Genuine Question - Why are many Tradespeople (in my experience) apparently so unreliable?

elsmandino

Hi there.

I am trying to be as careful as I can to avoid sweeping statements but over the last decade or so, I can think of only a handful of tradespeople that I have used that have never let me down.

Just to be clear - I have never had any bad work done, I have just had loads of incidents whereby people have said they are interested and never turn up - I have also had many of them lie to me and claim (if I chase them up) that I failed to provide something simple like my address.

This is not a post to have a pop at anyone - I was just hoping that someone could help me explain why this is so common.  Is it something to do with the business model that everyone has to use to survive?

Is there a way to avoid the issue or should I just accept that I should take every response with a pinch of salt and expect to make additional calls until someone does turn up?

I have a really good friend that worked as a plumber, before giving it up to do something completely different.  He never let me down, ever, but when I asked him if he could recommend someone else to take his place, he told me that he knew dozens of plumbers but could not vouch for a single one.  

Again, I hope I am not offending anyone with this - I just want to know why this sort of thing is apparently so rife.

tacpot12

Most tradespeople have no training in customer service, and haven't thought about the customer experience they offer. They generally haven't got the systems in place to qualify leads and promptly turn away those they have no hope of getting around to contacting. They haven't invested in CRM systems, have no reception staff and don't want to train estimators whose time has to be paid for as overhead of the contract - they also have no training in the financial management of a business. 

But the main reason is that there is more work chasing too few tradespeople. Therefore there is no need to improve and no need to provide a good customer experience.

Albermarle

tacpot12 said:

Most tradespeople have no training in customer service, and haven't thought about the customer experience they offer. They generally haven't got the systems in place to qualify leads and promptly turn away those they have no hope of getting around to contacting. They haven't invested in CRM systems, have no reception staff and don't want to train estimators whose time has to be paid for as overhead of the contract - they also have no training in the financial management of a business. 

But the main reason is that there is more work chasing too few tradespeople. Therefore there is no need to improve and no need to provide a good customer experience.

I agree with your comments, but would also add that many seem to find it difficult just to say no/not interested.
I think it partly comes from not wanting to be seen to be rude, and a fear that one day the work will dry up, so they are reluctant to point blank say no, and they prefer to keep a few balls/opportunities in the air, just in case a job goes wrong/somebody cancels.
Unfortunately this leads to some of the experience the OP has had.
Personally we have not had many problems with tradespeople. I put this down to the fact that both myself and the OH have worked in sales, which makes you a good reader of people and we can spot a wrong 'un/ B**sh**ter at 200 yards. Plus we are always nice to the good ones.  That's my theory anyway !

Ganga

I know it goes with the business but how many tradespeople get called out just to give an estimate just to be used to compare with another quote ,the mantra on this site was always get three quotes for most jobs ,two of the people are not going to get the work.

EssexExile

Once you find a good tradesman don't ever lose their number! I know a really good plumber but you have to wait weeks for him because everyone knows he's a really good plumber.

elsmandino

Thanks everyone - really interesting points.

I completely understand that tradesmen never want to turn down work but I recently put a plumbing job on a work website and people actively sought me out, only to never turn up and do the job - seems extra irritating, when they have made initial contact with me and not the other way round.

As EssexExile has said, once you find a decent tradesman, never let go of them.

I recently found a brilliant young electrician (only in his early twenties) that has turned up on time, without fail, and I have used him a couple of times and now recommended him to all my family and friends.

I actually asked him why so many of his fellow tradesmen appear to treat potential customers, the way they do - not only could he not answer this but he was not aware that this was an issue at all.  I guess he just assumed that everyone was as professional as him.

He did make the good point, however, that if a tradesman consistently lets you down, customers might then actually actively start telling their friends and family to actively avoid them, which will hurt them in the long run.

I guess it is simple supply and demand but I cannot help thinking that a bit of honesty would go a long way.  I cannot remember the last time that I had a job that needed to be done urgently.  I would be more than happy for a tradesman to contact me and tell that his current job is taking much longer than expected and to put our arranged date back accordingly - what I really hate is when I have taken a day off work for absolutely no reason at all.

JohnB47

I believe that the main reason for lack of interest is the low profit from some jobs. It's understandable really, particularly if the tradesperson has some way to travel to the job.

victor2

Good tradespeople don't need to advertise or chase work, as they get more than enough through recommendations by satisfied customers.
They always have a few months of work lined up, so you can't get them at short notice.
That's been my experience anyway. I agree with others who say that most have no idea about customer service though. There's enough demand for them not to worry about losing a few potential customers by "wasting" time giving more quotes than they have to.