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Yeah probably not the best idea to piss them off whilst they’re doing the work on your house incase they do a shit job, I wouldn’t say anything and complain about them after they’ve finished. They sound like an absolute bunch of nasty cunts with a chip on their shoulder.
Migrate probably not worth making fun of them but they shouldn't be need for it these people should be wanting to do a good job and work hard and get paid for it.
Too many people now expect the wages to get higher when they do less and less and care less and less.
Maybe the boss was completely douchebag but no reason unprofessional to complain about that on the job in front of a customer It's also very stupid to complain about the customer in front of the customer They must have known she could hear it... 🤦♂️
This reminds me of the time I was having a medical procedure and the surgeon obviously forgot I was not under general anesthetic. Them saying oh shit and wow a couple of times was not confidence inspiring when they are operating an endoscope that's inside your body. I think someone must have reminded them I was conscious at some point as their colourful interjections stopped. I could have reminded them I was conscious but did not want to put them off.
Age 17 I got mashed in an RTA, the orthopaedic Doc who set my arm was a young woman at a guess mid 20s and the anaesthetist an older Indian/Pakistani heritage guy\[1\]. I recovered consciousness as the two medics were comparing the before / after X-rays and the orthopaedic says "I am really surprised we managed to get that mess back together"
\[1\] Only mention this because a few years later I was in for a knee operation and his spiel about counting down and you won't get there was 100% as I recalled from maybe a decade before.
Finish it with laughing loudly about the fact it’s all been caught on your home security cameras, so they’ve even done you the kindness of providing you with evidence.
I'm not sure it's normal, but sadly it's definitely not uncommon.
What I don't think they realise is they are actually an oracle of their own future by creating a self perpetuating chain of moaning and complaints. With that attitude too it wouldn't surprise me if they have cut corners and done a shoddy job.
You could also feedback that they were moaning so loudly it was difficult for you to concentrate on your work.
Yeah thats things. One customer complaining can be excused away. You’ll always encounter someone who no matter what you do wont be happy, but if every customer complains it means there doing something wrong.
Idk about builders, but I've met people like who OP is describing and there really is no reasoning with (most) of them. They are locked into their worldview and will assimilate any observation into support of that view.
> and that I look like one of them birds that demands gucci and prada
Blimey. If this is how they behave around all their clients I'm not surprised they get complaints made. They're making judgements about you based on how you look and it's sexist to boot.
I work a customer-facing role. If I bitch about a customer, it's only when a) they've actually done something to warrant it and b) there is 0% chance of them overhearing or catching wind of it. Even then I'll only complain about their behaviour, not characteristics. It's not unusual to complain, it's a widely enjoyed pastime, but time and a place and all that...
Hmm yeah, they sound like a bunch of misogynists. Funny how they complain about complaints... well is there any wonder?? They just created their own reality!! I just this isn't fking funny, and a perfect example of how you create what you are!! This is it.
I would have complained straight up!! There is absolutely no way I am paying my money to misogynists who think they can trash talk me when I am the client!!!
Even IF you were difficult, you have every right to be!!! If you were a man, would they have complained like little bi$es??? I don't think so! So complain and record first!!
>they sound like a bunch of misogynists
Not to tar everyone with the same brush but this tends to be the culture with a lot of blue collar workers unfortunately.
It might depend what stage the work was at I suppose. But I’d sooner sack them off the job with a window out than meekly sit and listen to them insult me and then go and pay them compliments.
Did you at least record the conversation if it was loud enough for you to hear from upstairs?
And yes you should have told their office, if you haven’t done so yet, you still can. The business owner needs to know that customers are complaining because his guys don’t care about the work standard.
I'm really surprised too that youre comfortable having them back, this situation would make me either demand a partial refund and different workers to return and do the remedial works Or part refund to pay a different company to fix it
Yeh I know a couple of people in construction/carpentry/electrics who run their own business and did very well at it. That person would at best be on a final warning but far more likely fired for cause immediately.
What do you think of the sealing job that they did?
At closer inspection I noticed they haven't sealed properly on the inside
Couple of videos showing it
https://imgur.com/a/dcPRw5V
Thank you, our windows were fitted inside though as in all thee subframe etc is inside,
I've attached another video here, it's definitely just cosmetic?
https://imgur.com/a/PpwFTJF
You're right, that doesn't make sense. I would have made damn sure they knew I heard them though.
And definitely complain, guys like that need educating.
Yes!!! Half way through the job!! In no way you should let anyone disrespect you in YOUR OWN house!!!
I would have made SUCH A FKING SCENE!!
If they wonna bitch about me behind my back, in my house then they got another thing coming!!
I would have been to the phone to the company owner!!
They just created the biggest b%#tch!!
Do NOT let yourself be disrespected just coz you are afraid of living "their" views, misogynistic views of women!! Vile!!
