Why are so many tradesmen so unreliable ? And how do you avoid them ?

[Margarita Ma]

Foreigners such as the Polish tend to be more motivated because they often take/send money home, where it goes much further than here in rip off Britain.

 

So they are ripping off jobs here to send money home.

Don't get me wrong I rent to an EU migrant. I don't understand your "rip of Britain" everyone needs to eat, most people need a roof over their heads, some even dare to take a holiday now and then to get away from the dreary day to day, the endless rows of bricks and the shear grind of an aching body from.the daily toil of manual labour.

I notice your profile pic. has a drink in hand. So not so hard up you don't allow yourself the odd treat. Bring it home from your jaunts abroad where you can get it cheaper?

[Justin Smith]

MrCharlie has hit the nail on the head! So right!

 

But what people do not realise that this is summer and as for outdoor trades everybody wants us in summer. So if you are savvy you book us in Spring or winter for summer. I am and always have been booked up for summer by April. I am now bookedup up until December although there will be be the odd ones that cancel at short notice when itturns nippy, not that they will get me back next year.

 

As for unreliable that is wrong simple as. But regarding not answering the phone? Well I now for the first year ever do not answer my phone either to a un- recognised number. Not even the house phone. Why? Because I do not need the work as said so I do not need to have my so precios private time wasted looking at jobs I cannot do if the customer even wanted me to. But saying no, sorry I cannot quote is not that easy. Some people demand it! So it is easier to not answer the phone than get into an argument.

 

As for over pricing not to get the job, that is not for me and you still might get the job. Telling someone you don't want their work is insulting so simply dont answer the phone until you need the work.

 

This is going to get worse. He demand is there but not the supply. 7 years of low prices have seen most tradesmen go to other employment.

 

Oh I so don`t agree with you, and I ran an aerial installation company for 8 years.

Nobody should ever say they`re going to do something and then not do it. That`s so discourteous it`s untrue, as well as being totally totally unprofessional. When I ran my aerial installation company* I was actually bothered about being professional, if we forgot to phone up anyone I`d get genuinely upset by it ("they must think we`re disorganised unprofessional wazzocks") .

What you said about not answering the phone backs up what I said earlier, if the tradesman you`re interested in is hard to get hold of that`s a bad sign (for you the customer), because it means, for whatever reason, he`s not really interested in your business.

If you overprice the job (assuming you`re capable of doing it) and get it why would you not want it ? ! ?

As for a business not answering the phone to an unrecognised number, are you serious ? Or is that a breakdown in communication !

 

* We just sell aerials now. Why ? Because dealing with tradesmen (even from the other side, i.e. employing them) was a PITA !

[slordy71]

Why are so many tradesmen so bleedin` unreliable and have such an unprofessional attitude ? Even the ones I use regularly are no paragons of virtue in this regard. Almost all tradesmen regularly fail to answer the phone and /or fail to phone you back. The worst of them just fail to turn up to do the job. The latest example being a certain landscape gardeners who not once but twice just didn`t turn up on the day. He failed to answer the phone and then (when I used a different phone line) just fobbed me off saying they`d be there "later".

How can you avoid the worst of them ? Recommendation is not necessarily effective (the landscape gardener was recommended to me on SF ! ), and naming and shaming would probably just result in removal, hence the fact I haven`t named the totally unprofessional landscape gardeners I`ve just been dealing with (if you PM me I`ll tell you though ! ). One piece of advice I`ve got : if the tradesmen is hard to get hold of in the first place (i.e. before you`ve even asked him to do an estimate) that`s a bad sign, he`s unlikely to get any easier to contact and it strongly hints at an unprofessional attitude.

Has anyone else got any hints ?

 

or the trademan knows what the customer is like, picky, looking over his shoulder all the time, price moaner or bad payer so he avoids the ones he doesnt want to work for???? just saying:D

[Justin Smith]

So they are ripping off jobs here to send money home.

Don't get me wrong I rent to an EU migrant. I don't understand your "rip of Britain" everyone needs to eat, most people need a roof over their heads, some even dare to take a holiday now and then to get away from the dreary day to day, the endless rows of bricks and the shear grind of an aching body from.the daily toil of manual labour.

I notice your profile pic. has a drink in hand. So not so hard up you don't allow yourself the odd treat. Bring it home from your jaunts abroad where you can get it cheaper?

 

The more Polish tradesmen they get over here the better. Us consumers might get some decent service then.......

 

---------- Post added 04-09-2015 at 09:23 ----------

 

or the trademan knows what the customer is like, picky, looking over his shoulder all the time, price moaner or bad payer so he avoids the ones he doesnt want to work for???? just saying:D

 

Of all the thousands of customers we fitted aerials for there were probably only a handful I wouldn`t have gone back to, and they were mainly non payers (very few of those in the aerial trade, you just go back and take the aerial down, none too carefully.....) or customers who threatened my staff. Tradesmen who are as picky as you say about who they want to work for just proves we`re short of tradesmen in this country, get the Poles in I say !

[kidneystone]

The more Polish tradesmen they get over here the better. Us consumers might get some decent service then.......

