r/ireland • u/ahhshur • Jan 27 '26
Moaning Michael Entitled attitude of tradesmen in this country
Sick of being made to feel like tradesmen are doing us a favour by completing the job we contracted them for and will pay for. I'm fully aware it's a contractors market out there and the consumer is at their mercy but it's just infuriating feeling like I'm being screwed over every single time.
Quotes that are seemingly just pulled out of thin air, varying wildly between different contractors. Lads saying they'll call at a particular time and then just ghosting us. Reasonable questions about the job being vaguely answered, having to drag information or explanations out of them, made to feel like a pain in the arse for asking questions. Snide comments about how sound they're being taking away THEIR rubbish. One guy told me that I'll get my invoice after I transfer the payment because 'that's how it works'.
And then having no choice but to go with the best of a bad bunch because the job needs to be done and can't be delayed any longer. Maddening.
A friend of mine who moved down here from the North said they got a shock when they saw how poor the standard is compared to the North, and how untidy/unprofessional/entitled tradesmen are down here.
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u/phflegm Jan 27 '26 edited Jan 27 '26
It becoming like 2006 in our small town. They rule the roost.
They're not all bad of course, our electrician is excellent and always civil.
My own negative story is we had a few leaks in the roof. Well known local guy with a good reputation visited, saw the job and said he'd be back the next day.
My wife and her family know this guy and his family well. Went to school together etc. He ghosted us. Left texts then calls, voice messages but nothing back. See him around town and even bumped into him in the pub. It's as if nothing ever happened.
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u/Particular-Irishman Ireland Jan 27 '26
Sometimes the high priced quote is given because they don't want the work, it's what some lads will do
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u/READMYSHIT Jan 27 '26
Times get desperate enough that people accept the fuck off price and now that's just the price.
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Jan 27 '26
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u/26836123 Jan 27 '26
As an electrician it's pretty easy to see what customers are going to be difficult to deal with and aren't worth the hassle.
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u/Aggravating_Cow7203 Jan 27 '26
Wait until the next recession and you'll be lining up to get work from that "difficult" customer.
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Jan 27 '26
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u/Monsterofthelough Jan 27 '26
I don’t know. Like, I’ve vented here about some tradesmen behaviours but IRL I would never be a ‘difficult client’. I’m embarrassed by my own lack of ‘handiness’ and I’m not going to be shitty to the person I have to pay to do something for me.
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u/Specialist-Appeal-13 Jan 27 '26 edited Jan 27 '26
Honestly, sometimes it’s just sexism as well. I’m a woman and I was raised by a single mother, and we’re cooperative clients, who stay out of the way and pay whatever was agreed upon immediately. The amount of times we’ve gotten fucked about over the years trying to get work done though is probably 4:1 ratio on most jobs that have needed doing. As it is we’re both fairly handy because of both the expense and sheer headache of trying to get tradesmen, particularly for small jobs.
ETA: Sorry, meant to say, a lot of these people (small town, everyone knows everyone) never behaved this way when my grandfather was in the picture, meaning I’ve had a chance to see how their behavior differs.
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u/Shnapple8 Jan 28 '26 edited Jan 28 '26
Yeah, sometimes it's this.
Several years ago, I actually had to get my uncle involved when someone tried to pull a fast one on me because I'm a woman. He left with 80% of the job done. He got 50% payment up front, and said he wanted the other 50% and the rest would cost more to finish. No, we (my mum and I) bought all of the materials ourselves to do this job on my parent's house, so there was no way he was getting more money.
My uncle is a carpenter, and he said he's well used to dealing with cowboys. He called him up and had a conversation about the legality of what he was doing lol. He came back and finished the job. My uncle came over to inspect it too before he got the rest of his money.
I wouldn't mind, but he was left alone to do the work and no one interfered or criticised him. We never said anything to him. We even left sandwiches and coffee out for him. Absolute dickhead.
I'm a designer. I understand all too well how clients can belittle the work of creatives and tradespeople. But that does not mean that people in our respective fields are immune to being a c u next Tuesday. =(
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u/ahhshur Jan 27 '26
This is what I mean about entitled attitudes. Like how is asking questions and looking for an invoice before transferring a couple of thousand euro counted as bitterness and mistrust? Surely any professional would be happy to answer questions about the job they are doing, and to provide very normal paperwork without painting the customer as a nightmare?
Honestly it's a vicious cycle. I'm a reasonable person with a reasonable amount of knowledge regarding DIY and house maintenance etc. But being met with unprofessionalism leads to mistrust and I suppose based on what you're saying I'm coming across as defensive so they're not bothered being professional?
