Refused a job, think I did the right thing

[Bolter]

Had a very good friends parents call me a couple of weeks back and asked me if I could re-tile their en-suite as I had done a really nice job on their kitchen. They have this en-suite, and they are stripping the tiles, and fitting in a window and a fan to a room which previously had neither.

No problem I said, and popped over. At this stage tiles were fixed to the wall, and the new window wasnt in. I told him I couldnt give a quote as I needed to see the tiles, and the state of the walls underneath the tiles. I measured up, and left.

Got a call to say that they had had the window fitted, and got some tiles and also had removed some of the tiles, so I popped round again.

Previous tiler had tiled on top of a layer of tiles, on top of pretty old skim with cracks running through it floor to ceiling and left to right across the wall. All walls were bowed, lumpy and basically not flat in any way.

I offered to dot and dab new boards, ensuring flat walls and tiles that stay put! But he gave me that look like Im trying to rip him off, despite my advice to the contrary. I tell him that, with respect, tiles dont bend, and I will not be able to achieve a result I would want paying for without proper preparation. He then glossed over this and said something like "i have every faith in you" which is very nice, but Im not in the business of packing out tiles all day long, and said that if preparation is not done, I will have to pull out of the job, he called my bluff again, and I walked.

See my missus says "but money is money" but a) I think I would have lost money on that job b) i dont want everything falling off the walls!

 

[Deleted member 9966]

Bolter, if you think it's not worth it, it's not worth it. Regardless that money is money.

That job could come back to bite you in the *** big time and leave you very much out of pocket. You did the right thing in my opinion. You can't work miracles with poor substrates.

 

[jay]

right call bolter

 

[Time's Ran Out]

As GRR said - If you don't think its worth it - its not.
Not for the money and not for the grief!
Enjoy the work you do and you'll always be busy.

 

[mikethetile]

you did right mate

theres no money in failed jobs

 

[Dan]

No need to say what's been said already from me.

But I will.

No point working for nothing and having the worry at the end of it too. He'd be saying "I have every faith in you" on a regular basis when you keep going round there to do lots of small repair jobs on it.

On the flip-side. Hopefully he'll have a couple of quotes and get you to do the job still anyway once he realises you weren't talking rubbish.

I can't understand why they'd go through so much effort to stick a window in, and a fan, and pull off layers of tiles, but not re-board which would be quicker than all the above. Doesn't make sense to me at all.

 

[Bolter]

Doesn't make sense to me at all.

Me either, but we have all seen that "are you trying to rip me off?" look.

Its so hard to explain what needs to be done for a proper job. Nearly everyone thinks tiling is the easy trade to learn and execute, and if everything else fails, just put more muck behind the tile.

Frustrating! :mad2:

 

[Rob Z]

Bolter-good call.

Just yesterday, I spoke with a former customer that needs some work done at his house. I explained what we needed to do and he seemed ok with it. Then, he called back and told me that his neighbor said that I shouldn't be worried about such-and-such, and just do the work "his" way ...blah blah blah.rrr:

Now, the neighbor is just wrong. So I politely said "I don't know how your neighbor got his information, but it simply isn't correct", and left it there. Fortunately, my customer is going to let us do the work our way.

But it doesn't always go that way. I've done as you have here with this job, and even when I definately needed the work.

This situation is the tradesman's version of "Pearls Before Swine", and if they don't get it now, they might just get it after the work is done to a poor standard and they then see what you've been talking about. Or, they might not ever get it.

But at least your name won't be on it.

 

[diamondtiling]

I priced a bathroom about 12 months ago but they balked at my spec and costs, they had it done on the cheap, I was there yesterday because it has leaked into the kitchen and they need it fixing, the price has now increased............:smilewinkgrin:

I love these cowboys, they just give us more and more work.

:8:

 

[mikethetile]

I priced a bathroom about 12 months ago but they balked at my spec and costs, they had it done on the cheap, I was there yesterday because it has leaked into the kitchen and they need it fixing, the price has now increased............:smilewinkgrin:

I love these cowboys, they just give us more and more work.

:8:

your not wrong there Dom

its the bad tradesmen that keep the good tradesmen busy

 

[Rob Z]

Dom, did you resist the urge to be smug?

 

[SandyFloor]

If someone wants something done on the cheap and you're not comfortable just walk away explaining your reasons as you did. Obvioiusly they don't have faith in you as they ignored your advice. The ridiculous thing is fixing new plasterboard isn't that expensive especially when you could then guarantee a good job. Added to that it would have saved you time and adhesive.

I know it's not easy to turn down work but if you went ahead as they wanted I'm fairly sure it would have come back on you on many levels.

You have to be careful with the family and friends thing. I tend to avoid it.

 

[david campbell]

well done mate.

i've recently had a job lately i wasn't too keen(more the customer than the work) on but went ahead anyway and got bitten for it(well until he recieves a legal letter).so well done again.
your reutation is more important than money sometimes

 

[enduro]

If your wife is that bothered let her do it..:lol:

 

[White Room]

Done the same recently, he thought tilers are still working from the 70's prices:ban: