Are all customers liars?

[mickmcpaddy]

I subcontract for a few different people and I'm sick to death of being lied to that jobs are ready for me or they are a doddle etc. Everyone knows that I wont work weekends unless its an absolute emergency yet today (Sunday) I was conned into travelling to a job 60 miles away because it just had to be done today but it is piss easy apparently.

I got picked up so didn't drive and the person driving had been to collect the gear 1st thing this morning. When we get there the job is absolutely full of st, 3 tiny rooms you couldn't swing a cat in, there were 2 joiners fitting cabinets, 2 aircon guys and 2 decorators, all with their tools/paint etc scattered everywhere. To cap it all the bit that needed doing urgently had been done yesterday by someone else so absolutely no need for me to be there.

When I did find something to do the imbecile that loaded the van had forgot to bring half the stuff we needed to do it, so with that I went to the nearest train station and sodded off home. Ironically the other lad was winging he never gets to see his kids because he is always working but was more than happy to plod on there because he is getting paid for it, me I'd rather have the free time.

I realise this has turned into a rant but I'm convinced they just want bodies on the job to make it look like something is being done and are more than happy to manipulate and lie to people to get there own way, never work with me though.

[Wombat3]

Your price for weekend working is much too low

[FN2TypeR]

Customers are the worst, it's true.

I'm a sparky by trade (don't do it anymore) and I used to avoid "small" jobs for people outside of work like the plague, they simply weren't worth the trouble in my opinion

[steveatesh]

mickmcpaddy said:

I subcontract for a few different people and I'm sick to death of being lied to that jobs are ready for me or they are a doddle etc. Everyone knows that I wont work weekends unless its an absolute emergency yet today (Sunday) I was conned into travelling to a job 60 miles away because it just had to be done today but it is piss easy apparently.

I got picked up so didn't drive and the person driving had been to collect the gear 1st thing this morning. When we get there the job is absolutely full of st, 3 tiny rooms you couldn't swing a cat in, there were 2 joiners fitting cabinets, 2 aircon guys and 2 decorators, all with their tools/paint etc scattered everywhere. To cap it all the bit that needed doing urgently had been done yesterday by someone else so absolutely no need for me to be there.

When I did find something to do the imbecile that loaded the van had forgot to bring half the stuff we needed to do it, so with that I went to the nearest train station and sodded off home. Ironically the other lad was winging he never gets to see his kids because he is always working but was more than happy to plod on there because he is getting paid for it, me I'd rather have the free time.

I realise this has turned into a rant but I'm convinced they just want bodies on the job to make it look like something is being done and are more than happy to manipulate and lie to people to get there own way, never work with me though.

Coach mode :
“so what have you learned from this?
How could your process of accepting work be improved?”

[anonymous-user]

Don't ever listen to anyone else about how easy a job will be for YOU to do.

Only you know your skills and advances etc.

Plus, they're probably lying to get you there!


Edited to add:

This is why I don't frequent the DIY/home sub forum anymore. Because people kept 'correcting' me with incorrect information and also discounting prices as 'making too much money' etc.

But ofcourse anyone could do my job and for 5 grand less a year.

Classic was, 'it's only gas etc etc'


(For reference I'm a gas engineer)

[mickmcpaddy]

Wombat3 said:

Your price for weekend working is much too low

Its not the money, today would have cost him £200 if I'd stayed there and I would have basically just stood around all day getting in the way, but I'd much rather waste a day at home where there is something to do, even if its unblocking the sink. Last week I spent the week in south Wales doing much the same thing but a much tidier and more organised job, stayed in a crappy Travelodge all week, pay was good but I'd take fitting a socket for someone down the road and be homer for 2PM earning a quarter of the pay any day of the week, its just make believe money, time is real.

[red_slr]

My company delivers bulk goods to the building trade and we often get told porkie pies. The worst offenders are the most "prestige" customers. Never on site to accept goods, not got skips / cars moved, the usual line of "the boss ordered this", not told us about a low bridge or 7.5t weight limit... the list goes on.

Another issue is we have customers who want "first delivery" and they get told that we don't offer first delivery its 8am till 12 noon as "AM" delivery. They then ring up at 805 to complain their goods have not arrived and they have 5 lads stood around on site. Some people don't listen.

We have stopped dealing with a few big spenders because its just not worth it any more. Last year we dropped a large national builders merchant who we supply as they pushed me too far over a £3.60 invoice.

[Yipper]

"Lazy tradesman moaning about extra work" shocker

[br d]

I sub to a lot of big companies and public bodies and I always enjoy the language employed:
"Can you pop over and sort this out"
"This just needs a couple of hours"
"Shoot over and quickly cover this please"

It's all aimed at making the task seem short and easy, like they're doing you a favour. Nothing is ever as it is described by a contracts manager trying to pass off a problem!

Wittgenstein would be turning in his grave.

[bearman68]

mickmcpaddy said:

Its not the money, today would have cost him £200 if I'd stayed there and I would have basically just stood around all day getting in the way, but I'd much rather waste a day at home where there is something to do, even if its unblocking the sink. Last week I spent the week in south Wales doing much the same thing but a much tidier and more organised job, stayed in a crappy Travelodge all week, pay was good but I'd take fitting a socket for someone down the road and be homer for 2PM earning a quarter of the pay any day of the week, its just make believe money, time is real.

