I dread every time I have to try and get something done.

My roof etc needs attention:-

1. Email response Sunday will come tomorrow. Came here, clearly
didn't want to be here. Didn't want to go on roof (I've come in the
car so got no ladders), said he couldn't do anything for 5 months
(feedback on the website said he was doing jobs within days), he
didn't like my attitude and after 10mins walked away without saying a
further word.

2. Email Which? Recommended on Sunday. No response.

3. Tried to enter details on Trusted trader supplier, submit entry,
Error 500.

I'd estimate probably 4 days work ~ £7k. Flat roof, replace rotting
wooden soffits and fascias, fix/replace wet verges, attend to flaking
chimney stack - bungalow, easy access.

If someone comes round should I just leave them to look, should I go
around with them (which is my preference so we can be agreed and what
we are agreeing). Should I just try and write a spec? But I'm not a
builder so I need their expertise.

Hate it with a vengeance. Maybe I'm in the wrong clubs.

Ideas and help please.


--
AnthonyL

Why ever wait to finish a job before starting the next?

AnthonyL laid this down on his screen :
Tried to enter details on Trusted trader

Full of chancers, didicoys etc.. Find tradesmen from personal
recommendations, make sure they have an actual address and a landline
number.

On 02/03/2021 09:37, Harry Bloomfield wrote:
AnthonyL laid this down on his screen :
Tried to enter details on Trusted trader

Full of chancers, didicoys etc.. Find tradesmen from personal
recommendations, make sure they have an actual address and a landline
number.

and insurance

--
Robin
reply-to address is (intended to be) valid

Harry Bloomfield, Esq. wrote:
AnthonyL laid this down on his screen :
Tried to enter details on Trusted trader

Full of chancers, didicoys etc.. Find tradesmen from personal
recommendations, make sure they have an actual address and a landline
number.

and then contact all of the ones you find that way and never get a reply,
yes?

BTDTGTTS.

Seems like the only ones who are actually available are the ones who nobody
wants to use.

Theo

It happens that Theo formulated :
Seems like the only ones who are actually available are the ones who nobody
wants to use.

+1

On 02/03/2021 15:02, Harry Bloomfield wrote:
It happens that Theo formulated :
Seems like the only ones who are actually available are the ones who
nobody
wants to use.

+1

Yes. We had the front of our house re-pointed. They are a rough brick
and any mortar that gets on the brick is nigh on impossible to remove,
so we wanted a good company. We kept seeing one company's vans around
the area and saw some good reviews, so made a point of looking at the
results of their work, wherever we saw them. They finally managed to fit
us into a cancellation - after 5 months wait.

On 02/03/2021 09:37, Harry Bloomfield wrote:
AnthonyL laid this down on his screen :
Tried to enter details on Trusted trader

Full of chancers, didicoys etc.. Find tradesmen from personal
recommendations, make sure they have an actual address and a landline
number.

+1 for recommendations. Although one needs to treat online stuff with
caution, local facebook groups seem to be one of the better sources for
recommendations.

Yes the key really is to look at previous work. Even if they may be ex
travellers, it does not always follow that they are con men and bodgers.
Some are very good, but its finding the right ones that is the issue.
Brian

--

This newsgroup posting comes to you directly from...
The Sofa of Brian Gaff...

Blind user, so no pictures please
Note this Signature is meaningless.!
"newshound" wrote in message
o.uk...
On 02/03/2021 09:37, Harry Bloomfield wrote:
AnthonyL laid this down on his screen :
Tried to enter details on Trusted trader

Full of chancers, didicoys etc.. Find tradesmen from personal
recommendations, make sure they have an actual address and a landline
number.

+1 for recommendations. Although one needs to treat online stuff with
caution, local facebook groups seem to be one of the better sources for
recommendations.

Brian Gaff (Sofa) wrote

Yes the key really is to look at previous work.

Not that easy with say boiler or kitchen replacement tho.

Even if they may be ex travellers, it does not always follow
that they are con men and bodgers. Some are very good,
but its finding the right ones that is the issue.

And presumably some used to do good work and are now so
senile that they **** up everything they touch in their dotage.

"newshound" wrote in message
o.uk...
On 02/03/2021 09:37, Harry Bloomfield wrote:
AnthonyL laid this down on his screen :
Tried to enter details on Trusted trader

Full of chancers, didicoys etc.. Find tradesmen from personal
recommendations, make sure they have an actual address and a landline
number.