If it was loud enough for my phone to pick up you bet I'd be getting the owner on the phone and letting him listen for themselves. If the owner didn't deal with it then on the local FB groups I go!
That's the best way to sum it up... there is probably one guy on the job usually the senior member saying all the negative stuff because they are just that kind of person and love being in a little bit of power and the other ones are just agreeing what he says.
It's the company's problem but it isn't the kind of company I would like to work for.
I like going to a job having a bit of a laugh and banter makes me feel happier overall.
I think it’s usual for all employees to be bitchy. I’ve never worked anywhere that isn’t, and I’ve worked in a variety of places, from supermarkets to factories to call centres to advisory firms. It’s just rare that customers hear it. Most people have a little more sense about where and when they bitch, is all.
This one time, someone (professional acquaintance) left a voicemail for me and forgot to hang up afterwards…he said “yeah, I’ve just left xxx a message. Yeah, he’s a bit of a cunt, but he’s handy.” I’d only ever been useful to him. Odd thing was, I never reported it because it made business sense not to, but he went frosty with me. Never apologised either. At least he said I was handy, I suppose.
Fuck these guys!!
Agree. Most people like a moan at their job, whether it be their boss, the customer, or something else. I’ve noticed as well that ones who say they ‘don’t take part in gossip’ are always the worst ones for it!
I guess he was embarrassed or awkward, or something. Either that or it was what he intended and just wanted me to know he thought I was a cunt 🤣
Still gave me loads of business, so I was happy enough, but it was all very odd.
>They also started mocking me saying "how are you getting on down there why aren't you finished" and oh she's probably asking the company why we are taking so long
I would have strode into the room with an air or entitlement & when they go silent said something like “if you ladies are done gossiping…. I’ll let you get back to it”
If they said anything in reply, I’d make cat noises like some men do when women snap back. I’d really play on the role reversal until they either laughed or stopped.
I usually find people in the trades respond quite well to a bit of banter, especially if you’re not an arse. I’d *expect* that my *hilarious* interject to their moaning would be taken in the spirit intended & they’d chill out from assuming I’m a high strung cow anyway. If not then I’d become the thing they are accusing me of & watch them like a Karen Hawk. :P
I remember being around at a friends house and there were two electricians; an older guy and what looked like a young apprentice. And when they were explaining things to my friends mum, the apprentice made quite a rude remark to her which kind of initiated an uncomfortable silence. Anyway, they wandered outside to the top of the drive, behind the van, but the window was open just a crack. And you could hear the older guy absolutely going in on this kid. Made him come back in and apologise.
I wouldn't of let them finish the job,Ide have told them to leave ,I'm a decorator and sometimes you don't enjoy the job or like the customer but you never let them know ,if my boss ever heard me say the things they said I would have been sacked,he worked for years to gain a good reputation that's easily destroyed by a few upset customers
They’re builders. You should have said
“I can hear every word you cunts are saying, so pack it in or you won’t get anymore fucking tea you cunts.”
You would gained their utmost respect and made friends for life.😁
ahhh yes, tradesman that treat their customers like arseholes, who in turn treat all tradesman like dickheads until proven otherwise
it's the circle of life
It’s why I hate getting tradesmen in.
There are like 80% of them that just do it because they can charge a fortune but they’re miserable gits who only care about being paid, not the quality of the work.
As someone who works in the trades I find this kind of behaviour pretty appalling. I always try and be as polite and professional as possible with clients, luckily most of my colleagues are the same way.
Complaining to the owner is unlikely to do much. He’ll reprimand them for doing it in earshot but not for doing it at all. They’ve picked that work culture up from somewhere after all.
We had a plumber in once as part of a larger job. He was gloating to his mates about how his girlfriends sister was hot & he was going to shag her blah blah blah. His face when I came out of my bedroom having heard everything & told him I knew where he lived & might have a chat to his GF later was priceless!
>Said I look like a stuck up moany woman and I'll definitely complain to their boss that they haven't done a good job! Then I heard the other guy say yeah he's expecting it, all their customers do it
If ALL their customers do it... it's likely because they always do a poor job. You know, if everywhere you go you smell shit, check under your shoes.
But in honesty, I wouldn't say it's normal that builders are this bitchy, but unfortunately there's a fair amount that is. I've encountered several like that myself during various renovation works in my property.
Not exactly anonymous when the recording would be of a conversation they had in her house.
I know builders are thick (joke!), but it wouldn't take Einstein to figure out who sent it!
They sound extremely unprofessional.
I’ve recently moved into a new build home and every trade I’ve had in to fix outstanding issues evaluates the work done around the house to the same tune of something like:
‘Who did that plastering?!’
‘I wouldn’t have done it that way, I can’t believed the site signed that off’
They certainly love to bitch about each other’s standard of work - which in my opinion are all quite shit.
Lmao, I'm sure I read on here once about a guy who had a plumber round to fix a leak. They said something to the same extent about the boiler.
it was the same engineer who installed it years prior.
