Hi all

Whilst I do DIY a lot of the jobs around the house, some are frankly beyond
me physically (niggling back probs etc).
So it's time to get a man in as-they-say.
I made the mistake of talking to one of these cold calls about repaving the
drive - turned out to be a shady Irish operator who needed some straight
talk just to get rid of him!
Anyway I digress - the point is, even if this guy knew chapter and verse and
came with excellent references (which he wouldn't actually supply), I would
have been reluctant to deal with him. His van, whilst having a fancy logo
job on the side, did not display a land line phone number or, more
importantly, a business address.
The lack of a displayed address makes me very wary - does anyone else feel
the same?
That brought to mind TMH and his requests for comment on his van logo. Did
a search for the van picks but they seem to have been removed - can't
remember if his address was featured or not (or if this was part of the
discussion).
Browsing briefly through his web site I couldn't see his address either.

This raises another question, aren't businesses supposed to display a
trading address on web sites by law, or is it just a vague "contact details
requirement"?

From what TMH has said, the lack of displayed address does not seem to
affect his business. But then his would be the sort of outfit that you
might trial or use on low value projects, at least until you had confidence
in him.

Phil

"TheScullster" gurgled happily, sounding much like
they were saying:

Anyway I digress - the point is, even if this guy knew chapter and verse
and came with excellent references (which he wouldn't actually supply),
I would have been reluctant to deal with him. His van, whilst having a
fancy logo job on the side, did not display a land line phone number or,
more importantly, a business address.
The lack of a displayed address makes me very wary - does anyone else
feel the same?

On a van? No, not really. TBH, these days, I wouldn't expect more than a
URL - maybe a phone number. A mobile rather than a landline says "very
small company", but is that necessarily a bad thing?

looks out office window
UKMail van, CityLink van.
Both have URLs and phone numbers, neither has an address.

This raises another question, aren't businesses supposed to display a
trading address on web sites by law, or is it just a vague "contact
details requirement"?

Yes, limited companies are required to display the registered address on
all communicatons.

On Tue, 13 Oct 2009 08:53:16 +0100, TheScullster wrote:

This raises another question, aren't businesses supposed to display a
trading address on web sites by law, or is it just a vague "contact
details requirement"?

There are regulations (Distance Selling Regs?) about having a real
address on web sites but I'm pretty sure that is only a requirement
if you are selling direct from the web site via an online shop. TMH
is only using the web as an advert he's not selling directly from the
site.

As to your navy's van. Going through my mind of sole trader vans
around here most will have a contact number, these days quite often a
mobile, and maybe a location but rarely a full address. Full address
stuff tends to be only on vans owned by a company not sole traders.

--
Cheers
Dave.

On Tue, 13 Oct 2009 08:53:16 +0100, TheScullster wrote:
Hi all

Whilst I do DIY a lot of the jobs around the house, some are frankly beyond
me physically (niggling back probs etc).
So it's time to get a man in as-they-say.
I made the mistake of talking to one of these cold calls about repaving the
drive - turned out to be a shady Irish operator who needed some straight
talk just to get rid of him!
Anyway I digress - the point is, even if this guy knew chapter and verse and
came with excellent references (which he wouldn't actually supply), I would
have been reluctant to deal with him. His van, whilst having a fancy logo
job on the side, did not display a land line phone number or, more
importantly, a business address.
The lack of a displayed address makes me very wary - does anyone else feel
the same?

Well, I wouldn't expect a full postal address. Though the name of the town
would be nice - that way you can at least assure yourself that the outfit
is local (so you can look it up in the yellow pages, etc.).

That brought to mind TMH and his requests for comment on his van logo. Did
a search for the van picks but they seem to have been removed - can't
remember if his address was featured or not (or if this was part of the
discussion).
Browsing briefly through his web site I couldn't see his address either.

This raises another question, aren't businesses supposed to display a
trading address on web sites by law, or is it just a vague "contact details
requirement"?

From what TMH has said, the lack of displayed address does not seem to
affect his business. But then his would be the sort of outfit that you
might trial or use on low value projects, at least until you had confidence
in him.

