Help!! My Tiler has Vanished!

B

banzai

Hi All

Wasn't sure where to post this but would appreciate your feedback. We are tiling the majority of the house (all except bedrooms and bathrooms). Our tiler, although a little slow, had been doing great work - we can't fault the quality.

Or dilema is we haven't seen or heard from him for nearly 2 weeks! All his tools, clothes, etc are still at the house. It's like he went out for lunch and just vanished into thin air. Mobile just rings out and we get no reply to text messages.

We really need to the job finished asap but don't know what to do. Should I contract another iler to finish it? If tiler no 1 comes back, what do we do? Pay him for the work he did?

Any thoughts or comments would be great. Please move the post if it's in the wrong spot.

Thanks! Paul
 
There was no writen quote (I know- stupid me!) It's the old "freind-of-a-friend" type of thing. We went with him because he was well priced and I had good recommendations on his work.
 
Quite Bzare banzai,

Maybe turn to the mecca of answers - google?

If you type in his name you may find he has a myspace or facebook entry etc. Might be a way to track him down or at least read about what he's up to.

Arr the wonderul unprivate world of the internet. Its a long shot but may work.

If you get really stuck and need a quality tiler in Perth, try A&R Tiling on 0416086114 (ask for Andrew). Quality work but you'll pay quality prices (just a second option if you can't find your houdini tiler)
 
banzai said:
Or dilema is we haven't seen or heard from him for nearly 2 weeks! All his tools, clothes, etc are still at the house. It's like he went out for lunch and just vanished into thin air. Mobile just rings out and we get no reply to text messages.
Click to expand...

Sounds not quite right. I would be finding out where he lives and asking questions. Track him down some way.

Sunshine
 
if he is a friend of a friend, shouldnt your friend know him a bit better and know where he is? or another way to contact him?
 
Finding another tiler on short notice is hard work. I just did some tiling work myself after failing to find a tiler who could do the work for me quickly. I must say its not the easiest of jobs and but you learn quite quickly. You have all the tools for the job so that is another option.

Good luck.

Ozi
 
I bet he has taken on too much work and is on another job somewhere. There are possibly another 2 or 3 jobs like yours sitting half finished somewhere in the same town by the same fellow.

Knowing tradies thats probably the most logical answer. Sorry to be cynical. :D
 
SillySausage said:
I bet he has taken on too much work and is on another job somewhere. There are possibly another 2 or 3 jobs like yours sitting half finished somewhere in the same town by the same fellow.

Knowing tradies thats probably the most logical answer. Sorry to be cynical. :D
Click to expand...

Except his tools are still on site

Dave
 
I had a similar thing happen to me. A carpenter/builder I was using on a reno disappeared. Just left the job, and didn't come back. And yes, he left tools on the job. I waited and waited.

I felt awful and didn't know what to do...

What if I get another tradey and this guy turns up?
How long am I supposed to wait for him?
What's going on?

I had the guy's home number and mobile, neither was being answered... It was EXTREMELY frustrating.

In the end (and it took WEEKS) I HAD to get another guy in. It was awful. I put all the first guy's tools into a box, really carefully, I didn't want to be accused of breaking anything, and left them at the house. He never collected them. (there wasn't much)...

Still, to this day, have NO idea where he went. I did hear he had trouble with his daughter getting bashed up by her boyfriend in Melbourne so he took off to resue her, but, seriously, would a phone call have killed him?

asy :D
 
It does sound like he's had some kind of personal emergency. :(

I had a lawn mowing contractor who turned up regularly for a couple of years. Then all of a sudden, three months and no word! We held off and held off ( couldn't raise him by phone) then engaged a new mower man.

Two days later the first guy knocked on the door and said he'd had a couple of problems. I felt awful but I had to say, I'm sorry but I've passed the contract on to a new person. He got a bit upset and said " I thought we had enough history & that my clients would be okay about it " . What the??? How long do people expect you to wait?
 
That's what I meant, how are we supposed to GUESS that they've had a family emergency...

Had the same thing happen again LAST WEEK... Well, to my cousin-in-law... I organised a friend of mine to do the cleaning contract at his student rental, but she suddenly just didn't show up.

Three weeks later, the students are screaming, and we're frantically trying to contact her... (she's usually VERY reliable, so I was really worried)

FINALLY she rang me... Her hubby had been taken to hospital with a suspected stroke just as she was leaving to go clean that house. He was in hospital for 3 days before they worked out he had a PARALYSIS TICK in his EAR!!! Then he had an allergic reaction to the antibiotics, and all in all she was out of commission for the few weeks.

Now, she DID ring the real estate agent and left a message with one of the sales people (who didn't pass it on, and doesn't work there anymore)... And her idiot-teenage sons weren't passing on the messages on her home phone from us...

So, through a combination of the disaster AND ineptitude (not hers) no-one knew what was going on...

Unfortunately the agent had to get a new cleaner, but my friend fully understands...

Still, it's a similar thing to your problem.

It does happen, but, ya gotta wonder, how long ARE you supposed to wait.

Personally, I think 2 weeks no contact, move on.

Pack his tools carefully and put them aside so you can't be accused of having broken or lost any, and get a new tiler. If you're in BNE (I didn't check) PM me, I know a good one.

asy :D
 
I'd say two weeks is generous to wait when he hasn't responded to you. Move on, HE HAS!

wish-ga's Two-step back up plan

1) Take photographs of the incomplete job - with the dates on them.

2) Send him a text stating the job is being completed by another tradie and requesting that he collect the "insert amount owed" ...keep a copy of it on your mobile.
​
===========

If you have mutual friends he could have gotten news of a crisis to you. He has something else on the go (as SillySausage said).

This sucker learned to see the signs. Offered compassion to a tradie enquiring how his poor crashed truck was - he had no idea what I was on about because he invented the crash - I felt such a goose. He had told me he couldn't call me because the truck was towed with my details in his diary in the cabin.... doesn't answer why he hung up on me on a friday anoon while I was waiting for him to turn up.... I was interrupting his pub time :)

You are entitled to get the job done irrespective of the tradies personal circumstances.
 
Last edited:
Thought I would update you all on the weekend's events.

I arranged to meet my uncle (a builder) at the property 10am Saturday morning - he wanted to advise me on what had and had not been done, etc. Who should call at 9am - yes my mssing tiler!

He met us all at the house at 10. Turns out he was/is an alcoholic who has been reformed for the past few years. Lucky me he falls off the wagon halfway through my job! Aparently he goes on a 'bender' for a week or 2 and is completely out of contcat with everyone.

Anyway, he has vowed to complete the job this week, at a reduced price. All going well the problem is now solved.

Thanks for all your replies. Paul
 
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