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Poor service despite recession?

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  • 20-01-2012 7:08pm
    #1
    lazygal
    Registered Users Posts: 12,644 ✭✭✭✭


    Sorry mods if this not the place but I'm fed up! We've been slowly getting some work done on the house and every single tradesperson has caused us hassle, whether its turning up late for quotes, not showing up on time to do the job and arsing around asking for money over and above what was agreed in writing. This isn't confined to one trade, its been plumbers, tilers, flooring guys and painters. The latest is a local double glazing outfit who turned up late to give a quote, promised to drop it in in writing after giving a verbal quote and still haven't bothered contacting us.
    With all the talk of recession and struggling local businesses and housing trades being in trouble, I thought the industry had gotten its act together but our poor experience suggests otherwise. We've found these guys through word of mouth recommendations, so its not like we're taking a chance based on an ad in a local shop. Yet they have all be terrible do deal with!


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    #2
    coylemj
    Registered Users Posts: 25,461 ✭✭✭✭coylemj


    If you're getting several people in to do work you might have been better off hiring a local reputable building contractor to oversee the whole project at a fixed price.


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    #3
    charlemont
    Closed Accounts Posts: 4,725 ✭✭✭charlemont


    Try some eastern European tradesmen in your area. Far better service from any of them I'v ever dealt with anyway.


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    #4
    Del2005
    Registered Users Posts: 18,998 ✭✭✭✭Del2005


    charlemont wrote: »
    Try some eastern European tradesmen in your area. Far better service from any of them I'v ever dealt with anyway.

    There are cowboys from every country. At least when the Paddy tradesman lies to you you know what they are saying. Try complaining to some non nationals, who you've been talking to for days, and suddenly their English disappears.


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    #5
    AngryLips
    Registered Users Posts: 2,731 ✭✭✭AngryLips


    Del2005 wrote: »
    There are cowboys from every country. At least when the Paddy tradesman lies to you you know what they are saying. Try complaining to some non nationals, who you've been talking to for days, and suddenly their English disappears.

    An inherently racist comment is always a good come back to another inherently racist comment.


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    #6
    lau1247
    Registered Users Posts: 2,176 ✭✭✭lau1247


    for the ones turning up late or late giving a quote, the following might be an explanation.

    word of mouth is good for business however he/she is only one person (Probably), logic would dictate that in a small local area where a lot of people is recommending one person, chances are he/she can only be at one place (i.e. too many customer, one person to handle)

    If they are arsing around, then maybe they are not as good as they should be to begin with

    West Dublin, ☀️ 7.83kWp ⚡5.66 kWp South West, ⚡2.18 kWp North East



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    #7
    snubbleste
    Banned (with Prison Access) Posts: 31,117 ✭✭✭✭snubbleste


    Always ask for a vat number on the quote.


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    #8
    mikemac1
    Closed Accounts Posts: 12,395 ✭✭✭✭mikemac1


    The best tradesmen are still busy.

    The worst are doing nothing, crying on Joe Duffy show and dreaming of better times.
    plumbers, tilers, flooring guys and painters.

    I'd agree with the post about hiring an excellent local builder to supervise and organize all this.

    It's fine to deal with tradesmen as the job comes up but it seems you're getting a serious amount of work done


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    #9
    RoboRat
    Registered Users Posts: 2,559 ✭✭✭RoboRat


    An inherently racist comment is always a good come back to another inherently racist comment.

    In fairness the first 'comment' was a complement, and something I would agree with. Any Eastern Europeans I have dealt with are very professional, turn up on time and don't take the piss. I also have used some quality Irish guys but I always work off recommendations.


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    #10
    keithclancy
    Registered Users Posts: 9,208 ✭✭✭keithclancy


    charlemont wrote: »
    Try some eastern European tradesmen in your area. Far better service from any of them I'v ever dealt with anyway.

    Eastern Europeans ?

    How do we find these people ? A Borat style accent ?

    Funnily enough the Irish get a good rep over here in the Netherlands so I don't see how where someone is from dictates how good they are at their profession, since from your comments your maintaining "Eastern Europeans" are better than Irish or English Speaking .. or what .. I don't know.


