Contractors and repairmen holding you hostage.

[Meg O'Ryan 266444]

Uggg!!! I am becoming very disillusioned with the level of professionalism that I have been experiencing lately.

 

First episode: I contacted three companies to fix my washing machine. Only one called back. He was two hours late but did some repairs at a reasonable price and stated that if the problem reoccured, he would not charge me for another service call only for his time and any required parts. Great! Two days later, the washer was not working again. This was the week before Christmas. I called and left messages and he finally got back to me last week (by the way, he did say that he was working over the holidays). He said he needed to order some parts and that he should get them this past Monday. I call to inquire, no call back until last night and leaves a message that he would be here at 8:30 this morning. Well, no call and he did not get here at 8:30. So....another wasted day waiting around.

 

Second episode: I had a few issues with my existing eavestroughing and met someone who could fix it. We set a date and time and I rearranged my schedule (and turned down some lovely visitors). Time arrives, no contractor. I wait a respectable half hour and call. No answer....for the whole day!!! Next morning, I call him at 8am. He finally calls back at 11 and says he will be over in 45mins. Again I had to cancel appts.

 

Is this becoming an epidemic? Not only do clients not show but it seems that service is going that route as well. Are they making that much money that they feel they can treat their customers like dirt? A two second phone call is not that difficult!

 

Rant finished :)

[PistolPete 61421]

With the boom construction in Ottawa, contractors (who I deal with daily/weekly) are actually so busy that "they bite off more than they can chew."

 

They will book with you but only have you hanging on because they want the additional business, fully knowing they can't squeeze it in or they try too. Which in return pisses off people/customers like yourself Meg.

 

I too, went through the same issue, but now have 1-3 very excellent handy men that are " jack of all trades", and their business has flourished by simple word of mouth.

 

Yes, they are actually making good money that they figure they can treat customers like dirt or secondary.

 

As far as the washing machine, well there again is unreliable service which personally I would give them a piece of my mind, by going to the top.

[qwertyaccount 15793]

Contractors can be a tricky lot to deal with sometimes.

Often, it is a case of feast or famine. They either have too much work, or none.

When they have no work, they don?t have the cash to purchase materials and will keep trying to get more and more deposit money so they can get supplies, pay the landlord, etc. Occasionally in these times they don?t show up because they can?t put gas in the truck!

When they have too much work, many won?t want to turn any additional work down, so they?ll start your job and then go out for supplies and disappear for a few days.

Also when they have too much work, they assume everyone else does too, and their telephone manners drop with slow call returns, etc.

More often than not, jobs take longer than anticipated, and they would really like to make your 2 p.m. appointment, but they lost track of time. Not calling when this happens as soon as they are aware inexcusable.

For home renovations, I?ve had good luck with Home Depot?s contractors. The contractors are not Home Depot employees; rather they are frequently the very same contractors that you would contact directly at the same price. The difference lies in that Home Depot?s name and reputation is on the line, so they will ensure that the job is done to your satisfaction and that contractor will be back as often as necessary to make it right or they will send someone in their place.

These contractors want the repeat business from Home Depot, so they will tend to do a better job, be on time, etc. When you contact them directly, they know the chance of repeat business from you is slim at best.

There are many great and reputable contractors out there, but finding them in some areas can take time. Always get and check references.

Hope this helps.

P.S. Get a detailed written contract. ALWAYS!

[Guest s******ecan****]

Hey Meg.....been there done that

 

Apppliance repairs - Most appliances made now are made to be thrown away as soon as they break....very little emphasis on maintenance and repair. If you find a good repairman treat him like gold they are very rare.

 

Case in point my dishwasher. Kenmore 8 years old. Needs to have some cleaning of the "chopper assemply" (grinds up all the food particles) done every year or so or performance drops. I used to pay them about 60 bucks everytime this happened..eventually I went online to learn how to do it myself and watched the guy the next time. He's very good so when I needed a new motor I made sure to get him to do it. His company (appliance dealer) really wanted to sell me a new DW said I was wasting my money replacing the motor. But everything else about the damn thing is fine so why shell out the extra $400 for a whole new DW plus intallation charge? Its our "throw it away society". They said the same thing about my washing machine 4 years ago but its running great on the new motor I had put in. Sure its ugly and outdated etc but so what its a friggin washing machine!