The nice thing about using CORGI restristered people is that you *do* get their
full address from http://www.gassaferegister.co.uk. I'd give preference to a
local tradesman who was open about things like that, rather than a flyer shoved
through my letterbox with just a mobile number of it.

In uk.d-i-y, TheScullster wrote:
I made the mistake of talking to one of these cold calls about repaving the
drive

You seem like a sensible fellow so it just goes to show that anyone can
make a mistake.

IMO it's always a mistake to respond positively to cold calls. I never,
ever, have. I don't see why anyone would. Am *I* being old fashioned?

Although in a different league to your experience, I see those reports
in the newspapers about people winning lotteries they didn't enter,
buying shares/property/commodities that guarantee a profit, etc, and I
shake my head in disbelief. How hard can it be to remember one simple
rule? Just say "no".

I wonder how many people have positive experiences to report from cold
calls.

--
Mike Barnes

On Tue, 13 Oct 2009 10:29:16 +0100, Mike Barnes wrote:
In uk.d-i-y, TheScullster wrote:
I made the mistake of talking to one of these cold calls about repaving the
drive

You seem like a sensible fellow so it just goes to show that anyone can
make a mistake.

IMO it's always a mistake to respond positively to cold calls. I never,
ever, have. I don't see why anyone would. Am *I* being old fashioned?

I've discovered that if you tell them you're renting the place they will
just walk away. No arguments, no sales pitch, no pressure.

Although in a different league to your experience, I see those reports
in the newspapers about people winning lotteries they didn't enter,
buying shares/property/commodities that guarantee a profit, etc, and I
shake my head in disbelief. How hard can it be to remember one simple
rule? Just say "no".

I wonder how many people have positive experiences to report from cold
calls.

In uk.d-i-y, pete wrote:
On Tue, 13 Oct 2009 10:29:16 +0100, Mike Barnes wrote:
In uk.d-i-y, TheScullster wrote:
I made the mistake of talking to one of these cold calls about repaving the
drive

You seem like a sensible fellow so it just goes to show that anyone can
make a mistake.

IMO it's always a mistake to respond positively to cold calls. I never,
ever, have. I don't see why anyone would. Am *I* being old fashioned?

I've discovered that if you tell them you're renting the place they will
just walk away. No arguments, no sales pitch, no pressure.

Fair enough, but I find it simpler to say "not interested [thank you]"
then close the door or put down the phone. No arguments, no sales pitch,
no pressure.

--
Mike Barnes

Huge wrote:

Many places round here are now "No Cold Calling Zones". Dunno if they work,
though - we live down half a mile of unsurfaced track and have had maybe
2 or 3 cold callers in the last 18 years.

"You see that sticker, saying I don't buy from doorstep salesmen,
it is there to save us both time"

"But I'm not selling..."

"That's great, because I'm not buying. Good day."

Chris
--
Chris J Dixon Nottingham UK


Have dancing shoes, will ceilidh.

Mike Barnes wrote:
I find it simpler to say "not interested [thank you]"
then close the door or put down the phone. No arguments, no sales pitch,
no pressure.


Exactly what I do. I certainly don't get into a conversation with them
about their product / service or why I'm not interested etc. A polite
"I'm not interested, goodbye" and that is the end of it.

--
David in Normandy.
To e-mail you must include the password FROG on the
subject line, or it will be automatically deleted
by a filter and not reach my inbox.

On Tue, 13 Oct 2009 08:17:10 +0000, Adrian wrote:

looks out office window
UKMail van, CityLink van.
Both have URLs and phone numbers, neither has an address.

Even Royal Mail vans only have a phone number and web address - what are
they trying to tell us about their services?!

--
John Stumbles

I used to think the brain was the most interesting part of the body
- until I realised what was telling me that

John Stumbles wrote:
On Tue, 13 Oct 2009 08:17:10 +0000, Adrian wrote:

looks out office window
UKMail van, CityLink van.
Both have URLs and phone numbers, neither has an address.

Even Royal Mail vans only have a phone number and web address - what
are they trying to tell us about their services?!

