Drive getting redone bloke not turned up
Discussion
lucido grigio said:
wjwren said:
Update - he called earlier to say he will be over first thing tuesday with the digger!
Only a week late then.Yay.
Standard. The nature of the trade & every job having a few hidden snags means this is to be expected tbh! As my previous post above, there are a few guarantees that come with nigh on every builder/plumber....
I was in my favourite local deli this week and I noticed builders coming in and out from upstairs through to the back so I asked 'im having all upstairs ripped out'. (They also did his deli refurb). So I said 'are they timely etc'?
Yes, 8-6 daily and the work is top notch!
British?
No Polish
Yes, 8-6 daily and the work is top notch!
British?
No Polish
Much less stressful.Sa Calobra said:
I was in my favourite local deli this week and I noticed builders coming in and out from upstairs through to the back so I asked 'im having all upstairs ripped out'. (They also did his deli refurb). So I said 'are they timely etc'?
Yes, 8-6 daily and the work is top notch!
British?
No Polish
Have had great experience with Polish tradesmen, turn up on time, work hard whilst their there, and do a decent job... Yes, 8-6 daily and the work is top notch!
British?
No Polish
British and Irish have largely been poor in my experience, although i'm not a powerfully build company director paying £16k for some tiles.
Further update. He has text to say he cant make tuesday now as has the funeral but will be here wed. He also said he will send me proof of the blocks he has bought but will be here for definite wed 7.30am
More updates on his fb page of patios he did last week.
Getting slightly peed off.
If he is trying to rip me off then texting me proof and confirmation that I have given him money and he has bought blocks is a good thing for me I guess.
More updates on his fb page of patios he did last week.
Getting slightly peed off.
If he is trying to rip me off then texting me proof and confirmation that I have given him money and he has bought blocks is a good thing for me I guess.
Neighbours opposite having an extension built. Builders turn up at 8.00am get out and start work
immediately. Stop at 11.00 for 15 mins tea break then at 1.00 for 25 mins for lunch then at 4.00
for another 15mins break. Pack up at 6.00. No loud music, no shouting or swearing, no vans
blocking pavement, no disappearing off, no reading paper catching up on emails etc. They just get on with what they are paid to do. Did one around the corner last year and same scenario. And yes Polish.
immediately. Stop at 11.00 for 15 mins tea break then at 1.00 for 25 mins for lunch then at 4.00
for another 15mins break. Pack up at 6.00. No loud music, no shouting or swearing, no vans
blocking pavement, no disappearing off, no reading paper catching up on emails etc. They just get on with what they are paid to do. Did one around the corner last year and same scenario. And yes Polish.
Friend who develops houses tends to use polish workers as they get the job done. I had a bloke lay a porcelain floor while back. He was so bloody slow. Would turn up at 9. then at 11 would sit in his van for 20 mins having a coffee and fag. 1pm was back in the van fag and lunch then back to work 2pm. He took 4 weeks to do 50sqm of flooring and also didnt turn up for a week as he had a bad back. 3 weeks work to lay a floor. He was also recommended to me!
wjwren said:
Friend who develops houses tends to use polish workers as they get the job done. I had a bloke lay a porcelain floor while back. He was so bloody slow. Would turn up at 9. then at 11 would sit in his van for 20 mins having a coffee and fag. 1pm was back in the van fag and lunch then back to work 2pm. He took 4 weeks to do 50sqm of flooring and also didnt turn up for a week as he had a bad back. 3 weeks work to lay a floor. He was also recommended to me!
I renovated a house last year. Full renovation. Nothing left but the bricks used to build the walls. Every British worker we used was bloody hopeless. Fumbling quotes, BOILER INSTALLED WITH A GAS LEAK due to finger tightened pipe fixtures with the wrong bloody seals, quoting £6k to fit a normal sized bathroom (note: fit, not supply), radiators fit with only 1 bracket screwed into the wall, a roofer that used shed felt on the roof (who was quickly pulled up and told to foxtrot oscar). We used a polish guy to fit the bathroom for £1400, perfect craftsmanship. We got a quote from British painters to paint the full house, £8,000. Polish guy with a spray gun? £1000.Sometimes Pete the Pole is best. Comin' an' takin' our jobs 'n' that!
hyphen said:
This brit bashing is going a bit far?
