Was having a word with a self employed DG fitter yesterday about fitting a
large DG unit in a friend of mines house front elevation.
The friend had a telephone coversation with him to arrange a quote and see
what was what on the job.

The friend has ust phoned up and told me he hadn't called at the arranged
time today Saturday.

Sheeesh! is it no wonder the DG fitters get slagged off,he either wasn't
bothered or buisness must be good to pick&choose were and when the mood took
him.

I offered to install the DG unit but would mean no certificate to pass on
should he sell the property.

Years ago workers were reliable and had the courtesy to let you know wether
they were not able to do the job or won't be able to turn up as arranged.

So much for mobile phones and respect.

George wrote:


Years ago workers were reliable and had the courtesy to let you know
wether they were not able to do the job or won't be able to turn up
as arranged.

Some of us still work like that :-)




--
Dave - The Medway Handyman
www.medwayhandyman.co.uk

The Medway Handyman wrote:
George wrote:


Years ago workers were reliable and had the courtesy to let you know
wether they were not able to do the job or won't be able to turn up
as arranged.

Some of us still work like that :-)

And demand a vast deposit before starting the job ;-)

Tanner-'op wrote:
The Medway Handyman wrote:
George wrote:


Years ago workers were reliable and had the courtesy to let you know
wether they were not able to do the job or won't be able to turn up
as arranged.

Some of us still work like that :-)

And demand a vast deposit before starting the job ;-)

And get it :-)


--
Dave - The Medway Handyman
www.medwayhandyman.co.uk

The Medway Handyman wrote:
Tanner-'op wrote:
The Medway Handyman wrote:
George wrote:


Years ago workers were reliable and had the courtesy to let you
know wether they were not able to do the job or won't be able to
turn up as arranged.

Some of us still work like that :-)

And demand a vast deposit before starting the job ;-)

And get it :-)

More fool the customer I say for accepting your terms, damned if I would -
and I would still find a contractor to do what I want. :-)

Just recently had a roof job done (I'm to bloody old to get up that height
now) of which a large amount of the cost was materials - he arrived on the
day he said he would to assess the work, gave me a reasonable price for the
work - and nary a mention of a deposit.

He then again turned up on the agreed day, did the job effectively and
cleanly and was then paid at the end - as agreed.

Now that's a *decent* contractor.

Tanner-'op

"Tanner-'op" wrote:

The Medway Handyman wrote:
George wrote:


Years ago workers were reliable and had the courtesy to let you know
wether they were not able to do the job or won't be able to turn up
as arranged.

Some of us still work like that :-)

And demand a vast deposit before starting the job ;-)


If you worked where Dave does, you would ask for a vast deposit too.

Bruce wrote:
"Tanner-'op" wrote:

The Medway Handyman wrote:
George wrote:


Years ago workers were reliable and had the courtesy to let you
know wether they were not able to do the job or won't be able to
turn up as arranged.

Some of us still work like that :-)

And demand a vast deposit before starting the job ;-)


If you worked where Dave does, you would ask for a vast deposit too.

What! Me work after taking early retirement some years ago? Wash your
mouth out with soap that man for speaking that foul, four letter word -
*work*. LOL

If Dave is *that* experienced, he would have developed the 'gut' feeling
about 'bad' clients and just walk away - the signs are mostly there - the
same as they are on the other side of the fence with client spotting the
'rogue trader'.


Tanner-'op

On 2008-05-24 18:09:22 +0100, "Tanner-'op" said:

The Medway Handyman wrote:
Tanner-'op wrote:
The Medway Handyman wrote:
George wrote:


Years ago workers were reliable and had the courtesy to let you
know wether they were not able to do the job or won't be able to
turn up as arranged.

Some of us still work like that :-)

And demand a vast deposit before starting the job ;-)

And get it :-)

More fool the customer I say for accepting your terms, damned if I would -
and I would still find a contractor to do what I want. :-)

Just recently had a roof job done (I'm to bloody old to get up that height
now) of which a large amount of the cost was materials - he arrived on the
day he said he would to assess the work, gave me a reasonable price for the
work - and nary a mention of a deposit.

He then again turned up on the agreed day, did the job effectively and
cleanly and was then paid at the end - as agreed.

Now that's a *decent* contractor.

Tanner-'op

It is, but do you think that all customers are equally 'decent'?

Andy Hall wrote:
On 2008-05-24 18:09:22 +0100, "Tanner-'op"
said:
The Medway Handyman wrote:
Tanner-'op wrote:
The Medway Handyman wrote:
George wrote:


Years ago workers were reliable and had the courtesy to let you
know wether they were not able to do the job or won't be able to
turn up as arranged.

