What is wrong with tradies??

[arms]

Painter - with the reconstuction work in brassy due to th floods - there must be a huge demand for tradies?

no money of any significance has come through from the insurance companies ,so count that out .
most damage was done in the lower flood plains of the brisbane and bremer rivers these mostly consist of working families with very little disposable income to finance there rebuilding ,so count them out to a degree.
the state is sitting on approx $300,000,000.00 from relief money(donations from the public) and has set the bar so high to access any money that only a fraction has been allocated .so rule that out
any work being done paid for by insurance companies is being directed to their own bank of contractors (mostly interstate)
One insurance company has authorised a sole contractor all the kitchen renovations , he goes to the homes on the list he has been given ,measures up ,works out a component list ,sends the list to chinese kitchen manufacturers gets the cabinets shipped back assembles and installs them then tells the clients that they are australian made because effectivley they are under the regulations .
i know of companies sitting around with no work only to drive around and see interstate vehicles working on local houses .
In my business i am lucky in that i dont have to count on local work as send my kitchens all over australia ,so i feel for the local companies that are supporting local clubs,schools and sporting associations when they see money paid for work they could be doing leave this state

 

[Sunfish]

I am trying to get someone to do a bathroom reno (waterproofing / tiling / new shower screen / vanity, etc) but I am struggling to get tradies to come out and have a look or even return phone calls.

It is a smaller bathroom in a 2 bed unit. I am thinking the job is too small and therefore no one is interested

This is my first house / reno...is it normal to struggle with tradies???

Maybe they've seen the light and BECOME landlords instead of working for them?

 

[Sunfish]

If the contempt you people have for tradies shows when you deal with them there is no wonder they don't want to work for you.

 

[tess85]

Asked a tradie to give a quote for an ducted or multisplit aircon system at our PPOR. He never turned up, waste of a morning as hubby had stayed home from work to wait for him, and had clearly forgotten the appointment when we rang up. The quote will end up being about ~$6k so surely it would be in his best interest to turn up and look reliable?! Aah, tradies...

 

[Monopoly]

If the contempt you people have for tradies shows when you deal with them there is no wonder they don't want to work for you.

Contempt??

General gist of conversation EVERY TIME when I ACTUALLY SPEAK to one:

Me: Hello, is that......(name of tradie/company as per advert)?
Tradie: Yes
Me: Oh good, hi (first name of tradie) I was hoping to get a (insert trade ie. plumber/sparkie) out to have a look at my (insert area), are you able to help?
Tradie: Yeah sure love, what's the address of the property?
Me: .......................(address)
Tradie: No worries love, how about ..........(time) on .............(date)?
Me: Perfect, I'll meet you there, thanks so much.

Result = NO SHOW or CALL BACK to say running late, or can't make it, NOTHING.

If I don't get to speak to one, I usually just leave a message with my name and phone number, and always end the call with a polite "thanks" at the end.

Hardly comtemptuous!!

 

[Brett IP]

I think most people have had trouble with tradies not turning up or not caring. Its damn frustrating.

My good mate is a painter, and whilst it sucks when you want a job done, I can also see his side. He wouldnt walk away from his builder who puts heaps of work through him, even for a $5k personal job, unless he is short on work. Its not worth compromising the best customer. Unfortunately most of the time, small jobs are just not their priority.

 

[evand]

The biggest problem with most tradies is that they are selling their time, not just their skills. And as we all know, there is only so much time.

Most of them work alone and dont have a clue about running a business, time management etc they just get snowed under in busy times and then something has to give.

Ive been there in a previous life, know plenty of tradies and thats the main reason.

 

[depreciator]

Don't forget that until you develope a relationship with these guys, then you are just a number and a name. Maybe they can tell your desparation in your voice, and maybe you are being to demanding without them even looking at the job?

In my experience, if you have any doubts about a customer, you can sometimes tell what they will be like, and you have the right to do nothing, granted they should be courteous enough to atleast call you.

We also spend alot of time quoting, following up unpaid invoices and the like, so if we get an inckling that this could occur, we bolt for the nearest door.

Also, if we are busy, have a feeling that the client will be painfull, or are in doubt about the clients cappacity to pay, we have a tendancy to put a bit of extra fat on the quote, and then prioritise accordingly.

I've got a good plumber and a good electrician.

They're so good that they are always in demand.

But they'll do work for me.

I call them and explain to them what I need done and tell them how long I reckon it will take (and they will of course take this with a grain of salt).

When they show up, I make them a decent coffee, have a chat, run them through the job, and leave them to it.

At the end of the job I sit down with them and get them to work out what I owe them and I pay them on the spot.

