How do you deal with really rude builder?

[Aluminati]

vaud said:

Sure but 5 mins over a cup of tea can avoid ambiguity. SOME trades would rather fk up than ask for clarification where there is ambiguity. A friendly chat can flush out ambiguities. I don't want to know HOW you will do it, but a few mins over plans and double checking what we all think they mean saves everyone hassle in the long run...

This is correct. Informing the customer of the process is all. They have better things to do than worry about what is going on.

A quote has been provided, this is how the elements of your quote will be performed. Any customer who breaks out the chocolate digestives earns extra points.

People ( I cannot call them trades) who use checkatrade as a platform are invariably on there because they cannot survive in a quality environment. But people still base their choice on it, never ceases to amaze me.

[Aluminati]

princeperch said:

The bloke that did my loft conversion could barely write English in any meaningful way , rarely answered his phone and sometimes didn't turn up when he said he would '100pc be there'

But to be fair to him whilst I thought he was a bit of a thicko when I first met him, he was extremely good at what he did, worked quickly and did the job in the time frame he said it would be completed in. his admin was shocking though and I only got the completion certificate after a year!

He was initially a bit suspicious when I was asking about how things were done and sometimes I watched them work which they didn't initially like, but when he realised I was only asking/watching because I was genuinely interested and was not trying to catch him out or be difficult we developed a good relationship in the end and I now am his go to show loft, and he's always offering to do odd jobs for me for nothing in return.

His contract and terms and conditions were so woeful I actually took pity on him and redrafted them for him which he was grateful for.

Bloke who sorted them solatubes was a bloody fine chap as well

[vaud]

Aluminati said:

This is correct. Informing the customer of the process is all. They have better things to do than worry about what is going on.

A quote has been provided, this is how the elements of your quote will be performed. Any customer who breaks out the chocolate digestives earns extra points.

People ( I cannot call them trades) who use checkatrade as a platform are invariably on there because they cannot survive in a quality environment. But people still base their choice on it, never ceases to amaze me.

Agreed 100%.

Except here you get proper tea, and fruitcake for snacks... and a bacon sandwich if I'm making one as well in the morning.

[princeperch]

Aluminati said:

Bloke who sorted them solatubes was a bloody fine chap as well

:-) hope you are good ..

[Aluminati]

princeperch said:

:-) hope you are good ..

Very thanks bud

[Aluminati]

vaud said:

Agreed 100%.

Except here you get proper tea, and fruitcake for snacks... and a bacon sandwich if I'm making one as well in the morning.

Bacon sandwiches do involve the odd free repair on other areas of the property ( subject to a max of 1m2)

[smckeown]

It works both ways. Tell him he's a trusted professional and you expect him to act like one :-) size is irrelevant, he's trying to Influence you

[DonkeyApple]

Aluminati said:

What domestics don’t seem to understand, is the internet has made you all an expert in the required field.

It’s a basic requisite that you treat people and their property with respect.

Do the job right, and you do it once. However, when you have spent 30 years doing something, very well, and some googling ahole decides to tell you how it should be, then the fuse is lit.

Then you are a disrespectful prick, and shall pay the price accordingly.

And yet, strangely, I get the feeling that someone like m3jappa has little issue with a customer who has sought to self educate themselves a little bit, feels no professional threat because he genuinely knows his subject and doesn’t have a chip that would drive him to deliver a different level of service just because he doesn’t think the customer is a great bloke.

A professional does a perfect job irrespective of the customer. When you let the customer define your level of service you are not a professional.

[m3jappa]

I have got to the stage in life now where i am well aware of just how much i talk. I pretty much don't stop and i always have something to say. I am well known for it my dad is quite possibly worse and i can see where i get it from.

Everyone who knows me is probably bored to death of it. Sometimes i can sense they have had enough and don't want to be rude! (i obviously try and stop then).

So when an unsuspecting customer comes out and wants to start talking they are in for some chat

I make a joke of it now that i must be the only tradesman on the planet who actually wants the customer to come out and start asking questions And all joking aside i love what i do and am happy to share my knowledge. It is generally very easy to spot when someone is just interested or worried, very very rarely if ever do people try and trip you up. General public are entitled to be worried, the building trade has a bad rep and it can be an awful lot of money so fair enough.

[mikeiow]

m3jappa said:

I have got to the stage in life now where i am well aware of just how much i talk. I pretty much don't stop and i always have something to say. I am well known for it my dad is quite possibly worse and i can see where i get it from.

Everyone who knows me is probably bored to death of it. Sometimes i can sense they have had enough and don't want to be rude! (i obviously try and stop then).

So when an unsuspecting customer comes out and wants to start talking they are in for some chat

I make a joke of it now that i must be the only tradesman on the planet who actually wants the customer to come out and start asking questions And all joking aside i love what i do and am happy to share my knowledge. It is generally very easy to spot when someone is just interested or worried, very very rarely if ever do people try and trip you up. General public are entitled to be worried, the building trade has a bad rep and it can be an awful lot of money so fair enough.

Might need you to move north and do a job for us in Leicester in a year or two: I love a natter with the trades we’ve had over the years!
Makes a job better all round, I feel, if you can start with a cuppa first thing and a chat about [weather/the job/football/holidays/anything!], then have regular tea/coffee breaks with biscuits.
I’ve learnt loads from them, and I think it works both ways if the person on the job feels their work is appreciated.
Helps that I mostly work from home, so can be around for that regular banter/cuppa!

[Tin Hat]

albundy89 said:

This one is specifically for v8rx7.
You say you have dealt with builders and done the work,also bear in mind generally they are not the brightest,educationally speaking. etc etc etc.