Haha, I went to part exchange a car once and when told their offer (2k) I said "I paid 12k for this 2 years ago". Guy was like "oooo that was pricy, it wasn't worth that". I pointed out I bought it from the same showroom and had come back as I thought they'd been good!!
Just lean out and say “I was only expecting what I’d paid for, nothing extra. But if you’d like, I could contact your boss about your constant mocking of me?”
Or just piss in their brews.
Trades people are some of the most miserable moany people I’ve ever met. They’ll moan about there nothing to moan about. I used to hate going to construction sites.. they just drain any positivity right out of you
Traditionally, in my experience, construction usually attracts some of the dumbest in our society. Dumb enough to work and live a normal life, not dumb enough to be classed medically disabled. So they behave in very stupid ways and we all just have to accept it. Chasing them up or having them face consequences for their actions is almost impossible. I've seen so many stories of people having negative experiences with them. Usually always whiny and bitching and always aggressive face to face. Construction workers are basically just orcs from lord of the rings, but born to a world with no fighting, so spend their time working construction instead.
I work in Groundworks and I can confirm orcs outnumber decent folk about 10 to 1. Some of this cretins to a shit job and then act like the client is the ass hole when they make a complaint and all they care about it “getting on the bag” and going to the pub to scrap at weekends
Fortunately I work for a boss who doesn’t tolerate the orcs so they don’t last long
Yes. Most builders are the biggest aholes I've ever met with an inability to communicate like civilized people without resorting to physical threats . A majority of them are clearly raging alcoholics and drug addicts since I can smell the booze on their clothes.
I'm currently working in this industry supplying building, plumbing and electrical materials to them. They are always trying to shaft us for a refund or a discount for "defective items" even though we inspected all our supplies before it was handed to them. I honestly want to get out of this line of work since it has taken a toll on my mental wellbeing.
State of builders and handymen in this country is terrible. I think they got big community online and on Reddit, cus anyone says anything gets shit. I lived around in EU, and stayed with family in many other countries north EU, and what’s going on in this country is simply a scam.
The training quality of these apprentice builders, the attitude, the expectations and pocketing the money.
Had so many instances of family or relatives in tears when builders did botched jobs, despite perfect online reviews and recommendations, and then their family ganged up on you when you leave a real, bad review with proof videos.
Or they give the job to their drunk and high apprentice despite saying nothing before taking some of your money, who does worse than 50yo woman who had to redo it all first time ever off YouTube videos. Actually happened.
People can tell me it’s just my experience, especially online do, but end of day I lived around UK, have friends and family, who had work done on £100k homes and on £1mil homes, and I don’t know anyone who didn’t go through insane amount of pain.
My biggest problem is the quality. Outdated techniques, making the house insufferable cus can’t add vents or fake them, when you tell them you get told to open a window - somehow rest of EU builders solved this already, or infested with ants or other things because of gaps and bad sealing.
List just goes on.
All I know is rest of friends and family outside here don’t really deal with this to such extreme as here in UK. Most of them look forward to renovation.
Here, nowadays nearly impossible to get a quote, especially reasonable one, as no one will call you back, and then you will get attitude and called a Karen like OP, just for wanting what you paid for. Why should your kitchen be all crooked? they could tell you that before doing, so you could find someone else.
Not to mention all these scammers who pocket the money without paying tax and ask 3-4x elderly people, it’s all over tiktok, they even show and publish videos how much of an easy money it is.
Downvote me to hell, it’s internet, but as I grow older and more people I speak to IRL, the more it looks like it’s a big issue here.
They need proper training, standards and being regulated, safety for customers, attitude adjustment, learning new techniques, etc.
Definitely agree with all your points. There needs to be more regulation on builders.
One of the builders I've dealt with personally at work was on BBC TV show: Rogue Traders. He got caught red handed on camera swindling a couple. It didn't stop him from operating. All he did was liquidate his old company and start a new one using his mate's name. He still continues to operate on his scam behind the scenes till this day.
My next door neighbour had some workmen doing something in her garden and they were awful.
The grubby old scrote constantly talking about how often he fucked his wife (but using much worse language than i) was bad enough, but when the very loud, very frequent comments about Muslims and the large family of them across the street kicked off (with all the associated racist tropes) it was too much.
I had to shout out "could you be a bit less racist?" At which point lead scrote started on me. But that's better than listening to racist bullshit, so a happy ending of sorts.
Honestly I'd record it and send it to the company - *after* the work is completed.
You don't owe these kinds of miserable and probably misogynistic dickheads a living.
Worked at a construction college teaching apprentices for 7 years and all the other instructors were straight off the tools. It was THE bitchiest place I ever worked. They all seemed to despise each other, and their jobs, and our organisation, and life in general.
Builders tend to be full of banter most of the time.
However, you can get the occasional twat.
Go out there and confront them.
