Treatment of tradesmen (or tradeswomen!)
- Thread starter diy_darren
- Start date
I've always treated tradesmen right, paid on time, cups of tea/coffee. I even left bacon et al when I was out at work while they were here.
They did always use the backdoor though, my front door is a damn nightmare to get anything through
anything above about 1.8m long has to go in through the back, stupid house designers back in the 70's.
I believe that if you treat people right, they'll treat you right.
They did always use the backdoor though, my front door is a damn nightmare to get anything through
anything above about 1.8m long has to go in through the back, stupid house designers back in the 70's.I believe that if you treat people right, they'll treat you right.
The worst one for me, well not for me as such but it put in a predicement.
I just happened to be working on the inside of the house for this lady, she wanted a couple rooms decorated, at the same time she had exterior painters outside, I didnt know them, they just happened to start on the same day as me.
Also she had two men on the same day putting in new electric garage doors.
It was a big place, large grounds and they also had a gardener who came 3 times a week.( He told me he had been working there 3 years and she has never offered him a cuppa)
Infact she wasnt a nice person, very snooty, and very cold, but as long as she leaves me alone thats okay.
After working 3 days inside, she trusted me enough to lock up when I left, as she was always travelling.
No one was allowed to come inside for either tea or to use the toilet, infact she never even offered me a cuppa, I brought my own kettle tea ect in.
After she left this morning, one of the exterior painters was knocking on the door as he had to go to the toilet.
I said yes, but for goodness sake make sure the toilet is clean behind you lol.
He then left to go back outside, in the meantime the garage men had tripped the electric
so they are knocking on the door as want to find the fuse box.
I let them in, they were searching around, I even stopped my work as I was helping them to look.
Anyway they found, electric back on, now I can get on.
Finished for the night, went home, turned up the next morning, and got the biggest rollocking of my life, the bloke who used the toilet had left it dirty, and the garage men who opened the cupboards obviously hadnt put the stuff back right.
She was ranting and raving at me, going on about 'men stomping through the house with thier dirty shoes', ' I told you not to let anyone in etc'
In the end I lost it myself, and told her to stuff the job, but before I actually went, I did say to her, that she was the most miserable and tightest women I have ever met.
The funny thing was about 3 months later she rung me to ask me to do some more decoratoring which I declined.
I just happened to be working on the inside of the house for this lady, she wanted a couple rooms decorated, at the same time she had exterior painters outside, I didnt know them, they just happened to start on the same day as me.
Also she had two men on the same day putting in new electric garage doors.
It was a big place, large grounds and they also had a gardener who came 3 times a week.( He told me he had been working there 3 years and she has never offered him a cuppa)
Infact she wasnt a nice person, very snooty, and very cold, but as long as she leaves me alone thats okay.
After working 3 days inside, she trusted me enough to lock up when I left, as she was always travelling.
No one was allowed to come inside for either tea or to use the toilet, infact she never even offered me a cuppa, I brought my own kettle tea ect in.
After she left this morning, one of the exterior painters was knocking on the door as he had to go to the toilet.
I said yes, but for goodness sake make sure the toilet is clean behind you lol.
He then left to go back outside, in the meantime the garage men had tripped the electric
so they are knocking on the door as want to find the fuse box.I let them in, they were searching around, I even stopped my work as I was helping them to look.
Anyway they found, electric back on, now I can get on.
Finished for the night, went home, turned up the next morning, and got the biggest rollocking of my life, the bloke who used the toilet had left it dirty, and the garage men who opened the cupboards obviously hadnt put the stuff back right.
She was ranting and raving at me, going on about 'men stomping through the house with thier dirty shoes', ' I told you not to let anyone in etc'
In the end I lost it myself, and told her to stuff the job, but before I actually went, I did say to her, that she was the most miserable and tightest women I have ever met.
The funny thing was about 3 months later she rung me to ask me to do some more decoratoring
which I declined.
S
Sylvan Tieger
diy_darren said:Whenever I have a plumber, electrician, plasterer, etc .. around to do work I always make the effort to offer them a drink and talk to them like an equal, not the hired help.
Back at the start of the year the plasterer was around for a few days so I got talking to him more. I was horrified to hear how some customers treated him
On one hand he'd been to jobs in pubs where they'd insisted on cooking him lunch, but on the other hand he said he'd been to one house where they were serving breakfast while he was unpacking his kit. The one bloke turned to him and sneered "and don't think you'll be getting any of this!".
Is it common to get treated like this?
One of my employees Mr. Flynn was went to some guys home and do some minor plumbing repairs and the gentleman offered Flynn a drink Flynn refused the guy said its an insult not to accept one drink. Flynn took the drink ONE SHOT and left When I billed the gentleman she said he refused to pay the bill cause the bloke was drinking on the job
There is much disrespect of tradesmen, but the greatest crime is not to pay. The non payers usually make cups of tea and are very pleasent in fact they are all over you, but all along they are planning to rob you blind.
The ones who don't make tea always pay in my experience, and their detached attitude is probably for the best..
The ones who don't make tea always pay in my experience, and their detached attitude is probably for the best..