 

Renovators - Like has been said its feast or famine with these guys. Especially with smaller jobs. They take on jobs like a starving man at a buffet...shoving everything they can into their mouth, pockets anywhere...etc.

 

The suggestion about the Home Depot is a good one...Home Hardware also offers this in some areas. Still its a real crapshoot finding someone good, and reliable. You could try giving them a taste of their own medicine, book 3 and tell them first one to the job gets it!

 

One thing I learned ....never pay until the job is over. If they want a deposit fine...no more than 50%...hold the rest back. I did this when renovating my bathroom. The bastards did everything but paint a small piece of baseboard. I got tired of calling them to come finish. Eventually their accounting Dept started calling me for the outstanding $$$. I told them to pound sand since the job wasn't finished. They came and painted the next morning.

[Reuben Sandwich 13841]

Scheduling can be one of the areas that a contractor has the hardest time to manage, especially if it a small operation in a highly competitive field. These days, or any days there is no excuse for a lack of communication to let a client know if you are late or have to postpone. I was fortunate to have worked for a few good contractors before I started my own business and they all knew that not just the quality of your work but your ablilty to communicate and keep the client informed made for a better and lasting relationship.

Over the years we just learned to do most of the trades ourselves, non licensed that is.

Something as straightforward as eavestrough or a washing machine should be a no brainer. A lot of times it goes to staffing issues, finding quality employees who care about your company.

There are a lot of good companies out there but they can be hard to find, even for guys in the business.

[mrgreen760 37785]

I feel for you! Customer service or lack of same is one of my pet peeves these days and it seems to have permiated virtually all industries and businesses and this one isn't immune to it either. Now a days adequate customer service is sort of a pleasant surprise. We as consumers have let this happen by chasing lower and lower costs and prices which has resulted in poor staff training and no real interest in staff retention because it doesn't seem to matter. Even if you have an issue and want to complain or get an explanation about it, voice mail allows people to hide and has pretty much killed that option.

 

Frankly we as a society have allowed it to become the norm. I hope its just a cycle and someone offering great customer service even at a higher cost will be rewarded for it and their succes might encourage others follow suit.

 

It's always about supply and demand...if I don't receive appropriate customer service....... I simply kill the demand. It may take longer but personally it's worth the wait.

 

Peace

MG

[A***** A***** 510]

I am sorry to hear of your experience. Have you tried to contact the Better Business Bureau in your area? Also, I am wondering if those guys you had hired where licensed for their job?

[pjrd 324]

well Meg, I'm a contractor in the building and renovation field. It's like any service industry. Even yours. There's good ones and bad ones, expensive ones and cheap ones. The good ones are usually busy so you have to book ahead and pay a fair price for the work. They will keep you informed regarding their schedule and do a good job. Just like you do. There are contractor review boards just like ours and sometimes you have to do your homework. There's a lot of unskilled people out there calling themselves contractors and also a lot of rip off artists just like in your business so check around, ask for references and when you find someone that works for you keep him or her.

[qwertyaccount 15793]

One other tip: never, EVER, pay in cash. Even for a lower price.

 

If you have no proof of payment, be it a cancelled cheque or credit card statement, you could fight an uphill battle should there be any issue about the work done.

 

Also, there is a "holdback" law that will allow you (depending on the province) to hold back 10% or more for 45 days after the (substantial) completion of the job, to ensure in part, that any of the contractor's subs are paid.

[roamingguy 300292]

Well to lighten the situation a bit Meg, thought I'd post this link with some pic's of bad contractor work

http://entertainment.webshots.com/album/571599279qYFSUQ?start=0

But I agree, customer service seems lacking nowadays

RG

[Phaedrus 209521]

Well to lighten the situation a bit Meg, thought I'd post this link with some pic's of bad contractor work

http://entertainment.webshots.com/album/571599279qYFSUQ?start=0

Or (in the interests of light entertainment), you could go the even worse DIY route... http://thereifixedit.failblog.org/

[Andee 220524]

For what it's worth, the owner of a home renovation company came to see me and spent most of the session being interrupted by calls from guys on the work site experiencing screw-ups with getting wrong parts delivered or lack of access from homeowners etc. So I guess it's not always their fault.

(He couldn't tell them he was on lunch, because he said he's always available by phone during the day). Poor guy...

 

But to get back on topic, there is no excuse for proper communication in getting back to the customer in a timely fashion.