+1 for recommendations. Although one needs to treat online stuff with
caution, local facebook groups seem to be one of the better sources for
recommendations.

On Thu, 4 Mar 2021 05:46:42 +1100, cantankerous trolling geezer Rodent
Speed, the auto-contradicting senile sociopath, blabbered, again:

FLUSH the trolling senile asshole's latest troll**** unread

--
Norman Wells addressing trolling senile Rodent:
"Ah, the voice of scum speaks."
MID:

On Tue, 2 Mar 2021 21:14:22 +0000, newshound
wrote:

On 02/03/2021 09:37, Harry Bloomfield wrote:
AnthonyL laid this down on his screen :
Tried to enter details on Trusted trader

Full of chancers, didicoys etc.. Find tradesmen from personal
recommendations, make sure they have an actual address and a landline
number.

+1 for recommendations. Although one needs to treat online stuff with
caution, local facebook groups seem to be one of the better sources for
recommendations.

I'd love to say I was convinced by personal recommendations, but on
the whole they reflect (usually not well) on the person making the
recommendation.

Generally the good tradesmen I've had have been based on a surveyor's
recommendation or associated with a purchase of a fitted item.


--
AnthonyL

Why ever wait to finish a job before starting the next?

On 03/03/2021 12:20, AnthonyL wrote:
On Tue, 2 Mar 2021 21:14:22 +0000, newshound
wrote:

On 02/03/2021 09:37, Harry Bloomfield wrote:
AnthonyL laid this down on his screen :
Tried to enter details on Trusted trader

Full of chancers, didicoys etc.. Find tradesmen from personal
recommendations, make sure they have an actual address and a landline
number.

+1 for recommendations. Although one needs to treat online stuff with
caution, local facebook groups seem to be one of the better sources for
recommendations.

I'd love to say I was convinced by personal recommendations, but on
the whole they reflect (usually not well) on the person making the
recommendation.

Generally the good tradesmen I've had have been based on a surveyor's
recommendation or associated with a purchase of a fitted item.


A friend actually got a conservatory built by giving a contract, I
think, to Taylor Wimpey (or some other major house builder). It was
'project managed' and completed to a very high standard.

That might be a bit overkill, but where do house builders source trades
folks from?

It is like IT work?

Agencies?

--
Adrian C

On 02/03/2021 09:37, Harry Bloomfield wrote:
AnthonyL laid this down on his screen :
Tried to enter details on Trusted trader

Full of chancers, didicoys etc.. Find tradesmen from personal
recommendations, make sure they have an actual address and a landline
number.
Ask another tradesman who you trust and have done business with for
suggestions.
Try to find out who local letting agents use .

Robert wrote:
Ask another tradesman who you trust and have done business with for
suggestions.
Try to find out who local letting agents use .

Letting agents who are known for their high quality workmanship, and
absolutely not for lowest-cost tendering to suit their absentee landlord,
yes?

Theo

On 03/03/2021 11:37, Theo wrote:
Robert wrote:
Ask another tradesman who you trust and have done business with for
suggestions.
Try to find out who local letting agents use .

Letting agents who are known for their high quality workmanship, and
absolutely not for lowest-cost tendering to suit their absentee landlord,
yes?

Theo


Letting agents love taking backhanders from tradesmen who do work
for absentee/remote landlords.

On 03/03/2021 11:37, Theo wrote:
Robert wrote:
Ask another tradesman who you trust and have done business with for
suggestions.
Try to find out who local letting agents use .

Letting agents who are known for their high quality workmanship, and
absolutely not for lowest-cost tendering to suit their absentee landlord,
yes?

Theo


Is this from personal experience? I know someone who owns multiple
rental properties and was ripped off by allowing the letting agent be
responsible for arranging maintenance and repairs which was done to a
very poor standard. The properties are now maintained by a directly
employed builder/handyman when required and over the past few years the
previously shoddy work has been replaced to a much better standard.

--
mailto : news {at} admac {dot} myzen {dot} co {dot} uk

alan_m wrote:
On 03/03/2021 11:37, Theo wrote:
Robert wrote:
Ask another tradesman who you trust and have done business with for
suggestions.
Try to find out who local letting agents use .

