Tradesmen - Looking after them

ValHaller

savemoney wrote: »

Had a workmen in last week and I always make them a drink or two with biscuits and possible some food bacon sandwich or toast especially if I am having something to eat. I always think if you look after someone you may get the best out of them

And they have finished the job and left already? What is wrong with your bacon butties?

fluffpot

100% agree with all said. If a customer is polite, on time, offers a cuppa (even if I don't accept) and pays on time, I'll go the extra mile for them.

Those that are rude, late payers or stand over me while I'm working and question everything will get charged for every last minute and every screw that I use on the job.

booty40uk

I actually know a plumber who puts on his quotes:

£xxx
£xxx + 10% if you want to watch
£xxx + 20% if you want to help

Gets loads of work too

southcoastrgi

booty40uk wrote: »

I actually know a plumber who puts on his quotes:

£xxx
£xxx + 10% if you want to watch
£xxx + 20% if you want to help

Gets loads of work too

thats sounds like DM

muckybutt

When I was contracting we used to love customers that made you feel welcome.

Most of the customers would do tea and coffee for us or cold drinks etc, some would go a bit further and give us biccies. Once in a while we would have a customer that would do a fried sarnie of some description.
However one customer stood out above all the others Mary was her name, she was a lovely old lass - council tenant not that that makes any difference, she would do us toast at ten with a pot of tea, at lunch she would do us all sarnies, afternoon it would be a slice of cake and another pot of tea.
When we finished her job we all had a whip round and got her a lovely bunch of flowers as she wouldn't take money off us for what she had given us.

As for toilet use we never liked asking to use customers toilets unless they had said we could, we would nearly always wait to use the office loo or we would goto the local supermarket loos.

We are using contractors later in the year for some of the work on our self build, luckily we have out buildings that have been converted so they will be used as the site cabin for them, electric and lighting in there so we'll provide kettle - toaster & small fridge, we'll also provide a porta loo for them.

I strongly believe in treating contractors they way you would like to be treated if you were in their shoes, pi** them off and you wont get any favours.

Retro_Bunny

Quick one from me, a non-brew drinker myself.

Don't assume they all drink tea/coffee.

Two plumbers on a four day job this summer had brews offered/made for them by us, but one passed but asked for cold water (I offered direct from fridge dispenser, told him to take his own when needed and provided 2 glasses each day).
When he admitted that he doesn't drink brews on day 3, the offering of a cold tin of Coke was snapped up, and I left him two in the fridge for day 4. Others have mentioned juice, which I assume would also be appreciated.