for his lack of respect! Ironically he has been far more punctual now

Same with Doctors. In 52 years of life I have never had a doctor ping the Next button on time.

 

[HERTS P&D]

I was called to a job last week where I had fixed a burst/leaking pipework, while on site she asked me to fix the basin taps in the toilet. After I had fitted new tap heads, she said to me 'You aren't going to charge me for that?'

I explained to her that all work is chargeable.

Andy

 

[Whitespirit66]

Had a couple recently;

A dotty old dear, who to be fair has given me work on and off over the last few years, called to say her heating and HW weren't working. I got there late afternoon the next day to be told that her daughter had called around that morning, played with the programmer and all was now working. The old dear offered me a tin of biscuits for my trouble (schleping right across Bristol in rush hour traffic) which I declined, especially as I could see that the sell-by date was last year. I let her off, but requested that next time a fault corrects itself, she ring me to cancel. No problem as a month later, a rad leaked and I had to replace it. The call out for the non-job somehow worked it's way into the invoice.


More recently, during the hot spell, I had the loft tank ball valve change from hell - 100 degree heat in loft, tanks high up on platform just under tiles, tanks boxed in, in an insulated box (hope not asbestos!), zero access to pipe joining valve, no lighting whatsoever, clinging to a step ladder to acess all this, balanced on joists. Anyway, the owner's son pops along during all this, explains that the gully where the kitchen sink and part of roof discharges into has been partially blocked and water pools outside back door. He also mentioned that the 'pool' was like a skating rink in winter - remember this is mid summer, so God knows how long it had been blocked?

Anyway, the son explains that he's had a go with his rods but they weren't long enough. Whilst I'm at the job from hell in the furnace of a loft, can I get my rods out and help him with the blockage? "Shouldn't take long, just need to dislodge the blockage - probably only soap powder anyway" Made the excuse that I didn't have my rods with me. Managed to speak to his mother and book the blockage as a seperate job for another day. Almost 2 hours we were flushing bits of leaves and moss out of that pipe. And, my mate's new mobile fell out of his top pocket into the inspection chamber.

So, before anyone starts on plumbers, tradesmen.............................................

 

[eyedee]

My experience of using trades has been poor. Yeah, mistakes can happen and things like expected timescales can run over due to unexpected issues cropping up. But none of the above has any bearing on the poor quality workmanship I've experienced in my time.

I'm not a pro at any trade, but I've enough experience (15+ years) of skills including plumbing (installed my 3 central heating systems, 2 bathrooms and 2 kitchens), electrics (wired a whole house from the ground up which was signed off by a part-P pro), building (built my own extension) etc. to say I'm no standard DIY'er.

I usually do everything myself, but just recently I was forced to contract out a few jobs to checkatrade recommended and accredited 'professionals'. 4 in all.

The plumber was very good, but he drilled right through a socket cable in conduit within the wall. The plasterer was ok and quick, but he plastered areas I told him not too (and marked on the wall where not too). The electrician didn't tighten wires everywhere and even forgot to replace an earth lead in one socket. The builders that were asked to remove a single wall and were given detailed instructions (including structural engineers plans) all drawn out on paper and on the wall did an appalling job of removing the wall, didn't protect the floor properly causing £1000 worth of damage, and just did the most shoddy work I have ever seen. They were from Checkatrade with a 9.9 out of 10 with over 150 votes feedback by the way.

After every 'skilled' lazy, incompetent and sometimes stupid tradesman had finished I had to come along behind them repairing and putting right their bodges. It's cost me more time repairing their work than it'd have taken me to do it myself, and it's cost me thousands more too.

I'm sure there are some decent tradesmen out there, but - like most people of all walks of life, in my experience - most of them are very or a bit rubbish.

Right. I'm off to the timber merchants to buy material to repair the damage done by the plasterer to the living room door frame.

 

[opps]

Perhaps that says more about checkatrade and it's customers (who provide the feedback in the first place). As a tradesman, I know many other tradesmen, some good, some crap. Clearly I don't use the crap ones.

While such sites are better than simply opening the yellow pages, they are no substitute for recommendations from people that you know but I guess that there are times when, for example, you move to a new location you will need to use them.

 

[EddieM]

I guess a lot depends on the customers attitude. Remember once when I was replacing a 3 gang multiple 2 way switched faceplate, as soon as I unscrewed it an unholy mess of wires sprung out. It was a complete mess and in fairness a bit beyond me, so I called out a local sparky (whom I know) and he fixed it for nowt... well a couple of beers.

Oh yeah and a mention should go out to my heating and plumbing guy I use (I don't do plumbing!) You have to ask him to go home as its getting late and you want to turn in. Guy doesn't stop!!

 

[Deluks]

Even personal recommendations can be hit and miss. I know someone who had a leaky stopcock, and got in a plumber who was recommended by friends who'd had a lot of work done by him that they were very happy with.
After replacing the stopcock (including 'popping out for an hour for parts') The thing started leaking at the joint the moment he left!
Fair enough, she called him back next day to sort it but took one look and said "that's just condensation on the pipe" and left it at that.

After a small puddle had collected she ended up having to get in a neighbour to fix it, for free.

Just because someone's got the tools and the van doesn't mean they:

A) Know what they're doing, or
B) Give a **** about the quality of their work!

 

[kbdiy]

My experience of using trades has been poor. Yeah, mistakes can happen and things like expected timescales can run over due to unexpected issues cropping up. But none of the above has any bearing on the poor quality workmanship I've experienced in my time.

I'm not a pro at any trade, but I've enough experience (15+ years) of skills including plumbing (installed my 3 central heating systems, 2 bathrooms and 2 kitchens), electrics (wired a whole house from the ground up which was signed off by a part-P pro), building (built my own extension) etc. to say I'm no standard DIY'er.

I usually do everything myself, but just recently I was forced to contract out a few jobs to checkatrade recommended and accredited 'professionals'. 4 in all.

The plumber was very good, but he drilled right through a socket cable in conduit within the wall. The plasterer was ok and quick, but he plastered areas I told him not too (and marked on the wall where not too). The electrician didn't tighten wires everywhere and even forgot to replace an earth lead in one socket. The builders that were asked to remove a single wall and were given detailed instructions (including structural engineers plans) all drawn out on paper and on the wall did an appalling job of removing the wall, didn't protect the floor properly causing £1000 worth of damage, and just did the most shoddy work I have ever seen. They were from Checkatrade with a 9.9 out of 10 with over 150 votes feedback by the way.

After every 'skilled' lazy, incompetent and sometimes stupid tradesman had finished I had to come along behind them repairing and putting right their bodges. It's cost me more time repairing their work than it'd have taken me to do it myself, and it's cost me thousands more too.

I'm sure there are some decent tradesmen out there, but - like most people of all walks of life, in my experience - most of them are very or a bit rubbish.

Right. I'm off to the timber merchants to buy material to repair the damage done by the plasterer to the living room door frame.

Reminds me of a Flanders and Swan song "T'was on a Monday morning when the gasman came to call ....."