What's the story with the Irish indifference and disregard?

AvalonEnaid

There is something wrong with the service industry in Ireland and I don't quite understand what has changed.

Two weeks ago I scheduled a plumber to come through to do some work on my place. The plumber acknowledged the request and then nothing… plumber did not show up, no communication, just nothing.

Went to a consultation at a urology surgeon to discuss a kidney stone removal and then scheduled an appointment for later this month (August 2024), unfortunately the date became unfeasible so I phoned the consultant and asked for a reschedule. "No problem sir, I'll find you another date and call you to confirm". And then nothing… no follow up, just nothing.

I was going to a physio for a knee injury and he asked me to come in on Tuesday, but unfortunately I'm in the office Tuesdays and Thursday so I ask if I can come in Monday, Wednesday, or Friday? And then nothing… no reply, no communication, just nothing.

Take my dog to the vet and get told they'll call me to collect her after the operation. And then nothing… no communication, just nothing. I rushed to pick her up just before closing time.

Call a door supplier for a quote on a replacement door installation "Thank you for the details. I'll send through the quote as soon as possible" And then nothing… no communication, just nothing.

These are my most recent experiences that come to mind, but what the hell is happening here Irish natives? Where is this negligence and lack of follow-through coming from?

Of course it's not all Irish people, of course other nationalities are also crappy at service, of course there are Irish people who still uphold high standards of professionalism. However, I'm noticing these patterns more frequently I cannot buy an excuse of "It's human to forget".

Is there some cultural evolution and global influences that are shaping local attitudes? Are the workers burned out? Poor job satisfaction? High demand, low supply?

pgj2015

it isn't a new thing in Ireland. My dad is waiting on a handy man to come since 2017, a tree surgeon to come since 2021.

There is a module in all trades relating to not turning up after agreeing to come, they train them to not turn up.

Question on all trade exams.

If a customer books you for monday at 9am, do you.

A) Turn up on monday at 9 am?

B) Turn up friday at 9 am?

C) Never turn up and block his/her number if they keep calling?

The correct answer is C.

L Grey

To be fair, most plumbers wouldn't know how to read a calendar.

FrancieBrady

The urologist would know a bit about plumbing, shoulda asked him.

Get Real

What in any of the OP is specifically Irish?

Find a plumber in France or Spain, it'll be the same.

People can have similar experiences with medical appointments the world over too.

The urology appointment, someone forgot to call you back. Did you ring up and keep on their tail? I was 40mins in a restaurant in Italy half wondering where my order was, and it turned out they forgot it completely.

Humans are humans. This type of stuff happens everywhere. I find it extremely cringey that the op is somehow an example of indifference and disregard specifically in relation to Ireland.

Now, the specific problems you've had may need advice/solutions yes. But, being confined to Irish people out of every single race in the world, they are not.

amacca

I'm a "native" and have often wondered about this too

The tree surgeon one rang a bell.....I've asked two to do a job for me now in the last couple of years and been told they'd be in contact

Not a **** peep.....maybe if you don't harass them they think you aren't serious? Although showing them the site, explaining the trees you'd like removed saying they can have the lumber on top of the fee or I'd be willing to process it if they don't want it, asking for a quote etc I presumed would signal some sort of intent

Tbh I think they just didn't want to do it....one reluctant to quote....it wasn't like I was asking them to take down a native American redwood or unwilling to pay the going rate etc

Maybe its just a front for a more profitable trade like stripping or something....**** it maybe I was talking to particularly committed method actors preparing for the role of a lifetime in a summer action blockbuster about lumberjacks fighting off an alien invasion

I can only imagine there's not enough of them for a lot of jobs and they cherry pick....I'll be fucked if I'm harassing someone to take good money off me to do the job they claim they want to do though.

con___manx1

It's a shortage of trades men. The younger generation want a handy life. Wouldn't no a hard day's work if it hit them in the face. Obviously not all of them but I'd guess around 60 percent or more. Any trades men or anything to do with physical labour today are in very high demand and are well paid.

baxterooneydoody

Massive shortage of labour, it's overwhelming the amount of work that's out there for tradesmen.

Fr Tod Umptious

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/122515023#Comment_122515023

It all because they are on government contracts to do up houses for asylum seekers*.