Letting agents who are known for their high quality workmanship, and
absolutely not for lowest-cost tendering to suit their absentee landlord,
yes?

Is this from personal experience?

Oh yes. I have some stories...

I know someone who owns multiple rental properties and was ripped off by
allowing the letting agent be responsible for arranging maintenance and
repairs which was done to a very poor standard. The properties are now
maintained by a directly employed builder/handyman when required and over
the past few years the previously shoddy work has been replaced to a much
better standard.

For that sort of thing I'd expect a stream of photos of work done, rather
than a stream of invoices for work allegedly done but nobody checks.
(Tenant complains of X, agent sends somebody round, agent gets a bill, agent
pays bill - never checking with tenant that somebody turned up and fixed the
issue)

Theo

Hard these days as some quite large ones seem to just operate from mobiles.
Much like society as a whole is now.
Brian

--

This newsgroup posting comes to you directly from...
The Sofa of Brian Gaff...

Blind user, so no pictures please
Note this Signature is meaningless.!
Harry Bloomfield; "Esq." wrote in message
...
AnthonyL laid this down on his screen :
Tried to enter details on Trusted trader

Full of chancers, didicoys etc.. Find tradesmen from personal
recommendations, make sure they have an actual address and a landline
number.

"Harry Bloomfield"; "Esq." wrote in message
...
AnthonyL laid this down on his screen :
Tried to enter details on Trusted trader

Full of chancers, didicoys etc.. Find tradesmen from personal
recommendations,

and if you can't get any personal recommendations

It's nowhere as easy to do this as you think that it is

Especially if you are doing up a house after you have just moved into an
area

"tim..." wrote in message
...


"Harry Bloomfield"; "Esq." wrote in message
...
AnthonyL laid this down on his screen :
Tried to enter details on Trusted trader

Full of chancers, didicoys etc.. Find tradesmen from personal
recommendations,

and if you can't get any personal recommendations

It's nowhere as easy to do this as you think that it is

Especially if you are doing up a house after you have just moved into an
area

Its very easy to ask in a local facebook group for recommendations
and isnt much harder to check if those who are recommending
someone is a friend of the one being recommended.

"AnthonyL" wrote in message
...
I dread every time I have to try and get something done.

My roof etc needs attention:-

1. Email response Sunday will come tomorrow. Came here, clearly
didn't want to be here. Didn't want to go on roof (I've come in the
car so got no ladders), said he couldn't do anything for 5 months
(feedback on the website said he was doing jobs within days), he
didn't like my attitude

yup got that all the time

I make it clear to people that I want a job don't "properly". By which I
don't mean skilfully (that's a given), but I mean with a perfect finish.

If that means that it will take you longer and therefore cost me more,
that's fine by me.

Some traders read into this that I'm going to be an awkward customer who
niggles over the bill, when I'm not like that at all. (I paid the guy that
I did get in, for the extra time that he took, fixing his own mistakes - all
I wanted was the job done right. The extra 300 quid was neither here nor
there.)

On Tue, 2 Mar 2021 09:41:48 -0000, "tim..."
wrote:

snip

I make it clear to people that I want a job don't "properly". By which I
don't mean skilfully (that's a given), but I mean with a perfect finish.

If that means that it will take you longer and therefore cost me more,
that's fine by me.

But haven't we (the population in general) brought this upon ourselves
to some degree because we get several quotes and often / generally go
for the cheapest, meaning we rarely get the best? That's not to say
the most expensive quote will be / guarantee 'the best' of course,
often far from it but by trying to force people to offer price work on
work that is often difficult to predict, better on T & M? Again, T&M
is fine if people are working a efficiently as possible, often not the
case, especially with many 'British' builders (compared with Polish
etc)?

Some traders read into this that I'm going to be an awkward customer who
niggles over the bill, when I'm not like that at all.

Yup, seen that loads of times ... they just want an 'easy job' and
won't take on anything where their 'best efforts' might be tested.

(I paid the guy that
I did get in, for the extra time that he took, fixing his own mistakes - all
I wanted was the job done right. The extra 300 quid was neither here nor
there.)

Quite. However, even when you do have 'a gentlemen's agreement (if not
a legal one) with them re some specific aspects, you can't always
guarantee that will be honoured.