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    #11
    dudara
    Registered Users Posts: 33,518 ✭✭✭✭dudara


    No more comments on nationality please

    dudara


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    #12
    lazygal
    Registered Users Posts: 12,644 ✭✭✭✭lazygal


    Back on topic, we just weren't in a position to use a contractor. Also, my parents got a lot of work done recently and encountered many of the same problems despite using a contractor. I don't like to say "there's no recession" but I don't know how these guys don't think turning up two hours late for a quote is acceptable. If I arranged a meeting with a potential client I wouldn't think its ok to turn up late. And its not too much to ask for a phone call if there will be a delay surely?


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    #13
    P. Breathnach
    Registered Users Posts: 12,089 ✭✭✭✭P. Breathnach


    lazygal wrote: »
    ... If I arranged a meeting with a potential client I wouldn't think its ok to turn up late....

    But very many people in the building industry really do think it is okay. It's part of the culture of that industry.

    I think its origins lie in the difficulty of predicting when one job would finish, leaving them free to move on to the next job. And many have not tuned in to the usefulness of mobile phones for calling a client to explain that they are running late.


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    #14
    pred racer
    Registered Users Posts: 4,384 ✭✭✭pred racer


    P. Breathnach wrote: »
    But very many people in the building industry really do think it is okay. It's part of the culture of that industry.

    I think its origins lie in the difficulty of predicting when one job would finish, leaving them free to move on to the next job. And many have not tuned in to the usefulness of mobile phones for calling a client to explain that they are running late.

    The simple explanation is 9 times out of 10 if they do ring they get an earfull!
    They are still not gonna get there any quicker. You think that your project is very important.....but so does everybody else.
    Im not condoning it but this is what nearly every tradesman i know has told me.

    And good tradesmen ( ie ones that didnt rape people during the boom and do good work) are very busy.


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    #15
    juan.kerr
    Closed Accounts Posts: 2,766 ✭✭✭juan.kerr


    pred racer wrote: »
    And good tradesmen ( ie ones that didnt rape people during the boom and do good work) are very busy.

    Hopefully the ones that did 'rape people during the boom' are still in jail.


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    #16
    pred racer
    Registered Users Posts: 4,384 ✭✭✭pred racer


    juan.kerr wrote: »
    Hopefully the ones that did 'rape people during the boom' are still in jail.

    Nah their just sitting round in their big houses wondering what else they can sell :D


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    #17
    onedmc
    Registered Users Posts: 455 ✭✭onedmc


    Its not just tradespeople, its often difficult to get any response from Irish companies.

    On wednesday I was looking for particular items and found an Irish company selling them, I made an online enquiry but still nothing.

    I then made a similar enquiry to a uk site on saturday and got a reply in 20mins with prices and cost of delivery to Ireland.

    I could provide a catalogue of similar poor service where as the consumer I have to work hard to get the provider to respond.


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    #18
    lala88
    Banned (with Prison Access) Posts: 1,243 ✭✭✭lala88


    Have people ever tuaght of ringing them themselfs? Just because theres a recession doesn't mean you should think they'll bend over backwords for you!


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    #19
    ABajaninCork
    Closed Accounts Posts: 8,411 ✭✭✭ABajaninCork


    lala88 wrote: »
    Have people ever tuaght of ringing them themselfs? Just because theres a recession doesn't mean you should think they'll bend over backwords for you!

    I assume that calling/e-mailing is how people attempt to get service these days... Nobody's suggesting that people 'bend over backwards', but decent service at a fair price is expected. Especially in these straightened times, you'd think that tradesmen would be willing to do this. I still find it amazing how many service/trades think they're doing YOU a favour by deigning to return your call or turn up in a timely fashion.


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    #20
    lala88
    Banned (with Prison Access) Posts: 1,243 ✭✭✭lala88


    ABajaninCork wrote: »
    I assume that calling/e-mailing is how people attempt to get service these days... Nobody's suggesting that people 'bend over backwards', but decent service at a fair price is expected. Especially in these straightened times, you'd think that tradesmen would be willing to do this. I still find it amazing how many service/trades think they're doing YOU a favour by deigning to return your call or turn up in a timely fashion.

