Falling out with a builder

[ProDave]

Following on from the thread http://www.talk.electricianforum.co.uk/electrician-talk-forum/20710-invoicing-builder-wasted-visit.html

Am I over reacting to this scenario?

There's a builder I have done quite a bit of work for, he lives on a farm.

He's not doing any building at the moment, but asked me to do some work on the farm. I looked at the job and told him I needed some specific parts for it (long story part of an old refrigeration plant missing it's control box)

Now I had trouble getting hold of him, he's changed his mobile phone and I don't know the number of the new one. But I had an email to say he's found the control box. I replied to his email straight away saying I would be there on Thursday (this was a few weeks back) I didn't get an answer to the email.

So On that Thursday I went there, 70 mile round trip. As I pulled into the farmyard, there was another electricians van, with another spark, even older than me, scratching his head over it.

Now that got my goat, so I just turned round and came home, not even stopping to talk to anyone, cursing him all the way home for wasting my time.

They must have seen me, as when I got home there was an email waiting "very sorry, miss understanding, someone else in the office booked another electrician without talking about it"

I haven't been in contact since and no more contact from him.

Am I cutting off my nose to spite my face? I just feel I've been taken for a mug, and they didn't have the decency to tell me they didn't want my services. I'm inclined not to do any more work for them until I get a grovelling apology.

Or should I contact him and make the piece, in case he resumes building again and needs a spark, times being hard and all that?

I was just jogged into thinking about this again after reading the other thread.

 

[Andy™]

your probably better off without him

 

[Sharpend]

Send him an mail now that you have calmed and ask him if he is willing to pay for your lost time as he hadn't responded to your previous email and had changed his phone number. Put it to him that you had rearranged your work to fit it in. If he is keen to use you as you have done plenty for him before he may offer a payment.

 

[paul b b]

If it was me Dave I would just send an email saying no prob mate. it could be an honest mistake and if you send him an email having a go at him then you won't get anymore work. if you send a nice email you may get more work, and if you don't then there is no point ending on a bad note in my opinion. but maybe I'm to easy going....

---------- Post Auto-Merged at 19:30 ---------- Previous post was made at 19:28 ----------

Forgot to say...this shows the importance of communications. I would have sent a few more mails confirming and asking for his new number

 

[roys]

Good one Dave and I can understand why you are annoyed, I would be. It is the classic breakdown in communication.

I would get in touch and tell him you were annoyed but have calmed down now (persume you have) and emphasise that I hope he understands why. However you are not wanting to fall out over it and if he ever needs any help in the future he knows how to get in touch. My feeling are that where you live it is too tight a community, people always need to help each other and generally life is too short. I am sure someone with your knowledge and helpful nature will be an asset to them and they will soon be requiring your assistance.

Good luck

 

[Lee321]

6 of one half a dozen of the other. you should have waited for email of his acceptance of your attendance that day and micky take on using the other spark.

if he genrally pays well and on sort of ish time then. tough call dave

 

[betty swollocks]

As Paul said I would send an email simply saying it was all a misunderstanding, after all I wouldn't have travelled that far without confirmation,

Hopefully you can keep things polite until you do another job for him, at which point you stick it up him for the wasted day

 

[Evans Electric]

I wouldn't bother with him again , its just good manners TBH.

Imagine if the boot was on the other foot and he came over to you to find another builder there !!!

But if you invoice him for a wasted trip , he'll probably not pay it , then you enter another ballache senario.

Bloody parts!!

 

[batty]

Why would he change his phone number probably because he has people after him for money. Personally I would forget about it and get on with my life and certainly wouldn't work for him again. That reminds me of the woman with the immersion who refused to pay for my callout as I hadn't fixed it. She called me a while back I didn't even return her call.

 

[sellers]

I would just take it on the chin, it could be a genuine mistake, and to be fair he has appologised slightly in the email. These things happen.

I had a similar story on Monday, the short of it was. I finnished up at a job in a cul de sac went to turn round at the end and this old man calls me in his house as if he's expecting me (I though he was a sandwich short of a picnic). I Park up the van and he shows me to a couple of jobs he wants sorting. I presumed that he had seen my van down his street. I fing out on the evening when I went to do the jobs, that his that his wife had rung an electrician out of a local booklet to turn up at 5pm on Monday, the exact time I was turning round. He presumed I was the electrician and called me in.

The pre-arranged sparks turns up 5 mins after I left and missed out on the job! Just a pure coincidence

 

[Doc Hudson]

Why would he change his phone number probably because he has people after him for money. .

I am inclined to think that Batty's point is very valid. Why would any successful business person change their key contact method so past customer may find it hard to get in touch? Any people I know who have lost or damaged a phone do their utmost to keep their old number so they don't lose contact with people. Something sounds a bit fishy to me. Maybe best to just let sleeping dogs lie and see if or when he contacts you again in the future, then just play it by ear. Betty's comment about not traveling such a distance without prior confirmation is also valid and puts some element of responsibility back in your court Dave. Do keep us informed of any future progress on this topic.

Doc H.

 

[batty]

I would just take it on the chin, it could be a genuine mistake, and to be fair he has appologised slightly in the email. These things happen.I had a similar story on Monday, the short of it was. I finnished up at a job in a cul de sac went to turn round at the end and this old man calls me in his house as if he's expecting me (I though he was a sandwich short of a picnic). I Park up the van and he shows me to a couple of jobs he wants sorting. I presumed that he had seen my van down his street. I fing out on the evening when I went to do the jobs, that his that his wife had rung an electrician out of a local booklet to turn up at 5pm on Monday, the exact time I was turning round. He presumed I was the electrician and called me in.

The pre-arranged sparks turns up 5 mins after I left and missed out on the job! Just a pure coincidence

How could you do that to me Peter its bread and dripping for the rest of the week for us now.

X(

 

[ProDave]

Thanks for the interesting range of thoughts.

It's too long since the incident for me to contact him now, so I'll let it lie.

I was more trying to work out what I would do if he contacts me in the future with a job. I guess the answer to how I will respond will depend what side of the bed I got out of, what sort of day / week I've had and how desperate I am for work.

 

[FozzyTime]

If a Jobs got money in it, Its always worth putting you pride of the back of the line. After all, why do we all work as electricians?