eddie007

Thanks for that... Our main problem isndealingnwith the rental agent... NO communication what so ever... Uselesss.... And its not US who are renting

BigH68

Do you know that she actually owns the house she may just be renting it

DadAgain

Quote #2: $6450 (getting better!)

(..and yes she does own it - or at least her and her husband bought it when they moved in together many a few years ago, a few short months before they split and we never saw him again.)

furbacchione

It runs a great deal deeper than that. For some reason most in the "bottom rung" trades (and I use the word trade very loosely) here they can't seem to understand the concept of don't cut each others throat by undercutting to the point where you, or anyone else, can't make money.

I would suspect that most of those that didn't show up or didn't bother to put in a quote got the hunch that it wasn't worth their time and effort. There's no question aussies like to work hard, though they have a hard time being productive and efficient, but why take on a job that doesn't pay much if anything. It's a real problem here. Nothing gets done efficiently; as you've found, you spend days (maybe even weeks) trying to convince people to come and look at the job. And because the ones that quote put in such low ball bids the work is of a shoddy quality.

TiddlyPom

Ironically, the one guy who did put in the bid does fabulous work and has a team who work under him. I'm going to be using him for sure. He came highly recommended and has a history of happy clients. There are good business people in Australia. You just have to dig a bit to find them.

Dorothy

And perhaps he rents it to her - just like our next door neighbours who split 18 months ago. He bought her share of the house and rents it back to her. He's now living in outer Whoop-Whoop somewhere but so long as she puts her rent payment in his bank every week she and her children have somewhere nice they can afford to live.

DadAgain

Surely if that were the case she and I would have no issues whatsoever and there'd be no problem passing on the repair bill to the property owner?

(Perhaps I'm prophesising incorrectly but based on experience to date I cant see that happening)

moneypenny20

It's a real problem everywhere. Countless times in the UK if we or people we know wanted a 'smallish' job done, it would be a nightmare finding someone to take it on.

cresta57

As a tradie it's my experience that by the time you've been to the job site for a measure & quote, gone home & worked out said quote. Then, either rung or emailed it back you hear nothing at all or they "know a mate who knows some one that will do it cheaper for cash" Could just be the area I live in, could be Australia wide
I've had blokes that work for cash doing odd jobs ring me to quote so they can undercut me by less. I got a call from someone last week asking what I'd charge to lay 600X600 polished porcelain tiles. When I checked his number he advertises in the paper as a handyman.
As a result I don't like to do to much private work, if the phone rings & someone wants the job done & will pay the rate per metre I'll do it, otherwise I stick to builders that I know will pay without quibbling over a few bucks.

Kim67

Maybe it's his decomposing body in it's shallow grave that's causing the land to subside and the fence to fall over.

DadAgain

That might explain her reluctance to invite in the bobcats!

Kim67

That's what I was thinking......oooh another story for my book on the sordid lives of Brisbane folk.

HelenTD

We've got a tradesman working at home today, plus we had the pest inspection bloke around. Then there was a knock at the door and it was a woman, saying that she had just spoken to the tradesman about him doing some work round her house and could I give him her phone number. Turns out that she had just been driving past, saw his ute and all the materials, stopped and talked to him about her job. I got another tradesman's card a couple of months ago, when I noticed the advertising on his ute at the petrol bowser next to mine. Sometimes it's just a matter of being in the right place at the right time.