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Is it just me, or does tradesperson timekeeping and communication drive you absolutely mad?

 
Well & Truly Off The Grid
Last Post by Toodles 7 minutes ago
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Mars
 Mars
(@editor)
Illustrious Member Admin
Joined: 6 years ago
Posts: 4869
Topic starter 24/09/2026 9:15 am   [#3172]

We’ve been trying to get several bits of work done around the house through August and September (tiling, plumbing, some woodwork and a few other jobs) and I’m staggered by how inconsistent the communication and timekeeping is across the trades.

We’ve got an electrician who is notoriously difficult to get hold of in the first place, but once you actually pin him down and he says, “I’ll be there at 10am on Tuesday,” he is there at 10am on Tuesday. Almost to the minute. At this point that feels like some sort of exotic premium service, because everyone else seems to operate in an alternative timezone.

The latest one is a plumbing job. We’ve been speaking to a chap who only wants to communicate by text, which is absolutely fine with me, and we agreed that he would come out today. All week I’ve been asking what time he’s planning to arrive so we can organise our day around him. Nothing. No reply, no rough window, no “morning” or “afternoon”, no “I’ll let you know Wednesday night”. It’s Thursday morning now and I have no idea whether he is coming at 9am, 4pm or not at all.

And this is the bit that baffles me. I completely understand that jobs overrun, emergencies happen, traffic is awful, suppliers let people down and one awkward fitting can turn a two-hour job into half a day. I don’t expect military precision from somebody working in people’s houses. But surely basic communication isn’t unreasonable? “Running late, probably with you around 2.” Done. Ten seconds.

Instead, you end up keeping an entire day clear because somebody might appear at some unspecified point, and you feel like a nuisance for asking whether the person you’re paying is actually planning to turn up.

Is this just the reality now?


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Toodles
 Toodles
(@toodles)
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Joined: 4 years ago
Posts: 2965
24/09/2026 9:31 am  

No, it isn’t just you Mars (I think you already knew that of course🤨) F’rinstance we have a jobbing gardener/odd job person who only communicates by email - and only at weekends. Anyone insisting on using Whats App is a no-no as far as I am concerned as I don’t use such, face book and other social media are completely lost on me as well so companies going down that route are not known to me. Years ago it was contact via a mobile (and rates were very much higher then!) I don’t mind a text message but don’t appreciate the ‘texting abbreviations’ that many are fond of. Then there are those who send a message (4-6 hours after their promised arrival time) saying ‘can’t make it today’. (Don’t get me started Mars - though I think you have already😟)

As for timekeeping, I believe that some traders use their very own timezones! Regards, Toodles.


Toodles, heats his home with cold draughts and cooks food with magnets.


   
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