When having the DG windows installed I asked them to bolt *all* the
windows in, however small (rather than just use foam) and in return
they would all be treated by as much tea and pizza they wanted. They
agreed, enjoyed the tea and pizza but were about to 'just' foam in a
couple of windows because 'they don't normally bother to bolt in the
small ones'? Once reminded they bolted them in, but ...

The Co also fitted the windows in 3 phases, as the holes became
available (all part of the agreement) and the last batch was ready
just before xmyth. Because we don't 'do' xmyth, I spoke to the Co and
said 'if' your fitters wanted to fit them xmth eve / day (even), I
would be happy to pay their over / extra time.

They cam xmyth eve and did the last batch then said I had said I was
going to pay them in full (not just the overtime). Not wanting them to
lose out I paid them (it was only £300 or summat) and when the Co
re-opened in the new year the Boss couldn't agree I'd only offered to
pay any 'extra', not the whole lot. At the end of the day it wasn't
worth taking it any further and I did call them back under the
guarantee to replace a sealed unit that cracked on it's own.

Daughter had just had some new appliances fitted in the flat she
rents. 3 re-visits so far to fix issues created by these so called
'Registered tradesmen', things that likely wouldn't have happened
(water / gas leaks) had her 'unregistered' Dad done them?

Mate got a guy to fit a new WM and because he wasn't going to be
present himself, asked him specifically to test it (offering to pay
for any extra time).

He turned up, ran the machine, water everywhere. Called the guy back,
and without a hit of apology or offers of a refund admitted he'd
forgotten to open a piece of drain pipe (possibly not cut the end off
the hard plumbed spigot on the waste trap)?

This is what he did for a living?

Cheers, T i m

On 02/03/2021 09:23, AnthonyL wrote:

3. Tried to enter details on Trusted trader supplier, submit entry,
Error 500.

You probably dodged the bullet there.


--
mailto : news {at} admac {dot} myzen {dot} co {dot} uk

AnthonyL posted
I dread every time I have to try and get something done.

My roof etc needs attention:-

1. Email response Sunday will come tomorrow. Came here, clearly
didn't want to be here. Didn't want to go on roof (I've come in the
car so got no ladders), said he couldn't do anything for 5 months
(feedback on the website said he was doing jobs within days), he
didn't like my attitude and after 10mins walked away without saying a
further word.

Whereabouts are you? Here in East Devon we get that all the time. It
wasn't so bad in London, provided you were prepared to deal with people
you didn't know.

--
Algernon

On Tue, 2 Mar 2021 11:13:08 +0000, Algernon Goss-Custard
wrote:

AnthonyL posted
I dread every time I have to try and get something done.

My roof etc needs attention:-

1. Email response Sunday will come tomorrow. Came here, clearly
didn't want to be here. Didn't want to go on roof (I've come in the
car so got no ladders), said he couldn't do anything for 5 months
(feedback on the website said he was doing jobs within days), he
didn't like my attitude and after 10mins walked away without saying a
further word.

Whereabouts are you? Here in East Devon we get that all the time. It
wasn't so bad in London, provided you were prepared to deal with people
you didn't know.


East Midlands city/suburbia. Adverts galore in the local monthly
magazine, Yell etc - none of them say "we don't bother".


--
AnthonyL

Why ever wait to finish a job before starting the next?

On Tue, 2 Mar 2021 11:13:08 +0000, Algernon Goss-Custard
wrote:

AnthonyL posted
I dread every time I have to try and get something done.

My roof etc needs attention:-

1. Email response Sunday will come tomorrow. Came here, clearly
didn't want to be here. Didn't want to go on roof (I've come in the
car so got no ladders), said he couldn't do anything for 5 months
(feedback on the website said he was doing jobs within days), he
didn't like my attitude and after 10mins walked away without saying a
further word.

Whereabouts are you? Here in East Devon we get that all the time. It
wasn't so bad in London, provided you were prepared to deal with people
you didn't know.

Mate sold his guest house down there because getting trades to turn up
(and getting down there from London to meet / supervise / pay them)
was such a PITA.

He arrived as agreed to meet heating guy at lunchtime on Tuesday the
5th and by 2pm he still hadn't arrived.

He rang the guy, asking where he was and he said: 'Oh, is it Tuesday
....'.

