4 months to redo a cloakroom. Small, slow local businesses.

[PoohBears#1fan]

Since moving to a village, we've found the local businesses to be a little on the laid back side.

In October I walked into a local independent bathroom shop to ask for a quote to redo our downstairs cloakroom...

I then had to make an appointment to go in and choose items, in the meantime the workman was sent round to measure.

When we went for the appointment, they'd lost the measurements, this led to the wrong size sink unit being ordered as it was all guesswork sb we had to wait for the correct size unit to be delivered and fitted.

Fitting was finished just before Christmas, then it needed decorating (I had assumed being a bathroom shop that they'd do everything, but clearly not).

Between Christmas and New Year I contacted a local decorator for a quote...

Today he's due to come and decorate!

Is this normal for small villages? I'm all about supporting local businesses but the experiences we've had with the ones we've used since being here is really starting to drive me back to the big companies!

[mickey house]

I would hope it's not a normal experience of any buisness regardless of whether it's a village buisness or a big one.

Problem is that even the big companies can provide poor service and poor workmanship.

Years ago someone I knew did an evening course in plumbing and he went straight from not having any experience to getting a job with Dolphin bathrooms who charge stupid money to customers and pay their contractors very little of it. Like most big companies he was contracted and was paid so much for each job (so not employed by Dolphin), and long story short he never got paid for some of the jobs he did because they were shoddy (he didn't stay with Dolphin very long).

[PoohBears#1fan]

The work is fine, but we find you have to almost constantly chase them for a reply or to get booked in, we've found this with several businesses also, not just these ones.

I guess they're just very laid back round here and feel people have no other options, coming from a large town, it's incredibly frustrating!

[novocastrian]

4 months !

we had a downstairs toilet refurb over one weekend...

[ShezMcQ]

I live in a village with a good network of local tradesman. I've just had some interior work done by a local builder and from quote to completion was less than two weeks. Both the decorator and carpet fitter that we use regularly are very busy but reliable and complete the job when they say they will.

I'm all for supporting the community--I just think you've been unlucky.

[Guest]

DH requested a quote in June, final end of installation was November.

I live in a largish town, but we're using a popular provider. Work result is excellent, it was just getting them to that point was a nightmare. Calls, visits, emails, chasing etc.

But once my DH had started down the journey with them he didn't want to pull out.

I would like to say it's finished now, but I am still chasing some electrical items and an electric cert. So still rumbling on.

Hacked off really as I was a good girl and paid invoices very promptly.

Yes, yes I know, shouldn't have paid until the issue with the electrics was resolved. But they insist that this is an incidental matter and not related to the installation.

[Guest]

The bathroom place don’t sound very efficient. I can understand the timescales for the decorator though.
We’ve just had a major house renovation done and everyone is so busy we struggled to even get quotes for the work.

[BnDamo]

It’s probably because it’s a small job rather than your small village. Most tradesmen will favour larger more lucrative contracts and use small/ quick jobs to fill in odd days at their convenience. Not great when you need something doing though.

[Guest]

We are in a tiny village in countryside, find it really difficult to find any tradespeople. We have to chase and chase to get anyone even in to quote.

[PoohBears#1fan]

Originally Posted by BnDamo

It’s probably because it’s a small job rather than your small village. Most tradesmen will favour larger more lucrative contracts and use small/ quick jobs to fill in odd days at their convenience. Not great when you need something doing though.

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I think you're right, the main reason we've waited so long for the decorator is because he's doing a very big job next door that started around a month ago and asked if it's ok to fit us in while they're there, I said yes of course, but hadn't expected it to take quite as long as it has.