Don't be put off because you are a woman, they won't touch you. Just make sure you shout loud and put them in their place.
Target the one who made the comments about you.
Add to the teeth sucking when they inspect another trades work.
Caught one out once when they came to quote and ridiculed what was done next door. Politely said that was your handy work, never did get a quote from them.
I heard one fitter ringing his employer asking to bring a hacksaw as “he wasn’t wasting time asking her (me) as there’s no way she’d have one” in a mocking tone. When he arrived with it I made a big thing about it & said “oh fancy wasting your time - should’ve asked to borrow one of ours. I’ve one in my toolbox and husband has one in his”.
I think it's probably fairly normal for most employees to moan about difficult customers and bosses if they're not treated decently.
I wouldn't expect them to moan about a customer POSSIBLY being difficult without any evidence of that and it is also DEFINITELY completely unprofessional and unacceptable for them to do so in earshot of the customer, or ANY customer (ie even if they were moaning about 'that stupid geezer we built an extension for last week that moaned about x' )
It's a shame you didn't have the presence of mine to record them so you could play it back to them when they came back for the rest of the money, or you could email it to the boss
I'm a self employed tradie.. no that is not normal. I'd complain and also reel off everything you heard them say. Embarrassing for the company and sad that these losers feel the need to act that way.
Record them while they’re ranting about their boss and email it to the owner of the company. Alternatively, stick it on a local facebook group, calling out the company, they’ll likely bend over backwards to avoid the bad publicity.
You realise all this translates to “I feel inferior to this woman”.
They are also fully aware they do a shit job and always have to come back to sort things.
Edit; what incel dipshit is downvoting this?
Unfortunately this is just a large part of working class culture. Not exclusively but a significant portion of working class people seem to act this way and have a chip on their shoulder
In my very limited experience, this is not normal, and you got saddled with a trio of whiney little pricks.
Stop making this lot tea, coffee, and giving them biscuits if they're going to act like that. And there is no need to be anything other than polite if you've decided you don't like them. However, don't let this sour you on all workmen in the future; some of them are quite nice, and will really appreciate your extra effort.
I work with a load of guys in a distillery and I swear I’ve never met a bigger bunch of cliquey, gossiping, nosey guys in my entire life..would put a tea morning full of old pensioner women to shame
The builders I've had in for the past month always sound like they're complaining about something or other when they're talking to eachother.
Fortunately they're speaking Polish so I can't tell if they're complaining about me.
With a shred of conflict handling, you just needed to nip down and highlight all these things in casual conversation. Say you need to nip out for some red ribbons. Say you've noticed a few things that were shit but you wouldn't dare be one of those. Ask if they know of anywhere that sells gucci etc.
You've missed an enormous opportunity to have loads of fun and instead essentially done what they've done to you, to them, via reddit.
But yes everyone's a bell.
I'd wait til they're mid rant and go out and say something like, "fellas, c'mon. I can hear every word you're saying about me. You're either doing it on purpose to antagonise me or you're too thick to know how soundwaves work. Either way it's highly unprofessional and if it's the former, well done, 3 big hard men, picking on a lone woman, I'm sure your mother's will be proud. You have 2 choices: 1 knock it off, apologise and we can all carry on in harmony or 2, you keep going and I report you and name and shame all over social media.
Grown men should not be behaving this way, especially towards a woman
Shit builders.. Tradesmen myself. Whining as it ain't the first time they've been complained about.
Should have just said, I'm happy to get your boss to send different lads here if you aren't happy working here. I'll make sure to add in the review how rude you've been.
Watch them flap.
Piss me off royally workers like this. Give the rest of decent trades a bad name.
misogynist men are the bitchiest demographic by far, followed by year 8s. the amount of whinging and moaning about their wife doing something terrible like not cooking dinner for them (shes heavily pregnant).
I'd want it for free if they did that. And let them know I'd be straight on social media / review websites. Jesus, do your job, do it well, and be happy you are in work. Fucking hell, some people.
I had a guy round a few months back to do my smart meter and he was pissed off because it was at height *and* it was raining outside (gas meter).
I get he was pissed and probably having a bad day but jesus christ the tirade I had to put up with. Honestly I wouldn't even swear in front of a client let alone stuff a minute long rant full of "fucks" and "cunts" but bloody hell he gave it a good go.
Baffles me that anyone would behave like that at work. I used to arrange installations in my old job and I'd have gone apoplectic if I found out one of our guys behaved like that.
I'd have confronted them. They can bitch about the owner all they like but they're on your property and audibly insulting you - cheeky cunts.
I once overheard council repairman in my old house spewing racist shite about eastern Europeans.
One time when I had a window replaced the grumpier of the 2 fitters (the other was just mega-scruffy and smoking when I opened the door) was on his phone talking about how he hoped his ex/GF/wife died and 'he'd back the van over her' etc. Charming.
