Why is it so hard to get tradespeople to quote??

[TheAngryDog]

I am sick to the back fking teeth of trying to get trades people to come to my house to quote for work. TURN UP ON THE AGREED DATE AT THE AGREED fkING TIME YOU fkING MORON!!!

It is not rocket science is it? If you cannot make it then at least fking call me so that I am not waiting around, or at least answer your ing phone you fking prick!!!

RAGE!!!!

[Eddieslofart]

Hmmmm, the word might be out on you in Bucks.

[TheAngryDog]

Eddieslofart said:

Hmmmm, the word might be out on you in Bucks.

It must be I wouldn't mind but I only get angry when I am fked around

[rival38]

I think: being a proficient tradesman does not often = becoming an efficient business owner / manager. Many I suspect, operate in a state of semi chaos or else they are simply quite busy enough. I agree that being busy is no excuse for not having the basic good manners to advise clients or potential clients of delayed or possibly cancelled appointments.

The ones who are business minded / keen to provide a good service, have a pretty good chance of levering their skill set into a decent sized concern, with the proviso that they also are, or become good people managers and administrators. Doing that takes an investment of effort or money, not everybody has the ambition or stomach for what they may perceive as extra stress.

Once up and running as a well organised / easy to communicate with business - who keeps appointments, provides clear quotations, works to a high standard - they can charge accordingly - and rightly so.

ALL trades do seem to be flat out currently. It will not last forever. Our regular electrician currently has a message on his phone, that says `sorry, but due to pressure of work I am no longer taking on new customers - if you are an existing customer please email me, and I will do my best to help, however please be advised that there is a one month Que for quotations and no `non emergency` work can be scheduled for at least 3 months` Fair enough & way better than leaving messages unanswered or promising appointments that can not be kept. But while busy, a lot of people can not be bothered with old fashioned courtesy, they are probably concentrating on either earning the most they can - and admin is on the back seat. Or they are trying to cherry pick the easiest most local jobs they can.

[TheAngryDog]

Very valid points.

The latest one is a plasterer. Meant to turn up today to quote. Its 5 walls and a ceiling. A days work which would be paid in full in cash the minute he is done. It's an easy gig for sure. Maybe not the highest paying one, but one to fit in between bigger jobs for some easy beer tokens.

I've had to chase companies for plumbing, a tiler and guttering. Manners cost nothing.

[505diff]

Too many people with tools, van and little qualifications or proper experience, those who have worked for proper companies dealing with public will have had to deal with paperwork and customers directly in the past as part of the job. Some bod of a massive building site who gets everything done for them, is never going to run a business and deal with people, they just wing it through life from week to week. In my opinion these aren't trades people they just take the opportunity to make money from a skills shortage that means all the good ones are booked up for months.

[Sheepshanks]

TheAngryDog said:

The latest one is a plasterer. Meant to turn up today to quote. Its 5 walls and a ceiling. A days work which would be paid in full in cash the minute he is done. It's an easy gig for sure. Maybe not the highest paying one, but one to fit in between bigger jobs for some easy beer tokens.

I'm in Cheshire and can get them to quote but the prices are often insane. On that job is jit ust final skim, no prep or anything?

Bit tonque-in-cheek, but based on my experience they'd say it was 3 days work and want £1500. Then they'd do it in a day but want paying the same.

[Mr Pointy]

rival38 said:

ALL trades do seem to be flat out currently. It will not last forever. Our regular electrician currently has a message on his phone, that says `sorry, but due to pressure of work I am no longer taking on new customers - if you are an existing customer please email me, and I will do my best to help, however please be advised that there is a one month Que for quotations and no `non emergency` work can be scheduled for at least 3 months` Fair enough & way better than leaving messages unanswered or promising appointments that can not be kept.

You've got me worried now. I'm just about to look for someone to change my fusebox.

[Eddieslofart]

They're all cherry picking at the mo.

Had a gang try it today, stuck them on a job in Southampton

[DuraAce]

You just have to keep searching for the good ones IMHO. After a few wasters/guys who must have too much money already I've finally found both a gas man and electrician who turn up on time, return phonecalls and do an honest job for a fair price

[mike74]

I love the way you freely swear and call people morons yet you've still been sufficiently brainwashed by the pc brigrade to refer to them as "tradespeople"

It just shows the power of indoctrination. I recommend you reduce your BBC intake.

[Saleen836]

TheAngryDog said:

Very valid points.

The latest one is a plasterer. Meant to turn up today to quote. Its 5 walls and a ceiling. A days work which would be paid in full in cash the minute he is done. It's an easy gig for sure. Maybe not the highest paying one, but one to fit in between bigger jobs for some easy beer tokens.

I've had to chase companies for plumbing, a tiler and guttering. Manners cost nothing.

Must be fairly small walls and ceiling for you to think it can be done in a day

[TheAngryDog]

mike74 said:

I love the way you freely swear and call people morons yet you've still been sufficiently brainwashed by the pc brigrade to refer to them as "tradespeople"

It just shows the power of indoctrination. I recommend you reduce your BBC intake.

How else would you quickly describe people who do this type of work to be instantly recognisable, as per everyone else who posted who didn't reply with a sarcastic tone

Saleen836 said:

TheAngryDog said:

Very valid points.

