M
markwm
Had an bust up/argument with tiler today. Usually use someone else but this guy came recommended by a supplier who I know quite well, also does a lot of work for one of the big tile chains.
He's been doing a bathroom, kitchen splashback and kitchen floor. Bathroom was alright, I could pick fault if I had to but nothing worth bringing up. House is a rental but I still like a good job.
I had all the gear for him, tiles, adhesive, grout, spacers, trims and primer. I primed the bathroom and splashback myself, I goes in the other day and despite having the tub of primer left for him, he's using his own PVA to prime the kitchen floor!!! I mentioned I wasn't happy and I think it's rubbish but got the usual "I've been tiling for X number of years, never had any problems" blah blah blah... sigh, same old stuff...
I goes in today, he's doing the kitchen floor which has already been self levelled so a **** ball tbh. One part of the kitchen has a trap door into the cellar. This was lined with ply and a 36mm plywood door dropped in the hole. I just wanted the trap door tiling with an edging around both door and floor and showed him this picture:
This is actually my own kitchen that I tiled myself 10 years ago, first ever time tiling. I would assume lining up tile trims is something pretty simple for a professional tiler or anyone really....
So I goes in later and this is what he's done(at this point it hadn't been grouted but pics show it grouted):
I told him it was rubbish and I wanted it sorting. He shouted a lot "well what do you want me to do etc etc"...He'd also messed up the kitchen window reveal trims and I told him I wanted them sorting too. That looked even worse, I didn't get a pic unfortunately..
So I comes back a bit later. He's sorted the kitchen window reveal but had simply grouted the floor and changed nothing. So end of the day when he said he'd finished and wanted paying I simply said if I he didn't sort that edging out I'd have to do it myself. He didn't want, wouldn't or couldn't do it for whatever reason.
I got his money, knocked off £60(amount I thought it might cost me to fix it personally) and said 'if you want the full amount, come back and sort that trim out'. I thought that was more than fair. So he starts calling me names and says he's going to the van to get his hammer and is gonna "smash up all the effing tiles". He's already had his money at this point, minus £60 of course.
So he goes to the van to get the hammer, I follow him to make sure he can't come back. Long story short, he turns around to square up to me as if he was going to hit me and then he found himself pinned up against his van asking me to put him down.
He then gets into his van through the passenger side saying "I'll know where you live" making threats etc. I regret actually not knocking more than £60 off and should have taken off what someone else would charge to fix it.
I said to him at one point, if I'd have done that for someone I would have gone out bought some more trims and put it right.
I've been doing property development for around 10 years now and this year will be my last. I don't wanna tar everyone with the same brush as I know there's some good trades out there but dealing with tradesmen is just more trouble than it's worth for the most part. Seems like it would be an awesome job if you didn't know the difference between good work and bad.
He's been doing a bathroom, kitchen splashback and kitchen floor. Bathroom was alright, I could pick fault if I had to but nothing worth bringing up. House is a rental but I still like a good job.
I had all the gear for him, tiles, adhesive, grout, spacers, trims and primer. I primed the bathroom and splashback myself, I goes in the other day and despite having the tub of primer left for him, he's using his own PVA to prime the kitchen floor!!! I mentioned I wasn't happy and I think it's rubbish but got the usual "I've been tiling for X number of years, never had any problems" blah blah blah... sigh, same old stuff...
I goes in today, he's doing the kitchen floor which has already been self levelled so a **** ball tbh. One part of the kitchen has a trap door into the cellar. This was lined with ply and a 36mm plywood door dropped in the hole. I just wanted the trap door tiling with an edging around both door and floor and showed him this picture:
This is actually my own kitchen that I tiled myself 10 years ago, first ever time tiling. I would assume lining up tile trims is something pretty simple for a professional tiler or anyone really....
So I goes in later and this is what he's done(at this point it hadn't been grouted but pics show it grouted):
I told him it was rubbish and I wanted it sorting. He shouted a lot "well what do you want me to do etc etc"...He'd also messed up the kitchen window reveal trims and I told him I wanted them sorting too. That looked even worse, I didn't get a pic unfortunately..
So I comes back a bit later. He's sorted the kitchen window reveal but had simply grouted the floor and changed nothing. So end of the day when he said he'd finished and wanted paying I simply said if I he didn't sort that edging out I'd have to do it myself. He didn't want, wouldn't or couldn't do it for whatever reason.
I got his money, knocked off £60(amount I thought it might cost me to fix it personally) and said 'if you want the full amount, come back and sort that trim out'. I thought that was more than fair. So he starts calling me names and says he's going to the van to get his hammer and is gonna "smash up all the effing tiles". He's already had his money at this point, minus £60 of course.
So he goes to the van to get the hammer, I follow him to make sure he can't come back. Long story short, he turns around to square up to me as if he was going to hit me and then he found himself pinned up against his van asking me to put him down.
He then gets into his van through the passenger side saying "I'll know where you live" making threats etc. I regret actually not knocking more than £60 off and should have taken off what someone else would charge to fix it.
I said to him at one point, if I'd have done that for someone I would have gone out bought some more trims and put it right.
I've been doing property development for around 10 years now and this year will be my last. I don't wanna tar everyone with the same brush as I know there's some good trades out there but dealing with tradesmen is just more trouble than it's worth for the most part. Seems like it would be an awesome job if you didn't know the difference between good work and bad.
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