So they don't have to quote or chase payment. They like that.

 

[Monopoly]

I've got a good plumber and a good electrician.

They're so good that they are always in demand.

But they'll do work for me.

I call them and explain to them what I need done and tell them how long I reckon it will take (and they will of course take this with a grain of salt).

When they show up, I make them a decent coffee, have a chat, run them through the job, and leave them to it.

At the end of the job I sit down with them and get them to work out what I owe them and I pay them on the spot.

So they don't have to quote or chase payment. They like that.

You're very lucky depreciator!!

Believe me, if I could get them to simply return my messages (and btw, I will only ever leave ONE message; I don't believe in harrassing someone who isn't interested or at least courteous enough to return a simple phone call) I would do my best also to build that rapport!!

Hell, I'd even bake scones and put the kettle on for a cuppa!! But they gotta get there first!!

 

[Tuppence]

You wouldn't believe how much work Hubby gets just because he turns up

Mine too.
Then there's the chasing of unpaid bills, and owners who want top quality jobs at a cheapskate's price, or want it done yesterday for a bargain price.
I don't doubt many tradies aren't that good at what they do - just as many bankers/lawyers/newsagents/bus drivers/teachers/shop assistants can be pretty ordinary - but certainly not all. Some are excellent and, as others have said, you need to use word of mouth to find those guys because they don't advertise - mine's been in business four years and has advertised once in that time.
We have an electrician that we use and recommend to others, a restumper, a cleaner, real estate agents , builders and even other plumbers. None of them advertise (except the realos, of course, because they can't help themselves ).

 

[depreciator]

You're very lucky depreciator!!

Nope. It's not luck.

 

[Monopoly]

Nope. It's not luck.

Perhaps not to you but the way I see it....you got them to your table/job/meeting point thus allowing you to build a rapport, and in my books, that's luck (I could say miraculous) but that's probably an exaggeration, or is it???

 

[willair]

At the end of the job I sit down with them and get them to work out what I owe them and I pay them on the spot.

So they don't have to quote or chase payment. They like that.

That's the only way,you go back when people pay and understand that it's not always as simple as one thinks,all those reno shows on the box give most people a flase idea on --time --materials-- and the people who set you up from the start that never pay for anything,just complain..
And most people that are Tradespeople don't depend on the Government for their long range financial security,they just work above 80 hours per week,,

 

[Goofy]

I just don’t understand why they say they will do something and then don’t. Ok you are busy I get that, so why not say sorry I can’t do this job for you and allow me to spend my time finding someone who can instead of saying yes I can do it and then simply not show up?!

and further to that, I really wish when a tradie does a job he/she does it right the first time!! Surely it is more time effective to do the job right in the first place than having to come back 3 times to fix up the shoddy job that was done in the first place?? Perhaps tradies would have more time to do more jobs (and get more money) if they did the job correctly in the first place?! Who knows I am just blonde so maybe I have missed something about working efficiently?

 

[The Fuzz]

I just don’t understand why they say they will do something and then don’t. Ok you are busy I get that, so why not say sorry I can’t do this job for you and allow me to spend my time finding someone who can instead of saying yes I can do it and then simply not show up?!

And if you are not interested don't give a quote that is absolutely ridiculously expensive just to make it worthwhile if some sucker goes ahead

 

[weg]

I can understand if you're young and using tradesmen for the first time going through the pain of finding good ones, but otherwise ringing unknown tradesmen time and time again baffles me.

Can friends/family not refer them on to you? If you're been pleased with someone, why haven't you stuck with them?

I've used the same tradesmen for years now and I rarely ask them to give me a quote even if it's a biggish job and I always pay them on the spot.

The last tradesman out was our electrician - three weeks ago. I rang him and because he thought my electrical problem could be a safety issue (broken light switch and flickering light) he came out the same day.

He insisted he did not want payment because it was a small 5 min job but I insisted I pay something and slipped him $50.

Once you find good tradesmen, treat them well (in other words don't try to s**** them ), pay on the spot and let them work at their convenience.

The bad stories my husband tells me have me shaking my head everytime.

His lastest was a good customer story with the customer getting extra work at the customers request at no extra charge.

 

[Tuppence]

We can afford to be picky, thanks to the a former governments policy to reduce trade schooling. We have a massive skills shortage,and its only going to get worse.

I think this is very true as well. It all comes down to supply and demand, which can be a good thing or a bad thing, depending on your POV.
I read somewhere a few years ago that the average age of tradies in Australia was 50ish - so many of those we do have are going to be looking to retire soon.
We can't all grow up to be lawyers or bankers. This world needs plumbers and leccies and mechanics too.