People regardless of nationality have their own personalities, most are hard working and some are not. There are lots of good british tradesman and some useless ones, there are lots of good polish ones and some useless ones.
I used no less than 10 tradesmen during my renovations. Most weren't good at all. I used a good one for the house roof, garage roof and extension roof. Great work, but on the last job, as he knew he wasn't getting any more work, he left a whole load of concrete roofing hidden in my garden and stopped answering phonecalls. Disappointing end to a good relationship. People regardless of nationality have their own personalities, most are hard working and some are not. There are lots of good british tradesman and some useless ones, there are lots of good polish ones and some useless ones.
Last British tradesman was a landscaper. Never have I used a better tradesman. Absolutely unbelievable work.
Take a moment to look at it from the other side.
We had a little business fencing, decking garden structures etc. Phone the customer on Friday to confirm the start of a 2 week job for 2 men, all OK. Turn up Monday morning and customer has 'changed their mind' and doesn't want it done. Materials on order, contractors to pay, hire of machinery.
You cant just start a second job at a moments notice so thats a loss of a weeks income but still have to pay your conbtractors and lose account status with the supplier.
Also jobs overrun, weather causes delays, unforeseen problems such as a family crisis, as a small business you have to try to be 100% busy - and idle
days are pure lost profit.
A deposit sounds very reasonable to me.
Of course there are cowboys - Sounds as though you did the right backropund checks, we always used Checkatrade,.
We had a little business fencing, decking garden structures etc. Phone the customer on Friday to confirm the start of a 2 week job for 2 men, all OK. Turn up Monday morning and customer has 'changed their mind' and doesn't want it done. Materials on order, contractors to pay, hire of machinery.
You cant just start a second job at a moments notice so thats a loss of a weeks income but still have to pay your conbtractors and lose account status with the supplier.
Also jobs overrun, weather causes delays, unforeseen problems such as a family crisis, as a small business you have to try to be 100% busy - and idle
days are pure lost profit.
A deposit sounds very reasonable to me.
Of course there are cowboys - Sounds as though you did the right backropund checks, we always used Checkatrade,.
hyphen said:
This brit bashing is going a bit far?
People regardless of nationality have their own personalities, most are hard working and some are not. There are lots of good british tradesman and some useless ones, there are lots of good polish ones and some useless ones.
It does give rise to an interesting debate though - and I'd have to echo some of the comments above.People regardless of nationality have their own personalities, most are hard working and some are not. There are lots of good british tradesman and some useless ones, there are lots of good polish ones and some useless ones.
I'm afraid to say that as a percentage, there are far more useless British tradesmen than Polish tradesmen. The British tradesmen I've come across have 6 tea breaks in a day, one hour lunch break, turn up at 9am and leave for 3.30pm. Polish builders are a different kettle of fish though - less breaks, more hours worked and cheaper. Go figure.
Above comments reminded me of a Fonejacker sketch where 'Janec', a Polish tradesman, phones a British builder's company asking for a job. The conversations highlights a lot of what has been covered already: https://youtu.be/lbuD3Ecndb0?t=1168
As for the OP of this thread, how many more chances are you going to give this lying tradesman?
I'm amazed at the feedback regarding Polish workman,
They must all be in the UK as we have to wait over a month here in Poland for a plumber and when we needed a ceiling repaired 3 separate builders came out, complained that it was too difficult and left. (Saw the same guy in the local pub that weekend complaining he was skint.
Another said it was impossible. In the end I fixed it myself (Harder than it looks)
Maybe some will come back here and finish building our house one day
They must all be in the UK as we have to wait over a month here in Poland for a plumber and when we needed a ceiling repaired 3 separate builders came out, complained that it was too difficult and left. (Saw the same guy in the local pub that weekend complaining he was skint.
Another said it was impossible. In the end I fixed it myself (Harder than it looks)
Maybe some will come back here and finish building our house one day
Just for balance, my go to guy is .......Romanian! Quotes reasonably, turns up on time, does good work, and is tidy to boot! The only issue we ever had was that he thinks he has some design ablitiy(he reallly doesn't) so disagreed with a tile choice we made, there was some back and forth on it, then he had the 'lightbulb' moment and said ' of course, it is your house, so do what you want.....'
I would call him if I had any more renovation plans.
I would call him if I had any more renovation plans.
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