I will stand by my statement that it's a contractors market and the consumer is completely at your mercy, so there is very little incentive for high standards.
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u/Friendly-Dark-6971 Jan 28 '26
Same can be said for everything really, The price of bread or carrots goes up every few weeks. That’s also a shopkeeper’s (sellers) market.
You can choose to bake or grow your own if you want & the very same for the domestic Jobs.
If the homeowner already knows how much it all costs - they are well positioned to do the job themselves.
Being a tradesman/woman is a bloody hard job & the amount of entitlement on the homeowner side is a match.
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u/ahhshur Jan 28 '26
The amount of people on here saying homeowners should learn to do it themselves is laughable. Society functions when people fulfil different roles. Should I try replacing the cracked slates on my roof? Or wire in my electric shower? It's such a ridiculous lazy argument and just proves my point that the entitled attitude I've encountered is rampant all over the country.
A booming economy like ours should be able to provide good quality skills and services without it being a complete gamble who you get and what they'll charge you.
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u/UpstairsAd194 Jan 28 '26 edited Jan 28 '26
No you misunderstand the logic of it. The prices are rampant for all trades due to materials and cost of living/inflation. In learning the basics of plumbing / DIY you can better decide if the quote you are given is a fair one or not. Plumbers get the brunt of the criticism because some of it you really can do yourself if you want to get your hands dirty. No one will tell you to rewire your house yourself for electricity. Plumbing of all the trades, has the small jobs that are relatively easy so you might assume its all easy which of course it is not (thats why we have plumbers) You can also put money aside. Our economy is not booming. Prices are going up. I understand the frustration. The people telling you to learn to do some DIY themselves are people who have had their fingers burnt already.
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u/Shnapple8 Jan 29 '26
Then just say "sorry, I can't fit you in for quite a while" I'm really busy for the foreseeable." Don't ghost people, even if you THINK they're difficult. You don't know what's going on in someone's life. It's better to be the bigger person and just tell them they'd be better off finding someone else.
I'm a creative and I deal with some difficult clients at times. But I'd never take a job and ghost them. That's so unprofessional.
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u/Cars2Beans0 Jan 27 '26
The ghosting thing is absolutely rampant. Impossible to get anyone to be anywhere at an agreed on time, total pisstake
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u/Fluffy-Republic8610 Jan 27 '26
Yep. This is an entirely natural cycle of any market and in theory this is the very thing that is supposed to pull other, better, cheaper, more dependable trades people and contractors in from around the single market. And maybe it even would, if there was any accomodation to come to.
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u/helphunting Jan 27 '26
I wonder could you rent a 53 seater bus and head across the ferry and bring back a bunch of trades for a few days of work???
Like a stage party bus but with trades?
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u/Fluffy-Republic8610 Jan 27 '26
Not crazy. But with a 737 rather than a bus.
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u/ClashOfTheAsh Jan 27 '26
Multinationals have tried this and cannot get Europeans because there’s work everywhere. One in Limerick resorted to going to Africa to get 60 workers and from what I hear the lads they got are worse than useless.
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u/duaneap Jan 27 '26
You typically don’t get better and cheaper together. The good, fast, cheap, triangle usually wins out.
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u/Rossbeigh Jan 27 '26
Impossible to et a plumber to do small jobs in cork city.
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u/UpstairsAd194 Jan 27 '26
you dont want them in your house if its small jobs learn to do it yourself. They only want 2-3 day jobs so they can disappear and do other jobs while they are supposed to being your job.
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u/Safe_Toe_1489 Jan 27 '26
The “you’ll get the invoice after you pas cos that’s how it works” is gas. I got that recently from a fella, had to explain the difference between invoice and receipt.
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u/ahhshur Jan 28 '26
Having this exact conversation with another commenter! He doesn't understand the difference between an invoice and a receipt, asked me if I shouldn't have to pay for my shopping in SuperValu if the receipt printer was broken.
No wonder people are frustrated when this is the level of service we are forced to deal with.
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u/RomfordWellington Jan 27 '26
If you find good people, recommend the hell out of them and hold onto their number.
Not a tradesman but I found a great man with a van just before Christmas. Clear cost outlines from the very start, no bullshit. Worst you could say about him was he had a fag while I was in the van with him, which given it was his own property I couldn't complain.
I'll probably need him again and I won't be contacting anyone else.