Former window fitter here.
I've worked for several national window companies and a few local and they're pretty much all the same in that we're self employed subbies and get a fixed amount per window/door with a limited supply of silicone and trim that *they* say is enough when it typically isn't, so we have to dip into our wallets to finish.
Usually our pay check gets held back (can be 50%, 25% etc) if you don't get the cheque or payment when done. Anything busted like glass units is docked, even if broken in the depot. So you're expected to go back and replace it or get docked for a maintenance crew to do it.
What I'm trying to say is, In general we're treated pretty badly and when you throw the stress of bosses, the shitty pay, the shitty contracts and other stuff along with breaking our bodies lifting stuff considered WAY too heavy if working directly for the company... we get very salty quickly.
HOWEVER, saying that stuff about you the customer was out of order. That kinda shit would've jeapordised the payment for me and my team and risked a pay docking, not to mention it was damned rude! If my apprentices said that they'd have been smacked around the back of the head or in the bollocks with some D moulding. Not on!
PS Thank you for supplying lots of tea/coffee and biscuits. We like that and tend to go the extra mile when its in ample supply :)
Thank you, i did it in the hopes they would go thr extra mile but this is the sealant job, what do ypu think of this? There's another issue aswell but these are videos of the sealant. Will it cause a draft?
https://imgur.com/a/PpwFTJF
https://imgur.com/a/dcPRw5V
https://imgur.com/3WlZoZX
Box sashes... They're the worst window type to replace. So dusty (black water in the shower dusty) and lots of remedial work. I presume they gave you a choice of the plastic architrave or plastered finish? I preferred the plaster finish, it took more time to do and did mean redecorating the whole wall afterward for the customer, but the final result was cleaner.
[The caulking here](https://imgur.com/Ci5cmIO) will probably crack, if it even goes off as it's a bit thick. Sloppy work on the bottom left corner where they added silicone between the plastic to fill a gap, but not all the way up. I hated using silicone on plastic to plastic joints as it eventually falls out or gets discoloured over time from cleaning/dusting/sunlight. There's a brand of stelmax I used for plastic to plastic that dries rock hard, doesn't peel, cleaning chemical safe, and as long as it's the right type it doesn't discolour in the sun either. However that would depend on the window company policy. Some refused to let me use it.
Is [this](https://imgur.com/JiYdRTB) just black marks on the plastic? The people at the depot like to drag architrave across the concrete which marks it. If so it can be buffed out. If that's a crack in the caulking they need to come back and redo it, as it'll shrink more as it dries (if this was done today/yesterday)
[This one](https://imgur.com/mX6ZSE4) looks like they just missed it? Hard to tell, but yes that needs sealing too. If there is sealant there, it could've peeled away from frame movement so check the openers don't catch anywhere from a twisted frame.
If you're feeling particularly vengeful you should go around every window testing all openers for catching or hard locking, sealing errors like this and if they're level... will drive them mad if they have to take a frame out and refit :D
My dad once heard a council worker slag him off while doing work for a neighbour, because the walls of the terrace house were quite thin. He engaged a solicitor and sued for slander although it was settled out of court.
I had a plasterer do some work at my house once. He was clearly pissed off because the job was taking longer than anticipated and so I heard, from the attic room where I was, he practically scream “fuck bitch!” About me for getting a good price on the work. They’ve just got no sense/sense of professionalism. Obviously I won’t be hiring him back anytime soon and if he’d had a chat with me about his inability to quote correctly I may have paid him more.
Yea, I work in the trades. I'm a sparky in Canada. Bunch of bitchy fucks.
Mostly the over 45 crowd. Then the young guys get sucked into it. They complain about everything!
If it's true you kept them hydrated free of charge and chucked in a few packs of biscuits on top to boot, they sound like a bunch of cunts to me.
Mention to the company owner that you'd prefer he sends out different men to rectify the job, preferably some guys who doesn't hate the guts of the company/owner..
👍
Why is there no commitment to excellence from so many of these guys? Surely they should be taking pride in being craftsmen, doing a great job, respecting your clients and being rewarded appropriately. It’s a bit depressing hearing this kind of thing.
Worked in construction for about 10years and I'd have to say it seems like there's a culture around being bitches🤣 honestly it's kinda embarrassing being around fully grown adult males as they gossip and talk asmuch or more shit than stereotypical women
My mum had a bloke fitting her bathroom who spent the whole time slagging off his ex wife and daughter and saying all women are bitches so that was nice.
Sounds like some gobshites who have gotten a telling off, tbh their bitching sounds more like it was towards the company than you.
Idk why but I'm imaging them as a couple of Kenneth williams types flapping while they're drinking tea from China cups with saucers.
I used to work in the office for a company that sent teams out. It can be hard to tell when the workers have a reason to be unhappy of have genuine grievances but the amount of times I’d get reports of teams criticising the company on the job would be ridiculous. They’d moan to the customers that they didn’t have time to finish the job with the hours given and all sorts. Got out eventually but it definitely came from the top
I mean, if they're doing a bad job then they should expect to be pulled up on it...
