Experience counts for nothing....price is right ..nope

[psychowitch]

Just lost a job on price but luckily the customer is still using my plumber !

Hes just told me the guy that is doing the tiling aparently has 20 years experience and I lost the job by £150.. only because he needs the work apparently..or he would have charged £50 quid more than my price.

anyways hes not prep'd the walls (they were covered in old adhesive and needed some filling)...or primed them...

hes sticking in spacers but decided not to use them properly as his lines are going out...but blames the wall

has tried to hide an uneven wall (centre) by putting in mosaics in brick bond fashion (not what the client wanted)..

applies adhesive to the walls and back butters? I can only assume its because the wall is so bad and needs extra filling to even them out...

fixed and grouted same day....

floor has not prep'd ..or put down plywood or any substrate..(yes I know you can tile on some floor boards but this floor bounces and needed it)...his reasoning was because he couldnt be bothered trimming the door...

laid the floor today with the last tile going down at six tonight..and has grouted it...

Im just fizzing because these customers wanted to save 150 quid and he probably said 'Ive got 20 years experience' and bought that rubbish.....

Ive not been tiling for anywhere near that long and I like to do things right..and I know it will even itself out in the end and Ill probably end up getting a call to fix the floor (and the wall probably)

I dont mind losing out to some1 who does it right but just lately all I have been doing is fixing leaks and botch jobs..

I think the reason is down to money..guys seem to think they can earn upto £200 a day doing this and if it doesnt go as quickly as they thought they just throw the tiles in any old fashion .. It takes me a friggin morning to grout up a small splash back because I want it perfect...


sorry had to get that off my chest...

[doug boardley]

Hooly moly

[whitebeam]

Talks the talk but don't walk the walk. You know it's not right but is the customer happy with it

[kilty55]

it is frustrating mate,just try not to dwell on it its the customers loss. ive been to a few similar abominations recently ,,the best one was where i turned up to a shower room fully tiled by a so called plumber,,,as if the tiling wasnt bad enough the shower cubicle resembled a bouncy castle if you touched it it swayed all over the place the guy had tiled the entire room disgracefuly and done a runner once he came to the boxwork which i was called to sort from the inside of the shower he had built boxwork above the height of the shower tray so you could see bare plasterboard from inside the shower complete shambles

[python]

these cowboys are a nightmare. hope you get the call to sort it out mate.

[Daz]

What a nightmare! I feel for you Psyco.

It really sucks when you know that you've lost a job to a bodger. I hope you get the call when it goes pear shaped.

I had to repair a job that was done by a suppossed 17 year in the trade tiler - it was shocking! Some guys will claim that they have the experience, but few can back it up. Stick to your principles and always do a spot on job, this will build your reputation. Always quote a price that you are happy to do the work for, otherwise you will end up compromising the finish.

[whitebeam]

Remedial work can be a good earner, not pleasant sorting out other peoples work and I can sense the fustration, still a good earner though

[faithhealer]

Agree with the captain, stick to your princibles, reputation is everything

[smurf21]

imo never repair a botched job you already quoted on.always insist on a complete strip and retile you then get the strip aswell or leave it alone

[david campbell]

imo never repair a botched job you already quoted on.always insist on a complete strip and retile you then get the strip aswell or leave it alone

there's an old saying "you can't make sugar out of *****"(glaswegian i think lol)
but if you do it will lead to lots more work and referrals for you

[Oli]

Got any pics?

[psychowitch]

getting some ..

[CJ]

I try if poss, NOT to do repair/cock up/bodged jobs. Unless its a TOTAL strip out and start again..........

[doug boardley]

me too Col

[Fred]

'need the work'..............makes me mad. I know, like all of you, I take pride in doing a good job, but to under price because he needs the work then to do a bad job......

[devonmark]

It takes me a friggin morning to grout up a small splash back because I want it perfect...


sorry had to get that off my chest...

Good on ya, only way to do a job.....I.m.o..

[alib103]

I've just done a couple of repair jobs and they drive me mad. Seems twice as hard to fix a crap job for some reason and still never looks right. Considering just not doing repairs anymore as they just (REMOVED) me off!

[silver]

My worry about doin ""part fixes" is the previous worker has never marked out as I would....so slivers are usally unavoidable to continue grout lines.
My work would look totally different to the rest of the tiling but may still be under par to my usaul standard because of what I am working with / to..........and moreso....the customer will have told everyone that their tiling is s**t......its probably done by someone in a car or unmarked van........then next thing my van is outside their house......and they (the neighbours) may think they have got the same tiler back to fix it !!

I never do fixes for these reasons...any visitors who ask who done the tiling wont say why they are asking and the customer will only remeber to say the tiler who was there last.......it aint worth it.

[psychowitch]

Yup have to say I would agree with that and it does concern me...Customer im currently working for keeps asking me 'it wont leak like that again' and all I can say is that if Im not stripping he whole lot out I cant say it wont because of what the tiles are on.

[macten]

Don't let it get you down mate. The few jobs I've lost is when I've been significantly undercut. By that I mean the quote they take is of my materials bill AT TRADE for the whole job. I walk away smiling knowing the job they end up with will be sh*te! as I've done my best to educate the customer on what needs doing - I don't want to work for these types of people and I never fix botch jobs when I originally quoted but often go to view the chaos so I can say 'told you so'.

My latest dozen customers have been brilliant and have done their research and accept that they have spent all this money on tiles and they want to pay for a top job once and once only and that it will last them a lifetime.