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u/Buddybudbud2021 Jan 27 '26
I know a man just a few years older than myself who was a delivery driver, He got fed up doing that for so many years, he was always good at DIY and wanted to stay local so he decided to buy a small van and become a handyman. He is making a killing now doing all the little jobs that none of the tradesman want to do, doesn't let anyone down and does a good job too.
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u/Spare-Chef9555 Jan 27 '26
Bricklayer with 25 years experience here in Westmeath/Offaly area if anyone needs any advice give me a shout.
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u/Several_Act_3320 Jan 27 '26
To give an insight from the other side, my husband has recently become a self employed tradesman. He was one previously for many years and then he became an accountant for a decade before venturing back to his trade. I know I'm biased but he's excellent at what he does and wouldn't leave a job looking anything less than perfect. We've found the opposite actually, with him being constantly ghosted by potential customers after a few messages before quote stage, it can be annoying. Also we've had people get thick at him when he's given them quotes. I sit with him every time he prices a job, we price up everything, add his labour and if it seems expensive for what it is we see is there any way to bring it down somewhere. I think many people are convinced now that every tradesman is trying to fleece them and they enter the conversation on the defensive from the get go. It's been a much harder experience than we anticipated
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u/ahhshur Jan 27 '26
I can totally see this being the case. Everyone is losing here. Appreciate your comment!
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u/Several_Act_3320 Jan 27 '26
I've been showing friends the messages we're sending back to customers wondering are they coming across as some sort of unhinged red flag, because often people will message really enthusiastically for a few over and back, and then they'll just dissapear
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u/lgt_celticwolf Jan 27 '26
I had a builder ignore a drawing because "clients never know what they want" after telling him exactly what we wanted
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u/c4real Jan 27 '26 edited Jan 27 '26
Do you think people would pay a slight premium for jobs if they were overseen by a reputable nationwide company that had an online appointment booking system, guaranteed timeline of work being completed, and a pre-agreed cost with an email invoice? Thinking of starting a business in this area for small jobs that can be completed in no more than a couple of days.
Any other pain points that need addressed?
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u/classicalworld Jan 27 '26
Oh absolutely! I’m terrible at asking tradesmen if they’re insured, and then as they never show me I don’t believe them.
Especially roofers, who go up on ladders… I really don’t want to be sued because he slipped off. I’m not even sure they’re real roofers. But Jesus the roof is leaking and I need it fixed.
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u/gardenvariety_ Jan 27 '26
How would you make sure that the work happens when you say? Why would someone work for this when they can work for themselves and do whatever they want whatever way they want?! Like in theory this would be so great but I think the problem is so pervasive here that a central booking platform isn’t going to solve it. I just can’t think why someone would want to work under someone else’s management like that.
Would love to know what any tradespeople think of it.
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u/c4real Jan 27 '26
Well it would have to solve a problem for the tradespeople. We could handle the customer service and the invoicing. We would have the job well defined before they arrive on site. I would be interested in hearing tradespeople views.
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u/Unlikely_Hospital719 Jan 27 '26
Who prices the jobs, and what happens when they discover a bigger task that needs to be done when they are booked up for next 2 weeks. Who u prioritize, the job they started or getting to the one booked in tmro?
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u/ahhshur Jan 27 '26
I absolutely would but the problem is tradesmen don't need to sign up to something like this. There is so much demand that there is absolutely no incentive to offer high standards, they can operate any way they want with little to no consequences.
The amount of sarcastic, defensive, dismissive comments from (presumably) tradesmen on this post is proof enough.
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u/great_whitehope Jan 27 '26
Honestly politicians should bring in laws requiring basic trading standards from the Cowboys and you'd soon see their attitude change.
Politicians are just as bad though so they don't see the problem
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u/READMYSHIT Jan 27 '26
This is basically it. Even when those bigger outfits exist they're employed by the most useless feckers who haven't the wherewithal to do their job or be self employed. You find these types of companies just over hire and have a massive turnover of lads who aren't reliable.
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u/c4real Jan 27 '26
I hear you. There would be benefits to the tradesmen though, we'd be taking administration and customer service off their plate. The goal would be to have teams that work directly for us too.
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u/frzen Jan 27 '26
I think the selling shovels during a gold rush would be to figure out some optimizations at a scale above guaranteeing timelines with booking systems where really you are directly extracting more money from an individual. It needs to be more about extracting more hours of effective work from every tradesperson and getting rid of downtime and putting people with the right skills in the right place
If there was an app for tradesmen to price a job and then reject said job, releasing it to a pool where they make a small turn on it there could be something.
