cancel
Showing results forย 
Search instead forย 
Did you mean:ย 

mild rant, contractors and repair folks

winnietrey
Explorer
Explorer
Having run. what I feel is a successful business, for 40 plus years.
We have always called folks back. And showed up when we said we would.
On occasion, where something came up, we always call or e-mail.

Perhaps I am just an old out of date, curmudgeon, but it seems to me that has gone by the wayside.

We have struggled of late with both contractors and repair folks, in terms of getting them to show up or call back.

I understand, surf is up, they have lots of work. What I think they miss is, the tide will turn as it always does. The will be begging for work, but because they blew out any referrals they will never get it. Even if they did great work, how can I refer someone to them, If had to call and call to get the job done?
62 REPLIES 62

Hammerboy
Explorer
Explorer
solismaris wrote:
If a contractor does not return my call, for any reason, he is off my list. Permanently. I'll never deal with him again.

Returning a call is part of doing business. Even if it's not a customer - yet. If you can't do that, you shouldn't be in business. Period.


You may have a hard time finding someone then. I promise you even the most responsive business owner whether intentional or not has not returned calls at one point or another.

Dan
2019 Chevy crew LTZ 2500 HD Duramax
2017 Wildcat 29rlx fifth wheel

solismaris
Explorer
Explorer
If a contractor does not return my call, for any reason, he is off my list. Permanently. I'll never deal with him again.

Returning a call is part of doing business. Even if it's not a customer - yet. If you can't do that, you shouldn't be in business. Period.
David Kojen

4x4van
Explorer
Explorer
WTP-GC wrote:

You're cherry-picking a statement to create an incorrect narrative. If I do electrical work and you call me and leave a message saying you want to have a deck built, there's no rule, law or moral obligation I have to return your call.
Never have I suggested such.
WTP-GC wrote:
My business is actually better suited if I focus on calls related to electrical work. Once I call all those potential customers back, if I have time and I remember, then maybe I'll call you back to decline the work. Perhaps you're better than most and you don't call people for jobs outside their trade, but (as already mentioned in this thread) walk a mile in our boots and see how many calls you get that are absolutely of no interest.
I have indeed "walked a mile". Most people do not call businesses for work that is outside that business's trade, as you claim, and I have never stated that you should return calls from those that do.
WTP-GC wrote:
No, I don't advertise, and yes, I work in a very specific field. But thanks to contractor listing aggregating services, I frequently get calls from people who want something done that I don't do. Imagine getting this call:
"Hello, ABC Electric"
-Yes, I need a new roof
"Sir I don't do that type of work"
-What do you do then?
"I do electrical work"
-For remodels? Or new houses?
"Doesn't matter, I don't do roofs"
-Do you know someone that does?
"No"
-Who should I call then"
"I don't know"
-But you're a contractor, don't you know someone
"No"
-Well what happened is a tree fell on my roof and I told the neighbor that they needed to get that tree taken down but they didn't listen...
"Click"
-Well that was rude, guess I'll never call him again...
Nothing in my post came anywhere near resembling this fictional exchange, nor have I ever claimed that an electrician should entertain calls about roofing; idiots should never be entertained. Your "example" is so far out of the ordinary as to border on the inane. You and I both know that the majority of calls that ANY business gets ARE legitimate and do not sound like your example.
WTP-GC wrote:
And listen, if you tell someone you'll be there or that you'll do something, then honor your word. I never disagreed that that notion.
And yet that is exactly the part of my post that you quoted in order to call me entitled. So if anyone is "cherry picking" to create a false narrative, it's you.

My "legitimate" inquiry to a business IS relevant, and my time IS just as important as yours, and your accusation that I'm "entitled" because I feel that way is not only out of line, but quite insulting as well. You are trying to throw oranges at a discussion about apples. It may be entertaining, but bears little resemblance to real life. You might consider going back and re-reading the original post; it has very little to do with what you are currently whining about.
We don't stop playing because we grow old...We grow old because we stop playing!