 

---------- Post added 04-09-2015 at 09:23 ----------

 

 

Of all the thousands of customers we fitted aerials for there were probably only a handful I wouldn`t have gone back to, and they were mainly non payers (very few of those in the aerial trade, you just go back and take the aerial down, none too carefully.....) or customers who threatened my staff. Tradesmen who are as picky as you say about who they want to work for just proves we`re short of tradesmen in this country, get the Poles in I say !

 

Don't the poles hold the aerial up

[mrcharlie]

The more Polish tradesmen they get over here the better. Us consumers might get some decent service then.......

 

---------- Post added 04-09-2015 at 09:23 ----------

 

 

Of all the thousands of customers we fitted aerials for there were probably only a handful I wouldn`t have gone back to, and they were mainly non payers (very few of those in the aerial trade, you just go back and take the aerial down, none too carefully.....) or customers who threatened my staff. Tradesmen who are as picky as you say about who they want to work for just proves we`re short of tradesmen in this country, get the Poles in I say !

 

They're already in. Don't worry once other trades are saturated they'll move into the aerial business....Knock a few slates off to keep fellow Polish Roofers busy too!! And when you try to protest they'll simply shrug their polish shoulders and reply "sorry don't understand"

 

Ah yes.....good times ahead indeed.

[Cyclone]

Protest about what? Is someone doing a job for less than you something you can legitimately protest about?

[gamezone07]

I have had some very good people from SF, including JBAutos, and MoZaLaN, thogh I may have been ripped off by one other, not sure.

 

---------- Post added 04-09-2015 at 11:25 ----------

 

I remember Jeremy Hardy lamenting on Radio 4 about this. He said he had some Polish builders sorting his extension and they had called him one weekend to ask if they could work on the following Bank Holiday Monday. He was shocked buy their hardworking attitude compared to his experience with British (take a tea break every hour) builders.

 

When presented with the argument "These foreigners are coming over here and stealing our jobs" his reply is; "No they are doing your jobs."

 

Pretty shocked by that, I always though he was ok, but there does seem to be a number on the left who have a downer on 'indigenous' workers.

Edited September 4, 2015 by esme
Quote tags

[TJC1]

Why are so many tradesmen so bleedin` unreliable and have such an unprofessional attitude ? Even the ones I use regularly are no paragons of virtue in this regard. Almost all tradesmen regularly fail to answer the phone and /or fail to phone you back. The worst of them just fail to turn up to do the job. The latest example being a certain landscape gardeners who not once but twice just didn`t turn up on the day. He failed to answer the phone and then (when I used a different phone line) just fobbed me off saying they`d be there "later".

How can you avoid the worst of them ? Recommendation is not necessarily effective (the landscape gardener was recommended to me on SF ! ), and naming and shaming would probably just result in removal, hence the fact I haven`t named the totally unprofessional landscape gardeners I`ve just been dealing with (if you PM me I`ll tell you though ! ). One piece of advice I`ve got : if the tradesmen is hard to get hold of in the first place (i.e. before you`ve even asked him to do an estimate) that`s a bad sign, he`s unlikely to get any easier to contact and it strongly hints at an unprofessional attitude.

Has anyone else got any hints ?

 

Good trademan are either working on site or driving to another job no?

I guess thats why they might be hard to contact.

 

---------- Post added 04-09-2015 at 12:25 ----------

 

I'm not a tradesman but I work with clients.

I feel some clients take the **** if you are too contactable / accommodating.

 

It sounds strange to say this but if you are having your time monopolised by one client and outside hours etc, it impacts your business, other clients and earning potential. Aswell as driving you up the wall.

 

It's about fitting them into your work schedule and timeframes, not the other way round.

 

---------- Post added 04-09-2015 at 12:30 ----------

 

I remember Jeremy Hardy lamenting on Radio 4 about this. He said he had some Polish builders sorting his extension and they had called him one weekend to ask if they could work on the following Bank Holiday Monday. He was shocked buy their hardworking attitude compared to his experience with British (take a tea break every hour) builders.

 

When presented with the argument "These foreigners are coming over here and stealing our jobs" his reply is; "No they are doing your jobs."

 

The poles are undercutting and driving wages down for british builders in other words. I saw a piece on brits who are now going to poland to start businesses. Apparently the polish economy is good now.

[mrcharlie]

Good trademan are either working on site or driving to another job no?

I guess thats why they might be hard to contact.

 

---------- Post added 04-09-2015 at 12:25 ----------

 

I'm not a tradesman but I work with clients.

I feel some clients take the **** if you are too contactable / accommodating.

 

It sounds strange to say this but if you are having your time monopolised by one client and outside hours etc, it impacts your business, other clients and earning potential. Aswell as driving you up the wall.

 

It's about fitting them into your work schedule and timeframes, not the other way round.

 

---------- Post added 04-09-2015 at 12:30 ----------

 

 

The poles are undercutting and driving wages down for british builders in other words. I saw a piece on brits who are now going to poland to start businesses. Apparently the polish economy is good now.

 

That I can believe.

A family member had a plasterer in and the conversation got round to polish workers. He'd already had to drop his rates 3x that year to compete. But he did say he was put on a BIG Commercial job with other plastering gangs one of which were polish. Says they all got on well. Eventually "the" subject came up and the question was asked "why are you still here when work in Poland is now plentiful" completely brazenly the polish replied he could claim for family back home, therefore he would stay here.

 

No wonder they can afford to undercut British workers.

 

It doesn't seem to be a very level playing field!!