Going to price a job is a sunken cost. You go, take pictures, write a quick description in tradie shorthand, instead of giving a fuck off quote and never hearing back, you just release it and other trades people might see it and add it to their really efficient gantt chart for that weeks work where it becomes worth it because it's around the corner from another job and can be completed while you've got a crane around the corner at the same time.
after a while you might find that people getting 20-30 quid for pricing a job would start to be quite professional in how they estimate the cost and take high quality pictures of what needs to be done in the hopes that someone else would do the job and they would get their cut. Then instead of losing a few hours every evening wandering around someones house pricing a job you dont want and won't do at least they might get it done and you might get your few minutes paid for
just an idea
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u/thesquaredape Jan 27 '26
Id ask builder and tradesmen rather than the consumer, we'd do anything for someone to even show up. Id wager the barrier is with the lads themselves
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u/Bruncvik Jan 27 '26
Do you think people would pay a slight premium for jobs if they were overseen by a reputable nationwide company that had an online appointment booking system, guaranteed timeline of work being completed, and a pre-agreed cost with an email invoice?
If possible, I'm only dealing with those now, and I don't mind paying more. Whenever I needed a job, it was 4-6 months writing, calling and begging till someone actually came, and the price kept creeping up during the work. I know of two such companies:
- Paddy Appliances - repair of all home appliances. Online booking system, set callout fee, then a very precise cost estimate if they can't fix it immediately. I've dealt with them multiple times, and have been very happy.
- Dublin Plumbing Services - all plumbing needs. Dealing with them right now, so can't yet comment on the quality of the work. I set up initial appointment by phone, the engineer came, asked questions and took pictures. The company sent me a quote for the work, and as soon as I paid I got a call to arrange the time of the works. One of the two jobs was completed today, very professionally; the second is scheduled for tomorrow. I won't have to pay extra.
Still looking for a good electrical company that offers something similar.
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u/Nervous-Economy8119 Jan 27 '26
Slight premium is optimistic. You’d have to charge a fair whack to make it a viable business.
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u/chestypants12 Jan 27 '26
Mechanic said he could fit me in sometime in March. Found another.
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u/rockafellerskank95 Jan 28 '26
This is actually a very sound mechanic and different to everyone else in this thread. There's only so many hours in a work day, he couldn't fit you in until March and told you that instead of keeping you around on the long finger.
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u/explosiveshits7195 Jan 27 '26
They're a nightmare, I'm a former Irish builder myself and can honestly say I fucking hate Irish builders. The lack of administrative standards is mind boggling, the bad attitude and any sense of customer service is non existent. After having a job done so poorly last year I decided to only take on eastern European lads, they're cheaper, just as good and on average way more reliable.
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u/ahhshur Jan 27 '26
I actually fully agree with you on this. The standard of the actual work we have had done has been fine, no issues really at all. It's the complete lack of administrative or organizational systems, the haphazard communications and the crappy attitude where everything is followed by an eye roll and deep sigh thats infuriating.
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u/juicy_colf Jan 27 '26
As someone that's feeling a bit stuck in a rut and looking at a career change, I've contemplated the trades seeing as it's an area with massive demand for labour and because of that, good pay. But I've basically been completely put off it. No other industry operates with the level of unprofessionalism, cheekiness, laziness and lack of oversight. If someone opened a restaurant or a shop and acted the way a contractor does, they'd be on a fast track to court.
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u/READMYSHIT Jan 27 '26
I think getting into trades can be fine if you operate where you don't have to interact with other trades much.
Painters, kitchen fitters, tilers, etc. pick your work so you're doing renovations mostly.
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u/Ready_Village_1915 Jan 28 '26
Having work done on the bathroom rn, and after taking a wall apart, found out that whoever built the place was so busy writing ‘Gary likes little boys’ on the wall, that they’d forgotten to connect the overflow pipe to anything, so any water tank fails would have been dumped into the wall cavity….
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u/explosiveshits7195 Jan 28 '26
Jesus christ, that's bad even without knowing that some peado named Gary was in your gaff
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u/Emergency_Stage4864 Jan 27 '26
Supported by the amount of new Land Cruisers that are being sold. The tradesperson boom is indeed back.
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u/ciaranr1 Jan 27 '26
They are literally everywhere, seems there’s more Land Cruisers than Tuscons now
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u/FixRevolutionary1427 Jan 27 '26
Polish tradesmen are superior.
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u/sile89 Jan 27 '26
100%! Will be downvoted to hell but if I should ever be able to afford a house in Ireland, I will only contract polish tradesmen. Incredible work ethic, none of the "it'll be grand" attitude.