2004 Itasca Sunrise M-30W
Carson enclosed ATV Trailer
-'85 ATC250R, '12 Husky TE310, '20 CanAm X3 X rs Turbo RR
Zieman Jetski Trailer
-'96 GTi, '96 Waveblaster II

WTP-GC
Explorer
Explorer
4x4van wrote:
WTP-GC wrote:
4x4van wrote:


I have no problem being told no. I DO have a problem being ignored, or worse, being told that you will show up at a certain time and then you don't bother. Newsflash, my time is just as important as yours, if not more so.

That statement shows a strong sense of entitlement. You don't like being ignored? Well, how does your rights of attention trump my rights of not being bothered? In this case, the customer calls the contractor, not the other way around. Should I feel a required to respond to something that I didn't request? That's really no different than a spam call or junk mail. Your time is absolutely not important than my time...and vice versa.
Wow, seriously? Sense of entitlement? Your rights of "not being bothered"? "Something you didn't request"? Am I missing something here, or are you actually saying that a contractor doesn't want anyone to contact them for work? Then how do they get their customers in the first place in order to stay in business? Do they not have advertisements? A business/phone # listed online? So you consider someone who sees an ad and calls, to be spam or junk mail? I'm really confused as to what business considers every potential customer who calls "spam/junk".

Keep in mind that if your particular business does NOT advertise and relies on either word of mouth or you actually going out and soliciting for business only (which seems to be the case for you), then I wouldn't be cold calling you in the first place, would I? I see absolutely no "sense of entitlement" in expecting a business owner that is advertising for work to actually answer/return the calls of those who he is actively pursuing. I also see no "sense of entitlement" in expecting someone to actually show up when and where they said they would. You see a "sense of entitlement" from that????:?

At 57 years old, I'm well aware of the fact that some businesses want customers and some evidently don't; and I'm perfectly willing to give them exactly what they "want".

You're cherry-picking a statement to create an incorrect narrative. If I do electrical work and you call me and leave a message saying you want to have a deck built, there's no rule, law or moral obligation I have to return your call. My business is actually better suited if I focus on calls related to electrical work. Once I call all those potential customers back, if I have time and I remember, then maybe I'll call you back to decline the work. Perhaps you're better than most and you don't call people for jobs outside their trade, but (as already mentioned in this thread) walk a mile in our boots and see how many calls you get that are absolutely of no interest.

No, I don't advertise, and yes, I work in a very specific field. But thanks to contractor listing aggregating services, I frequently get calls from people who want something done that I don't do. Imagine getting this call:
"Hello, ABC Electric"
-Yes, I need a new roof
"Sir I don't do that type of work"
-What do you do then?
"I do electrical work"
-For remodels? Or new houses?
"Doesn't matter, I don't do roofs"
-Do you know someone that does?
"No"
-Who should I call then"
"I don't know"
-But you're a contractor, don't you know someone
"No"
-Well what happened is a tree fell on my roof and I told the neighbor that they needed to get that tree taken down but they didn't listen...
"Click"
-Well that was rude, guess I'll never call him again...

And listen, if you tell someone you'll be there or that you'll do something, then honor your word. I never disagreed that that notion.
Duramax + Grand Design 5er + B & W Companion
SBGTF

4x4van
Explorer
Explorer
WTP-GC wrote:
4x4van wrote:


I have no problem being told no. I DO have a problem being ignored, or worse, being told that you will show up at a certain time and then you don't bother. Newsflash, my time is just as important as yours, if not more so.

That statement shows a strong sense of entitlement. You don't like being ignored? Well, how does your rights of attention trump my rights of not being bothered? In this case, the customer calls the contractor, not the other way around. Should I feel a required to respond to something that I didn't request? That's really no different than a spam call or junk mail. Your time is absolutely not important than my time...and vice versa.
Wow, seriously? Sense of entitlement? Your rights of "not being bothered"? "Something you didn't request"? Am I missing something here, or are you actually saying that a contractor doesn't want anyone to contact them for work? Then how do they get their customers in the first place in order to stay in business? Do they not have advertisements? A business/phone # listed online? So you consider someone who sees an ad and calls, to be spam or junk mail? I'm really confused as to what business considers every potential customer who calls "spam/junk".