If the strike goes ahead, they will find out!

TheScullster wrote:
SNIP

His van, whilst having a fancy logo job on the side, did not display a land
line phone number or, more importantly, a business address.

Personally I'd be suspicious of anyone not displaying a landline, although
the majority of calls I get are on the mobile. Seems a growing trend,
especially amongst younger customers not to have a landline themselves, so
maybe they wouldn't worry?

The lack of a displayed address makes me very wary - does anyone else
feel the same?

That brought to mind TMH and his requests for comment on his van
logo. Did a search for the van picks but they seem to have been
removed - can't remember if his address was featured or not (or if
this was part of the discussion).

My address isn't displayed, pics of van still about
http://i99.photobucket.com/albums/l2...nPhotos003.jpg
http://i99.photobucket.com/albums/l2...nPhotos002.jpg

Browsing briefly through his web site I couldn't see his address
either.
This raises another question, aren't businesses supposed to display a
trading address on web sites by law, or is it just a vague "contact
details requirement"?

I had Trading Standards check out the site prior to being accredited as a
Fair Trader and they didn't mention an address. They did tug me over my
letterhead which didn't have the proprieters name displayed. I guess they
would have mentioned the address not being on the website.

When I'm trying to find stuff online the lack of physical location annoys
me. Many seem to hide where they are and I often want someone local.

From what TMH has said, the lack of displayed address does not seem to
affect his business.

People obviously know I'm local to the Medway area - although I got a call
from Hythe (40 miles away) a few days ago.

But then his would be the sort of outfit that
you might trial or use on low value projects, at least until you had
confidence in him.

I mainly do low value stuff TBH, apart from decking. The Fair Trader logo
(now on the van) helps an awful lot, 'instant respectability' almost.


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

"The Medway Handyman" wrote in message
news
TheScullster wrote:
SNIP

His van, whilst having a fancy logo job on the side, did not display a
land
line phone number or, more importantly, a business address.

Personally I'd be suspicious of anyone not displaying a landline, although
the majority of calls I get are on the mobile. Seems a growing trend,
especially amongst younger customers not to have a landline themselves, so
maybe they wouldn't worry?

The lack of a displayed address makes me very wary - does anyone else
feel the same?

That brought to mind TMH and his requests for comment on his van
logo. Did a search for the van picks but they seem to have been
removed - can't remember if his address was featured or not (or if
this was part of the discussion).

My address isn't displayed, pics of van still about
http://i99.photobucket.com/albums/l2...nPhotos003.jpg
http://i99.photobucket.com/albums/l2...nPhotos002.jpg

Browsing briefly through his web site I couldn't see his address
either.
This raises another question, aren't businesses supposed to display a
trading address on web sites by law, or is it just a vague "contact
details requirement"?

I had Trading Standards check out the site prior to being accredited as a
Fair Trader and they didn't mention an address. They did tug me over my
letterhead which didn't have the proprieters name displayed. I guess they
would have mentioned the address not being on the website.

When I'm trying to find stuff online the lack of physical location annoys
me. Many seem to hide where they are and I often want someone local.

From what TMH has said, the lack of displayed address does not seem to
affect his business.

People obviously know I'm local to the Medway area - although I got a call
from Hythe (40 miles away) a few days ago.

But then his would be the sort of outfit that
you might trial or use on low value projects, at least until you had
confidence in him.

I mainly do low value stuff TBH, apart from decking. The Fair Trader logo
(now on the van) helps an awful lot, 'instant respectability' almost.


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


Many one man band firms that I know advertise a landline number that just
redirects it's incoming calls to their mobile phone. They have no secretary
and the only other option is an answering machine. Customers (potential or
existing) want to speak to someone when they call and not leave a message.

Adam

pete wrote:
SNIP

Well, I wouldn't expect a full postal address. Though the name of the
town would be nice - that way you can at least assure yourself that
the outfit
is local (so you can look it up in the yellow pages, etc.).

Hence the 'Medway' bit. I did come up with all sorts of clever names, but
ended up thinking it was important to have the local connection as you say.


