everyone wants to be the good guy..

[jamie B]

It takes a lot to upset me, but this really got me!
Just went tonight to price a re-tile in a kitchen, a very elderly and very nice retired couple. They got my no. on recommendation after the tiler they had 4 months ago refuses to go back.
He tiled the kitchen without priming the walls, backing up individual tiles with adhesive, not leaving proper joints (ie too tight) and generally very very poor cutting/finishing.
Predictably the tiles are dropping like flies and these poor people are trying to get something sorted.
The hard bit was that they obviously haven't got two pennies to rub together. they can't afford more tiles and wanted to know if I could save the existing ones and re-use them. I honestly tried to come up with a solution they could cope with finacially, the best being I do it on a (very reduced!!) day rate...even tho' I reckon I could crack it in a day, I could tell from there faces it was not poss money wise. They then wanted to know if I could just stick back any fallen tiles...
What breaks my heart is that decent trusting people like them get shafted by absolute who have no morals. I'm sitting here now trying to figure a way I can fit in doing it for nowt without losing paying work time..it honestly pee'ed me off that much..if I were a lot richer I'd be round there tomorrow.. unfortunately I'm the same as everyone else..slave to the wage.
I guess all I really wanna say is if these idiot making a quick buck could see the unhappiness they cause prehaps they'd think twice before STEALING from trusting people:incazzato::incazzato:

 

[Gazzer]

While i know how you feel , i do have to ask if they had the original tiler due to price or not ?

 

[DHTiling]

It's not nice when this happens... but unless you can afford to loose paying work then the choice is yours..

This type of thing is quite common and worst when it is the elderly and poor it happens to.

 

[White Room]

This is something you will have get used to, there are cowboys are out there and will continue until the public are educated or some sort of regulations are in place.

Neither will happen in the near future.

Just be careful on this kind of work, I have fell foul of a sob story more than once, not saying that this is such a case but start doing work for nothing and that could be the kind of reputation you don't want.

Your phone won't stop ringing.

 

[jamie B]

agree with all the above..I'm getting a bit long in the tooth for sob stories myself, but I'd like to think I can spot a genuine rip off.
Apparently the guy charged them 380 for the labour (just shy of 4m2) plus materials.
They say a fool and his money etc. but I can't help but think it's a disgrace.
Like I said, I know I'm not in a position to give favours finacially..I've got plenty of my own worries to contend with!
It just breaks your heart a bit when you see these poor old folk with half of nothing in some pokey council house being fleeced..I s'pose we'll all be old one day ..that's the worrying thing...crickey..I think I've just grown a conscience!!:yikes:

 

[DHTiling]

Maybe someone who has just done a course might do it for nowt... experiance..and over looked by you to see it is done poperly.. just a thought..

 

[Thespanishtiler]

do you know what the original tiler charged ?

we have all been undercut on quotes by odd jobers and cowboys, there are lots of posts on here on the subject and the general opinion is 'let the customer take the cheap quote, and see what sort of job they get'.

this is probably what happend here

do it for free if you want but personally i would quote as normal and it's up to them.

 

[Gazzer]

agree with all the above..I'm getting a bit long in the tooth for sob stories myself, but I'd like to think I can spot a genuine rip off.
Apparently the guy charged them 380 for the labour (just shy of 4m2) plus materials.
They say a fool and his money etc. but I can't help but think it's a disgrace.
Like I said, I know I'm not in a position to give favours finacially..I've got plenty of my own worries to contend with!
It just breaks your heart a bit when you see these poor old folk with half of nothing in some pokey council house being fleeced..I s'pose we'll all be old one day ..that's the worrying thing...crickey..I think I've just grown a conscience!!:yikes:

In that case we need a lynching party

 

[Thespanishtiler]

ah you do know the original tilers charges

yeh he ripped them off , not nice

 

[jamie B]

Maybe someone who has just done a course might do it for nowt... experiance..and over looked by you to see it is done poperly.. just a thought..

not a bad idea actually. I've got an apprentice with me and I'm thinking maybe I could stump up his wages and give him a day there instead of 'monkey ing' on site. The experience might do him good..ie something different plus I can get part of it back on the scheme from the site as they weigh part of it out (shhhh!..don't tell anyone...now I'm getting crooked!):lol: