We’d like to remind Forumites to please avoid political debate on the Forum.

This is to keep it a safe and useful space for MoneySaving discussions. Threads that are – or become – political in nature may be removed in line with the Forum’s rules. Thank you for your understanding.

📨 Have you signed up to the Forum's new Email Digest yet? Get a selection of trending threads sent straight to your inbox daily, weekly or monthly!
The Forum now has a brand new text editor, adding a bunch of handy features to use when creating posts. Read more in our how-to guide

Sick of chasing tradesmen- are they all this bad?!

Im in the process of house buying and will be using the same plumber and carpenter than I used a couple of years ago when I renovated my flat.

The carpenter went to the house with me about three weeks ago to quote for a new kitchen, new front door frame, french doors into the garden and doors throughout the house.

Three weeks on and after chasing him four times still no prices!

Likewise ive had two appointments with my plumber for him to meet me at the house for a quote and he has no showed on both occasions.

Im very frustrated, im giving them a fairly decent amount of work afterall! Im not sure if it because Ive used them both before they dont feel a need to impress me or whether tradesmen generally are bad like this?

Comments

  • pimento
    pimento Posts: 6,243 Forumite
    Part of the Furniture 1,000 Posts
    Perhaps neither of them want the job. You say you've used them before, were the transactions trouble free?
    "If you think it's expensive to hire a professional to do the job, wait until you hire an amateur." -- Red Adair
  • BlueC
    BlueC Posts: 734 Forumite
    Part of the Furniture 500 Posts Name Dropper Combo Breaker
    Take the hint and get some other tradesmen in. They clearly don't want the work.
  • minibbb
    minibbb Posts: 342 Forumite
    pimento wrote: »
    Perhaps neither of them want the job. You say you've used them before, were the transactions trouble free?

    Yes both went very trouble free indeed and I get along well with both of them. They're work is top notch and having had poor jobs done by others in the past im keen to use people I can trust!

    I just dont understand the reluctance for the carpenter to pull his finger out and sort the quote!

    The plumber text me the day before he was last due to visit the house asking if his brother (who is a kitchen fitter) could also quote for the kitchen- I said yes so would have thought even more reason for him to turn up!
  • DaftyDuck
    DaftyDuck Posts: 4,609 Forumite
    Part of the Furniture 1,000 Posts Combo Breaker
    If they are good workmen, they are probably snowed under with work.

    If they were in the next day to give a quote, like as not they had no other work on, and there is an obvious reason for that.

    But, there was another thread somewhere here recently pointing out that many tradesmen, whatever their construction abilities, had often got the customer service skills of the offspring of Genghis Kahn and Anne Robinson.
This discussion has been closed.
Meet your Ambassadors

🚀 Getting Started

Hi new member!

Our Getting Started Guide will help you get the most out of the Forum

Categories

  • All Categories
  • 354.6K Banking & Borrowing
  • 254.5K Reduce Debt & Boost Income
  • 455.5K Spending & Discounts
  • 247.5K Work, Benefits & Business
  • 604.3K Mortgages, Homes & Bills
  • 178.5K Life & Family
  • 261.8K Travel & Transport
  • 1.5M Hobbies & Leisure
  • 16.1K Discuss & Feedback
  • 37.7K Read-Only Boards

Is this how you want to be seen?

We see you are using a default avatar. It takes only a few seconds to pick a picture.