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How do you negotiate prices with plumbers, handy men, builders etc?

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Comments

  • leveller2911
    leveller2911 Posts: 8,061 Forumite
    edited 7 March 2016 at 9:03PM
    I'm right with you so far...



    But you're wrong here. The proper tradesman with the skill and experience is just as likely to be east european.
    And the chancers come in all shapes, sizes and nationalities


    I've worked along side a fair few Europeans and from my experience the Germans and Scandanavians are excellant tradesmen , look after their tools and they even look smart but Eastern Europeans are not. I'm yet to find a decent Polish carpenter,Joiner,bricklayer or plasterer.

    Most people can put up a stud wall or hang a door but you can train a monkey to hang a door and it will work ok but when they find a door lining thats in wind they stand there and scratch their head because they don't know how to get over small problems.It can be very simple things they do wrong because they have never been taught how to do a job correctly.

    When I did my apprenticeship one of the old boys that taught me said "you find out who the good tradesmen are when they come across problems and how the get over them" and that very true.

    I've seem plenty of Poles turn up on jobs with a new set of Royobi cordlesses and a B&Q chop saw and have no idea how to pitch a roof. I'm yet to see a Pole or Lithuanian who knows how to sharpen a chisel or Planer iron (blade) correctly and as a tradesman all of these things ring alarm bells.

    Some of the hardest workers are European but also some of the laziest too.

    I think the decent tradesmen must have stayed back in Poland and probably being very well paid for staying .
  • phill99 wrote: »
    However, if you want to go with an eastern European who today is working as a roofer, tomorrow as an electrician and the day after as a waiter, then you go right ahead.


    Is this the same one-legged roofer that was in the press a few years ago? :D
  • jackomdj
    jackomdj Posts: 3,073 Forumite
    Part of the Furniture 1,000 Posts
    We have a local area Facebook page. If people want things done they tend to ask for recommendations. There is a local plumber who everyone thinks is brilliant. We are currently having our hallway decorated and we will be telling everyone on the site what a fantastic job he has done.
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