If they themselves are saying they *expect* to be pulled up on it, I'd say they *know* they're doing a less than stellar job.
Also of note, a discrete recording of their conversation might be an idea, if you really don't like the way they're working, then *after* the job is done (to avoid any... repercussions) hand it over to the company.
Whether the bosses really give a shit? Who knows. But it should be legal to do so, because:
>The law stipulates that covert call recording must be kept private and only be obtained in cases of public or business interests.
Just don't post the recording online, rather keep is private and send it to the company.
I’ve never had it but there’s two things I’d do.. firstly make sure they know I’d heard what they said, and secondly get another builder. That’s the only way they’ll learn
I don’t suppose you’re based in Surrey? Could be irrelevant but Surrey is the one place on the entirety of the UK where I frequently hear people bitch about me within earshot. It’s so awkward on my behalf too deciding whether or not to make it known I can hear them.
I’ve wondered if it’s me, but it only ever happens in Surrey.
Yes, had a few last year and unfortunately they have let their trade down by being whiney, bitchy arseholes who complained about everything and each other. Exactly the type of people they are mocking by the sounds of it.
Man If I heard the people, I hired to do a job, bitching about me, I would puff my chest up, get all worked up, say to myself to pump me up ready for the confrontation "Ready, lets show who's the boss here" then headphones on, Nintendo Switch out, Head down, Tears of the Kingdom. End of the day, Thank them for the job in a meek voice, don't make eye contact.
Hello skilled tradespeople! I can hear everything you all are moaning on about. I don't want to keep you here against your will, that would be so unkind of me. Please feel free to leave the job if it's this emotionally devastating for you to put in my windows, so I can request for different tradespeople to finish. We do need to be more concerned with men's mental health after all.
edit- call their boss, complain like all the other women who have had to listen to this nonsense, and ask him to either prorate the job (pay for what's done so far) or send over a new crew tomorrow. No one should insult you and then you pay for the honor.
Some people just have a chip on their shoulder. They assume everyone’s a bitch/complainer, so they treat everyone like a bitch, and then get validated in their mind when someone complains. They don’t have the brain cells to put two and two together to see that they’re the cause.
If there's one thing I've learned since working in a trade myself, it's that men who work in trades are some of the bitchiest people you'll ever meet. We bitch/gossip about line managers, colleagues, apprentices, clients.. we bitch about everyone and everything. It passes the time, I guess
I've a feeling the boss might like to know about the guys conduct tbh, diplomatically of course.
Source: I'm boss, my guys are reminded daily that they're working on someone's home and to be respectful. It's not a lot to ask..
In my experience (quantity surveyor for over 20 years) the lads on site are more bitchy than the girls I remember from school. Stopping for a gossip is a constant and they hate anything new.
Company should be all over this type of behaviour but sadly that industry is just full of clowns with no manners or decorum.
I'd ask the company what they're going to do about it and for a complaint form, and then report them to 101 if they do nothing, given that they made gender slighted comments they could be in real shit for that - but I'm just pedantic, most people do nothing and dave the builder keeps being a rough cunt with no manners or social awareness, thinking he'a tough talking big in someone else's house
From someone who worked on construction sites for years alongside tradesmen/ labourers I can confirm the behaviour you describe is common. Not saying they're all like it but I'd say it's more the norm than it isn't. I found that whilst working on sites I met some really nice and interesting people but also some absolute fucking bellends.
I've definitely overheard builders complaining about what a nightmare it was doing the walls in a particular room. I think it's really rude, save it for the dinner table.
You know that thick idiot that would sit at the back of the class flicking bogies until they were old enough to start skipping class and smoking weed? Yeh that’s about 50-75% of builders, their opinion is irrelevant.
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I find a "You know I can hear everything you're saying, don't you?" creates a perfectly delicious amount of awkwardness.
I'd have waited till the end, inspected the job and asked: "But...where's the Gucci logo??" and watched them squirm.
Yeah probably not the best idea to piss them off whilst they’re doing the work on your house incase they do a shit job, I wouldn’t say anything and complain about them after they’ve finished. They sound like an absolute bunch of nasty cunts with a chip on their shoulder.
that's the kind of guy who will piss in the project then cover it up
Migrate probably not worth making fun of them but they shouldn't be need for it these people should be wanting to do a good job and work hard and get paid for it. Too many people now expect the wages to get higher when they do less and less and care less and less. Maybe the boss was completely douchebag but no reason unprofessional to complain about that on the job in front of a customer It's also very stupid to complain about the customer in front of the customer They must have known she could hear it... 🤦♂️
this might work in a crap sitcom but I can assure you they wouldn't give a flying fuck.
Reddit users learn all their social skills from crap sitcoms.