Its all to do with how you treat people full stop..... It doesn't matter wether it be the posty or the dude that comes to get stains out of the rug (Don't ask) or the newsagent ...... Ya should be polite to em ........ Till they reach for the invoice book, then its out with the cattle prod
Its only once I've been in somones house & stamped on the flexi pipe coming out of the gas meter
But they did annoy me "Quite a lot" 
Its only once I've been in somones house & stamped on the flexi pipe coming out of the gas meter
But they did annoy me "Quite a lot" oilman said:
Thats Heato's thro & thro
Remember that song "Never met a nice South African" ? ....... Change SA to Heato'
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Some great stories here..I love em..
Agree 100% I used to do a lot of work direct to a brewery...I have always found landlors the meanest big headed self centred head up their own ars merchants on the planet!
Getting a cup of tea out of them...you've got more chance getting a smile out of a vegan!
I will never ask..i wasnt brought up to ask but always make a point of saying to one of the guys..out loud..'pop down the cafe and get 4 teas' ..just so the landlord can hear.
I got to the point where I wouldnt price work in pubs either because you give em the price (that they expect for next to nothing!) then they give it to the regulars who then do the job for a couple of pints each at closing time...
But...dont forget the 'golden rule'..if you are asked if you want a tea or coffee, say yes...whether you want one or nor, cos if you say no, you wont get asked again.
strange isnt it. Worked on a job last two weeks. big job expensive house, householder there all the time. Only ever said hello to me and not the other guys, i assume as im the boss! No offer of tea etc to any of them. Getting any feedback on the work was like pulling teeth. Always nice to know as you go on a big job in case they have any concerns.
End of the job theyve asked for a load more work to be done and very happy with it. ALl the boys were grumbling about how tight they were etc.
DId another job, same length of contarct and value and the couple there were great, even though she was heavily pregnant, there was drinks, bacon sandwiches, biscuits, sweets on tap.
My lad mentioned it in the van saying how the other guys took offence at the first customer. The thing is in some ways i prefer the first customer. They keep out of the way and let you get on with it. Every time a customer comes out you feel inclined to talk to them out of basic politeness. Trouble is when they come out 3-4 times a day you end up losing about an hours work and at the end of the day you cant get away either. We always carry drinks on board the van and have a little water boiler so we are self sufficent anyway.
End of the job theyve asked for a load more work to be done and very happy with it. ALl the boys were grumbling about how tight they were etc.
DId another job, same length of contarct and value and the couple there were great, even though she was heavily pregnant, there was drinks, bacon sandwiches, biscuits, sweets on tap.
My lad mentioned it in the van saying how the other guys took offence at the first customer. The thing is in some ways i prefer the first customer. They keep out of the way and let you get on with it. Every time a customer comes out you feel inclined to talk to them out of basic politeness. Trouble is when they come out 3-4 times a day you end up losing about an hours work and at the end of the day you cant get away either. We always carry drinks on board the van and have a little water boiler so we are self sufficent anyway.
N
namsag
Worst ones are the sh#t hole houses where you put dust sheets down to keep yourself clean and they make you a cuppa without asking and sit and keep saying don`t forget your tea, thank god for aqua vacs.
Tend to find people with nothing are really nice ,those with millions are just as nice but those that think they are rich ar complete ass holes
Tend to find people with nothing are really nice ,those with millions are just as nice but those that think they are rich ar complete ass holes
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Oh yes...
old laies who make tea like **** and in the summer you get warm flat lemonade left over from christmas..
Still better than nothing I spose
We did a job once in a house that had an half inch bed of dogs hair on the floor and the whole place stank of a combination of fags, dogs and cats..lovely yellow ceilings (all down to the central heating apparently..nothing to do with the 40 Bensons.a day !)
When we finished i had to throw 12 sheets away because of the smell
N
namsag
Mates an i used to laugh when those television programmes about dirty houses started with the wife saying oh they are disgusting how can people live like that with us replying it`s not that bad seen worse. I think half the time they thought we where making it up... Many a time i have washed my tools before putting them back in box
Trick we used to do in the depot when a job sheets came out for choice houses was let someone overhear you saying it was a cracking bit of stuff that lived there leave your job sheets lying about few mins later someone would wander up start looking at them and then say i am not busy today do you want me to do this for you... Oh go on then..act all innocent in the morning when they pulled you up
Trick we used to do in the depot when a job sheets came out for choice houses was let someone overhear you saying it was a cracking bit of stuff that lived there leave your job sheets lying about few mins later someone would wander up start looking at them and then say i am not busy today do you want me to do this for you... Oh go on then..act all innocent in the morning when they pulled you up
It all true.. why do old women always say "im'e 84 You, no know, I don't look it" .....no they look 104,,
Worked in pubs , offered nowt, even though the job was costing them nothing.
Never refuse an offer , you won't get asked again.
All been said, my general rule is the richer they are the tighter they are so expect nowt, and you might be surprised.
A Little old lady once gave me a box of After Eights "for the wife" I took them home, and they were 4 years out of date!...
The great british public,if it wasn't for them the job would be great!
pj
Worked in pubs , offered nowt, even though the job was costing them nothing.
Never refuse an offer , you won't get asked again.
All been said, my general rule is the richer they are the tighter they are so expect nowt, and you might be surprised.
A Little old lady once gave me a box of After Eights "for the wife" I took them home, and they were 4 years out of date!...
The great british public,if it wasn't for them the job would be great!
pj