Cheers, T i m

In article ,
Algernon Goss-Custard wrote:
AnthonyL posted
I dread every time I have to try and get something done.

My roof etc needs attention:-

1. Email response Sunday will come tomorrow. Came here, clearly
didn't want to be here. Didn't want to go on roof (I've come in the
car so got no ladders), said he couldn't do anything for 5 months
(feedback on the website said he was doing jobs within days), he
didn't like my attitude and after 10mins walked away without saying a
further word.

Whereabouts are you? Here in East Devon we get that all the time. It
wasn't so bad in London, provided you were prepared to deal with people
you didn't know.

Not so sure about that - I'm in London. Wanted an existing Victorian sash
window converted to double glazing. A couple of neighbours used the same
small firm to do this and they made a very good job. So contacted them
autumn last year. They had a look and gave me a price but said it would be
January before they could start on it. But didn't want strangers in the
house during Covid, so put them off. I've now had the vaccine, so they
came yesterday to make templates. They then make new double glazed sashes
in their workshop. And said they will fit them in May. ;-)

--
*Wrinkled was not one of the things I wanted to be when I grew up

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

On Tue, 02 Mar 2021 09:23:04 GMT, lid (AnthonyL)
wrote:

I dread every time I have to try and get something done.

My roof etc needs attention:-

1. Email response Sunday will come tomorrow. Came here, clearly
didn't want to be here. Didn't want to go on roof (I've come in the
car so got no ladders), said he couldn't do anything for 5 months
(feedback on the website said he was doing jobs within days), he
didn't like my attitude and after 10mins walked away without saying a
further word.

2. Email Which? Recommended on Sunday. No response.

3. Tried to enter details on Trusted trader supplier, submit entry,
Error 500.

I'd estimate probably 4 days work ~ £7k. Flat roof, replace rotting
wooden soffits and fascias, fix/replace wet verges, attend to flaking
chimney stack - bungalow, easy access.

If someone comes round should I just leave them to look, should I go
around with them (which is my preference so we can be agreed and what
we are agreeing). Should I just try and write a spec? But I'm not a
builder so I need their expertise.

Hate it with a vengeance. Maybe I'm in the wrong clubs.

Ideas and help please.

I think part of the problem is that feedback can only be left when a
job is done. You don't hear from all the people who have been let
down.

I phoned a guy on Thursday for a repair to a gate. Great reviews. He
seemed distracted while I was speaking to him. He said he would need
to look. I offered to send him photographs first. He said he would
get back to me. Now it's Tuesday. I don't suppose I could leave a
review saying he was 100% unreliable - avoid.

On 02/03/2021 09:23, AnthonyL wrote:
I dread every time I have to try and get something done.

I'm on both sides of the fence. I was a tradesman all my working life.
Now I'm an OAP who needs tradesmen.

Firstly, I have to say that personal recommendation is the way to go. A
good tradesman will know this. I relied on it entirely. I never advertised.

The fact is that the trades are busy at the moment because lockdown is
giving people ideas about getting the house fixed. So if the guy says he
won't be able to do the job for a few weeks, accept it, but ask if he
can pop in and have a look within a few days.

I think a lot of this comes down to people skills; both the ability to
understand the other person and also to know how to behave towards them.
Remember that in this climate you have to advertise yourself as a good
customer. Be friendly but not silly about it. Be prepared to chat. Build
a relationship. This sounds cynical but actually I do find other
people's stories interesting, and I enjoy chatting with tradesmen. It's
really nice as well to build up a relationship that can last years and
make future jobs much easier.

I admit I have the advantage that having been a tradesman myself I can
see the other man's point of view, and that helps a lot.

If you go into the thing with the attitude that it's 'them and us' you
are doomed to fail. It isn't 'them and us', it's two people with aims
that should combine rather than clash. Tradespeople are human beings.

Above all, be reasonable about things. Everybody has off-days. Everybody
has things on their mind sometimes. Everybody makes mistakes. Don't
nit-pick.

Bill

williamwright wrote:
Above all, be reasonable about things. Everybody has off-days. Everybody
has things on their mind sometimes. Everybody makes mistakes. Don't
nit-pick.

+1 to all of that.