Keep in mind that if your particular business does NOT advertise and relies on either word of mouth or you actually going out and soliciting for business only (which seems to be the case for you), then I wouldn't be cold calling you in the first place, would I? I see absolutely no "sense of entitlement" in expecting a business owner that is advertising for work to actually answer/return the calls of those who he is actively pursuing. I also see no "sense of entitlement" in expecting someone to actually show up when and where they said they would. You see a "sense of entitlement" from that????:?

At 57 years old, I'm well aware of the fact that some businesses want customers and some evidently don't; and I'm perfectly willing to give them exactly what they "want".
We don't stop playing because we grow old...We grow old because we stop playing!

2004 Itasca Sunrise M-30W
Carson enclosed ATV Trailer
-'85 ATC250R, '12 Husky TE310, '20 CanAm X3 X rs Turbo RR
Zieman Jetski Trailer
-'96 GTi, '96 Waveblaster II

myredracer
Explorer II
Explorer II
Hammerboy wrote:
myredracer wrote:


Not long ago we hired a guy off CL to do some tiling work and he turned out to be the FIL of the chief building inspector in our municipality. His work was VERY good and on time! ๐Ÿ™‚


All the trouble you had in the residential arena and you hire someone off Craigslist?? You got lucky on that one, usually those are the bottom feeders, not all of them of course. Glad it worked out for you ๐Ÿ™‚

Dan
First thing we did was check references and qualifications. He was a retired guy that had been in the trade a long time and knew his stuff. I hate doing caulking and he was freakin' good at it! Not everyone on CL is bad.

Hammerboy
Explorer
Explorer
myredracer wrote:


Not long ago we hired a guy off CL to do some tiling work and he turned out to be the FIL of the chief building inspector in our municipality. His work was VERY good and on time! ๐Ÿ™‚


All the trouble you had in the residential arena and you hire someone off Craigslist?? You got lucky on that one, usually those are the bottom feeders, not all of them of course. Glad it worked out for you ๐Ÿ™‚

Dan
2019 Chevy crew LTZ 2500 HD Duramax
2017 Wildcat 29rlx fifth wheel

myredracer
Explorer II
Explorer II
I spent a career in the construction industry in commercial, institutional & light industrial. That sector is completely different. You do NOT hold anyone up on projects or you can find yourself in deep doo-doo or even sued.

If you're going to hire someone on a residential project, you need to get references. If you don't and have issues, it's on you. The residential sector can be a rat race full of all kinds of flaky "contractors". Adam Corolla's TV show How to Catch a Contractor was interesting while it was still on.

When we bought our first house in the 70s, we hired a contractor to do some siding. They just weren't showing up and the owner ended up saying the guy he was going to send out cut his thumb off on a skil saw. Yeah right. Dismissed them and I did it myself instead. Decades later, I think I've heard just about every excuse possible.

In our current house that we built I hired a large local company to do the insulation. I discovered the installer was installing only one out of the two specified layers of batt insulation and you couldn't tell at first glance. Kicked the company off the job and said I would pay them for max. 1/2 of what looked okay. Never heard back.

Not long ago we hired a guy off CL to do some tiling work and he turned out to be the FIL of the chief building inspector in our municipality. His work was VERY good and on time! ๐Ÿ™‚

JAC1982
Explorer
Explorer
So I thought of this thread. We are having the interior of our house painted this week. Contractor said they would be there at 8am to get started, so we got up early and rushed around with our other morning stuff to be ready by 8. They didn't show up until about 9:15. We also built our house through a custom builder and this happens all the time with subs that come to fix stuff. Annoying.
2020 Keystone Montana High Country 294RL
2017 Ford F350 DRW King Ranch
2021 Ford F350 SRW Lariat Tremor

Chum_lee
Explorer
Explorer
CFerguson wrote:
I understand that things happen but in today's age of cell phones there's no excuse for not calling when you know you cant make it or will be late.



I agree with the above, but I also feel that it is a totally different issue than failing to return a cold call. Once you agree to something, if you aren't going to show up or show up late, common courtesy is to let the other party know ASAP, if possible.