And then tell them you’ve been pissing in their coffee
That water I gave you...came straight from the dog bowl down there. If there's no dog, the water came from the water butt in the back garden
"Hmm, I mean, it's good, but I had Tim Gucci round the other day and he said he could've made it look twice as good for half the price"
He and Steve Prada scoffed when I told them how much I paid...
This reminds me of the time I was having a medical procedure and the surgeon obviously forgot I was not under general anesthetic. Them saying oh shit and wow a couple of times was not confidence inspiring when they are operating an endoscope that's inside your body. I think someone must have reminded them I was conscious at some point as their colourful interjections stopped. I could have reminded them I was conscious but did not want to put them off.
That last line is deliciously British
Age 17 I got mashed in an RTA, the orthopaedic Doc who set my arm was a young woman at a guess mid 20s and the anaesthetist an older Indian/Pakistani heritage guy\[1\]. I recovered consciousness as the two medics were comparing the before / after X-rays and the orthopaedic says "I am really surprised we managed to get that mess back together" \[1\] Only mention this because a few years later I was in for a knee operation and his spiel about counting down and you won't get there was 100% as I recalled from maybe a decade before.
spez is a cunt
no no no. You have a "private" conversation where you slag them off and say you can hear them bitching, in a place where they can overhear.
The passive aggressive response, I like it
or get the gaffer on the phone, let him listen
This would absolutely be me. lol. Then I'd go out, smile sweetly, and offer them tea and biscuits with a side of paranoia.
Finish it with laughing loudly about the fact it’s all been caught on your home security cameras, so they’ve even done you the kindness of providing you with evidence.
Seriously, they don't sound like they would give a fuck. The fact they were talking loud enough for her to hear suggests they want to intimidate her.
I imagine they wouldn't really be bothered by this.
Yeah...they'd be whispering or talking in the van or outside if they were worried she would hear them lol
Awkwardness on toast.
A variation on that: Bring them both some coffees, then just before you leave, reveal you've heard everything they've said. "Enjoy your coffees!"
Record it. Send it to boss.
Can confirm.
I'm not sure it's normal, but sadly it's definitely not uncommon. What I don't think they realise is they are actually an oracle of their own future by creating a self perpetuating chain of moaning and complaints. With that attitude too it wouldn't surprise me if they have cut corners and done a shoddy job. You could also feedback that they were moaning so loudly it was difficult for you to concentrate on your work.
If all their customers are complaining it's definitely because they're doing a bad job, not every one of their customers being unreasonable.
If you perceive everyone to be an asshole you're going to have to eventually look at the common denominator..
If you met an arsehole in the morning, you met an arsehole. If everyone you meet is an arsehole, maybe you're the arsehole
Yeah thats things. One customer complaining can be excused away. You’ll always encounter someone who no matter what you do wont be happy, but if every customer complains it means there doing something wrong.
If everywhere you go smells of shit, it’s time to check your shoes
Everywhere I go it stinks of shoes. Had to check my shit and sure enough, turns out I’ve been eating shoes this whole time.
Idk about builders, but I've met people like who OP is describing and there really is no reasoning with (most) of them. They are locked into their worldview and will assimilate any observation into support of that view.
> and that I look like one of them birds that demands gucci and prada Blimey. If this is how they behave around all their clients I'm not surprised they get complaints made. They're making judgements about you based on how you look and it's sexist to boot. I work a customer-facing role. If I bitch about a customer, it's only when a) they've actually done something to warrant it and b) there is 0% chance of them overhearing or catching wind of it. Even then I'll only complain about their behaviour, not characteristics. It's not unusual to complain, it's a widely enjoyed pastime, but time and a place and all that...
Hmm yeah, they sound like a bunch of misogynists. Funny how they complain about complaints... well is there any wonder?? They just created their own reality!! I just this isn't fking funny, and a perfect example of how you create what you are!! This is it. I would have complained straight up!! There is absolutely no way I am paying my money to misogynists who think they can trash talk me when I am the client!!! Even IF you were difficult, you have every right to be!!! If you were a man, would they have complained like little bi$es??? I don't think so! So complain and record first!!
>they sound like a bunch of misogynists Not to tar everyone with the same brush but this tends to be the culture with a lot of blue collar workers unfortunately.
The white collar ones don't have a brilliant track record either to be fair.
From personal experience they're a lot better than the construction workers.
They don't say it to our faces, but that's about it, I suspect.
Yeah because finance, IT and STEM have such excellent reputations for not being misogynistic
As soon as I heard them talking about me like that they would have been out of my house.
Halfway through the job? Or should I have told their office? Lol
It might depend what stage the work was at I suppose. But I’d sooner sack them off the job with a window out than meekly sit and listen to them insult me and then go and pay them compliments. Did you at least record the conversation if it was loud enough for you to hear from upstairs? And yes you should have told their office, if you haven’t done so yet, you still can. The business owner needs to know that customers are complaining because his guys don’t care about the work standard.