*I know that's not true but every thread gets dragged down into something about asylum seekers eventually so I decided to start it early with a piece of misinformation.

HazeDoll

Why do they say they're going to come? Last year I spent months, I mean about months, trying to get a plumber to come and fix a minor leak so I could get my central heating working. I have no idea how many I rang but I know that exactly ONE of them said, "Look, I don't think I'm going to be able to get out to you until after Christmas, sorry." All the others said something like, "No problem, I'll be out to you tomorrow evening, Wednesday evening at the very latest," and proceeded to ghost me.

I've had multiple experiences trying to get somebody out to install solar panels in the last few months. I had a similar time trying to get somebody to do a fairly straightforward job at my well a couple of years ago. Days, literally days, were spent hanging around waiting for somebody to show up.

I understand that they might be busy and my relatively small jobs might not be a priority, but why don't they just say that?

If they say they'll come and then just… don't, I'm definitely never going to call on them again because they have shown themselves to be unreliable. Whereas if somebody told me that they can't help me this time I might give them a shout the next time.

I had a very satisfying encounter with a chap I had called upon to deal with a hedge that had grown precariously tall. He didn't show at the allotted time so I lost patience and hacked away at it myself. It took me two solid weeks of wielding a handsaw, ropes and a ladder but I did it. He showed up a day or two after I had finished and was quite put out that I told him not to bother coming in the gate, his services weren't needed. The expression on his little face… lovely.

Strumms

my parents in February had a garden redesign, looked the business, but by about late May the grass went all patchy and crappy…

Phone call made, photos sent… “ yep that’s not right don’t know what happened there sorry I’ll finish this job I’m on here, I’m away for a week after but when I’m back I’ll call and get back out to you….in about 3 weeks ok “…

They’ve heard nothing, their subsequent phone calls not answered & voicemails are ignored. It’s not a big garden, it’s small about 20x16 feet square area of grass with a path around it…4 hours work would fix it im guessing…less than a day anyway…

The company are accredited garden design / landscapers…. Website, office, social media etc….nothing indicates they’ve gone out of business….

A lot of businesses these days see themselves as doing you favours for payment instead of quality up to standard work which people want, deserve and require..

But we’ve been championing them and putting them all on pedestals since covid…… ‘heroes’…🤦🏻‍♂️🤷‍♂️……. That probably helps feed current indifference and disregard….

dxhound2005

The only decent service providers in Ireland are the Drug Dealers and the Dodgy Box suppliers.

mcburns07

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/122514982#Comment_122514982

So any job that's not working in the trades is a handy life? Right 🤔

mckildare

I'm waiting for a local fella to come power wash my patio. He said he was on the way the morning of, that was 2019.

thereiver

Tradesmen are in high demand the economy is booming. If they lose a few customers so what .not a big deal.in theory we have medical services. But you can be waiting a long time to see a specialist .

con___manx1

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/122515292#Comment_122515292

Not an easier life at all I know how stressful even an office job for example can be but its easier on the body than trades men. An office job could be much harder on the mind with stress which is equally as bad.

beachhead

Most trades want a clear profit-cash into the back pocket or hand bag.If there is not at least 500 euro to be made then no deal.

whisky_galore

Lots of handier/more profitable work to be had.

But this people-pleasing act, saying yes but not following it up is maddening.

If you don't want or can't do the job, just fcuking say so and stop wasting everyone's time. But I guess there's no repercussions for shítty service.

BrianD3

As a people, we are not rigorous, straight or direct. Words mean nothing and many of us are thinking in the short or very short term. Tradesmen who do sloppy work and let people down are not thinking about their customer base and the next recession. Shur everything is great right now, there's no end to the money/work and the customer needs them more than they need the customer

If a tradesman doesn't want a small job, why doesn't he say that? Because that would seemingly be a social faux pas in cute hoor, parochial Ireland.

Notice how when people are trading in their cars to garages and get offered less than they were expecting, that often gets described as an "insulting" offer. In that case, its not surprising that the dealer would rather ghost them than get back to them.

mcburns07

Makes sense but would it not be easier to say I’m too busy at the moment and not taking on extra work? A few have done that in the past to me and it’s much more preferable to being ghosted, it also wouldn’t put me off asking them in the future.

