Doing jobs for neighbours.

[durhamplumber]

have a quick look at something for me/my friend/sister etc. Usually ended up doing the flaming thing then they would slip you a tenner and say, "Thanks love, h

Lol...yes indeed...Or they stand over you and say..."" well that was easy....heres's a £5...""..

 

[durhamplumber]

have a quick look at something for me/my friend/sister etc. Usually ended up doing the flaming thing then they would slip you a tenner and say, "Thanks love, h

Lol...yes indeed...Or they stand over you and say..."" well that was easy....heres's a £5...""..I used to employ my uncle..Sacked him and he and his family have never spoken to me for ten years.

 

[sxturbo]

speaking on the other side of the fence,

i purposely avoid asking trade neighbours to do jobs, i don't like the thought they might think i'm asking them to get a decent price, also if anything goes wrong i've got to live next to/ up the road from, not only that invariably when i'm doing things its the weekend and its also their weekend if i'm knocking on the door for favours they arent really getting a weekend as it's their day job id be asking them for help with.

i'm lucky i can do 90% of stuff myself and only get trades in for things i cant do (like the boiler).

however there is an exception, there is a kitchen fitter over the road, my wife gets on with his wife and our boys get on well, so i've asked when the time comes if he can be the middle man so we can get a kitchen from howdens and we'll bung him a few bob ontop for his time.

also i used to have a friend who's dad owned a garage, he always used to say why dont you get me to do your cars (i do 99%, but sometimes i just dont have time to do it so take it in), my answer was always "i dont want you to think i want special prices / treatment, and should anything go wrong i dont want to have a falling out over it", he never used to understand it.

on the note of "if" something goes wrong, and i'm not naive enough to think that nothing goes wrong, if you get a neighbour or friend to do it, the assumption would always be they are doing it as a favour so if it goes wrong it they would expect me to pick up the bill because they are doing it as a "favour".

 

[Brigadier]

I told the secretary straight, that I'm up here to play golf

You set yourself up there; he could have said something like "I've seen your scores / swing; when are you intending to start?"

 

[ellal]

Lots of grumps on here...

I guess the concept of karma doesn't quite compute with some trades/benefit scroungers!

Anyway the system of 'bartering' is probably about to make a come back, so best brush up on those 'people skills'

 

[Mottie]

Anyway the system of 'bartering' is probably about to make a come back, so best brush up on those 'people skills'

Well that’s you ****ed then!

 

[HERTS P&D]

I told the secretary straight, that I'm up here to play golf and not get involved in the club in any other capacity.

Maybe she wanted you to play her 19th hole.



Andy

 

[HERTS P&D]

I find it funny when a customer says 'that was easy' or 'wow you are very quick'

YES, BECAUSE i HAVE MANY YEARS EXPERIENCE, IF I AM NOT QUICK NOW, THEN I NEVER WOULD BE.

Andy

 

[noseall]

Maybe she wanted you to play her 19th hole.



Andy

Club Secretary is a bloke. It's quite a lofty well paid position in terms of a golf club.

 

[HERTS P&D]

Every holes a goal.



Andy

 

[diy_fun_uk]

When I was in my late teens, all it took was mum saying to a neighbour (we'd only lived there a few months so they didn't know me as such) 'yeah he's pretty handy.' A couple of weeks later they were at the door asking if I could put up some shelves in their daughters room. They were academic types that possibly didn't know one end of a screwdriver from the other. I happily accepted and probably got paid something.

However in the main I've never been comfortable doing work for friends/family/neighbours. As herts p&d touched on, what would take me a week or more a tradesperson could do in a day.

 

[diy_fun_uk]

Every holes a goal.



Andy

lol

 

[Diver Fred]

I've heard previously that a very high percentage of deals/jobs are made and sealed on a golf course.

That was the way to get promoted / worthwhile salary increase / new tools with my last employer - play Golf with the company management!

 

[conny]

When I was in my late teens, all it took was mum saying to a neighbour (we'd only lived there a few months so they didn't know me as such) 'yeah he's pretty handy.' A couple of weeks later they were at the door asking if I could put up some shelves in their daughters room. They were academic types that possibly didn't know one end of a screwdriver from the other. I happily accepted and probably got paid something.

However in the main I've never been comfortable doing work for friends/family/neighbours. As herts p&d touched on, what would take me a week or more a tradesperson could do in a day.

When I was in my teens my mum offered my 'gardening' help to a single mum across the road. I only found out when mum said to me, "While you are on summer holiday I've told Sylvia across the road you will turn her back garden over for her. Off you pop tomorrow morning."
Sylvia was about 5' nothing and fit as **** as they say, especially to an adolescent 14 year old! Started off ok, dig a trench at the far end then turn each succeeding row into the trench made by the previous one. It was going well until she came out to have a look and stooped down in front of me wearing a low cut top and short mini skirt. It's a wonder I didn't poke her eye out! Should have taken about 3 days to dig it over. It took me all week and then I went back the next week to rake it all over for her. Ended up spending most of my holidays sorting her garden out and all for free.

 

[ReganAndCarter]

Every holes a goal.



Andy

Jeez, Andy. Where you been with your rod?

Actually, don't answer that.