Best way to find good local tradesman?

cyclonebri1

noelphobic wrote: »

I've often heard it said that really good tradesmen don't need to advertise as they get more than enough work through word of mouth - anyone care to comment?

Totally agree, and in a rural situation they are likely to have a pretty loyal group of customers and will be in demand.

The only downside to this is they are also likely to have a full order book and you may not get them when you want.

Try to find a trader who finishes a job before moving on, not 1 who has 3 or 4 on the go together, although 1 dry job to fall back when weather dictates is normal practice. ;)

Canucklehead

A small ad in a local publication e.g. parish magazine, village newsletter etc can be mutually beneficial...incomers can source trades and trades maintain a steady stream of new clients. Now.... if good, local tradespersons could just come up with a system to weed out dodgy customers.;)

Canucklehead

Leif

noelphobic wrote: »

I've often heard it said that really good tradesmen don't need to advertise as they get more than enough work through word of mouth - anyone care to comment?

I've heard many trades say that. The good bathroom installer I wanted to use was booked up at least 3 months ahead, so unfortunately I could not use him. Beware of any trade who can start immediately.

dvdrdl wrote: »

Most review sites have false reviews anyway i wouldnt go by that.
Go for a self employed guy out the newspaper hes more likely to provide a good service than someone employed by a larger national company.

And even those that are not false are no guide to whether or not the work held together after the review was posted. It might have fallen apart, and the trade might have said "Sling your hook mate, not my problem".

Recommendations from friends, neighbours and relatives. My neighburs know good people.

cyclonebri1

Canucklehead wrote: »

A small ad in a local publication e.g. parish magazine, village newsletter etc can be mutually beneficial...incomers can source trades and trades maintain a steady stream of new clients. Now.... if good, local tradespersons could just come up with a system to weed out dodgy customers.;)

Canucklehead

Oh my gord, here we go again:D:rotfl:

Canucklehead

cyclonebri1 wrote: »

Oh my gord, here we go again:D:rotfl:

Whose 'Gord' ?:D

cyclonebri1

Take your pick either God without offending anyone, or an abbreviated Gordon Bennett, end result the same, ie, here we go again:rotfl::rotfl::rotfl:

Canucklehead

cyclonebri1 wrote: »

Take your pick either God without offending anyone, or an abbreviated Gordon Bennett, end result the same, ie, here we go again:rotfl::rotfl::rotfl:

Where are we going again? And who is Gordon Bennett?

martinthebandit

noelphobic wrote: »

I've often heard it said that really good tradesmen don't need to advertise as they get more than enough work through word of mouth - anyone care to comment?

Its generally true, more so in smaller places than cities though, I think.

'Oh and good tradesmen don't work for bad customers' also applies, although there is someone on here who disagrees with me.

cyclonebri1

Canucklehead wrote: »

Where are we going again? And who is Gordon Bennett?

I give up:A:A:A

But just to help having googled;


Gordon Bennett !


It is commonly believed that this expression has its origins in the popularity of James Gordon-Bennett, Jr..

His father, born in Scotland in 1795, emigrated to the US to become a journalist and subsequently founded the 'New York Herald' in 1835. The many innovations he established within newspaper publishing, including European correspondents, illustrated news articles, the joint founding of The Associated Press (1848) and the first major use of the telegraph for news, led to a successful news empire which amassed considerable wealth.

It was his son, born in 1841 and known as Gordon-Bennett, who really captured the attention of the US and European populace. Born with a silver spoon in his mouth, he took every opportunity to live life as a playboy; his wild lifestyle and extravagant spending gained him notoriety in high society. On one occasion, at a New Year's party (1877) being held by his fiancee's father, he got so stupifyingly drunk as to mistake the fireplace for a toilet and proceeded to urinate in front of his prospective in-laws and their guests. Other tales include the occasion when, annoyed by the bulky roll of money in his back pocket, he burnt the lot in an impetuous fit. There are many more tales of his outrageous and extravagant behaviour, however not all cast him in a bad light, such as the numerous times he would donate large sums of money to charities.

He took over the management of the Herald in 1867, and proceeded to invest funds in newsworthy ventures. His funding included the expedition by Stanley to Africa, in search of Dr. David Livingstone, and an ill fated attempt to explore the North Pole and Arctic region by G.W. De Long in the years between 1879 and 1881. The 'Jeanette' expedition, as the Arctic trip was known, failed miserably and led to the subsequent death, via starvation, of De Long and 19 fellow crew members. There are several islands in Siberia that bear Bennett's name.

Gordon-Bennett was particularly partial to sports, being credited with introducing polo to the United States, his interests included yachting, in which he established the James Gordon-Bennett Cup for international races. Trophies were similarly given for balloon and aeroplane racing, of which the Gordon-Bennett balloon race still exists. As further testament to his involvement in the various racing arenas, it was in 1904 that the Gordon-Bennett Motor Car Road Racing Trials were first run on the Isle of Man, which was the precursor to the world famous TT races, currently still held there.

From 1877 he lived in Europe, mainly on his 301 foot yacht, the Lysistrata, from where he administered the running of the New York Herald. He died in France in May 1918, aged 78.

The use of James Gordon-Bennett's name as an expletive possibly bears relation to his outrageous lifestyle and involvement in newsworthy stunts. Imagine opening your daily newspaper and reading yet another news item telling you of his latest antics, and as you begin to express incredulity with a "God Almighty", you restrain your publically unacceptable language and instead say..... GORDON-BENNETT!

Leif

martinthebandit wrote: »

Its generally true, more so in smaller places than cities though, I think.

'Oh and good tradesmen don't work for bad customers' also applies, although there is someone on here who disagrees with me.

Generally the trade would only find out the customer was bad once the job was in progress. And vice versa of course.