The latest one is a plasterer. Meant to turn up today to quote. Its 5 walls and a ceiling. A days work which would be paid in full in cash the minute he is done. It's an easy gig for sure. Maybe not the highest paying one, but one to fit in between bigger jobs for some easy beer tokens.

I've had to chase companies for plumbing, a tiler and guttering. Manners cost nothing.

Must be fairly small walls and ceiling for you to think it can be done in a day

It's what I was told by someone who did come to give me a quote. And the room isn't that big,

[768]

[alfie2244]

I'd like £5 for each time a prospective client used the the words "it's only"

[Gav147]

Saleen836 said:

TheAngryDog said:

Very valid points.

The latest one is a plasterer. Meant to turn up today to quote. Its 5 walls and a ceiling. A days work which would be paid in full in cash the minute he is done. It's an easy gig for sure. Maybe not the highest paying one, but one to fit in between bigger jobs for some easy beer tokens.

I've had to chase companies for plumbing, a tiler and guttering. Manners cost nothing.

Must be fairly small walls and ceiling for you to think it can be done in a day

It's what I was told by someone who did come to give me a quote. And the room isn't that big,

If it's an average size room should be right, shouldn't take more than a day to plaster a room out. Providing it is ready that is!

[m3jappa]

I am a tradesman / small business and ill tell you how it is and whats roughly going on. Theres a fair bit, and believe it or not being a tradesman myself with lots of mates who are trades even i struggle and have exactly the same as you, people not turning up, people not calling, people taking two weeks to get back with a quote which is £350 for a days labour for a fking decorator to do some painting
People trying it on pisses me off, they want to earn too much money and if your a tradesman the bottom line is the max your going to get is £200 a day, can you earn more than that? yes but thats when your a business with people who work for you, you would have significant investment to earn more consistently. Your now a proper business and not some chump with a bag of fking tools and a panel van letting people down and stopping for breakfast, lunch and tea every 15 minutes like your on daywork on site.
You can also earn more on site work doing price work, but nowadays everyone want to 'have their own firm pal' but they only want it in name and not the aggro that goes with it.

Anyway (you can see it annoys me too). Heres some reasons, some are from my pov and some are general.

People are busy, they have a couple of months work booked up and can't see that they will need more when its run out. For me every lead i get i want, so what if I'm busy for 4 months, i want to busy for another 4 after that.

People are lazy and think they are doing you a favour by doing your job.

Sometimes and this is from experience, if i can't make it to a quote i always call and let them know, a lot of people will be pissed off with you and make it known, even if i give a couple of days notice people can still be funny, as such i do get why some trades just wont bother, they know that by 'letting someone down' even with prior notice causes a problem. I've often phoned to say i can't make it only for them to be funny with me, i then think why bother at all.

The job is too small for them to genuinely be interested. So in your case you've got a few walls etc. Jobs like that are fit in jobs, so imagine he has 5 houses to plaster, then a few walls and a days labour isn't much interest, instead of saying this (which again can cause problems and ends up often with the customer basically persuading the bloke to come round even though he's not interested, even though the trade knows full well he can't fit it in soon). This can also cause friction, trades find it hard to say no, i know i do, people end up talking you into it, 'oh its only a days work, its only this that and the other' you agree but then normal work takes longer, problems happen things get in the way and trouble starts. For a days work its easier to just ignore them (btw thats not what i do and obviously isn't right).

So yes theres lots of reasons. As mentioned above lots of trades aren't businessmen and they don't grasp that really they are expected to be a business, i know I've had to learn and am still learning.

[Gav147]

Sums it up perfectly M3Jappa, I also have exact same thing, it's not just the general public, some of the guys I use are booked up for months and trying to get them is nigh on impossible, they'll do their best to help out but there just seems to be so much work about at the moment it is more a case of who pays most (and on time!) and who shouts the loudest gets sorted.

I'll also agree the most annoying thing is when no one will answer the phone, you know they are just looking at it ring thinking fk that I know what he wants I'll ignore it..... Just answer it and tell me when or if you are coming so at least things can be organised.

[TheAngryDog]

Gav147 said:

Saleen836 said:

TheAngryDog said:

Very valid points.

The latest one is a plasterer. Meant to turn up today to quote. Its 5 walls and a ceiling. A days work which would be paid in full in cash the minute he is done. It's an easy gig for sure. Maybe not the highest paying one, but one to fit in between bigger jobs for some easy beer tokens.

I've had to chase companies for plumbing, a tiler and guttering. Manners cost nothing.

Must be fairly small walls and ceiling for you to think it can be done in a day

It's what I was told by someone who did come to give me a quote. And the room isn't that big,

If it's an average size room should be right, shouldn't take more than a day to plaster a room out. Providing it is ready that is!

Wall paper will be stripped, skirting boards will be off as will the radiator. Room will be empty floor covered. I know there will be wall paper paste residue left, any suggestions on what to remove it with?

[mike74]

I wasn't disagreeing with your point, it's entirely valid, they are useless pricks when it comes to obtaining quotes or even getting them to actually come and do the work they've quoted for...I was merely making an observation on your use of the word "tradespeople"