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Tradesmen

northender0602

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Jul 4, 2004
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ashton
Anyone else cheesed off with them? I’ve always had problems with them being unreliable, with an odd gem being great. lately it’s trying to get a kitchen fitted. I have had a kitchen planned since February/March got one fitter who was recommended to give me a quote, took about 2 weeks for him to come out, by June after voice mails and text messages sent, he came out again just to do what he had done two months prior. After further calls/ texts by the middle of may I gave up and got another tradesperson who I contacted on the 3rd of June was advised it would be September before I would get my kitchen fitted, which was two months later than the original, was ok with that as I just wanted it done, cue 12th of August, still had no quote, despite them having my plans and previous calls. To be told they thought they had sent it, then they give a price, fine book me in, but they can’t give a definite date as jobs might over run but possibly September/ October so pushed back again. Ok with that. 7 days later get a text saying thy won’t be able to do my kitchen due to workload! WTF! Has anyone else had these problems? Whatever happened to customer service?
 
Anyone else cheesed off with them? I’ve always had problems with them being unreliable, with an odd gem being great. lately it’s trying to get a kitchen fitted. I have had a kitchen planned since February/March got one fitter who was recommended to give me a quote, took about 2 weeks for him to come out, by June after voice mails and text messages sent, he came out again just to do what he had done two months prior. After further calls/ texts by the middle of may I gave up and got another tradesperson who I contacted on the 3rd of June was advised it would be September before I would get my kitchen fitted, which was two months later than the original, was ok with that as I just wanted it done, cue 12th of August, still had no quote, despite them having my plans and previous calls. To be told they thought they had sent it, then they give a price, fine book me in, but they can’t give a definite date as jobs might over run but possibly September/ October so pushed back again. Ok with that. 7 days later get a text saying thy won’t be able to do my kitchen due to workload! WTF! Has anyone else had these problems? Whatever happened to customer service?

It's global. I have to wait three weeks for a drainpipe to be repositioned - a 30 minute job.

Customer service is an online function these days.
 
It's global. I have to wait three weeks for a drainpipe to be repositioned - a 30 minute job.

Customer service is an online function these days.
Yes but I have been waiting for a start date for almost six ,months and getting a quote takes weeks, why take on more than they can handle? And why make someone wait 8 weeks for a quote then bin them off the week after? I’d rather they just say they can’t even give us a quote, least I could have looked elsewhere in the meantime
 
Yes but I have been waiting for a start date for almost six ,months and getting a quote takes weeks, why take on more than they can handle? And why make someone wait 8 weeks for a quote then bin them off the week after? I’d rather they just say they can’t even give us a quote, least I could have looked elsewhere in the meantime

My mate in the US is in exactly the same boat as you, he started his kitchen project last November and it's still not finished. These tradesmen tell you that covid destroyed them (covid is the culprit for everything, you've noticed?), so now they're taking on all the work that comes their way knowing full well there aren't enough hours in a day to get even close to tackling it all.
I have another project on the go - relocating a gas meter. 10 weeks I'll be waiting because of what? Yep, that cursed covid backlog of work.

Good luck with your kitchen but a healthy dose of patience would appear to be in order 👍.
 
Anyone else cheesed off with them? I’ve always had problems with them being unreliable, with an odd gem being great. lately it’s trying to get a kitchen fitted. I have had a kitchen planned since February/March got one fitter who was recommended to give me a quote, took about 2 weeks for him to come out, by June after voice mails and text messages sent, he came out again just to do what he had done two months prior. After further calls/ texts by the middle of may I gave up and got another tradesperson who I contacted on the 3rd of June was advised it would be September before I would get my kitchen fitted, which was two months later than the original, was ok with that as I just wanted it done, cue 12th of August, still had no quote, despite them having my plans and previous calls. To be told they thought they had sent it, then they give a price, fine book me in, but they can’t give a definite date as jobs might over run but possibly September/ October so pushed back again. Ok with that. 7 days later get a text saying thy won’t be able to do my kitchen due to workload! WTF! Has anyone else had these problems? Whatever happened to customer service?
Brexit.

and yes Im serious.

Father in law is a heating engineer and getting parts and everything through is now a total nightmare. A lot of his subbies were sent home never to return.
 
Yeah covid is a huge part of this - everyone stuck at home working on the house.

You can't get a painter, plumber, gardener, anything. Been trying to get the exterior painted for the last 12 months. Contacted literally dozens of painters, all saying there's no point even coming out because it would be 2022 before they could do it.

Cost of raw materials has gone through the roof too. Wood, bricks, MDF, you name it. Global supply & demand.
 
The amount of plumbers, builders etc who don't return calls or fail to show up when promised? Really irritating. Wve had loads but thankfully have found a couple of reliable ones over the last few years.
 
What's worst are the ones who ignored your original call then phone back weeks later when they've obviously nothing else on, saying 'do you still need that tap fixing?'
Err, no it was weeks ago and we had to get someone else, thanks.
 
What's worst are the ones who ignored your original call then phone back weeks later when they've obviously nothing else on, saying 'do you still need that tap fixing?'
Err, no it was weeks ago and we had to get someone else, thanks.
Yep had this too. As frustrating as it is, I can't blame them too much though - they've got to make hay while the sun shines, and for many tradespeople this last year has been pretty bloomin good.
 
Brexit.

and yes Im serious.

Father in law is a heating engineer and getting parts and everything through is now a total nightmare. A lot of his subbies were sent home never to return.

He must be knocking on a bit, surely ? Has his pilot light not gone out, yet? Urge him to retire, life's too short to be installing/servicing boilers.
 
My mate in the US is in exactly the same boat as you, he started his kitchen project last November and it's still not finished. These tradesmen tell you that covid destroyed them (covid is the culprit for everything, you've noticed?), so now they're taking on all the work that comes their way knowing full well there aren't enough hours in a day to get even close to tackling it all.
I have another project on the go - relocating a gas meter. 10 weeks I'll be waiting because of what? Yep, that cursed covid backlog of work.

Good luck with your kitchen but a healthy dose of patience would appear to be in order 👍.
That job will be demarked into at least three/four visits. Initial inspection, the gas pipes, the meter, the restoration of the ground etc. To be fair it takes about that time over here, too. (International) Solidarity to piss of customers in all countries equally.
 
That job will be demarked into at least three/four visits. Initial inspection, the gas pipes, the meter, the restoration of the ground etc. To be fair it takes about that time over here, too. (International) Solidarity to piss of customers in all countries equally.

Yes, it's turning out that way - three visits. I learned twenty minutes ago that the meter relocation and new pipework will be done same day albeit by two separate companies.
 
Moved into a new house July 1st, even getting snag list done is taking forever. In many ways it being a new build is a godsend as the longer it takes, the longer I get for odd jobs to get done as snags and therefore without paying!

However, we looked into costs of a builder to get the garden wall moved back 2 metres. It took a month for a builder to come round after most either a) didn't answer, b) weren't interested as job "too small" or no room this side of Xmas, c) promised to come but never came. Eventually one came and had a look. A week later got quoted £10,500 for it.... now, I'm no expert, but that seems a bit steep.

It seems though the supply and demand situation means costs are 200% of what they should be. Bricks, roof tiles, etc are way overpriced currently.

I have always struggled with tradespeople generally, as I find 90% of the ones I come across to be looking for profit rather than doing a job well. There are exceptions. Thankfully I have a close friend who is an electrician, and my uncle was a plumber. Its joinery, painting/decorating that I struggle with. And before you ask - no - I can't do it myself!
 
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