Some of us still work like that :-)

And demand a vast deposit before starting the job ;-)

And get it :-)

More fool the customer I say for accepting your terms, damned if I
would - and I would still find a contractor to do what I want. :-)

Just recently had a roof job done (I'm to bloody old to get up that
height now) of which a large amount of the cost was materials - he
arrived on the day he said he would to assess the work, gave me a
reasonable price for the work - and nary a mention of a deposit.

He then again turned up on the agreed day, did the job effectively
and cleanly and was then paid at the end - as agreed.

Now that's a *decent* contractor.

Tanner-'op

It is, but do you think that all customers are equally 'decent'?

I'm not that naive Andy, I've been around the 'block' too many times for
that - but I do know how to deal with the building trades (and others) after
working 'in the trade' for many, many years.

And if anyone asks for *more* than a 10% deposit for a job (which I consider
fair) then the phrase "sex and and travel" is usually uttered by my good
self to the gentleman and I walk away - even if that deposit rate is then
dropped to a lower price. LOL

Tanner-'op

"Tanner-'op" wrote:

If Dave is *that* experienced, he would have developed the 'gut' feeling
about 'bad' clients and just walk away - the signs are mostly there - the
same as they are on the other side of the fence with client spotting the
'rogue trader'.


If Dave took that approach, I doubt he would get much work, if any.

Tanner-'op wrote:
The Medway Handyman wrote:
Tanner-'op wrote:
The Medway Handyman wrote:
George wrote:


Years ago workers were reliable and had the courtesy to let you
know wether they were not able to do the job or won't be able to
turn up as arranged.

Some of us still work like that :-)

And demand a vast deposit before starting the job ;-)

And get it :-)

More fool the customer I say for accepting your terms, damned if I
would - and I would still find a contractor to do what I want. :-)

Just recently had a roof job done (I'm to bloody old to get up that
height now) of which a large amount of the cost was materials - he
arrived on the day he said he would to assess the work, gave me a
reasonable price for the work - and nary a mention of a deposit.

He then again turned up on the agreed day, did the job effectively and
cleanly and was then paid at the end - as agreed.

Now that's a *decent* contractor.

Thats a contractor who buys his materials on a monthly account.


--
Dave - The Medway Handyman
www.medwayhandyman.co.uk

Bruce wrote:
"Tanner-'op" wrote:

The Medway Handyman wrote:
George wrote:


Years ago workers were reliable and had the courtesy to let you
know wether they were not able to do the job or won't be able to
turn up as arranged.

Some of us still work like that :-)

And demand a vast deposit before starting the job ;-)


If you worked where Dave does, you would ask for a vast deposit too.

Are you casting Nastursians on the good burgers of the Medway Towns?


--
Dave - The Medway Handyman
www.medwayhandyman.co.uk

On Sat, 24 May 2008 22:59:37 UTC, "The Medway Handyman"
wrote:



Bruce wrote:
"Tanner-'op" wrote:

The Medway Handyman wrote:
George wrote:


Years ago workers were reliable and had the courtesy to let you
know wether they were not able to do the job or won't be able to
turn up as arranged.

Some of us still work like that :-)

And demand a vast deposit before starting the job ;-)


If you worked where Dave does, you would ask for a vast deposit too.

Are you casting Nastursians on the good burgers of the Medway Towns?

Better to ask them for a vast deposit, than have them **** on you! :-)

--
The information contained in this post is copyright the
poster, and specifically may not be published in, or used by
http://www.diybanter.com

On Sat, 24 May 2008 22:59:37 UTC, "The Medway Handyman"

Are you casting Nastursians on the good burgers of the Medway Towns?

Before you were a handyman, you didn't work for a school by any chance?

--
The information contained in this post is copyright the
poster, and specifically may not be published in, or used by
http://www.diybanter.com

Tanner-'op wrote:
The Medway Handyman wrote:
Tanner-'op wrote:
The Medway Handyman wrote:
George wrote:


Years ago workers were reliable and had the courtesy to let you
know wether they were not able to do the job or won't be able to
turn up as arranged.

Some of us still work like that :-)

And demand a vast deposit before starting the job ;-)

And get it :-)

More fool the customer I say for accepting your terms, damned if I
would - and I would still find a contractor to do what I want. :-)

You seem to be stuck in a mind set here. Just because the building trade
has always worked on a 10% deposit doesn't make it right.