LambshankRedemption

The trademen issue is an issue the world over. The book "A Year in Provence" documents this problem in a humourous way.

The two medical issues the OP had are unique to Ireland in that waiting lists are so long that if you get an appointment that doesn't quite suit, like going to the office that day, go to the medical appointment! It could be six months until you get a call back from them telling you of the next available appointment. When you are lucky enough to get an appointment and you ask to change it, they assume the appointment is not that important to you, and a bit like the trades people who are super busy, just move on to someone who is desperate.

BrianD3

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/122515805#Comment_122515805

If a tradesman says that he is too busy, I think a lot of people would take that as "someone else's project is more important than MY project" and be insulted. Then they'd badmouth the tradesman in the locality, adding a bit of embellishment to it for a good ould yarn "he basically told me to fcuk off"

Whereas if he says he'll get back to them and doesn't, there could be all manner of semi plausible excuses for that. On holidays, sick, granny died, lost his phone

NewbridgeIR

If the OP has health issues, then fixing these should be prioritised over everything these. If you get an appointment, take it. Most employers will understand once you make up the time elsewhere or show a bit of flexibility in the future.

In terms of the unreliable tradesmen, yes it's very annoying. Flakiness is the worst trait of all. Don't be afraid to leave a bad review or a "I don't recommend because…." comment on social media.

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SuperBowserWorld

People who work for large corporations, working from home on projects that are months late, many of which are canned, spending 50% of their day on mindless Zoom calls, getting paid very well, wondering why the tradesman doesn't turn up on time.

If people want tradesmen to turn up on time time then have more kids, get them into a trade, and remind the government that apprenticeships suck in this country.

The irony is that tradesmen will be some of the last jobs to be automated. Good luck with any robot trying to make sense of Irish plumbing.

😁

Pauliedragon

It works the other way too. There's plenty of good tradesmen who do a perfectly good job on time and have to chase the customer non stop for months to get paid.

Potential-Monke

Maybe the youth are realising that backbreaking work for self important asshats (which most trade bosses are) is not worth what they're paying to take advantage of said youth and lack of experience. My nephew is working far harder than me, pulling steel and general steelworks. But I'm earning 3x what he is and I sit in an office and let people know their alarm has gone off, or one of their trucks has gone off route. Its why I'm doing what I do and have never worked a trade. The physical aspect and taking advantage of apprentices turned me right off.

But, the reason for this lack of getting back is simply because they're so busy, they don't need the extra work. No matter how good or bad of a job they do, there's more jobs coming in on a daily basis due to lack of supply. I'm waiting on 4 garages to get back to me to do a service. I've ended up going to the main dealers to ge5 slightly shafted but at least they got back to me (appointment in 4 weeks...).

Add on that due to said lack of supply they can now pick and choose the handier or better paid jobs. Can't see it changing until another recession hits.

ancapailldorcha

Always been like that, no?

In my younger days, I tried to ask a Garda standing outside then US embassy a question. I said "Hello" and his response was, "The **** you want?". Don't even start me on Dublin Bus drivers.

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/122515992#Comment_122515992

Exactly. I used to live with a lad working for a company which empties bins. I think he may even have been here illegally. He's in his fifties now and has nothing but problems with his back. I grew up farming and am happy to be done with manual labour as a profession.

Mrs OBumble

OP are you foreign?

"I will, yeah" as the answer to a question means exactly the opposite to what you think it does.

Gregor Samsa

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/122515954#Comment_122515954

If people want tradesmen to turn up on time time then have more kids, get them into a trade, and remind the government that apprenticeships suck in this country.

That's playing the long game right there.

Just as a fire is covered by smoke and a mirror is obscured by dust, just as the embryo rests deep within the womb, knowledge is hidden by selfish desire, hidden by this unquenchable fire for self satisfaction, the inveterate enemy of the wise.

This probably

beachhead

esoteric

Daisy78

Have had this issue with plumbers, landscapers, doctor surgeries. Common courtesy seems to have gone out the window now. I’m guessing it’s a supply and demand issue, they have enough clients/patients on their books that they don’t need to worry about following through on a commitment. Highlighting poor quality work/ no show tradesmen or general lack of professionalism on local social media seems to be the only way of addressing it.

Larbre34

Whats the story with it?

