I guess the tradesmen are all pretty busy

[dennis thompson]

We are having some work done in our kitchen. the cost will be around $15,000.
We made our choice but what surprises me is that we never even got a follow up call from the people who we didn't choose.
I guess the tradesmen are all pretty busy, but too busy to even make a follow up call?

[Jerome Stanek]

I check with Bathfitters to do my tub. The price he had if I signed that night was $1000 less then if I signed the next day and then that price was only good for a week. The price either way was outragous and they didn't call back for over a month and wondered why I didn't sign. I told them that I didn't like the salesman as he never gave me a breakdown and he bashed all the other companies.

[Doug Garson]

I need some stucco repair on our house. Contacted 3 companies and requested bids . Only one responded, he's working out of town and twice has apologized because he hasn't made it here to give us an estimate.

[Kev Williams]

I've recently been bombed with orders for thousands of engraved ID labels for power panels and meters for new condo/apartment builds; many orders I get directly from builders, others are coming from all the local electric supply companies. I've been in this biz for 48 years, and I've never seen such high quantity orders for basic ID labels before. And that's just HERE-- I can only imagine how many tradesmen across the country are giving serious thought to what's now a massive need for their services along the east coast? That's only going to make the current shortage of available services across our country worse. And OMG, I can only imagine how many scammer ***holes are licking their chops right now...

[Perry Hilbert Jr]

I called seven contractor for estimates for a job I figured would run about 9K Only two showed up to actually look at the job and only one gave an estimate. Ironically, about $200 below what I figured. What is did not like, is the guy showed up in a 20 yr old station wagon, flip flops and cut off jeans. When i asked for his insurance certification, he said he would have to find it. (Huh, just get another)

[Ken Fitzgerald]

7 years ago, we had an addition added to our kitchen and all the windows in our house replaced. I telephoned 3 contractors asking for bids. One showed up and dared to argue with my wife about what she wanted and he wanted to use a different design layout of the addition. I was surprised she let him off the property alive. One guy came, talked with us and gave us an estimate. The 3rd guy didn't respond to my message on his answering machine. The guy with the estimate got the job. With all new appliances, flooring, cabinetry and the addition, we spent about $75,000.

When we replaced our furnace and AC 3 years ago, I contacted 3 local HVAC companies. Two provided written estimates. The 3rd company owner showed up, got into an argument with me about what I wanted, took our information and never sent an estimate.

I think you are correct. The trades are busy and fewer people are going into the trades.

[glenn bradley]

Similar experience to the OP here. I always get at least 3 quotes and only 1 called me back to follow up. They got the job and I can hear them grouting tile as I write this. This is where good and bad tradesmen meet their business skills or lack thereof. Always answer your work messages be they voice, email, or text. If my folks wanted to get called in on the carpet all I had to do was hear from someone that they weren't getting status or a response to their inquiries.

Same goes with answering the phone nowadays . . . what is up with that!?! Seriously, you can't tell your current caller "hold on a moment please", put the current call on hold, pick up the ringing line and say "XYZ Corp. Could you please hold?". In a job long ago the support staff were in a large office with the boss' office right next door. If ANY incoming call rang the fourth time you would hear his door slam and a second later he would burst into our office. Woe be to he who failed to pick up the call.

[Brian Elfert]

It becomes difficult to get any paying work done if you're calling back a few dozen people every day to tell them you are too busy to take on any new work. They should be calling people back, but I can sure understand why contractors get sick of doing it day after day.

[Tom M King]

I finally put my phone on silence unknown callers, so it only rings if you are in my Contacts list, and I have never used Voicemail even though it's provided by the cell service. I'm not looking for more work though. I made the mistake of putting my phone number on my website years ago, and even though it's been taken off the website long ago, it's still out there somewhere.

If anyone doesn't call you back, or return a quote, they don't want the job for whatever reason.

[Lee Schierer]

It becomes difficult to get any paying work done if you're calling back a few dozen people every day to tell them you are too busy to take on any new work. They should be calling people back, but I can sure understand why contractors get sick of doing it day after day.

The simple answer to that is if you are too busy to take on any more work, send all your calls to voice mail and change your greeting to say you are not accepting any more work right now.

[John Lanciani]

The harsh reality is it isn't "the good old days" anymore. The rules have changed; instead of consumers getting quotes from 3 or more contractors and picking who they want to do the work contractors are meeting clients and choosing who they want to work for. If as a consumer one of your first questions is either "how much?" Or "how soon?" you're not likely to get on the schedule of a top tier contractor.

[Edwin Santos]

The harsh reality is it isn't "the good old days" anymore. The rules have changed; instead of consumers getting quotes from 3 or more contractors and picking who they want to do the work contractors are meeting clients and choosing who they want to work for. If as a consumer one of your first questions is either "how much?" Or "how soon?" you're not likely to get on the schedule of a top tier contractor.

Give it a little time. There are enough storm clouds over the economy at the moment that it may not be long before trades are hungry again.

[Bruce Wrenn]

Having spent a lifetime in the building business, I can tell you that there is no such thing as a free estimate. Somebody has to pay for time spent figuring out what customer wants, and most importantly can afford. It's a total waste of time to get together an estimate and then customer realizes that it's not even in their ballpark range. Last 25 years, had three customers who were 90% of my work. Retired almost five years ago.

[Jack Frederick]

For every 5 people retiring out of the HVAC trade only one is entering it. There was a Post article today pointing out that if the US is to electrify it needs many more electricians. You can extend that pretty much across the board to all trades. It is systemic. People are slammed, unorganized and driving everyone crazy including themselves. Ah, the joy!

[Aaron Rosenthal]

It's not just contractors; Tried to buy a car, lately?
I knew exactly what I wanted, as I'm bent on replacing my 2004 Mazda B3000 Pickup. I'm retired, but do enough that a pickup is a good thing, and a hybrid is even better.
I e-mailed EVERY of my preferred manufacturer's dealers in within 40 miles. It's more than 12 dealers.
4 emailed me back: one, almost immediately; another phoned me (I asked no phone calls) then sent something I had not requested; a third, gave me almost what I asked for, and the last one emailed me that she had given my name to a salesman and I should contact him.
Pathetic.
Yes, I've picked the dealer, and I'll be ordering it probably tomorrow.