Chum lee

CFerguson
Explorer
Explorer
time2roll wrote:
That about sums it up right there. Just as a customer never really knows how the work will turn out... the contractor never knows what they are stepping into.

Walk a mile in the contractors boots before you are too hard on them.



True dat.
All I can do is hold up my end of the deal. After that whether its good or bad, I spread my experience as widely as I can to let others know. Works for both sides.

time2roll
Explorer II
Explorer II
Lantley wrote:
Correct and this is why contractors don't waste their time even trying to appease/satisfy some customers. There are good and bad contractors and there are reasonable and unreasonable customers.
That about sums it up right there. Just as a customer never really knows how the work will turn out... the contractor never knows what they are stepping into.

Walk a mile in the contractors boots before you are too hard on them.

Lantley
Nomad
Nomad
WTP-GC wrote:
Hammerboy wrote:
allen8106 wrote:
In 2001 we had a large addition put on our old farm house. In 2017 we had some major storm damage to the inside and outside of the house. Contractor that did the addition told me "we don't do insurance claims, we are only doing new construction or new additions".

They lost my business and referral forever.


Really? Are you not going to refer a plumber because he doesn't want to do your electrical work? Yes I know it's not quite the same but insurance work can be a entirely different animal and there are companies that specialize in that type of work. You cannot penalize some for not wanting do it.

Dan

This is the perfect example of how some customers refused to be or become satisfied. The customer in this case has an unreasonable expectation of services which they feel entitled to. Its the same thing as if a mechanic added a stereo to your old beater car 20 years ago, but now the same mechanic doesn't want to do body work on your brand new Tesla.

16 year later, you call a company to ask if they do something entirely different than your first experience and they turn you down? I surely don't understand why you'd be upset. When I first started in business, I'd take almost any job in my field, even those that didn't have much profit. Now, about 12 years later, I wouldn't even give those same jobs the time of day. Its not worth my time or effort anymore. So does that mean that when the economy turns, I'll be hurtin? Maybe, maybe not, but it won't be because I chose to quit doing tiny projects in order to focus on larger, higher profit jobs.


Correct and this is why contractors don't waste their time even trying to appease/satisfy some customers. There are good and bad contractors and there are reasonable and unreasonable customers.
19'Duramax w/hips,12'Open Range,Titan Disc Brake
BD3,RV safepower,22" Blackstone
Ox Bedsaver,RV760 w/BC20,Glow Steps, Enduraplas25,Pedego
BakFlip,RVLock,5500 Onan LP,Prog.50A surge,Hughes autoformer
Porta Bote 8.0 Nissan,Sailun S637
Correct Trax,Splendide

WTP-GC
Explorer
Explorer
Hammerboy wrote:
allen8106 wrote:
In 2001 we had a large addition put on our old farm house. In 2017 we had some major storm damage to the inside and outside of the house. Contractor that did the addition told me "we don't do insurance claims, we are only doing new construction or new additions".

They lost my business and referral forever.


Really? Are you not going to refer a plumber because he doesn't want to do your electrical work? Yes I know it's not quite the same but insurance work can be a entirely different animal and there are companies that specialize in that type of work. You cannot penalize some for not wanting do it.

Dan

This is the perfect example of how some customers refused to be or become satisfied. The customer in this case has an unreasonable expectation of services which they feel entitled to. Its the same thing as if a mechanic added a stereo to your old beater car 20 years ago, but now the same mechanic doesn't want to do body work on your brand new Tesla.

16 year later, you call a company to ask if they do something entirely different than your first experience and they turn you down? I surely don't understand why you'd be upset. When I first started in business, I'd take almost any job in my field, even those that didn't have much profit. Now, about 12 years later, I wouldn't even give those same jobs the time of day. Its not worth my time or effort anymore. So does that mean that when the economy turns, I'll be hurtin? Maybe, maybe not, but it won't be because I chose to quit doing tiny projects in order to focus on larger, higher profit jobs.
Duramax + Grand Design 5er + B & W Companion
SBGTF