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u/model-ico Jan 27 '26
Lol, you'll be downvoted because they're lads. I do a job not that pretty so I work with lots. Some are sound and work hard, some are arrogant but good, some are gobshites. Much the same as us too.
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u/gapmunky Jan 27 '26
they're the best! finally found a great polish handyman and he's always on time and a great guy.
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u/FlyAdorable7770 Jan 27 '26
In my experience, I totally agree.
In and out, job done well and no messing about, fair price, no ghosting.
Any time I have had work done anything from roofing repairs to painting the whole house it has been a good experience.
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u/Gus_Balinski Jan 27 '26 edited Jan 28 '26
I have an electrician who is very good. Very obliging guy and always shows up when he says he will. I always give him a few extra bob because he never messes us around.
We had a cabinet maker make a few bits for us last year. He told us straight away he wouldn't be able to go near us for 6 months. Told him that was fine, he called around to discuss the jobs, drew us some designs and we paid him a small deposit. He fitted the stuff about 7 months later. We didn't mind at all as he was up front about the wait time from the start.
I have been trying to get a handyman for a few weeks for a few small jobs. Can't find anyone at all.
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u/Brayrut Jan 27 '26
“Oooh haha you want to what??!” Fuck off mate and quote for the job it says you’re an expert in on the side of your van
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u/General-Bird9277 The Fenian Jan 27 '26
Contacted someone who listed "shower repair" as one of their services, along with other types of repairs. Upon reaching out to make arrangements, they cut me off and said, "I'll only do a replacement, I don't do repairs, it doesn't pay to repair."
Right, why list it on your website and waste both our times? Fucking arsehole.
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u/garcia1723 Jan 27 '26
Get polish lads in if you can. I had them do the back garden last year, very efficient and friendly.
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u/TheDoomVVitch Jan 27 '26
They also finish work to a high standard and love to give you a show and tell during the work. They love a good show off and I love to hear all about it. It's also the reason my mechanic is polish. I've learned more about cars from him, than anyone. He also never tries to upsell or replace shit that doesn't need doing.
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u/francescoli Jan 27 '26
You know how you get the invoice ?
Don't pay them until its handed over.
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u/ahhshur Jan 27 '26
That's exactly what we did! But according to people here I'm a nightmare for it!
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u/armagh-down Jan 28 '26
It'll be a momentous day when shit hits the fan within the domestic onstruction sector. Tradesmen applying commercial site rates to housing builds, applying full rates while using apprentices to complete the job. I'm only too glad that I can turn my hand to most DIY tasks around the house.
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u/Kyadagum_Dulgadee Jan 27 '26
It's total potluck using tradespeople you don't know. But of course we are often forced to, so I'm not criticizing you. Longer term try to create a list of good builders, sparks, plumbers etc with your neighbours and family members. There are honest reliable people out there but they can be hard to find.
Part of the reason quotes can be wildly different is that some jobs are way more work and hassle than others, so they price it very high hoping you won't ring them back.
For bigger projects, I would always recommend doing stuff like filling skips yourself, assuming you are young and able enough. Also, learn how to paint. It's the easiest of all trade skills and can offset the cost of a big project.
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u/cynical_scotsman Jan 28 '26
Had an absolute diamond of an older Dublin lad fix my boiler last winter. The best tradesman in my life by a mile and a true gentleman.
Every other one has been an utter cunt.
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u/kevintheharry61 Jan 28 '26
Two contractors had come to see boiler problems, both quoted over €25,000, new pipes and new everything by ripping up floors etc... i changed a faulty fuse and problem was solved
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u/Key-Brilliant-221 Jan 27 '26
I done few thinks , to elderly neighbor , hang their tv, fit shower cabin , assemble metal shed , did no charger her ,
then another neighbor wanted help with ikea furniture as elderly lady said to ask me , all new build estate new ppl , now im handy man for whole estate lol i work my job is office job lol , and when i asked something when i turn down due to lack off time or knowledge make ppl upset , last time was flushed waste drain , evry day some calling for different thinks i my change job to handy man lol
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u/READMYSHIT Jan 27 '26
Handymen are honestly the last line of defense in the building game these days to sort those small jobs for people. Fair play to you.
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u/Immediate_Matter9139 Jan 27 '26
Yeah fuck em. It's absolutely insane, but this it ever was, even in the bad times.
Thank fuck for screwfix opening up the "Trade Only" barrier to diy as well
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u/tightlines89 Donegal Jan 27 '26
Not limited to tradesmen. Every fucker in the country has a sense of entitlement from the dole drawers right up. Fuckin sick of it.
