Tradesmen not appearing

[upsydaisy]

We have been converting a steading for last 9 months - we could probably have been living there by now but we have been so badly let down by tradesmen - no one turns up when they say they will! Why do they flit from job to job and complete nothing?! You'd think it would be in their interest to get a job finished asap n be able to move onto the next one? Or am I just incredibly naive?

[raysparx1]

Sorry to say upsydaisy, unless you have definite completion date, we nearly all flit from job to job, we do it because most of us can't spend every day on one job, so once we have our feet under the table we flit about, if we stayed on one job till it finished there could come a point when we would lose jobs because we could not start quickly enough, it is unfair on the customer, but you will have to be tougher and tell them you want it finished, they will normally then try that bit harder, also sorry to say it but it is true, the customers who shout the most get the jobs done the quickest, hope you get it sorted, Ray

[Brooksy]

In Italy, that is the norm. I suspect tradesmen are the same the world over, particularly with jobs that require "wet stuff" to dry/harden, or waiting for materials to arrive. Also, they often take pity on someone with an "emergency" repair.

[BillyBB]

With costs so high and competition great, lots of trades rely on starting their next job before finishing the last to ensure they have something to go on to without 'dead' time. Pulling in more lucrative emergency calls or quick jobs for repeat customers is not uncommon.
Of course the question everybody asks is 'When can you start? really it should be 'WCY Finish?'

[BillyBB]

Also typical are customers who change their minds halfway and items on order that arrive late. Both these are easier to deal with, if you are running two or more jobs.

[upsydaisy]

Thanks for your comments - I appreciate tradesmen need to keep the work rolling in. Raysparx1 I'm worried that if I get really ar*ey with any of them they'll walk off the job and not come back! We are living on site (lets say in less than salubrious conditions) and we have a little boy - I was kind of hoping they'd at least take pity on us having to put up with this for so long.

[gasman]

You do not need to get ar*ey with them and i very much doubt you need to be concerned with them doing a bunk,as they will want paying. Just do not be afraid to voice you're concerns and express them with aurthority; about the length of time it is taking and ask them to make you're work a priority and to give you a finish date. Use the suituation with the children as a leverage on their consciousness.. Good Luck...

[lukeinea]

You are lucky they turn up at all Upsydaisy.
Since October 07 I have asked two seperate fence erectors to quote me for erecting 40 metres of concrete post and panel fence. Both stated a date they would call to assess the job. I waited in all day on both accasions and neither turned up. In September I asked a DG firm to quote me for
installing a door and after at least a dozen reminder calls they still never turned up and I had to get another firm to do the job. Recently I asked an electrician to call and quote me to replace a consumer unit. He gave me a date when he would call and I waited in all day and guess what he never turned up. One tradesman did turn up. After several calls to a carpenter to get him to hang two internal doors
which together with furniture and hinges were supplied by me he took ten hours and charged me �240.00 for the pleasure. Where do you find an honest and reliable tradesman these days. Mind you if the credit squeeze continue to bite they'll soon be knocking at the door begging for work as they did in the 80s.