    It seems to me that people will just call once and think thats enough. They could be getting lots of calls and emails and it can be easy to lose track or who you've called back and not called back. If you only contact them once and they dont reply i dont think its fair to say its a poor service! This is just another thing people use the recession as an excuse for when they dont go to a whole pile of effort themselfs


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    #21
    ABajaninCork
    Closed Accounts Posts: 8,411 ✭✭✭ABajaninCork


    lala88 wrote: »
    It seems to me that people will just call once and think thats enough. They could be getting lots of calls and emails and it can be easy to lose track or who you've called back and not called back. If you only contact them once and they dont reply i dont think its fair to say its a poor service! This is just another thing people use the recession as an excuse for when they dont go to a whole pile of effort themselfs

    Nope. Still don't buy it. If you're a halfway decent businessman, then you KEEP TRACK of who's contacted you and when. It's simple enough. Why else do you have e-mail/voicemails? And if you can't do that, then you won't be in business long. If you can't get to the customer quickly, then what's wrong with a holding call/e-mail saying you haven't forgotten them, and will be in contact ASAP?

    If I call/e-mail someone asking for quote, I leave it for a week. If there's no response, then I can safely assume they do not want my business. I'm not chasing. Plenty of others who have the common courtesy to return calls/e-mails who WANT your business.


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    #22
    lazygal
    Registered Users Posts: 12,644 ✭✭✭✭lazygal


    I don't get how tradespeople think they have some kind of exemption form contacting customers! We're all busy! We all have to keep track of things and contact people on a daily basis. And when they finally did arrive all were surgically attached to their phones, texting and taking and making calls, so it makes no sense that they wouldn't have had time to contact me to say they are running late.

    If I am the customer, why should I be the one running around chasing up a supplier? I don't expect people to grovel for business but a bit of common courtesy wouldn't go amiss.


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    #23
    lala88
    Banned (with Prison Access) Posts: 1,243 ✭✭✭lala88


    ABajaninCork wrote: »
    Nope. Still don't buy it. If you're a halfway decent businessman, then you KEEP TRACK of who's contacted you and when. It's simple enough. Why else do you have e-mail/voicemails? And if you can't do that, then you won't be in business long. If you can't get to the customer quickly, then what's wrong with a holding call/e-mail saying you haven't forgotten them, and will be in contact ASAP?

    If I call/e-mail someone asking for quote, I leave it for a week. If there's no response, then I can safely assume they do not want my business. I'm not chasing. Plenty of others who have the common courtesy to return calls/e-mails who WANT your business.

    This if they ''want;; my business they should be doing it. Maybe if people are treating them like that there better off without there business. Like always the recession is only an excuse


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    #24
    ABajaninCork
    Closed Accounts Posts: 8,411 ✭✭✭ABajaninCork


    Oh dear. You're still not getting it. God help us if that's the way you do business...


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    #25
    lala88
    Banned (with Prison Access) Posts: 1,243 ✭✭✭lala88


    ABajaninCork wrote: »
    Oh dear. You're still not getting it. God help us if that's the way you do business...

    good man yourself keep going the way you are and see how long you'll be waiting to get something done


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    #26
    dudara
    Registered Users Posts: 33,518 ✭✭✭✭dudara


    lala88 and ABajaninCork Enough

    dudara


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    #27
    Onthe3rdDay
    Closed Accounts Posts: 1,194 ✭✭✭Onthe3rdDay


    Tradespeople in ireland don't seem to want the work, Friends in Cork phoned around looking for several jobs to be done, couldn't get straight answers when a phone was answered. after a month or two they ended up bringing across polish lads for 6 weeks. Worked out slightly cheaper but the main thing was the job was 100% completed.


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    #28
    looksee
    Registered Users Posts: 28,595 ✭✭✭✭looksee


    I contacted, over a period of months, five (local) tilers. Two did not respond. Two came and looked at the job, gave me a quote, were accepted, then were never seen again. One gave me a quote, turned up on the day, I asked him about the plumber (to move the basin and toilet, which he had said he would organise) oh, he said, was I supposed to do that? And I never saw him again. Job still isn't done.


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