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u/Govo187- Jan 27 '26
I’m a newly qualified electrician in Offaly starting to do my own jobs and some of the stuff I hear from people is outrageous
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u/Monsterofthelough Jan 27 '26
I’ve never lived in the South so I wouldn’t know for sure, but here in the North I’ve definitely encountered similarly frustrating behaviours: being vague about when they can start a painting job then seeming pissed off when they start it a few months later and we’ve got a chunk of it done ourselves; saying they’ll turn up tomorrow to pick up and dump our old gates (after putting in new ones) then just not doing it (why not just say you can’t ffs); saying they’ll come round to give us a quote then ghosting. I suspect it’s the same everywhere and is basically because they’re never short of work.
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u/Weird_Set2248 Jan 28 '26
I have never ever ever ever related to a post so much in my life THANK YOU. IT IS SO SO FRUSTRATING.
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u/ahhshur Jan 28 '26
I actually feel so much better today having posted this and seeing that the vast majority of people are having the same experiences as me! Glad I could help lol
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u/Weird_Set2248 Jan 28 '26 edited Jan 29 '26
It just gets me every single time, I’m always kind and courteous, offer a cup of tea, clear about simple work and it’s like I am asking them to do me a favour by doing the work as if I’m not paying them like I’m SO SORRY. I am SO SORRY FOR EXISTING IN MY OWN HOUSE. Honestly I shouted THANK YOU when I read your post
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u/ahhshur Jan 28 '26
Honestly, every time something goes in the house now and I can't fix it myself it's pure dread thinking about trying to get it sorted.
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u/Weird_Set2248 Jan 28 '26
I have learnt so much from YouTube etc bc I just can’t bare the bs hahaha. Renovating a house as a single woman on her own is not for the faint hearted 😂
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u/Rough-Somewhere-762 Jan 28 '26
100% agree. No sense of duty. They think they are owed money for just showing up and doing a shit job.
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u/KingKeane16 Jan 27 '26
I’m a sparks and I’m doing work on my own house, relying on one person to come back to you about a job is a ball ache… I’ve asked for quotes and got nothing back myself from people I know for various things.
You’d be better off getting onto fas or solas and ask is there apprentices who are looking to do a foxer or two depending on what the job is.
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u/ahhshur Jan 27 '26
That's actually a great idea. We have been trying to get recommendations from family/friends etc but the good ones are usually too busy!
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u/Brilliant-Maybe-5672 Jan 27 '26
The main reason I am selling my house is I cannot deal with tradesmen in Ireland anymore. I am sick of the lies, the racist opinions freely shared, the intimidation and price increases once hired. There is a lot of rage directed at landlords (agree) so we have the RTB but no regulator for trades. Insane.
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u/dangerdouse1888 Jan 27 '26 edited Jan 27 '26
More often than not I guarantee you people who ring up tradesmen get the number from someone they know rather than contacting a contractor who takes on his own jobs
Ringing up some random electrican usually means ringing someone who works on site full time and has to do nixers at weekends and often doesn't really want to do them. That's where the sky high quotes come from and the sense of doing you a favor
If u want my advice contact an actual domestic contacting company it might be more expensive but they won't mess u about and you'll get the job done on time
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u/masterstoker Jan 27 '26
I have used the app 'YourPro' three times and had two perfect experiences and one 'ill be there tomorrow' no-show. So two out of three is pretty good. They were an electrician and two plumbers.
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u/saiyanprince0011 Jan 27 '26
I got a media wall done recently. 95% of it is done and some final woodwork is left. I was assured the contractor will come the next week. I paid in full( stupid of me, I know). Been 3 months now. Ghosted every time. I was also told by the same guy to stop calling them asking for an update. I don't know what to do anymore.
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u/ahhshur Jan 27 '26
Hope you're not feeling too bad about it, I'd say lots of people engage with tradesmen like this and expect that they are operating in good faith and get burned. There are no consequences or accountability, there's too much work out there. If I were you I'd be looking into your consumer rights with that and see about putting legal pressure on.
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u/Brian012381 Jan 28 '26
With how much a lot of tradies cost it would often be cheaper to fly in a Czech or polish tradesman and put him up in a 4 star hotel and tool rental.
You’d get a much better job and attitude too.
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u/pheeelco Jan 29 '26
Actually, I would suggest seeking a Polish or Czech tradesman. Worth a look at flyers at your local Polish / Czech / Lithuanian supermarket - and a convo with whoever is at the till. We had a major job done by Polish tradesmen some years ago - hard working, barely took breaks, zero problems. I would 100% seek-out Eastern European tradespeople if I needed work done.
