Can One Expect To Find Excellent Tradespeople - If So Where In Melbourne?

[Metal Head]

Hi,

People who have followed my posts over the past couple of years will know that the wife and I haven’t had too much luck when it as comes to finding excellent tradespeople (all men:(). Unfortunately our latest pick (painter) wasn’t as good as he claimed he was when he gave us the quote - if only I had been born with hindsight:rolleyes: . I had contacted the Master Painters of Victoria for referrals in the hope that the ethics they preach on would help, but alas that was maybe wishful thinking.

I am a perfectionist in most things I attempt (by trade I am a toolmaker) as I don’t believe a job is worth doing unless it is done correctly. That also includes doing other things other than taking a pride in the job you do. I expect people to clean up the mess (they have created) after performing their task(s) for the day. The painter over the past couple of days of working at our house, had gone home and left us to clean the dust off all the surfaces and we mopped the floors in our newly installed kitchen/dining room. However, this was also the case with Harvey Norman’s crew who had installed it (the kitchen) over the previous 4 weeks.

The past two jobs (as mentioned above) were the most expensive quotes we had received for the respective work to be carried out. So have I got a right to expect an excellent job to be done?, or is it very hard to find excellent tradespeople here in Melbourne<ST1:p</ST1:p?. I assume given my experience, one would have to pay in the region of $100 per hour to get a master painter in or is that too cheap?.

Now I will get off my soap box for having got that off my chest.</O:p

MH:((

[echnidna]

Give every tradesman quoting on your jobs a copy of this post so they know what you expect.

[johnc]

MH,

You just need to explain that you wish to employ a housekeeper with trade skills, if the job is done well I can't see why you are complaining about a bit of dust. The BIL who works for a hire company once had a builder hire a vacuum to clean up the lawn (of saw dust) of a client. This is not normal practice but the client had asked that it be done at the start of the quote and she was charged accordingly, perhaps the trades are doing exactly what they thought was expected, communication is everything, you have to spell it out that you are a fussy bugger.

John.

[NCArcher]

I am a tradesman, electrician, and i always clean up after a job. It only takes a few minutes and i think it is perfectly reasonable that you expect other tradesmen to do the same. However, as you say, you are a perfectionist and if you have had trouble finding a single good tradesman over a few years it may be you who is expecting too much.
As John C said "communication is everything". Tell them when they arrive for the day exactly what you expect. If they are unwilling to clean up after themselves they are probably not worth the effort. Send them on their way and hire someone who will.

Tony

[echnidna]

I regard myself as a good tradesman and I want customers who will be pleased with a good job.

But I DO AVOID customers who will never be pleased.
There isn't enough money in this world to pay for nitpicking frustrations.

[Grunt]

You can find a good tradesman here. (http://maps.google.com.au/maps?f=q&hl=en&q=Whittlesea,+VIC&layer=&ie=UTF8&z=18&ll=-37.581173,145.104509&spn=0.002933,0.007424&t=h&om=1)

It's also a great place to relieve one self

[echnidna]

You can find a good tradesman here. (http://maps.google.com.au/maps?f=q&hl=en&q=Whittlesea,+VIC&layer=&ie=UTF8&z=18&ll=-37.581173,145.104509&spn=0.002933,0.007424&t=h&om=1)

It's also a great place to relieve one self

:2tsup: :2tsup: :2tsup: :2tsup: :2tsup:

[Gra]

You can find a good tradesman here. (http://maps.google.com.au/maps?f=q&hl=en&q=Whittlesea,+VIC&layer=&ie=UTF8&z=18&ll=-37.581173,145.104509&spn=0.002933,0.007424&t=h&om=1)

It's also a great place to relieve one self


especially near the dumpster

:2tsup::2tsup:

[Rossluck]

MH,

You just need to explain that you wish to employ a housekeeper with trade skills, if the job is done well I can't see why you are complaining about a bit of dust. The BIL who works for a hire company once had a builder hire a vacuum to clean up the lawn (of saw dust) of a client. This is not normal practice but the client had asked that it be done at the start of the quote and she was charged accordingly, perhaps the trades are doing exactly what they thought was expected, communication is everything, you have to spell it out that you are a fussy bugger.

John.

Settle down John. As life has it, if you make a mess you clean it up. We all do it. You make a mess, it's yours, you own it, you clean it up. Sometimes, as a favour, I'd say to a tradie: "just leave that mate, I'll clean it up ....".

I'm not going to ring a tradie and say: "Oh, by the way, I'm a fussy bugger, so can you please clean up the mess that you make while you are working in my place?"

[ozwinner]

I find the biggest problem is people expect to get a top notch tradie for a bargain price, it just doesnt happen Im sorry, you get what you pay for.

And, no ya cant all pee behind the skip..:roll:

Al :oo:

[Grunt]

It does seem that everyone goes for the cheapest quote. Me I go for the middle one. I figure the most expensive is ripping me off and the cheapest will cut corners.

[echnidna]

It does seem that everyone goes for the cheapest quote. Me I go for the middle one. I figure the most expensive is ripping me off and the cheapest will cut corners.

Logical strategy :)

[Metal Head]

Well here I am again having to rewrite a post that took over half an hour to do only to find a notice come up stating I hadn’t logged in:(( .
<O:p</O:p

Firstly, I had told the painter that I had run in’s with other tradespeople who had promised much but delivered very little. However, he said he had never been out of work because of his excellent workmanship and customer service. I suppose I am expecting too much given that he had left paint drops on the caeser stone bench tops and cupboard doors!!.

Hey John C I hope you don’t work in the aircraft industry as I once did?. I bet the aircraft would not have got off the ground given all your dust and debris would have got sucked into the engines because you couldn’t be bothered to clean up. So you obviously don’t think someone’s house should be left as clean as when they had arrived earlier in the day?. However, you are not on your own. Unfortunately, I have worked with very few Australian born tradespeople who had any pride in their work, maybe that accounts for the reason that there are very few of them in my trade. I suppose it is because of the attitude like it be alright mate - good enough is close enough.

I could spend many more hours/days on getting the job absolutely perfect but then the clients would generally not pay for it because they expect a Rolls Royce for the price of an Hyundai. Saying that though I could have had a top notch job done by my cousins husband painting company do it, but it would cost over a $100 per hour (even for family members). However, most of his cliental is from around the Toorak/South Yarra/Hawthorn areas as they can afford the luxury.

MH