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How do bad tradespeople stay in business?

  • 10-09-2022 4:30pm
    #1
    Registered Users Posts: 6,516 ✭✭✭Wanderer2010


    I was unlucky enough recently to have had an awful time dealing with a so called reputable gas installation company. Everything from Day 1 was hassle. The job took too long, they didnt clean up afterwards and ive had them back 4 times to fix the mess they left behind, the last time i had to call into their office as they were ignoring me. They were rude and loud when doing the job and its safe to say i will not only never use them again, i also wont recommend them to anyone else. Ive since talked to a few people who said they were horrified by their lack of professionalism.

    Now i would have thought in a tiny dot like Ireland your reputation is king. I looked at reviews of their company and nothing but glowing accolades (admittedly some could be from family) and i was just left thinking what the actual fcuk???

    How is it some awful businesses and tradespeople can have such a high client list and no shortage of work year after year when they dont know their ar$e from their elbow? Is it that Irish people arent good at being assertive? Or do these people just use the gift of the gab and brush any complaints away as just one difficult person? Maybe people dont care about shoddy service? Politics...family members or connections linked to the family so nobody rocks the boat.

    I would like to hear some theories on this as to me its a pure head scratcher. Common sense states bad work = no reputation and eventually no work!



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Comments

  • Registered Users Posts: 32,138 ✭✭✭✭is_that_so


    It seems there is a complaints procedure that you could pursue. Bad Google reviews are another way to vent your ire.


    https://rgii.ie/support/gas-installation-complaint/



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  • Registered Users Posts: 1,442 ✭✭✭bad2thebone


    I'm in the garden design, maintenance and planting schemes since the early 90's and the amount of job's I've seen that were horrific is more than the amount of job's I've seen that were done with creativity taste and color.

    Cowboy's and horticulture graduates planting and designing gardens and landscapes that look like something you'd see outside of a chemical factory or along a motorway. Fillers and plants that outgrown each other.

    It looks great when planted out to the untrained eye, but I can picture in my head as the plants mature. It looks like sh1t and there's no inventory done beforehand. The amount of times I've had to fix a garden job done by graduates in the last ten year's is ridiculous. Good for someone like me, but bad workmanship coming from someone who did a degree in horticulture.

    The horticulture botanic gardens graduate's and Stiofain Naofa graduate's in Cork seem to come up trump's or people who graduated in the UK at proper horticulture college's with a flare for creativity are trustworthy. But I have yet to see proper work from other graduate's in other colleges with horticulture college courses in Ireland. Whether you take two or four years in horticulture or botany studies it doesn't matter a toss if you've no love or appreciation of plants color and open spaces.

    Nothing worse than a sh1tty looking garden. These trades should be regulated.



  • Registered Users Posts: 11,445 ✭✭✭✭Ush1


    The inference being pay more and get a better job? Not for me.


    In fact I've got foreign lads to do much better work for cheaper.



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  • Registered Users Posts: 18 Headless_1916


    https://www.bbb.org/ should expand to Ireland? :)



  • Registered Users Posts: 8,229 ✭✭✭corner of hells


    It's not that you found foreign lads to do your job cheaper , you found a price that suited your budget after looking for a couple of quotes.

    I know that when I contracted, that when I priced a job , I was successful with 1 to 2 quotes out of every 10 I priced for and occasionally I'd get a job by word of mouth meaning that roughly 8 potential customers felt I was to expensive.

    Now and again I'd sub contract a job out to an acquaintance if I was busy and vice versa, I'd take a contract off another contractor.






  • It may cost more, but any job should come with a detailed receipt. 

    A wait what now? These days, is anyone actually willing to give you a detailed receipt, unless they add on 20-25% to their "that was a cash quote, pal" figure, and then stick on another 13.5% for VAT?



  • Registered Users Posts: 42,505 ✭✭✭✭SEPT 23 1989


    Anyone who goes ahead with the cheapest quote deserves to get roasted



  • Registered Users Posts: 1,364 ✭✭✭upinthesky


    Asking to see there qualifications might help, my husband is a qualified cabinet maker and he received a gold card on completion of his trade, his work is excellent so i can only assume anyone who has a gold card must be good at their work, most people don't ask to see trade details of the actual people carrying out the work, most of them not even qualified, now im sure there are excellent trades people that have not gone through college but your really only given them the benefit of the doubt and will only know how good bad they are when the job is done...



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  • Registered Users Posts: 8,055 ✭✭✭BrianD3


    I've been trying to get a tree surgeon to reduce a few trees on my property without making a bollix of the job. As yet, I've had no success finding someone who gives me the impression that they are qualified and experienced. Actually I've had no luck getting anyone at all (apart from Travellers cold calling wanting to cut the trees, no thanks)

    Also, I see tree surgeons, landscapers, roofers, solar panel installers etc on social media posting pictures of their work that sets off alarm bells about health and safety. Other tells too e.g. pics of a UK registered vehicle towing a trailer with an Irish plate on it with broken lenses on the trailer lights. If they are sloppy when it comes to complying with road traffic regulations, what are the chances that they are also going to do sloppy work.

    Re: Travellers, they regularly call to the door wanting to cut my trees, one claimed to be a tree surgeon for 20 years and wanted to "top that Ash" - well it's actually a Sycamore and I don't want it "topped" but nevermind that small detail. I wonder do Travellers set the low bar that others then feel compelled to compete with with Joe Public contributing to the problem by giving them work. The flip side of this is, if you are trying to get a legitimate tradesman (who may or may not do good work) to do something and none of them will answer their phone or turn up, you may get desperate and give the work to cold callers.



  • Registered Users Posts: 8,229 ✭✭✭corner of hells


    Where's the part about the tradesman being a bollix or brilliant?

    I can give you a tip about maintaining batteries for drills , free of charge.



  • Registered Users Posts: 11,445 ✭✭✭✭Ush1


    No it wasn't, my budget could have went further. My point is, as Warren Buffett said, price is what you pay, value is what you get get. Separate the two.



  • Registered Users Posts: 11,445 ✭✭✭✭Ush1


    Such an Irish mentality, I don't think I'm getting paid enough so do a shite job. Just don't take the job if you're not gonna do it right. No guns to anyones head.



  • Registered Users Posts: 8,229 ✭✭✭corner of hells


    Warren Buffet , quote # 2 . " Did ya ask the foreign lads for quote " , as he he sits on his 90 billion.



  • Posts: 6,192 ✭✭✭ Jayla Bewildered Concrete


    I don't understand how they stay going....I'd be owed near on 20K parts alone in nixers,know a few more lads in same position....people in this country just don't pay/drag their heels,and wonder why anyone doing quality work stops,or has to charge through nose to cover emselves



  • Posts: 6,192 ✭✭✭ Jayla Bewildered Concrete


    I just stopped calling out etc to em,you'll get some melt who say 'he deosnt turn up/let's ya down'....


    Forgetting of course,to say they rang ya at 6pm on a Saturday in a panic to come straight away and owe ya e750 already with a few months



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  • Registered Users Posts: 2,625 ✭✭✭Kaisr Sose


    Agree with this. Its very hard to get quality finish in Ireland. They are all speed jobs now.



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