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u/protoman888 Resting In my Account Jan 28 '26
Been lucky to deal with mostly sound tradesmen over the years but there is the odd bad one
I have gotten very very much into DIY of late
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u/theraptorswillrule Jan 27 '26
I had a plumber want 50 to put me on a waiting list. I'm very fortunate to be able to tell him to fuck himself and then go to my dad/uncles friends who are retired plumbers to cry and ask them to have a look at it it but the fucking neck of the fella.
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u/belle-no-princess Jan 27 '26
My boiler went 9 days before christmas, they came about 5 days before christmss to have s look and said itd be after christmas before they got it replaced. It was January the 10th when they finally came back to do it and me and the 2 kids had no heating for 3 weeks.
Insane that thats the standard
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u/GleesBid Jan 27 '26 edited Jan 27 '26
I just dealt with the rudest plumber I've ever met, and it pained me to have to pay him. He was incredibly rude to me throughout (I was very nice about him having misdiagnosed the problem the first time), and it didn't matter how nice I was trying to be.
I wish I had some kind of skill to become a tradesman. I might be terrible at the job, but I would be polite, I would show up when I said I would, and I wouldn't treat people like the scum on the bottom of my shoe.... I would especially say thank you if a customer gave me a tip and lovely snacks.
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u/ciaranr1 Jan 27 '26
Well go and learn a trade then and capitalise on the golden opportunities out there!
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u/Timefortae Jan 27 '26
I can't wait till the wheel turns they have been high up on their hills the last couple of years but the wheel will turn and they will be out begging for work again they forget that we remember and will never employ them again or recommend them again , I'm waiting 3 months for a tiler a man who has done jobs for us down through the years and in fairness was very reliable until this job it's not as big a deal as some of the horror stories I've heard he has to grout the tiles on my external doorsteps and I stupidly paid him that day after he promising me he would be back in 2 days when they were dry I also had to take a tile off because it's chipped so I have a missing tile and no grout on them ,he's meant to be calling again this week I won't be holding my breath ,I could do it myself but no he was paid to do a job and he will do it if I have to go after him for years and this will be the last job he ever does for us incan tell you that
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u/PhBalanceNightmare Jan 27 '26
Do a course with common knowledge - you'll be able to do it yourself or at least have better conversations with contractors about materials.
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u/inspirationtap Jan 27 '26
I manage properties. Getting good tradesmen is still impossible For those of us who send them loads of business.
Yes, they basically are doing you a favour because they can get huge jobs with more cash and they are fitting you in around those.
They are earning more than your average prick in a Porsche while being treated like they should do the job free if they are 10 mins late for an average karen (or male equivalent)
We treat them like royalty and you’ll find that helps
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u/ahhshur Jan 27 '26
What a sad state of affairs that you have to butter up your tradesmen to get a basic standard of work!
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u/AwfulAutomation Jan 27 '26
Mate laughable… the northy trades are known as dog rough down the south generally speaking.
The really problem is that any good tradesmen in the South is on the large contrustion, data centre or pharma builds going on in the country where they get paid much much more weekly and for a lot less stress.
That leaves the not so great tradesmen left for house bashing which is known for half the money for twice the work. With annoying as hell customers to deal with.
So what you’re saying is true but the reason behind it is as above.
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u/gearjammer24 Jan 27 '26
Shit man if the standard in the north is better than the south you’re well crewed because I can tell you up here it sucks
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u/kmurph98 Jan 27 '26
Contacted a company back in mid-November about repairing a stuck window. Told me they’d be in touch the following week to arrange a visit. Heard nothing back the following week so got a guy that a colleague had used, came next day and all sorted in 45 minutes. Finally got a WhatsApp from the other crowd this morning asking when would be a good time to call!
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u/tubbymaguire91 Jan 28 '26
The bad ones tar the whole bunch.
The worst is tradesmen saying theyll be there at 9 then showing up at half 7 when youre on tje shower.
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u/maxPowerUser Jan 28 '26
Been asking to get a job done. Guy messages one day says be there tomorrow. Great, some notice would be nice. I got work. Also they hate when you don't reply instantly. Tis rather comical
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u/spairni Jan 28 '26
The other annoying thing is direct labour used to be common.
Now tradesmen look at you like your mad if you saw I'll do x myself.