 

[Ocean Architect]

I could use them here in Queensland,its hard to get an Australian out of bed and if you can get a week out of them and it happens to be payday,they don't come to work until the money runs out,
$100 millionaires

Just to clarify to those people who think I am overcharging,I work for a very low rate,(Lowest in Queensland I believe)
Its just that my work is continuous and no quoting is needed,
I work smarter,and also have the capital behind me to weather the storms.
Others paid my rate go broke in a month,
They do a couple of jobs,sit down and wait for their money,
I just keep working,

Why don't you get on the phone and see if you can get a few of them over there? They don't care where they are so long as they're working. The crew that I'm talking was originally brought over by one of my buddies, who was overworked severely. Anyway, he did some major contracts but they dried up/it became a bit of a hassle, and they were then on-employed by another Greek crew and bounced around a bit (I don't know the details - I think that the original guy stayed on as their official employer and then subbed them out, or thye made a new agreement with someone else. Anyway whatever happenned doesn't matter - they're here working like mad and that's that)

These guys barely speak english, and the rates they charge for contracts is below what others charge at day rates - but they do work, and work hard, because they're super motivated. I don't really like the idea that locals are being priced out of jobs, but at the same time, I am equally sick of locals who will only get out of bed if they're on 500 a day so a bit of downward pressure on prices is overall good.

Anyway what kind of work do you want these guys to do? I'm sure I could pass on some details for you, and you could have a chat

 

[rugrat]

If the contempt you people have for tradies shows when you deal with them there is no wonder they don't want to work for you.

I wasn't aware of any comtepmt being shown for tradies. Of course there are good ones as well as bad (like any industry). Unfortunately, many who are in demand, just couldn't give a rats about customer service (you know, things like actually showing up when they say they will, especially when you have reorganised everything to fit around their schedule - or at least giving a phone call to say they cann't be there). This is abhorant behavour no matter what industry. I would suggest the good tradie, do well because they remember there is more to running a business (any business) then simply waiting for a paycheck.

Unfortunately the good tradies can be just as elusive to get a hold of, because they are the ones who are booked solid for the next year - but at least they are upfront about that.

 

[Monopoly]

I can understand if you're young and using tradesmen for the first time going through the pain of finding good ones, but otherwise ringing unknown tradesmen time and time again baffles me.

Can friends/family not refer them on to you? If you're been pleased with someone, why haven't you stuck with them?
Most of my friends/family will rarely ever call a tradesperson but if they did, they'd take pot luck on whoever they get only to then whinge about the tradie anyway, so I tend not to listen to their recommendations anyway. As for having someone I've used before, they are either retired, moved area and/or no longer on the same number!! Besides which, I have properties scattered across Melbourne, I doubt that Sparky A is going to travel half way across Melbourne to a property on the other side of town. I try to get someone who is near the property so that it cuts down their travel time!! Hey, at least I try to CONSIDER THEM, just wish they could do likewise for me and ACTUALLY SHOW UP!!!

I've used the same tradesmen for years now and I rarely ask them to give me a quote even if it's a biggish job and I always pay them on the spot.

The last tradesman out was our electrician - three weeks ago. I rang him and because he thought my electrical problem could be a safety issue (broken light switch and flickering light) he came out the same day.

He insisted he did not want payment because it was a small 5 min job but I insisted I pay something and slipped him $50.
I would always pay someone for doing even a 5 min job, which is either as you've suggested, a $50 note or that plus a 6 pick of cold ones.

Once you find good tradesmen, treat them well (in other words don't try to s**** them ), pay on the spot and let them work at their convenience.
I've ALWAYS paid my invoices within 2-3 days, not even taking the full 7 that most ask for. Depending on the circumstances I will pay them on the spot, but they (and here's the clincher) THEY HAVE TO TURN UP & DO THE JOB FIRST!!!

The bad stories my husband tells me have me shaking my head everytime.
The stories I could tell you (if they weren't so tragic) would have you in stitches!!!

His lastest was a good customer story with the customer getting extra work at the customers request at no extra charge.

If I could find a reliable set of tradies ie. plumber, electrician etc then of course I would make sure they were (without fail) always paid on time and of course treated with utmost respect but again, that HAS TO go two ways if they can't even display common decency to ring and say they're not going to front but rather keep me waiting all day on site then excuse me if my tone is less than welcoming when they ring back months later to ask "Hello love, you still need work done at.......??" I'd soooooooooooo love to tell him then and there what I think, instead (for the sake of the next poor schmuck that has to approach this a**hole) I just politely respond with a "no thanks" and hang up!!