I Wonder Why The Building Trade Has A Bad Name

[Evans Electric]

Customer phones me via the Safety Register  ( or whatever its called now) 

Carpenter fitting skirting has drilled through a cable feeding a sky rocket ........waits to be paid then informs the client that he,s repaired it, but she's worried its not correct and now he doesn't answer the phone, would I check it out .

While I.m there she,s telling me she feels let down .........the Kitchen fitter has beggered off .......deafing out the awkward job of building a cupboard round the boiler ............ and NOT fitting a fan . 

Bathroom fitter has beggered off without fitting a fan . 

 

[binky]

customers should really do a bit of research into any company they may think of using.

Currently I'm a bit miffed at a review on Which? Trusted trader - she had been told £8-10k to rewire her smallish 3 bed house. We tested the place and sorted out a few small issues, then installed extra sockets, new board etc etc for less than £1500, and she gave us 3/5 for value FFS.

 

[ProDave]

nothing unusual there then.

Sort of related to the building trade. We are selling out last rental house at the moment. I let the new owners carpet fitter in in advance of completion this Friday.  Went in today for a look.

He's lined the kitchen floor with plywood first before the lino, the kick boards no longer fit, so he's just left them off.

One of the doors is left off, I assume it no longer fits now there's laminate flooring in the living room.

To fit said laminate flooring he ripped off all the skirting and fitted new. not painted, not even got the nail holes sealed, or the joint to the wall sealed.

There was a blank plate where an old storage heater point used to be, Now the new skirtings taller so it doesn't fit, so it wasn't, leaving a hole in the wall.

I think his name must be Arthur (as in Arthur job)

It will be interesting to see if he's been back by Friday to complete the job. If not it's not my problem as I didn't ask for the work.

 

[pewter]

We need trust a customer.

I am more wary of new customers then they are of me. Some can be more trouble then they are worth.

I recently put some wall lights in. Told her, it will be dusty and messy, then told her again. Day i was to do it, i let her know, old lime plaster walls need to be chased entire length of room it will be very messy.  She came home and got upset as everything had a thin layer of dust.    When i give the option to pay an extra £50-100 to have it all sealed for dust they dont want to know.

Same customer, oven had stopped working. I test element for free and quote her £60 to supply and fit a new one. Espares OEM part was £30 and £7 next day delivery. She gets back to me a week after i fitted it to say she has seen them on ebay for £10 (a fake part)

Best bit is she is a pharmacist and earns a fortune.

 

[kerching]

Beats me how some folk operate.

All,of my work comes from existing clients or recommends from other trades/clients. If i operated like they did i would have no work on,

Working in an office block 50 odd miles away last week, existing client. Finished job in server room and they got me to go,back for an additional day to put some white boards and notice boards up for them. Same rate as normal, and to quote the old Stella Ads......reassuringly Expensive!

Keep them happy, keep going back. Upset them and walk

Just saying

 

[Evans Electric]

Dave , that just sums up many traders these days ...he can now see that the kick boards don't fit...  he,s   fitted laminate flooring  , he MUST know the doors will probably not fit ...what action does he take  ?  He takes his money & leaves it for someone else ....blank doesn't fit , Oh just chuck it to one side. 

I was wiring a flat once ,  heating guy turns up ,  rips up floorboards like a demolition man , starts off lifting it then just levers at it until it spliters & breaks further down , chucks it across the room  with all the nails left in them .

       I had a go at him ,   " How are they going back down now ?"      He says " Carpenters  job"       I say " There is no carpenter , its down to us " 

" Not my problem " He says .     Typical !!!

 

[ProDave]

Yes plumber treat floorboards differently.

I take them up carefully, expecting to have to put them back down again. That's why I have a multitool to cut the tongues out and across the end, and a nail puller etc.

Plumber turns up just with a F big hammer and F big crowbar.  Sure he gets the board up quicker than me, but it's wrecked.

I spoke to the lady who's buying our house, she's having to get a joiner in to sort out after the flooring man has finished.  If it wasn't for the fact my electric plane seized up and i haven't got round to getting a new one, I would have trimmed the door and kick boards and put them back for her.

 

[binky]

and yet these idiots still get paid!!!

 

[sprocketflup]

Im sure some plumbers take boards up with their fecking teeth. ill get some pics if I go back to the property im thinking of

 

[SLIPSHOD & SLAPDASH]

And...................................... is it just me that thinks its unfair  that after doing a lot of wiring & chasing in a huge room and bonding  everything in to make a fair days money the 2 decorators that have quoted to redecorate (lined walls with white emulsion) have quoted 2.5k ?????

 

[binky]

but people can see decor....

It's one of the things I really like about Solar - people want it!

 

[Blue Duck]

but people can see decor....

It's one of the things I really like about Solar - people want it!

Then they say to their friends things like: "we just wanted to reduce our footprint on mother earth".Not were greedy decker with too much spare cash earning FA in the bank!

People will always pay more for things that they can see and point out to their friends

 

[Andy™]

We need trust a customer.

I am more wary of new customers then they are of me. Some can be more trouble then they are worth.

I recently put some wall lights in. Told her, it will be dusty and messy, then told her again. Day i was to do it, i let her know, old lime plaster walls need to be chased entire length of room it will be very messy.  She came home and got upset as everything had a thin layer of dust.    When i give the option to pay an extra £50-100 to have it all sealed for dust they dont want to know.

Same customer, oven had stopped working. I test element for free and quote her £60 to supply and fit a new one. Espares OEM part was £30 and £7 next day delivery. She gets back to me a week after i fitted it to say she has seen them on ebay for £10 (a fake part)

Best bit is she is a pharmacist and earns a fortune.

CPC sell elements, usually £5-7. never had any problems with them

 

[Evans Electric]

And...................................... is it just me that thinks its unfair  that after doing a lot of wiring & chasing in a huge room and bonding  everything in to make a fair days money the 2 decorators that have quoted to redecorate (lined walls with white emulsion) have quoted 2.5k ?????

Jeez!!!  Is that the rates for London or are you charging too little ??

 

[ProDave]

CPC sell elements, usually £5-7. never had any problems with them

AND free delivery even on small low value orders.

 

[Andy™]

changed to min £10 a while back

 

[binky]

nice thing about solar, it appeals to greeness and greed :^O

 

[Sidewinder]

changed to min £10 a while back

When Andy?

I've never paid for delivery from CPC.

It's free until the end of the month on everything anyway.

 

[kerching]

I sometimes have to lash out 20p for a coffee ( unless it is on free vend) whilst I wait for the order to be picked

Just saying

 

[IzzyS]

Same customer, oven had stopped working. I test element for free and quote her £60 to supply and fit a new one. Espares OEM part was £30 and £7 next day delivery. She gets back to me a week after i fitted it to say she has seen them on ebay for £10 (a fake part)

I always tell prospective customers that they will probably be able to buy the parts on the internet more cheaply than I can provide them.  If they want to source all the correct parts I will install at my hourly rate, and won't provide any warranty for the parts.  I also state that I will charge for the time it takes to obtain all the bits they didn't even realise they needed. 

At that point they usually ask "What exactly do I need?".  

I then tell them the cost of producing the bill of materials, as it requires design time.  It's make or break then, and if I'm lucky they inflict their skinflint job on someone else.  When they're haggling for a discount before you've even started, alarm bells should start ringing.  

My favourite was being told "Electricians earn an average of £12 per hour, the materials are only £18.50 and it will take you 35 minutes at most, so it will be £25.50 for an extra socket".  He was the CFO of a multi-million pound corporation, tighter than a gnats chuff, and is probably still waiting for someone to do the job...