It's simply bad business to commit your business to a large outlay with no
guarantee of payment.

Look at a couple of examples. Fuel to independant petrol stations for
example, the tanker driver asks for & gets a cheque before he pumps the
fuel. The pub trade, keep the brewery waiting for payment & they will stop
your supply. Buy beer elsewhere and they will find out because the pumps
have GPS type flow meters fitted & people who visit you & check up.

I know how to sell my services, I sell a top quality job backed by
references & accreditation by the local authority Trading Standards.

Part of any sale includes defining the payment terms. I'm not afraid to do
that.

To my mind the small building trade is largely made up of bad businessmen
with no concept of customer service, marketing or corporate appearance.

Try going to the checkout in Tesco & saying "I'll pay you next week".


--
Dave - The Medway Handyman
www.medwayhandyman.co.uk

"The Medway Handyman" wrote:



Bruce wrote:
"Tanner-'op" wrote:

The Medway Handyman wrote:
George wrote:


Years ago workers were reliable and had the courtesy to let you
know wether they were not able to do the job or won't be able to
turn up as arranged.

Some of us still work like that :-)

And demand a vast deposit before starting the job ;-)


If you worked where Dave does, you would ask for a vast deposit too.

Are you casting Nastursians on the good burgers of the Medway Towns?


Burger King or McDonalds? ;-)

[I used to work in Chatham.]

Bob Eager wrote:
On Sat, 24 May 2008 22:59:37 UTC, "The Medway Handyman"

Are you casting Nastursians on the good burgers of the Medway Towns?

Before you were a handyman, you didn't work for a school by any
chance?

Errrm no. I was a rep for industrial cleaning machines.

Why do you ask?


--
Dave - The Medway Handyman
www.medwayhandyman.co.uk

In message , Bruce
writes
"The Medway Handyman" wrote:



Bruce wrote:
"Tanner-'op" wrote:

The Medway Handyman wrote:
George wrote:


Years ago workers were reliable and had the courtesy to let you
know wether they were not able to do the job or won't be able to
turn up as arranged.

Some of us still work like that :-)

And demand a vast deposit before starting the job ;-)


If you worked where Dave does, you would ask for a vast deposit too.

Are you casting Nastursians on the good burgers of the Medway Towns?


Burger King or McDonalds? ;-)

[I used to work in Chatham.]

What did you nick ?

--
geoff

Bruce wrote:
"The Medway Handyman" wrote:



Bruce wrote:
"Tanner-'op" wrote:

The Medway Handyman wrote:
George wrote:


Years ago workers were reliable and had the courtesy to let you
know wether they were not able to do the job or won't be able to
turn up as arranged.

Some of us still work like that :-)

And demand a vast deposit before starting the job ;-)


If you worked where Dave does, you would ask for a vast deposit too.

Are you casting Nastursians on the good burgers of the Medway Towns?


Burger King or McDonalds? ;-)

[I used to work in Chatham.]

Oh. What as? Drug pusher, shoplifter, token drunk, dodgy burger selller?

:-)


--
Dave - The Medway Handyman
www.medwayhandyman.co.uk

On Sat, 24 May 2008 23:24:05 UTC, "The Medway Handyman"
wrote:

Before you were a handyman, you didn't work for a school by any
chance?

Errrm no. I was a rep for industrial cleaning machines.

Why do you ask?

Oh, just a WAG. My wife knew a guy called Dave, who went off to become a
handyman in Medway at just about the time you started...

But, as they say, everyone knows someone called Dave...

--
The information contained in this post is copyright the
poster, and specifically may not be published in, or used by
http://www.diybanter.com

On Sat, 24 May 2008 23:30:41 UTC, "The Medway Handyman"
wrote:

Bruce wrote:
"The Medway Handyman" wrote:



Bruce wrote:
"Tanner-'op" wrote:

The Medway Handyman wrote:
George wrote:


Years ago workers were reliable and had the courtesy to let you
know wether they were not able to do the job or won't be able to
turn up as arranged.

Some of us still work like that :-)

And demand a vast deposit before starting the job ;-)


If you worked where Dave does, you would ask for a vast deposit too.

Are you casting Nastursians on the good burgers of the Medway Towns?


Burger King or McDonalds? ;-)

[I used to work in Chatham.]

Oh. What as? Drug pusher, shoplifter, token drunk, dodgy burger selller?

:-)

You forgot 'pimp'!

