Sick and tired of ...(vent)

[rejectedmom]

Workmen who think you don't have a life other than to sit around and wait for them to show up. I hired someone to do some work here. It is a two day job. He said he would be here a week ago thursday. Didn't show didn't call. Friday was the same so I called and left a messge. He called and said he would be here on Monday at 8am. Called monday to say he had another job he had to do and it was an emergency and didn't know how long it would take. Tuesday he didn't show up here either and didn't call. So husband called and asked him what was going on. He said he would be here on Wed 8 am. Didn't show up until 11 am, no call to tell me he would be late. He didn't bring enough supplies with him used what I had here and ran out so I had to leave and get more for him. He worked till 4:30 and left saying he would be back on Friday or Sat. So we canceled our plans to go to Bush Gardens with the grandkids this weekendso we could be available. Well you guessed it, he didn't show. I thought for certain he would be here today or would at least call but nope. So hereI sit with my house upside down, reluctant to clean because he is just going to raise a ton of dust when he finally gets going again.

His phone is his residence and his wife won't answer it. Everything goes to an answering machine. This morning I told husband I had it and I want to fire the guy. husband doesn't think we will be able to get another contractor to pick up where he left of and doesnt' want me to finish it myself because of my arm. (surgery in March and 6 weeks of PT) husband doesn't have the skills for this type of work so I am stuck here with the place turned upside down and totally and ticked off. Ieft yet another message on his answering machine this morning after talking with husband. I told him I didn't like being treated this way and to please call. I don't expect to hear from him today as his normal response time to a phone message is two to three days.

It is looking like a 2 day job is going to take a month and my house is turned upside down. He left some of his equiptment here so I cannot even move the furniture back into the room and get my Living and dining room back. I have appointments all week that he will have to work around but I know he will just not come rather than do that. He is good at what he does but I will never hire him again that is a certainity. -RM

 

[WhymeMom?]

My exact reason for hating to get anything done in the house....It seems like all the people I find want to "work it in THEIR schedule"......I have resorted to telling these people I have an event coming up on.......can they finish the job by then? and if they can't there will be a penalty involved in payment.....they either get it done or don't want to deal with me.....fine, as long as I know that up front.....

 

[rejectedmom]

I just don't understand why a curteousy phone call is so dificult for them to make. Why do they think we can just wait around for them when they have no intention of showing up? -RM

 

[WhymeMom?]

I swear they think we are just waiting for them when ever they can make it.....and we will be so happy to see them that we won't remember that they said the job would have been done a month ago!!!! AGHHHHHHHHH......

 

[wakeupcall]

I've found it's the worst in the midwest (I've lived most areas except the west coast). We now live in Houston and there's so much competition there's very little of that. BUT, I've been in your shoes and there is absolutely very little else that gets my goat anymore than that. They are so RUDE that it's hard to believe. And yes, they get you over a barrel because they have torn up half your house. That's exactly what they planned to do. The thing is that they have about five houses they are working on and they're doing the same thing to them....they just alternate days that they show up to do their work.

 

[rejectedmom]

I agree PamelaJ he probably is doing the same to others. It really gets my goat though. My father in law was an electrician. He worked union at nights and his own business during the day. did this for over thirty years. He never treated his clients like this. And he cleaned up at the end of each day so as not to disrupt their evenings.

The thing that irks me is that I asked this workman flat out if he wanted the job before I hired him. He said yes. The other guy told me to get someone else if they could get in before he could in three weeks. So I hired the guy who said he wanted the job and said he would be finished within a week. He said he had just come off a huge job and was happy to get a smaller one. Said he like working on the older homes.
Arrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrg! Can anyone say difficult child????????? -RM

 

[Suz]

I hear ya. I have an older home that has needed lots of things. The first rent-a-husband I hired did a lousy job installing my front door and disappeared before he installed my back door. I was in a real lurch. Thank goodness I found a great RAH who actually makes an appointment and keeps his word :faint: . He's been a godsend.

You have my sympathies, RM.

Suz

 

[flutterbee]

I worked for an electrician several years ago. Our company did residential service calls. The owner was a great electrician, but he was also a drug addict. His drug of choice was crack, but he really wasn't picky. He found some quack doctor who would prescribe him valium, 90 at a time with refills. He would take the entire bottle in a weekend then be off work for a week. He'd have pipe burns on his lips and fingers. When it got bad (he went into rehab a couple of times and checked out early, then finally went to some facility in Minnesota, I think), he would pull this kind of behavior. There were 3 other electricians and they would cover all they could, but some of the jobs they just didn't have the experience to do. I felt so bad that we kept putting people (customers) off who had rearranged their schedule for us. When he went to rehab for the 3rd time in 6 months, I quit.

 

[rejectedmom]

Suz, you are lucky indeed. I live in a blue collar town you would think that they would be way more competitive about pleasing their clients.

Heather, you might be on target here. He was drinking beer when he was here he had a cooler in the truck. I only saw him down two over 6 hours but who is to say what he did after he left.
I did pay him a down payment of $100 in cash (yes I got a reciept). That would buy alot of beer. husband said not to pay him anymore until he finishes the job.

He did show up today. I had to laugh to myself because he called to make sure I would be here because he didn't want to waste HIS time if I wasn't around. :rolleyes: :bow: Oh Lordy, Lordy, help me rid my life of difficult child's! -RM

 

[flutterbee]

I think some of us are just difficult child magnets. :rolleyes:

I hope he gets your job done soon - and done well, too.

 

[Tezzie]

Just a thought... actually several.
Perhaps it's time for a call to the Better Business Bureau to report him.
Deduct your time waiting from what you owe him.
Let him know that you will be sharing your experience with him with as many people as you can (in other words, bad publicity).
Write a check that will bounce for the rest of his payment. (actually good idea but not the best practice).

Hope he gets done soon.

Tezzie

 

[rejectedmom]

Ok he did the work today just has one more trip back to do the fine finishing. Says he will be here tomorrow. I have a doctor's app't so I told him he MUST call me so I can have my daughter or sister in law here to let him in. We shall see. -RM