I think the problem comes when you're starting out cold. You move somewhere
new, so you don't know anyone. You need your aerial fixing (for example),
but none of the neighbours have needed work on theirs. If you find someone
and they don't do a terrible job you'll next need the aerial fixing in about
20 years, so the relationship isn't worth investing in.

At that point you can ask around people you don't know for options. But
a lot of them can be gamed by bad people ('trader' sites, Facebook
groups, etc). So it then becomes a task of trying to out-game the gamers
(do those reviews look genuine, was the Facebook recommendation written by
the trader's brother?). Which is all rather tiresome and not a skill
everyone is good at.

Theo

On 02/03/2021 15:09, Theo wrote:
If you find someone
and they don't do a terrible job you'll next need the aerial fixing in about
20 years, so the relationship isn't worth investing in.

Funnily enough that isn't as true as it used to be. Most aerial
installers also install satellite, CCTV, phone extensions, etc. And then
there's the fact that as the family grows the need for more aerial
points can grow.

Bill

On 02/03/2021 17:43, williamwright wrote:

Funnily enough that isn't as true as it used to be. Most aerial
installers also install satellite, CCTV, phone extensions, etc. And then
there's the fact that as the family grows the need for more aerial
points can grow.

You may have got out of the business at the right time.

I have a smart TV here in my study with an internet connection but no
aerial

Andy

On 03/03/2021 10:37, Vir Campestris wrote:
On 02/03/2021 17:43, williamwright wrote:

Funnily enough that isn't as true as it used to be. Most aerial
installers also install satellite, CCTV, phone extensions, etc. And
then there's the fact that as the family grows the need for more
aerial points can grow.

You may have got out of the business at the right time.

I have a smart TV here in my study with an internet connection but no
aerial


There's a lot more bandwidth coming into my house in optical fibre than
there is in TV and radio aerials.

a quick wet finger back of envelope calculations suggest that a
reasonable radio signal has 60dB signal to noise, which equates to 10
bits deep more or less. and with a total RF bandwidth from 80Mhz to
800Mhz that's about 7.2 megabits per second total raw data rate.

...and the Internet whilst it supports broadcasting has never really used
it - your local link only need take what you are actually watching...

I think the way comms will in fact go, is towards ever more localised RF
WiFi style connection to mobile devices supported by a multi terabit
optical network replacing all cables.

As to how it gets paid for - well you purchase a wifi 'key' that allows
you to use public wifi networks as you traverse them. Like the current
licence except the money goes to the network, not to the content providers



Andy


--
€œIt is hard to imagine a more stupid decision or more dangerous way of
making decisions than by putting those decisions in the hands of people
who pay no price for being wrong.€�

Thomas Sowell

"Theo" wrote in message
...
williamwright wrote:
Above all, be reasonable about things. Everybody has off-days. Everybody
has things on their mind sometimes. Everybody makes mistakes. Don't
nit-pick.

+1 to all of that.

I think the problem comes when you're starting out cold. You move
somewhere
new, so you don't know anyone. You need your aerial fixing (for example),
but none of the neighbours have needed work on theirs. If you find
someone
and they don't do a terrible job you'll next need the aerial fixing in
about
20 years, so the relationship isn't worth investing in.

At that point you can ask around people you don't know for options.
But a lot of them can be gamed by bad people ('trader' sites, Facebook
groups, etc). So it then becomes a task of trying to out-game the gamers
(do those reviews look genuine, was the Facebook recommendation
written by the trader's brother?).

It isnt hard to check that by looking at who his friends are.
Something you cant do with the other sources.

And its likely that if they are duds that someone else wont say do.

Which is all rather tiresome and not a skill everyone is good at.

On Wed, 3 Mar 2021 07:46:26 +1100, cantankerous trolling geezer Rodent
Speed, the auto-contradicting senile sociopath, blabbered, again:

FLUSH the trolling senile asshole's latest troll**** unread

Oh, ****! And this little thread was Rodent-free, so far!!! tsk

--
Richard addressing senile Rodent Speed:
"**** you're thick/pathetic excuse for a troll."
MID:

On 02/03/2021 09:23, AnthonyL wrote:
I dread every time I have to try and get something done.

My roof etc needs attention:-

1. Email response Sunday will come tomorrow. Came here, clearly
didn't want to be here. Didn't want to go on roof (I've come in the
car so got no ladders), said he couldn't do anything for 5 months
(feedback on the website said he was doing jobs within days), he
didn't like my attitude and after 10mins walked away without saying a
further word.