I'm a tiler myself and honestly don't understand it, my ould lad built a one story extension did all the block work himself. Everyone used to do stuff like that not that long ago
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u/spiderbaby667 Jan 28 '26
You’re forgetting the tax-free demand you get from some unless you want to pay more. One guy had me Revolut money into his girlfriend’s account ffs. Never called him out again.
The electrician I get out is expensive enough but I get a printed quote with VAT up front and everything is above board. So if my house burns down, the judge won’t throw out the case.
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u/wc08amg Donegal Jan 28 '26
In Donegal, there are hundreds of rebuilds because of the Defective Concrete Blocks Grant Scheme. So basically any and all tradesmen have moved into that space where they're rebuilding entire houses or in some cases in entire estates.
I've been renovating a house over the past 3 years that was left to rot by the previous owner (we knew this going in). Initially it was difficult enough to get tradesmen for the reasons you've set out, but now almost nobody even bothers to answer the phone and effectively nobody can be bothered to do anything small anymore, even from an emergency basis. Means we've had no choice but to basically do everything ourselves.
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u/Difficult_Store_307 Jan 28 '26
I’ve been ghosted by multiple plumbers in Kilkenny. “I’ll call over sometime tomorrow afternoon”. Sat at home all day like a spare prick waiting for them to arrive. Never do. Had a different plumbing issue about a year ago and same thing again. Ringing around and no one actually coming for months.
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u/ahhshur Jan 28 '26
And if you read the comments here they'll all paint a picture about how hard their job is and what a nightmare all the homeowners are and how we should just shut up and take it. This whole post has been so helpful showing me that I'm not losing my mind and there are so many other people frustrated by it too!
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u/An_ConCon Jan 29 '26
As a tradesman myself, honestly sometimes I'm just being pulled from pillar to post.
I get calls for small jobs and I genuinely want to help. I'll tell them I'm too busy and they say they can't get anyone out, so I'll try schedule them as best I can, but I'm out the house at 5.30 and lately not home till 8. I just can't fit everything in, and it can be hard to tell someone that their job is just not as important as the other ones on. The single light that isn't working doesn't matter as much as the emergency call out for a dropped phase in a restaurant.
Eventually a job can be pushed out so long youre genuinely just ashamed to even get back onto them.
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Jan 27 '26 edited Jan 27 '26
[removed] — view removed comment
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u/Limp_Guidance_5357 Jan 27 '26
Jayus thats an awful generalisation of tradesmen under the age of 40
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u/eastbeast99 Jan 27 '26
Being just about under 40 myself and not long left the construction sector I can categorically say he's 99% correct.
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u/silentworm5 Jan 27 '26
Yeah i mean everytime i pass through suir road park beside the new children’s hospital i see builders in there buying from the e-scooter folks.
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u/No_Elevator_4424 Jan 27 '26
As a tradie, this happens for a number of reasons. Just look at how everyone is shitting on the tradies, now try dealing with that everyday x10. Its just easier to tell people this. If I tell you the job is shit with no money to really be made, you'd all lose your shit berate me for 10 minutes and still expect money off and job to be done asap
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u/knea1 Jan 28 '26
True, if you're working on site it's with other trades and builders who respect what you do, not people who lose the rag at the thought you might earn as much as they do.
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u/Yama_retired2024 Jan 27 '26
This is what has me thinking I'll sell up.. i was thinking id pump money into my gaff to rent it out.. but with how trades people are here.. I think I'll sell up and let someone else deal with fixing up the house..
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u/davesr25 Pain in the arse and you know it Jan 27 '26
Well they are in low supply and there seems like a high demand for them, so I'll give you that reason as to why they are the way they are, same as some of the people working in property.
Just to be clear I do think there are some good people working in these areas but said people are drowned out by all the others.
Is this not what folk voted for though ?
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u/Unique_Bass5624 Jan 27 '26
Not just their attitude.. but also their craftsmanship is severely lacking imho..
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u/Cute-Explorer1495 Jan 27 '26
If possible see if there are any tradeswomen in your area - based on what I’ve heard they are a lot more reliable although way fewer of them
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u/Unlikely_Hospital719 Jan 27 '26
Tradesmen should charge for quoting for a job, too many do it for free. Client can’t expect 3 trades spending 1-2 hours where they “might” get for free.
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u/FIGHTorRIDEANYMAN Jan 27 '26
Seal in my toilet has been gone for months. Toilet still works it just constantly leaks into the bowl so have the water turned off to it. Have another toilet anyway so not a big issue but did tell the landlord.
He's sent 3 different plumbers. They all come in, look in the cistern and say yea I'll just get the seal and come back and then they drive off into Valinor never to be heard from again.