Why are builders allowed to be rude.

[TheAnimus]

I don't get why, no other profession thinks its ok to just ignore communications etc when they simply want to say "i'm too busy to do it when we said we would".

The thing is no one is surprised when builders cancel on you at the last minuite, by simply not turning up, or awnsering calls.

Its just plain rude.

Upshot is now i've had to find a new builder, who knows i'm in a hurry, and its going to cost me an extra £80 because i've been cancled on at the last min. Even a 24 hour heads up would of sufficed.

[Lucio]

Quite frankly, they do a god awful job for less money than you'd think given their prices. Chances are something came up with a better profit margin and they went after that.

After all, like many tradesmen, builders rarely get repeat business from the same customer, so there's little to no incentive to hide behind all the mealy words we've come to expect from the service industries.

[DR]

Thing is - there is a lot of them without work - so if you want work done - you are in a stronger position to shop around...

[TheAnimus]

thats the problem, there don't seam to be enough of them without work!

In my case its laying a floor, not something i feal i can do neatly, given the cost of the stuff been over £50 per sqr meter with vat, i don't want to screw it up.

Now having already gone way over budget i took a day in lue from the DR testing, and did the floor leveling + installation of the underfloor heating myself. All i need is someone to finish it off who's experianced working with stone (i can't even cut ceramic tiles neatly!).

Theres a good little hardware shop just down the street from me, where i generally get a fair bit of my supplies from, and i got a recomendation from them, the earlyest one i could get was 3 weeks away, from 6 builders!

They're just so damn busy, and laying a floor isn't the most profitable endevor, its just a simple day job.

Mabye choosign a basalt was a bad move, but underfoot i much prefer the feal of it to cermaics.

[DR]

I know the challenges.... It's been a busy few months in me old house... (y)

[TheAnimus]

Have you been able to keep on budget at all?

In just something simple like re-doing the kitchen i've gone over by 5k!

I've been raiding my savings for the last 6 months, if i wasn't paid a large chunk of my salaray in bonus format i'd be hopelessly in debt.

I was originally penning 3k for re-doing the bathroom, now i'm thinking thats not going to be anything like enough! Oh well time to do the programmers equivilent of hand jobs for crack. Solve .Net interop with excel problems in a freelance consulting.

[Konan555]

What sort of stone work?

[menthel]

Bathroom will probably be about £5k. Building work always costs at least twice as much as you expect...

[Ferral]

Friend of mine that lives on the corner next to me is a builder. Great guy, always working and polite.

Its literally just a case of odd few getting all of them a bad name.

[Stringent]

When it comes to the trade like that, always go by recommendation. Not a cast iron guarantee, but it helps. If you can get to see their work before hand, do.

[Clunk]

Should have got a northerner in

[Ferral]

I guess this can be said for most trades or public facing workers. I work with someone that is a right piece of work. If a customer isn't buying they arn't overly helpful or interested.

[TheAnimus]

Originally Posted by Stringent

When it comes to the trade like that, always go by recommendation. Not a cast iron guarantee, but it helps. If you can get to see their work before hand, do.

Indeed both where recomended.

The floors down now, just need grouting, and in fairness they got a good finish.

[Stringent]

Glad it turned out OK for you. However as is the case with most things, just because they did a pukka job of something doesn't mean they will with you!!

Thankfully the guys who did our back garden fence did a great job, even though it took a few calls to finish the back step by the gate!