--
The information contained in this post is copyright the
poster, and specifically may not be published in, or used by
http://www.diybanter.com

Bob Eager wrote:
On Sat, 24 May 2008 23:24:05 UTC, "The Medway Handyman"
wrote:

Before you were a handyman, you didn't work for a school by any
chance?

Errrm no. I was a rep for industrial cleaning machines.

Why do you ask?

Oh, just a WAG. My wife knew a guy called Dave, who went off to
become a handyman in Medway at just about the time you started...

But, as they say, everyone knows someone called Dave...

We even have our own TV channel...


--
Dave - The Medway Handyman
www.medwayhandyman.co.uk

More fool the customer I say for accepting your terms, damned if I
would - and I would still find a contractor to do what I want. :-)

You seem to be stuck in a mind set here. Just because the building trade
has always worked on a 10% deposit doesn't make it right.

It's simply bad business to commit your business to a large outlay with no
guarantee of payment.

Look at a couple of examples. Fuel to independant petrol stations for
example, the tanker driver asks for & gets a cheque before he pumps the
fuel. The pub trade, keep the brewery waiting for payment & they will stop
your supply. Buy beer elsewhere and they will find out because the pumps
have GPS type flow meters fitted & people who visit you & check up.

I know how to sell my services, I sell a top quality job backed by
references & accreditation by the local authority Trading Standards.

Part of any sale includes defining the payment terms. I'm not afraid to do
that.

To my mind the small building trade is largely made up of bad businessmen
with no concept of customer service, marketing or corporate appearance.

Try going to the checkout in Tesco & saying "I'll pay you next week".



Yep but I bet the bottom of your toolbox that they screw their
suppliers for as much credit as they can get and then some!.....
--
Tony Sayer

We were somewhere around Barstow, on the edge of the desert, when the
drugs began to take hold. I remember "George"
saying something like:

Years ago workers were reliable and had the courtesy to let you know wether
they were not able to do the job or won't be able to turn up as arranged.

Ah, years ago workers tugged their forelocks and mumbled as the gentry
passed. Happy days.

So much for mobile phones and respect.

It's a common problem, and not just in your neck of the woods. It was
always the case that some eejits just couldn't be bothered or it didn't
occur to them to phone and let you know. If I can't make it I always
call, and I've been thanked for it, but I do try to be there on time.
--
Dave
GS850x2 XS650 SE6a

"It's a moron working with power tools.
How much more suspenseful can you get?"
- House

"The Medway Handyman" wrote:



Bruce wrote:
"The Medway Handyman" wrote:



Bruce wrote:
"Tanner-'op" wrote:

The Medway Handyman wrote:
George wrote:


Years ago workers were reliable and had the courtesy to let you
know wether they were not able to do the job or won't be able to
turn up as arranged.

Some of us still work like that :-)

And demand a vast deposit before starting the job ;-)


If you worked where Dave does, you would ask for a vast deposit too.

Are you casting Nastursians on the good burgers of the Medway Towns?


Burger King or McDonalds? ;-)

[I used to work in Chatham.]

Oh. What as? Drug pusher, shoplifter, token drunk, dodgy burger selller?

:-)


As a cowboy handyman. ;-)

In article ,
Bob Eager wrote:
But, as they say, everyone knows someone called Dave...

Ah - but do you really truly know them?

--
*OK, who stopped payment on my reality check?

Dave Plowman London SW
To e-mail, change noise into sound.

In article ,
Tanner-'op wrote:
Just recently had a roof job done (I'm to bloody old to get up that
height now) of which a large amount of the cost was materials - he
arrived on the day he said he would to assess the work, gave me a
reasonable price for the work - and nary a mention of a deposit.

He might well have an account with his suppliers so doesn't have to lay
out cash up front. I see nothing wrong in paying instantly for materials
*on site* or to fund the purchase of large items - provided the work has
started. Especially with a small contractor.

--
*Time is the best teacher; unfortunately it kills all its students.

Dave Plowman London SW
To e-mail, change noise into sound.

On 2008-05-25 14:04:08 +0100, "Dave Plowman (News)"
said:

In article ,
Tanner-'op wrote:
Just recently had a roof job done (I'm to bloody old to get up that
height now) of which a large amount of the cost was materials - he
arrived on the day he said he would to assess the work, gave me a
reasonable price for the work - and nary a mention of a deposit.

He might well have an account with his suppliers so doesn't have to lay
out cash up front. I see nothing wrong in paying instantly for materials
*on site* or to fund the purchase of large items - provided the work has
started. Especially with a small contractor.

... and especially if the items are specific to the customer and not
usable elsewhere.