Topic: All the ills of the world..

[emmy1978]

Waiting to complete a house move......surely designed to drive the sanest person nutty. :-\

Yes, definately! Why is it all so slow????

Waiting for a plumber to reconnect my toilet - 3 days now and still waiting.

If you're in the Midlands I'll send the OH round!  ;D

[tonybloke]

Waiting for a plumber to reconnect my toilet - 3 days now and still waiting.

who dis-connected it, and why?

[emmy1978]

Yes, did think that it's a very bad plumber who left a disconnected lav. Tut tut.

[Pesky Wabbit]

I'm having the bathroom redone. I talked to the boss of the company yesterday and again this morning.

"The fitter is off with a bad stomach, but there'll be someone round to reconnect today"


Yeah, right. 13:15 and no-one yet. >:( The fitter will have more than a bad stomach by the time I've finished with him.

Its a good job the compost heap is in a secluded place and that it gets light late and dark early.  :-[

[Jeannine]

Your stomach is going o be bad if he doesn't come back soon XX Jeannine

[Pesky Wabbit]

Oh, someone did turn up, about 3:30, took one look and said there were some parts missing and needed  to go and get them - he wouldn't be long !!  >:( >:( >:( >:(

[Pesky Wabbit]

He then re-appeared at 5:30 and was there until 8:45 and said he'd have to finish the job tomorrow.

 >:( >:( >:( >:( >:( >:( >:( >:( >:( >:( >:( >:( >:( >:( >:( >:( >:( >:( >:( >:( >:( >:( >:( >:( >:( >:(



But my bathroom was usable.

 :) :) :) :) :) :) :) :) :) :) :) :) :) :) :) :) :) :) :) :) :) :) :) :) :) :)



Did he turn up the following day ? Take a wild guess.  
>:( >:( >:( >:( >:( >:( >:( >:( >:(

[emmy1978]

Did he come back? I would complain to the boss of the company. I am pretty sure they are not allowed to dis-connect your lav and leave it. I mean-legally not allowed. OH has been late back so many times because of complications/missing parts to be found but the job has had to be done as he cannot leave them without sanitation. (Not that he would anyway) I'll ask OH when he gets back but you may be able to save yourself a few quid on the cost of this job. Take photos.  :)

[emmy1978]

Sorry PW-we must have posted at exactly the same time!!! 2 hours to get simple loo parts is unacceptable unless you live in the sticks with no B&Q or plumb centre or wickes or similar for 20 miles. I would remind this chap that the majority of his business comes from word of mouth and what is he going to do to make up for this enormous inconvenience and possible breach of the law.
Lots of plumbers are registered with GasSafe now (was Corgi). Is he? If so, tell him you'll be dropping them a line. This really is appalling service.  >:(

[Pesky Wabbit]

The whole job was completed to my satisfaction on Saturday - hurray - at last.

What is it with workmen ? They start a job then dont turn up for days, never turn up when they say they will and drag a three day job over two weeks.

Can you get away with this in any other profession?

[Pesky Wabbit]

2 hours to get simple loo parts is unacceptable

I suspect realising there was a lot to do, he went home to get something to eat.

I've spoken to the manager of the company, but just the usual flanell, ... how he's got so many jobs on the go, and when half his staff don't turn up for work etc. ...  but I was his number one priority etc etc.

I'm sure he had his usual script handy. I wonder how many times a day he uses it ?

[emmy1978]

No respectable company operates like that. Certainly none OH has ever worked for. He's always worked under the threat of a serious rocket for costing the company money for jobs going over.
As I say and OH has confirmed you cannot leave a person with no sanitation. If you took the loo out yourself that's a different matter but if they did then you should tell the manager to forget his flannel and you want money off the price of the job.  ;D

[Pesky Wabbit]

I haven't received the invoice yet, so I think I'll start writing a letter. 

Thanks for the info.

[Jeannine]

I bet you were  quickly relieved when he finshed  ::) ::) ::)

XX Jeannine

[grawrc]

 ;D ;D ;D ;D

I think I've been really lucky. I've had 3 different firms in for various things so far this year and all have arrived on time, done the work to schedule and to my satisfaction. Building work, floor sanders and decorators.

It surely don't come cheap though!  ::) ::) ::)

[betula]

Yes a builder I used a while ago was fantastic if not slightly temperamental.........I pointed out a slight prob with the tiles and he said

What do you want Mrs,a bathroom for the Queen Mother :o :o :o???

He was reliable though and did a really good job  ;D

[Digeroo]

I have found a fantastic odd job man/builder.  Not only is he brilliant, but he is a one stop shop for finding other reliable people.  So all I do is call him with the problem and someone turns up to fix it.  He does sometimes rush off in the middle of a job to sort something out, but I know he will come and sort me out urgently if need be.

Best of all he is quite happy for me to go and buy parts so I do not have to pay him for shopping/driving time.   A previous electrician charged me much more than B&Q and also added an hour to the bill.  I do hate paying an expensive experts to go shopping, get trade discount, add a percentage to the bill and have a coffee break at my expense.

OH brilliant too but he takes absolutely ages to fix things.

[asbean]

I have an excxellent man-who-does, he lives down the road and works locally and doesn't need to advertise - all word of mouth.

One time I sent him an SOS text and he was knocking on the door in less than 5 minutes. The odd quick jobs that he does like tap washers he doesn't charge me for, but I keep him and his wife supplied with tomato, bean, pepper plants every year.

[Vinlander]

Most building companies (most other kinds too) will never refuse a job (at the right price) and will never say it can't be done when you want it (or even need it).

This is because waiting for work is worse than waiting for buses - either too many come or none at all.

They then try to keep all their customers 'happy' by time-sharing - in fact ending up pleasing nobody but their bank manager.

The only reason anyone ever does work on time is when they have nothing better to do (or they are working for their wife) - or there are penalty clauses.

The fact that penalty clauses only exist on very large jobs gives the illusion that very large firms are more reliable.

If you tried to use penalty clauses you'd a) lose the best workers* and only get the ones nobody else wants and b) end up in the small claims court as often as not.

* if you don't lose the best workers it's because nobody has enough work - and in that case you hardly need penalties - heads you lose, tails they win.

Sorry to be so unpleasantly realistic - I could go one step further and be cynical:- even when they haven't got anything else to do they will still take their time - because raised expectations from a regular customer only increase the risk of tears before bedtime the next time they need work done.

Cheers.

PS. console yourself by musing on Murphy's law - it's a universal rule, but applies to itself too - so very occasionally it goes wrong, and things go right...

[Mortality]

I remember getting estimates from a couple of electricians to remove an old light fitting (a 3 bulb effort where all the bulbs would blow except one) and replace it with a new single bulb one.
One guy came out a waffled on about needing more wiring, fuse box, bla bla total estimate bill just short of £300.
The next guy who came said £50 and he could get the new light fitting and do it all the next day, no prizes for guessing who we chose.