Supply and demand. All of these professionals and tradies have three or four times more work available than they can handle. And so potential punters are taken very much for granted.

The same lads forget 2008-12 very quickly, eh?

FrancieBrady

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/122520734#Comment_122520734

Well FG and FF forgot it fairly sharpish too, why wouldn’t they?
I get the feeling the very posters on here complaining would be opening threads if tradespeople were honest and said they weren’t coming. Something along the lines of ‘Plumber said he couldn’t do my job. Do tradespeople have it too good?’

mykrodot

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/122521122#Comment_122521122

… but at least you'd know where you stand. It's called manners and decency.

I had someone doing fencing for me this Summer. Its not his main job as he works in steel construction. He did bits and pieces and then had a very busy contract at work so was gone for weeks. At all times he kept in touch. I didn't mind as long as I knew the job would be completed. He arrived last Saturday and finished the job (it started in June). At all times I knew where I stood. THAT makes all the difference.

If I can't make a doctor's appointment or hairdresser I always ring and cancel. The amount of times they say "thanks for letting us know" shows how much it is appreciated on the other foot too.

FrancieBrady

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/122522441#Comment_122522441

When I worked in a service business if I had a penny for everytime somebody lost the plot when I said I couldn't make a job I wouldn't have to work anymore.

'Manners and decency' are not just required off tradespeople.

This is a minor problem in customer relations I would imagine, blown out of proportion to make a thread. The vast majority of tradespeople don't behave that way, in fact I have never come across an actual case of it and I have dealt with many many many tradespeople.

MacronvFrugals

What everyone is experiencing is surely just inflation, massive demand for these workers so they can pick and choose. Also a lot of pricing jobs not to get them going on.

z80CPU

Noticeable uptick in rejecting of consumer electronics warranty here in Ireland too as I read things. Its the consumers fault ) falls outside warranty.

murpho999

Ok, so in the last while you've needed a plumber, urologist, physiotherapist, vet and a door supplier.

An awful lot going on there and you're saying not one called you back?

My experience is that tradesmen are the hardest to get but the rest, especially medical will be very professional and usually make an appointment on the phone when you call to reschedule.

Same as a vet, they won't just leave an animal on their premises post treatment unless required.

So basically, I'm calling BS on half your stories which are nothing to with Ireland as you'd experience the same issues in other countries.

artanevilla

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/122514982#Comment_122514982

Considering every generation since time immemorial says this about the generation that comes after them it's a wonder we get any work done at all.

Donald Trump

I tried to book an emergency appointment with the local urologist. He said the only appointment he could give me was at 6am on December 25th 2026.

Turned out he was just taking the piss

HazeDoll

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/122522513#Comment_122522513

I get that. My small jobs might not be worth the drive out to my house. But why do they say they'll be here tomorrow after lunch? Why don't they just say, "I'm flat out at the moment. You should try somebody else." I spend half a day waiting around when I could have been calling other plumbers/solar installers/hedge wranglers.

I don't object to these people having too much work to do to put me on their priority list. I object to them saying they'll do it and then letting me down.

NewbridgeIR

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/122523251#Comment_122523251

Exactly - it's the flakiness re not sticking to arrangements that bugs people along with the lack of communication.

Fair enough if a delay occurs - just tell the customer!

z80CPU

No one cares anymore about me talking about anything in the Models forum under recreation:

" ..…so what else do you do in yet leisuretime Z80CPU ...."

When I begin to talk about making airfix kits ( presently making a 1979's JCB excavator and 1/76 scale land rover ) their eyes simply grey over.. it's too much info

whisky_galore

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/122523265#Comment_122523265

It's Irish unwillingness to be direct and professional with people, saying yes to the job and then ignoring and blocking the predicable angry return calls.

z80CPU

Except for Holiday shows and Retiree Shows in Ireland ( including Northern Ireland ) , if you visit as member of the public most other Consumer trade / hobby / Exhibitions signs about Facebook, never mind other links to places like YouTube are few and far between. And don't talk about social media whatever you do to the stall holders - you'll get the vacant stare.

Galwayguy35

That was one good thing back in the last recession, they were glad of any work at all and there was no problem getting a tradesman to do a small job.

And yeah I get that they are busy with big jobs but at the prices they charge these days its handy money to spend less than 30 mins at a small job on the way home and get well paid for it.