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

"TheScullster" wrote in message
. uk...
Hi all

Whilst I do DIY a lot of the jobs around the house, some are frankly
beyond me physically (niggling back probs etc).
So it's time to get a man in as-they-say.
I made the mistake of talking to one of these cold calls about repaving
the drive - turned out to be a shady Irish operator who needed some
straight talk just to get rid of him!
Anyway I digress - the point is, even if this guy knew chapter and verse
and came with excellent references (which he wouldn't actually supply), I
would have been reluctant to deal with him. His van, whilst having a
fancy logo job on the side, did not display a land line phone number or,
more importantly, a business address.
The lack of a displayed address makes me very wary - does anyone else feel
the same?

From another point of view, I know one guy (sole trader) who does all his
quotes in the evenings. In his case the potential customer has phoned him
and he has not cold called. His only advertising is the local paper, word of
mouth and the numbers on his van.

When he quotes on the posh estates he turns up in a brand new BMW is clean
shaven and well dressed. When he quotes on the rough estates he turns up in
his van just after finishing work. He claims that he gets more jobs that
way.

Adam

In message , Mike Barnes
writes
In uk.d-i-y, pete wrote:
On Tue, 13 Oct 2009 10:29:16 +0100, Mike Barnes wrote:
In uk.d-i-y, TheScullster wrote:
I made the mistake of talking to one of these cold calls about repaving the
drive

You seem like a sensible fellow so it just goes to show that anyone can
make a mistake.

IMO it's always a mistake to respond positively to cold calls. I never,
ever, have. I don't see why anyone would. Am *I* being old fashioned?

I've discovered that if you tell them you're renting the place they will
just walk away. No arguments, no sales pitch, no pressure.

Fair enough, but I find it simpler to say "not interested [thank you]"
then close the door or put down the phone. No arguments, no sales pitch,
no pressure.


"Do you like abuse ?"
"no"
"Then walk away now"


--
geoff

On Tue, 13 Oct 2009 17:57:01 +0000, ARWadsworth wrote:

When he quotes on the posh estates he turns up in a brand new BMW is
clean shaven and well dressed. When he quotes on the rough estates he
turns up in his van just after finishing work. He claims that he gets
more jobs that way.

And I wonder what rate he quotes at in each case? ;-)

And whether he wangles the Bee Emm as a legitimate business expense 8^)


--
John Stumbles -- http://yaph.co.uk

I'm more non-competitive than you

On Tue, 13 Oct 2009 17:39:45 GMT, The Medway Handyman wrote:

pete wrote:
SNIP

Well, I wouldn't expect a full postal address. Though the name of the
town would be nice - that way you can at least assure yourself that
the outfit
is local (so you can look it up in the yellow pages, etc.).

Hence the 'Medway' bit. I did come up with all sorts of clever names, but
ended up thinking it was important to have the local connection as you say.

Although funnily enough there was a Medway Builders' van in Urmston,
Manchester, on Monday.

SteveW

On Tue, 13 Oct 2009 12:30:43 +0100, Mike Barnes wrote:

In uk.d-i-y, pete wrote:
On Tue, 13 Oct 2009 10:29:16 +0100, Mike Barnes wrote:
In uk.d-i-y, TheScullster wrote:
I made the mistake of talking to one of these cold calls about repaving the
drive

You seem like a sensible fellow so it just goes to show that anyone can
make a mistake.

IMO it's always a mistake to respond positively to cold calls. I never,
ever, have. I don't see why anyone would. Am *I* being old fashioned?

I've discovered that if you tell them you're renting the place they will
just walk away. No arguments, no sales pitch, no pressure.

Fair enough, but I find it simpler to say "not interested [thank you]"
then close the door or put down the phone. No arguments, no sales pitch,
no pressure.

I did have a home phone that could play "on hold music" at one time

SteveW

On Tue, 13 Oct 2009 23:14:39 +0100, Steve Walker wrote:

On Tue, 13 Oct 2009 17:39:45 GMT, The Medway Handyman wrote:

pete wrote:
SNIP

Well, I wouldn't expect a full postal address. Though the name of the
town would be nice - that way you can at least assure yourself that
the outfit
is local (so you can look it up in the yellow pages, etc.).