Yep, £200 for a day on the weekend is too low

[Wombat3]

mickmcpaddy said:

Wombat3 said:

Your price for weekend working is much too low

Its not the money, today would have cost him £200 if I'd stayed there and I would have basically just stood around all day getting in the way, but I'd much rather waste a day at home where there is something to do, even if its unblocking the sink. Last week I spent the week in south Wales doing much the same thing but a much tidier and more organised job, stayed in a crappy Travelodge all week, pay was good but I'd take fitting a socket for someone down the road and be homer for 2PM earning a quarter of the pay any day of the week, its just make believe money, time is real.

Like I said, your price for coming out on the weekend is too low. You are not making them think about whether they really need you. Today should cost him £200 (at least) even though you didn't stay there. You were employed to go out and do a job. Its not your problem that it had already been done.

[anonymous-user]

Yipper said:

"Lazy tradesman moaning about extra work" shocker

Someones got to pay for your state pension expenditures of internet,daily mail newspapers and blood pressure tablets yips

[J4CKO]

So, being a trademan is ok apart from the customers and doing the work ?

[mickmcpaddy]

J4CKO said:

So, being a trademan is ok apart from the customers and doing the work ?

Basically yes.

What should happen, lets say a rewire, meet the customer on Monday morning with a clear and precise drawing of exactly what he or she wants, the customer then fks off and doesn't come near, phone or contact me in any way shape or form until Friday afternoon where they bring 3 or 4K in cash and in return get a completed and perfect re-wire done.

However what usually happens is the house is full of tat, they give you a drawing of what they don't want, mither the fking life out of you about everything not related to the job, change their mind 20 times about the location of a light switch and despite obviously seeing a socket back box and related cabling on a wall for 4 days they wait until its plastered before saying oh I don't want that there.

And then they make every excuse under the sun about lost emails and rogue bank accounts.

[FN2TypeR]

J4CKO said:

So, being a trademan is ok apart from the customers and doing the work ?

[Jim AK]

mickmcpaddy said:

Basically yes.

What should happen, lets say a rewire, meet the customer on Monday morning with a clear and precise drawing of exactly what he or she wants, the customer then fks off and doesn't come near, phone or contact me in any way shape or form until Friday afternoon where they bring 3 or 4K in cash and in return get a completed and perfect re-wire done.

Oh to be in your world!!!

3 or 4k Cash on Friday a afternoon.

[mickmcpaddy]

The other thing I find unfathomable about customers is they will not tell you where they live. The conversation usually goes something like this most of the time.

Can you wire 3 extra sockets for me? No problems I'll do it Thursday where do you live? Cheshire. No, whats your post code and number? Do you know the brown cow pub on the top road. No, I'm not from round there just give me your post code. Its just before the crooked oak tree on the left, surely you know that, everyone knows that. and so on and so on...

[Antony Moxey]

mickmcpaddy said:

Basically yes.

What should happen, lets say a rewire, meet the customer on Monday morning with a clear and precise drawing of exactly what he or she wants, the customer then fks off and doesn't come near, phone or contact me in any way shape or form until Friday afternoon where they bring 3 or 4K in cash and in return get a completed and perfect re-wire done.

However what usually happens is the house is full of tat, they give you a drawing of what they don't want, mither the fking life out of you about everything not related to the job, change their mind 20 times about the location of a light switch and despite obviously seeing a socket back box and related cabling on a wall for 4 days they wait until its plastered before saying oh I don't want that there.

And then they make every excuse under the sun about lost emails and rogue bank accounts.

If my house needed rewiring I’d expect an expert (you) to tell me it needed rewiring and then come up with a scheme to carry out the job. I’m not a spark so wouldn’t have the first idea, that’s why I’d employ a trade. Same as when we had a new kitchen - went to a kitchen place, went over it all what we wanted and got everything priced up. Then the guy said so who’s fitting it? Well you you knob, that’s why we’re here.

[anonymous-user]

Yep.

And all contractor are liars too in my experience

They have more grandparents that die, ill spouses, vans broken into, and general disasters than anyone else

[leef44]

bearman68 said:

mickmcpaddy said:

Its not the money, today would have cost him £200 if I'd stayed there and I would have basically just stood around all day getting in the way, but I'd much rather waste a day at home where there is something to do, even if its unblocking the sink. Last week I spent the week in south Wales doing much the same thing but a much tidier and more organised job, stayed in a crappy Travelodge all week, pay was good but I'd take fitting a socket for someone down the road and be homer for 2PM earning a quarter of the pay any day of the week, its just make believe money, time is real.

Yep, £200 for a day on the weekend is too low

I would tend to agree in this instance. If say, your charge is £300 a day, your customer would think twice about whether they really needed you. If they did, then it is more likely that it is serious work which needs to be done, not waiting around. You are then getting compensated for how much the time in the weekend is worth to you. In other words, this is your market value.

When the customer questions why so expensive, you simply answer, my weekend time is worth a lot to me so you'd rather not work if needed. They will adapt their schedule to this because it costs them money so it makes business sense to them.