Another search engine ...

https://www.buywithconfidence.gov.uk/home/

--
Adrian C

On Tue, 2 Mar 2021 13:08:05 +0000, Adrian Caspersz
wrote:

On 02/03/2021 09:23, AnthonyL wrote:
I dread every time I have to try and get something done.

My roof etc needs attention:-

1. Email response Sunday will come tomorrow. Came here, clearly
didn't want to be here. Didn't want to go on roof (I've come in the
car so got no ladders), said he couldn't do anything for 5 months
(feedback on the website said he was doing jobs within days), he
didn't like my attitude and after 10mins walked away without saying a
further word.

Another search engine ...

https://www.buywithconfidence.gov.uk/home/


Interestingly enough one of those guys came around last year to have a
and I was deterred when he said £xxxx no VAT, wanted me to send him
the list of work rather than make his own notes and said he did
"insurance backed guarantees". He may be a very good roofer for all I
know but the "buywithconfidence" factor was missing.

Are insurance backed guarantees a good thing?


--
AnthonyL

Why ever wait to finish a job before starting the next?

"Jethro_uk" wrote in message
...
On Wed, 03 Mar 2021 19:51:39 +0000, AnthonyL wrote:

Are insurance backed guarantees a good thing?

They sound impressive don't they ?

In theory they are supposed to outlive the firm that did the work.

In practice I would be pleasantly surprised if anyone can report ever
claiming successfully on them.

OTOH

I can assure you that there is nobody who has claimed on an installer
guarantee, after the company goes bust

BTDTGTTS

On 05/03/2021 13:28, Jethro_uk wrote:
On Fri, 05 Mar 2021 12:35:41 +0000, tim... wrote:

"Jethro_uk" wrote in message
...
On Wed, 03 Mar 2021 19:51:39 +0000, AnthonyL wrote:

Are insurance backed guarantees a good thing?

They sound impressive don't they ?

In theory they are supposed to outlive the firm that did the work.

In practice I would be pleasantly surprised if anyone can report ever
claiming successfully on them.

OTOH

I can assure you that there is nobody who has claimed on an installer
guarantee, after the company goes bust

BTDTGTTS

I didn't need to do any research to know that.

If it's something that is a deal breaker for some, fair enough. But I've
worked for an insurance company. And I can still recall my Dad being
asked by an insurance company in the 1970s the most reliable parts of an
engine, since they had to underwrite the warranty for the dealers and
needed to ensure they only covered the bits that never failed. ISTR they
started with the crankshaft.


Mk1 diesel Landrovers tended to break their crankshafts

Yes I got a fencer, who though his work was sturdy, seemed to have an odd
lack of appreciation of right angles and slanted featherboarding issues.
It is a bit like, If I could have seen better I'd have made a better
decision on where the right angles and filler bits should be. Its a bit like
tilers who end up with non straight rows of times due to lack of forward
planning.
Brian

--

This newsgroup posting comes to you directly from...
The Sofa of Brian Gaff...

Blind user, so no pictures please
Note this Signature is meaningless.!
"AnthonyL" wrote in message
...
I dread every time I have to try and get something done.

My roof etc needs attention:-

1. Email response Sunday will come tomorrow. Came here, clearly
didn't want to be here. Didn't want to go on roof (I've come in the
car so got no ladders), said he couldn't do anything for 5 months
(feedback on the website said he was doing jobs within days), he
didn't like my attitude and after 10mins walked away without saying a
further word.

2. Email Which? Recommended on Sunday. No response.

3. Tried to enter details on Trusted trader supplier, submit entry,
Error 500.

I'd estimate probably 4 days work ~ £7k. Flat roof, replace rotting
wooden soffits and fascias, fix/replace wet verges, attend to flaking
chimney stack - bungalow, easy access.

If someone comes round should I just leave them to look, should I go
around with them (which is my preference so we can be agreed and what
we are agreeing). Should I just try and write a spec? But I'm not a
builder so I need their expertise.

Hate it with a vengeance. Maybe I'm in the wrong clubs.

Ideas and help please.


--
AnthonyL

Why ever wait to finish a job before starting the next?