Builders etc.

I feel your pain!
Just had a couply guys do small repairs and external painting, terrible, would never let them near the place again (recommended by neighbour)
I have even considered moving to a fairly new build so save chasing tradesmen.
It seems impossible for anyone to look at job, price, turn up when promised and then leave the place clean and tidy after doing a good job. Is it too much to ask???.

We have eventually found an excellent builder. Recommended by our next door neighbour. Very genuine chap and the price is good too. He never advertises but relies on word of mouth. I think at last we have been lucky.

I could add a litany of tradesmen that have let us down both here and in France but will just give you this to think on. When we moved in 5 years ago we contacted several gardening people. We needed an ugly conifer hedge removed. A couple of gardeners came and quoted ludicrously exorbitant prices and then local garden service came. Gave a decent price and then he started adding. A skip will be x amount on top, I’ve got to travel here so x amount for petrol and of course I have to add for the wear and tear on my vehicle so that’s an additional x per hour, I could become ill so having no insurance I have to ad x per hour to cover for that eventuality. I stopped him there as the cost had more than doubled. When he left my husband and I laughed our heads off he was nuts. We then called a local tree maintenance company they came cut the hedge down, ground out the stumps and we’ve had them back to top off some trees. They were extremely reasonable and very nice. It took a while to find them but they were a breath of fresh air.

The point about local people accepting everything is true in our village too. One plumber lives round the corner, says a cheery hello every time we see him but still hasn't been to put new taps in the kit when for around 5 years!

It happens here too, must be a national disease “tradespersonitis”. (Having just written that I realise that we have never yet been let down by a female tradesperson, probably because there aren’t that many yet). Tried so many carpet sellers/fitters towards the end of last year. Was either ignored or let down, gave up, went to a retail carpet place and the new carpet was installed within a week. Trying to get an electrician for a smallish job is impossible from a one-man band so we have started using a firm in the nearest town who appear to have lots of electricians working for it. The latest thing has been trying to find a roofer. Not just an odd tile but new struts, ridge, lining etc. Began to think we had been black-listed by trades persons in the area, why though, we always pay. Did find someone in the end, all work now done and paid for. Till the next time.

Yes very annoying, you stay in expecting them to visit and they don't turn up or have the common courtesy to phone.
Been there many times, I wonder if they have had a better job so yours gets the knock.
The other thing is they come, see the job, don't want it so make the estimate way way too high.
I don't know what the answer is.

It defeats me, too, trying to get someone to do jobs. We were looking for someone to extend our patio to about twice its width; not a big job, but enough to keep someone busy for a week or so. We contacted five firms. Three said, without even coming to look, that the job was too small; one made an appointment to come and never turned up, pleading a broken leg ; one came and looked and gave us what seemed like an outrageous estimate, but we may have to let him have the job because no one else is interested.

Welcome to my world BBbevan

I've just bought a house that has significantly more needing to be done to it than I ever realised when I agreed to buy it. To date I've had:

3 x plasterers who promised to come out, measure up and give me an estimate. One turned up, so he got the job.

2 x electricians. Ditto.

4 yes 4 plumbers. One turned up, took the radiators off, promised to come back the next day with the details for better, more energy efficient radiators, and I've never seen him since. Doesn't answer phone calls or texts. Next!

2 x "made to measure" plantation shutter companies. Appointments made. Never showed up.

3 x gardening maintenance men. Rather than let the lawns grow waist high, whilst I'm not living there, I thought it would be a good idea to hire someone to cut the grass and generally maintain the gardens. No response from 2, the other is "fully booked all summer".

A heating engineer to service the boiler. Made 2 appointments and failed to turn up to either if them.

On the plus side, the radiators that the plumber removed were stacked at the side of the house, ready for him to come back and remove them. They got nicked before he got there!

I'm sorry you're having similar problems but I'm also relieved that it's not just me!

We had a similar problem when we moved to our village. Speaking to a knowledgeable local, he said that local trades people were notorious for accepting all jobs, knowing that they were unable to carry them out for a long time.

I am waiting for a call back from a roofer who did some work for us in November. When I texted him he advised me he was on his honeymoon! Having dealt with a few workmen who in the past did mess me about I did wonder if this was a different version of attending 'Granny's Funeral'.
But I will have to wait and see as he is the only person locally who has a single tower scaffold and it is only a small job.

Sometimes I find myself inventing a few small jobs to make it worth their while

We have a plumber and an electrician. We thought we had a gardening person but it appears we don't!

My local council vets and supplies handymen but charge £39 an hour which I think is ridiculous.

I have a decent gardener and plumber but I need somebody who can give me advice re a bedroom floor.

Small jobs will get done but one needs at least a day's worth to make the trip worthwhile.

I’ve got a couple of reliable builders, a very reliable decorator, a gardener who’s worth his weight in gold, but what I can never seem to find, are reliable plumbers! I’ve lost count of the plumbers I’ve fallen out with!
I think there’s a gap in the market for a general builder, who specialises in small jobs, I bet he’d never be out of work

This annoys me. The lack of courtesy is appalling!
Similar things have been happening here. We have been looking for quotes for installing an en suite shower room in the huge bedroom vacated by our son. So far, only one of the plumbers/bathroom fitters we've approached has come to look at the space. So far, he hasn't got back to us with a quote.
I think that they only want the big jobs/cobtracts. The small jobs get sidelined. I have no idea how to get them to come except continually badgering them, and I don't like doing that.