You have never had a builder walk away but have thrown a few off site and picked up the pieces etc etc

All I can say is , are you for real or is it holiday time at the primary school.

I would certainly agree that generalising that ‘builders’ are not the brightest etc is a ridiculous statement.

I have worked in the industry since I was 16 and 99% of the people that I meet are conscientious, polite and reliable.

Asking at a local independent roofing supplier for a recommendation for a good contractor would be my starting point- Most online trade checking services are too hit and miss to be worth a try

[Teddy Lop]

Don't have a high opinion of these types of site myself (tried rated people when I had a quiet spell a few years ago, what a depressing experience) but does nearly every builder woe thread mention glowing checkatrade reviews now?

[princeperch]

Presumably check a cowboy et Al charge per lead, which must be between 5-20 quid depending on the job? If you dont get the job do you get a refund on the fee you've paid or do you pay it regardless?

[So]

greygoose said:

He does say his reviews on checkatrade were good, though I am never sure how those sites are audited (if at all).

We've just lost our roofer. He said that he no longer wanted our work because he had bigger fish to fry.

I met up with him just before he left us and he told me quite openly that he had set himself up on Checkatrade and got his mates to write fake positive reviews. Customers were then queuing up for his services and were prepared to pay whatever he asked.

[DonkeyApple]

m3jappa said:

I have got to the stage in life now where i am well aware of just how much i talk. I pretty much don't stop and i always have something to say. I am well known for it my dad is quite possibly worse and i can see where i get it from.

Everyone who knows me is probably bored to death of it. Sometimes i can sense they have had enough and don't want to be rude! (i obviously try and stop then).

So when an unsuspecting customer comes out and wants to start talking they are in for some chat

I make a joke of it now that i must be the only tradesman on the planet who actually wants the customer to come out and start asking questions And all joking aside i love what i do and am happy to share my knowledge. It is generally very easy to spot when someone is just interested or worried, very very rarely if ever do people try and trip you up. General public are entitled to be worried, the building trade has a bad rep and it can be an awful lot of money so fair enough.

That’s why I daren’t ever use Irish tradesmen, between the two of us it would be like a WI meeting with no work getting done. . My wife likes to remind me that they are conversations that I’m paying money to have but with a good tradesmen they will always teach you something you didn’t know, whereas a bad one takes offence at being asked why something is being done a particular way. It’s like good teachers and doctors, they are happy to explain because they are confident and knowledgeable as opposed to the bad ones.

[V8RX7]

albundy89 said:

This one is specifically for v8rx7.
You say you have dealt with builders and done the work,also bear in mind generally they are not the brightest,educationally speaking. etc etc etc.

You have never had a builder walk away but have thrown a few off site and picked up the pieces etc etc

All I can say is , are you for real or is it holiday time at the primary school.

don't get your knickers in a twist just because you're too incompetent to run sites.

Ask any decent Site Agent - they will all have thrown some off site, I have for: repeatedly lighting fires, fighting, being drunk... a carpenter who was using a screwdriver as a chisel, a roofer who started at 5am as it was hot but there were agreed working times, which he was breaking.

Humouring those you need is also a vital part of the job - just because you can't do your job, doesn't mean others can't do theirs.

[DonkeyApple]

Tin Hat said:

I would certainly agree that generalising that ‘builders’ are not the brightest etc is a ridiculous statement.

I have worked in the industry since I was 16 and 99% of the people that I meet are conscientious, polite and reliable.

Asking at a local independent roofing supplier for a recommendation for a good contractor would be my starting point- Most online trade checking services are too hit and miss to be worth a try

Yup, plenty of smart ones, I reckon a lot are dyslexic so got cr4p school grades but luckily found professions that have an artistic element in which to excel.

[V8RX7]

Tin Hat said:

I would certainly agree that generalising that ‘builders’ are not the brightest etc is a ridiculous statement.

I have worked in the industry since I was 16 and 99% of the people that I meet are conscientious, polite and reliable.

What has that got to do with intelligence ?

The first day I started as an Assistant Agent, a Site Agent was loading some scaffold onto a pick up to take to another site and asked me to help.

He picked up a pole and walked 20m to the truck...

I got in the truck and reversed it 20m to the scaffolding.

[Wacky Racer]

This Irishman was walking past a building site and he noticed a sign HANDYMAN WANTED.

He walked in, applied for the job and the foreman said "OK start tomorrow"

The next day the foreman said to him "OK Mick, paint that wall over there"

He said "Oh I can't do that sir, I'm allergic to paint"

The foreman said "Errr, OK, move those blocks into the corner"

"Oh I can't do that, I have a bad back"

Getting frustrated, the foreman said " OK then, you can drive the dumper truck"

"Oh I can't do that, I can't drive sir"

The foreman said "Blimey, you're no good, what's so handy about you?"

Mick said" "Well sir, I only live around the corner"

[Teddy Lop]

Tin Hat said:

I would certainly agree that generalising that ‘builders’ are not the brightest etc is a ridiculous statement.

I have worked in the industry since I was 16 and 99% of the people that I meet are conscientious, polite and reliable.

Asking at a local independent roofing supplier for a recommendation for a good contractor would be my starting point- Most online trade checking services are too hit and miss to be worth a try

I'd wager there's no other industry or job that sees such a broad ability/attitude spread as the skilled trades, while honest punters do get screwed over by bad operaters, some of the posts you read making sweeping statements are probably the absolute "customers from hell" yet they have no idea... We've all worked for them, rites of passage, they set you up to fail before you've walked through the door.