Tradesman From Rated People And Such Like. Advice On How To Deal With Them?

electribem

I have recently posted a minor works job on Rated People and myBuilder.com. The job involves knocking down a front wall and concreting the central part of my front garden. I have had 2 offeres so far from Rated People and another 2 from myBuilder.com. I have contracted the two from Rated People and one is coming to give me a quote at the weekend (5 star ratings all over the shop). The other one sent a quote in an email and said he could do the job for a lot less than my estimated price range. Is this legal from just reading a description? This fellow is new to the site and only has one 5 star rating. But his portfolio pics look very impressive on his Rated People website. Is that to be trusted?
I have read the Rated People checklist and formulated some questions to ask the tradesmen when they turn up to quote. These questions include things like is the work being carried out guaranteed. Is the quote inclusive of VAT. How long is the work going to take etc.
What I need advice on is do I use a contract (FMB) for this type of minor job? What key questions can I ask the tradesman to distingush the cowboys from the men?
I have used Rated People before for some decorating work I needed doing. So I am no stranger to these kinds of sites but I have to say I have been less than impressed with some of my experiences. I want to get this experience spot on so I'm not left in tears. Any good advice/experiences would be greatly appreciated.

rainbow12

I have used both sites with varying degrees of success. I prefer mybuilder because you can search for builders and then invite them to tender for the work, you will also get other contractors showing an interest so you dont limit your options.
Quoting without seeing a job is legal but I wouldnt touch him with a barge pole. Dont be sucked in by pretty pics - they might not be his work and might not show the detail you need to see. I would never accept a quote for significant work over email / phone, I would expect to meet them face to face.

I only deal with trademen with a significant number of good reviews (for me it is usually around 50+ but everyone will have their own preference). Check the reviews to see what type of work they have done via the site - they may have tons of good reviews but for a different type of job.
I would ask for a detailed quote with payment structure before you agree to the job.
There will be loads of people with more experience on the specifics you can ask about the job but I would be asking stuff around how deep they are going to dig and what they will be laying as the subfloor? If they are going to remove their own rubbish, how they will do the job without ruining the rest of the garden etc.
I would also go on gut instinct when you meet the person - if there are any nagging doubts even if you cant put your finger on it, dont employ them.
If you can pay even just £101 by credit card it will cover you for the full amount if anything goes wrong (theres more details about this on this site). Most contractors dont like accepting credit card payments but even if you pay a fee on top of the £100 itll be worth it for the cover.

My most recent experience of getting someone through mybuilder to renovate a house has been largely positive. There have been some anxieties but by posting on this site I have had reassurance and my questions answered.

Leif

Very good advice from rainbow12. I found that bad trades put a lot of effort into flattery. Gut instinct can weed those ones out.

I don't like these sites, and I have experience of a trade having impressive pictures on their web site which were not their own work.

If you can get the address of the person, it is worth checking it out. A scruffy rented flat suggests a poor worker. A tatty old van likewise.

electribem

rainbow12 wrote: »

If you can pay even just £101 by credit card it will cover you for the full amount if anything goes wrong (theres more details about this on this site). Most contractors dont like accepting credit card payments but even if you pay a fee on top of the £100 itll be worth it for the cover.

My most recent experience of getting someone through mybuilder to renovate a house has been largely positive. There have been some anxieties but by posting on this site I have had reassurance and my questions answered.

Thanks for your reply rainbow12

Is the payment of £101 a kind of insurance cover? Where does that spring from? :beer:

rainbow12

No the £101 would be part payment for the job. But under the credit card protection you would get cover if it all goes wrong - if you pay anything over £100 they cover you for the full value of the item (so if the work is a few thousand pounds you will be covered for the lot). Might be worth double checking that the cover does apply to employing tradesmen - theres a load of info on this sight about credit card protection.

nickj_2

Leif wrote: »

Very good advice from rainbow12. I found that bad trades put a lot of effort into flattery. Gut instinct can weed those ones out.

I don't like these sites, and I have experience of a trade having impressive pictures on their web site which were not their own work.

If you can get the address of the person, it is worth checking it out. A scruffy rented flat suggests a poor worker. A tatty old van likewise.

don't judge a book by it's cover , my house isn't the worst decorated house in my street , but most of the jobs i do on it are on going , it took me 3 years to do the bathroom -
where as someone who turns up in a brand new top of the range 4x4 is likely to be top price

OldFartPlumber

nickj wrote: »

don't judge a book by it's cover , my house isn't the worst decorated house in my street , but most of the jobs i do on it are on going , it took me 3 years to do the bathroom -
where as someone who turns up in a brand new top of the range 4x4 is likely to be top price

These sites can be useful to both Tradespeople and Customers - But the best recommendation is from people you know who have had work done - though a small job like a wall removal and some concreting you should be safe enough with a couple of quotes from the sites you`ve used - Never trust someone with a Flash motor though , It just shows the guy`s ego

lazer

Leif wrote: »

Very good advice from rainbow12. I found that bad trades put a lot of effort into flattery. Gut instinct can weed those ones out.

I don't like these sites, and I have experience of a trade having impressive pictures on their web site which were not their own work.

If you can get the address of the person, it is worth checking it out. A scruffy rented flat suggests a poor worker. A tatty old van likewise.

Not necessarily - very judgemental

Who knows what is going on in a person's life - maybe they simply have no money for expensive vans and luxury appartments.

electribem

Thanks for all your replies.

Getting back to my original post. I downloaded an FMB minor works contract. Can I present that to the tradesman I select for this type of job?

nickj_2

OldFartPlumber wrote: »

These sites can be useful to both Tradespeople and Customers - But the best recommendation is from people you know who have had work done - though a small job like a wall removal and some concreting you should be safe enough with a couple of quotes from the sites you`ve used - Never trust someone with a Flash motor though , It just shows the guy`s ego

i don't know any tradesperson who use them , if you're good , you'll always have plenty of work

electribem

nickj wrote: »

i don't know any tradesperson who use them , if you're good , you'll always have plenty of work

Could you clarify that please?