stopping business

[charlie1]

Hi all, what's the best way of stopping doing business with someone, i don't want to burn any bridges as i sincerely hope they can learn there lessons and maybe we could do business in future.

i do all this bathroom companies tiling for a few months and really like the guys but i have notticed over this time there prep work has deteriorated and there expertise is very questionable. Turned up to do a job for them a few weeks ago and all the plasterboard has started to debond, turns out, they have dot dabbed over old ceramic tiles instead removing (what they had told customer they would do) ... I told them and they said can you silicon it back on please (omg)... I told them id better not know what prep they plan on doing!!

what's worse is, I'm trying to educate the guy but he is just not willing to listen but in hoping in time he will learn

 

[cam_low]

Keep at him don't give up !!!

 

[Pebbs]

Umm Charlie, an exit talk is in order. Can you not take him down the pub and just put your cards on the table? I always suggest the pub or a cafe over breakfast because if you do this kind of talk on the phone, it can quickly escalate into a slagging match. Just tell him in a kind of nice way your just very disappointed in the recent changes in their working practices, and give him a friendly word of advice, which is you can get away with shoddy workmanship for so long and then it bites you in the bum!<br><br>Good luck, chin up and upwards and onwards.<br><br>Lynn&nbsp;

 

[charlie1]

Thanks peeps. I've just been weighing up the amount of work im getting from them against my standards falling. For instance, latest job, rectified 60 x30's in a shower area, one of the walls is off plumb be 20 out at the top, this wall will be an external corner where it meets another wall, i expressed my concern that to make the finish hood then i would need to tile them plumb... He was not interested because he did not understand what i was saying ( head banging off wall)

 

[Brian the Tile]

sound to me like he is expecting and hoping that you will make things look good,maybe try and tell him if thats the case you will need to charge him more as it is taking you a lot longer and you are using more stuff on his jobs ,then when he tells you he cant pay you anymore ,then you tell him you are no longer able to do the work for him,then he might see where he is going wrong,dont let your standards slipto suit him,good luck

 

[charlie1]

Thanks for all advice, maybe a drink and chat is way to go with this guy. A hate letting my standards slip as I have been forced to on last couple of jobs, customers are still happy with work but I'm not and going like this it's only a matter of time before I get pulled.

 

[Marksmithtiling]

Offer to do the prep yourself = right first time more money :smilewinkgrin:

 

[Stef]

Charlie you need to have a talk with him asap, it's your reputation on the line not his.

Takes years to build up a good reputation & only a matter of weeks to lose it.

The client won't say, look at the state of the wall, they will say look at the state of the tiling..

 

[charlie1]

Offer to do the prep yourself = right first time more money :smilewinkgrin:

The problem is, he doesn't understand a word I'm saying regarding any of the problems, in his words "he thinks I'm making problems for myself" when I try to explain to him, he just does not comprehend what I'm saying. He is in the mindset of "just get it tiled and make good" ... To be fair to him, he has never had a problem with my finish but when the client has just had a new bathroom installed, it's going to look good and fresh even if the tiling is slightly bellow standard as they are more worried about the obvious things like if everything is working ok, a few months down the line is where average tiling becomes poor tiling as the customers begin to notice little things and by that time, they are hardly going to call the company back to complain but the will remember your average / poor tiling... This is the angle I'm becoming concerned about, I have my reputation to think of.

 

[White Room]

I've broke away many times from builders etc when I was plastering because of the state of the block work, don't sweat about it just move on.

 

[AMtek]

Point the problems out to the customer and ask them to phone the company but make sure the customer doesn't tell the company it was you that pointed it out! They won't have much a choice but to sort it if the client is the one complaining. It might back fire on you but if a few customers complain they might re think the prep work they are doing

 

[Time's Ran Out]

AMtex - no.no.no.no....well I wouldn't . As Charlie is working as a sub contractor he should have nothing to do with the client unless it's to reply how many sugars he takes in his tea! Once you come between the two you'll be out on your ear. He has to either prepare the walls and tile them to a high standard or pack in. There is always poor walls and problems in this ideal world and we are a finishing trade - it stops with us!

 

[charlie1]

AMtex - no.no.no.no....well I wouldn't . As Charlie is working as a sub contractor he should have nothing to do with the client unless it's to reply how many sugars he takes in his tea! Once you come between the two you'll be out on your ear. He has to either prepare the walls and tile them to a high standard or pack in. There is always poor walls and problems in this ideal world and we are a finishing trade - it stops with us!

agree with this tg, And yes, we come across substrates that can be tricky but on this occasion I was unable to do the right thing in fixing the wall as it could have possibly caused a problem with the shower door fitting. Just to add, I'm capable of negotiating 100% of issues thrown at me in tiling ( well, I have been able to up till now anyway) but if your Hands are tied and your not allowed to ether remove part of a substrate or build out somewhere else then something must give. The real problem is, and I'm really trying hard not to sound like some big head here.... Is... My standards are too high for this guy, he continually questions my need to use cement based adhesives (thinks its wasting time) even on larger format tiles, this tells me all I need to know about what he knows about tiling, he must just serrated the wall then tile, there ( as you know) is so much more to tiling than this.

As for talking to clients then your right also, I will engage in discussion non project related about the weather or whatever, if they start fishing though then I tell them they need to speak with main contractor, this is what I expect of any work I sub out so its only right.

 

[Marksmithtiling]

The problem is, he doesn't understand a word I'm saying regarding any of the problems, in his words "he thinks I'm making problems for myself" when I try to explain to him, he just does not comprehend what I'm saying. He is in the mindset of "just get it tiled and make good" ... To be fair to him, he has never had a problem with my finish but when the client has just had a new bathroom installed, it's going to look good and fresh even if the tiling is slightly bellow standard as they are more worried about the obvious things like if everything is working ok, a few months down the line is where average tiling becomes poor tiling as the customers begin to notice little things and by that time, they are hardly going to call the company back to complain but the will remember your average / poor tiling... This is the angle I'm becoming concerned about, I have my reputation to think of.

Exactly that.... YOUR reputation, if the substrate is not up to standard then walk away, let him take the flak from the client.