Hence the 'Medway' bit. I did come up with all sorts of clever names,
but ended up thinking it was important to have the local connection as
you say.

Although funnily enough there was a Medway Builders' van in Urmston,
Manchester, on Monday.

I used to deal with a science fiction bookseller in Wisbech (Cambs.); it
was called "Fantast (Medway)".




--
Use the BIG mirror service in the UK:
http://www.mirrorservice.org

Steve Walker wrote:
On Tue, 13 Oct 2009 17:39:45 GMT, The Medway Handyman wrote:

pete wrote:
SNIP

Well, I wouldn't expect a full postal address. Though the name of
the town would be nice - that way you can at least assure yourself
that the outfit
is local (so you can look it up in the yellow pages, etc.).

Hence the 'Medway' bit. I did come up with all sorts of clever
names, but ended up thinking it was important to have the local
connection as you say.

Although funnily enough there was a Medway Builders' van in Urmston,
Manchester, on Monday.


Bloody sat nav's :-)


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

On Oct 13, 8:51*pm, "The Medway Handyman"
wrote:
Steve Walker wrote:
On Tue, 13 Oct 2009 17:39:45 GMT, The Medway Handyman wrote:

pete wrote:
SNIP

Well, I wouldn't expect a full postal address. Though the name of
the town would be nice - that way you can at least assure yourself
that the outfit
is local (so you can look it up in the yellow pages, etc.).

Hence the 'Medway' bit. *I did come up with all sorts of clever
names, but ended up thinking it was important to have the local
connection as you say.

Although funnily enough there was a Medway Builders' van in Urmston,
Manchester, on Monday.

Bloody sat nav's :-)

--
Dave - The Medway Handymanwww.medwayhandyman.co.uk- Hide quoted text -

- Show quoted text -

Cold calls. Only once - positive experience.
Positive fellow too. And fairly easy in this society to quickly check
up on someone!
Chances are they will have a cousin who knows one of the teachers at
the local school who is married to that lady down the street who
occasionally helps you out at the local committee meetings etc. etc.
Two phone calls and you probably have their life history!
Anyway: This chap turned up one day; I was at work.
This is story wife told me.
The guy had been laid off; no job.
Looking around for some way to be employed realised he had some sheet
metal skills.
And he noted there were many houses with water wells which were either
still in use or had been replaced by municipal water wells; many of
the wells had poor, sloppy coverings, deteriorated covers or
nondescript 'well house' coverings.
Ours, like many others, had an untidy plywood cover; not fully safe
either!
He offered and custom made (mainly conical) sheet metal covers. We
still have ours; it takes the same paint as the house and is low and
tidy with the surrounding concrete square surrounding head of the
well. price was fair, but not too low (after all he had two on site
trips!) and the workmanship was good.
We bought and wished him well (Oh; gee! That was an unintended
pun ........ Sorry about that)! This was all some 30 years ago.
These days, around this area one often sees such covers (on dug/
shallow wells) and each time remembers that hard working and
entrepreneurial person. Hope he did OK?
From: Eastern Canada.

"The Medway Handyman" writes:

I had Trading Standards check out the site prior to being accredited as a
Fair Trader and they didn't mention an address. They did tug me over my
letterhead which didn't have the proprieters name displayed. I guess they
would have mentioned the address not being on the website.

Only if they were doing they're job properly... as I understand it, the
electronic commerce regulations (Statutory Instrument 2002 No. 2013)
do require you give an address:

General information to be provided by a person providing an
information society service
6. - (1) A person providing an information society service shall
make available to the recipient of the service and any relevant
enforcement authority, in a form and manner which is easily,
directly and permanently accessible, the following information -

(a) the name of the service provider;

(b) the geographic address at which the service provider is
established;

I think "information society service" is generally interpreted to
include advertising your services on a website. Whether you're likely to
get jumped on for leaving it off is another matter. You're not gaining
anything by not putting it on, though. A quick whois query and I Know
Where You Live (descending minor chords).

--
Jón Fairbairn
http://www.chaos.org.uk/~jf/Stuff-I-dont-want.html (updated 2009-01-31)

Jon Fairbairn wrote:

Only if they were doing they're job properly... as I understand it, the
electronic commerce regulations (Statutory Instrument 2002 No. 2013)
do require you give an address: [...]

A combination of that and the Companies Act 2006.

I think "information society service" is generally interpreted to
include advertising your services on a website.

http://www.out-law.com/page-7594 and http://www.out-law.com/page-431 expand,
and yes, the laws do cover websites where you just advertise your services.
You need an e-mail address (not a "contact us" form), a geographic
address and company/VAT numbers.

--
Selah

Stephen Gower wrote:
Jon Fairbairn wrote:

Only if they were doing they're job properly... as I understand it,
the electronic commerce regulations (Statutory Instrument 2002 No.
2013) do require you give an address: [...]

A combination of that and the Companies Act 2006.

I think "information society service" is generally interpreted to
include advertising your services on a website.

http://www.out-law.com/page-7594 and http://www.out-law.com/page-431
expand, and yes, the laws do cover websites where you just advertise
your services. You need an e-mail address (not a "contact us" form),
a geographic
address and company/VAT numbers.

Most sites don't show e-mail address's to prevent spam. Can't offhand think
of a company that does display and e-mail address. Just checked Wickes &
Screwfix & they both use a form.

Not limited or VAT registered so I don't have numbers.

I'll ask Trading Standards.


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

The Medway Handyman wrote:
TheScullster wrote:

His van, whilst having a fancy logo job on the side, did not display a land
line phone number or, more importantly, a business address.

Personally I'd be suspicious of anyone not displaying a landline, although
the majority of calls I get are on the mobile. Seems a growing trend,
especially amongst younger customers not to have a landline themselves, so
maybe they wouldn't worry?

I wouldn't worry, if it's the sort of business where a one-man-band is a
reasonable proposition. If it's one guy who, if he's any good, is
probably out working, why would I phone his landline number where he
isn't? I'd either have to leave a message, or at best get redirected to
his mobile and cost him the redirect charge when I might as well have
phoned straight through.

A piece I read recently about the introduction of mobile phones put it
rather well - "we stopped telephoning buildings and started calling people".

For the record I have a landline at home, but only to provide an
Internet connection. In theory it has a cordless phone on it, but either
the handset or the charger is broken and, having never received a valid
call on it when it was working, it's a long way down the list of things
to fix. I did once wire up the guts of a corded phone from my parts box,
in order to dial a work conference call in the US, but now our internal
instant-messaging software can use VOIP to dial phone numbers anywhere
in the world at no cost to me, I'll use my laptop for that on the odd
occasions I need it in future.

Pete

Pete Verdon wrote:

I wouldn't worry, if it's the sort of business where a one-man-band is a
reasonable proposition. If it's one guy who, if he's any good, is
probably out working, why would I phone his landline number where he
isn't? I'd either have to leave a message, or at best get redirected to
his mobile and cost him the redirect charge when I might as well have
phoned straight through.

This raises the interesting question of when is the best time to phone a one
man business. If I call his mobile during the day I'm interrupting his work
and if lots of people call him it can be disruptive. On the other hand if I
call his landline during the evening I'm disturbing the time he has left
for relaxation and recreation (or paperwork). So when do the tradesman in
this group prefer to get their phone calls from people needing jobs doing?

--
Mike Clarke

"Mike Clarke" wrote in message
o.uk...
Pete Verdon wrote:

I wouldn't worry, if it's the sort of business where a one-man-band is a
reasonable proposition. If it's one guy who, if he's any good, is
probably out working, why would I phone his landline number where he
isn't? I'd either have to leave a message, or at best get redirected to
his mobile and cost him the redirect charge when I might as well have
phoned straight through.

This raises the interesting question of when is the best time to phone a
one
man business. If I call his mobile during the day I'm interrupting his
work
and if lots of people call him it can be disruptive. On the other hand if
I
call his landline during the evening I'm disturbing the time he has left
for relaxation and recreation (or paperwork). So when do the tradesman in
this group prefer to get their phone calls from people needing jobs doing?

--
Mike Clarke

During the day please.

Adam

"ARWadsworth" wrote in message
...

"Mike Clarke" wrote in message
o.uk...
Pete Verdon wrote:

I wouldn't worry, if it's the sort of business where a one-man-band is a
reasonable proposition. If it's one guy who, if he's any good, is
probably out working, why would I phone his landline number where he
isn't? I'd either have to leave a message, or at best get redirected to
his mobile and cost him the redirect charge when I might as well have
phoned straight through.

This raises the interesting question of when is the best time to phone a
one
man business. If I call his mobile during the day I'm interrupting his
work
and if lots of people call him it can be disruptive. On the other hand if
I
call his landline during the evening I'm disturbing the time he has left
for relaxation and recreation (or paperwork). So when do the tradesman in
this group prefer to get their phone calls from people needing jobs
doing?

--
Mike Clarke

During the day please.

Adam
Forgot to say, if you really are distubing them (doing a quote, up a ladder,
having breakfast in a cafe) then they can call you back when they are not
busy.

Adam

On Tue, 13 Oct 2009 22:51:56 GMT, The Medway Handyman wrote:

Steve Walker wrote:
On Tue, 13 Oct 2009 17:39:45 GMT, The Medway Handyman wrote:

pete wrote:
SNIP

Well, I wouldn't expect a full postal address. Though the name of
the town would be nice - that way you can at least assure yourself
that the outfit
is local (so you can look it up in the yellow pages, etc.).

Hence the 'Medway' bit. I did come up with all sorts of clever
names, but ended up thinking it was important to have the local
connection as you say.

Although funnily enough there was a Medway Builders' van in Urmston,
Manchester, on Monday.


Bloody sat nav's :-)

There was a whole group of them today (have you been expanding?)

I took another look and they've all got a local phonenumber on them, so
unless the owner's name is Medway, I don't know why they've chosen it.

SteveW

Steve Walker wrote:
On Tue, 13 Oct 2009 22:51:56 GMT, The Medway Handyman wrote:

Steve Walker wrote:
On Tue, 13 Oct 2009 17:39:45 GMT, The Medway Handyman wrote:

pete wrote:
SNIP

Well, I wouldn't expect a full postal address. Though the name of
the town would be nice - that way you can at least assure yourself
that the outfit
is local (so you can look it up in the yellow pages, etc.).

Hence the 'Medway' bit. I did come up with all sorts of clever
names, but ended up thinking it was important to have the local
connection as you say.

Although funnily enough there was a Medway Builders' van in Urmston,
Manchester, on Monday.


Bloody sat nav's :-)

There was a whole group of them today (have you been expanding?)

Only in girth :-)

I took another look and they've all got a local phonenumber on them,
so unless the owner's name is Medway, I don't know why they've chosen
it.

Must be a Mr Medway, there are a few about.


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

Mike Clarke wrote:

This raises the interesting question of when is the best time to
phone a one man business. If I call his mobile during the day I'm
interrupting his work and if lots of people call him it can be
disruptive. On the other hand if I call his landline during the
evening I'm disturbing the time he has left for relaxation and
recreation (or paperwork). So when do the tradesman in this group
prefer to get their phone calls from people needing jobs doing?

I can tell you one thing, mobile phones are altitude sensitive. If I'm up a
ladder or lying under a sink, the bloody thing will always ring! You also
get 'days' where the piggin thing just keeps on ringing & ringing.

I'm very often away from the van & my diary so if busy, I'll let it divert
& call back later.

I tend to return those calls & the ones from the home answerphone whilst
SWMBO is preparing the evenings repast.

You do get people ringing the home number at odd times. 10:30pm for a non
urgent general enquiry, 8:00am on a Sunday ditto.

I have a different ring tone set up for friends, another for family, another
for suppliers.


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