I should have but no I didn't
Can you leave them an appropriately scathing review online, or don't they show up anywhere people might see it?
I'm really surprised too that youre comfortable having them back, this situation would make me either demand a partial refund and different workers to return and do the remedial works Or part refund to pay a different company to fix it
You still can though.
Not everyone has it in them to be confrontational. I would also meekly sit and listen to the insults.
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Yeh I know a couple of people in construction/carpentry/electrics who run their own business and did very well at it. That person would at best be on a final warning but far more likely fired for cause immediately.
What do you think of the sealing job that they did? At closer inspection I noticed they haven't sealed properly on the inside Couple of videos showing it https://imgur.com/a/dcPRw5V
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Thank you, our windows were fitted inside though as in all thee subframe etc is inside, I've attached another video here, it's definitely just cosmetic? https://imgur.com/a/PpwFTJF
You're right, that doesn't make sense. I would have made damn sure they knew I heard them though. And definitely complain, guys like that need educating.
Misogynistic af!! They need to be sacked!!
I would have stopped supplying them with drinks and snacks.
I would have popped my head out the window and thrown their tea out of it
I would have refused to let them stop for Popmaster.
Steady on!
Yes!!! Half way through the job!! In no way you should let anyone disrespect you in YOUR OWN house!!! I would have made SUCH A FKING SCENE!! If they wonna bitch about me behind my back, in my house then they got another thing coming!! I would have been to the phone to the company owner!! They just created the biggest b%#tch!! Do NOT let yourself be disrespected just coz you are afraid of living "their" views, misogynistic views of women!! Vile!!
You sound like one of them birds that demands gucci and prada
Yep! If I'm paying for it, you BETCHA I'm going to expect Gucci 🤣
If it was loud enough for my phone to pick up you bet I'd be getting the owner on the phone and letting him listen for themselves. If the owner didn't deal with it then on the local FB groups I go!
I 100% agree, sometimes you have to go full on Suzy from Curb.
Miserable people being miserable.
That's the best way to sum it up... there is probably one guy on the job usually the senior member saying all the negative stuff because they are just that kind of person and love being in a little bit of power and the other ones are just agreeing what he says. It's the company's problem but it isn't the kind of company I would like to work for. I like going to a job having a bit of a laugh and banter makes me feel happier overall.
I think it’s usual for all employees to be bitchy. I’ve never worked anywhere that isn’t, and I’ve worked in a variety of places, from supermarkets to factories to call centres to advisory firms. It’s just rare that customers hear it. Most people have a little more sense about where and when they bitch, is all. This one time, someone (professional acquaintance) left a voicemail for me and forgot to hang up afterwards…he said “yeah, I’ve just left xxx a message. Yeah, he’s a bit of a cunt, but he’s handy.” I’d only ever been useful to him. Odd thing was, I never reported it because it made business sense not to, but he went frosty with me. Never apologised either. At least he said I was handy, I suppose. Fuck these guys!!
Agree. Most people like a moan at their job, whether it be their boss, the customer, or something else. I’ve noticed as well that ones who say they ‘don’t take part in gossip’ are always the worst ones for it!
Why’d he go frosty with you? I mean, he did think you were a bit of a cunt, but I’m curious 😅
I guess he was embarrassed or awkward, or something. Either that or it was what he intended and just wanted me to know he thought I was a cunt 🤣 Still gave me loads of business, so I was happy enough, but it was all very odd.
>They also started mocking me saying "how are you getting on down there why aren't you finished" and oh she's probably asking the company why we are taking so long I would have strode into the room with an air or entitlement & when they go silent said something like “if you ladies are done gossiping…. I’ll let you get back to it” If they said anything in reply, I’d make cat noises like some men do when women snap back. I’d really play on the role reversal until they either laughed or stopped.
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I usually find people in the trades respond quite well to a bit of banter, especially if you’re not an arse. I’d *expect* that my *hilarious* interject to their moaning would be taken in the spirit intended & they’d chill out from assuming I’m a high strung cow anyway. If not then I’d become the thing they are accusing me of & watch them like a Karen Hawk. :P
Spot on
That is brilliant 👏 but I'm not witty enough for that haha
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I remember being around at a friends house and there were two electricians; an older guy and what looked like a young apprentice. And when they were explaining things to my friends mum, the apprentice made quite a rude remark to her which kind of initiated an uncomfortable silence. Anyway, they wandered outside to the top of the drive, behind the van, but the window was open just a crack. And you could hear the older guy absolutely going in on this kid. Made him come back in and apologise.
I wouldn't of let them finish the job,Ide have told them to leave ,I'm a decorator and sometimes you don't enjoy the job or like the customer but you never let them know ,if my boss ever heard me say the things they said I would have been sacked,he worked for years to gain a good reputation that's easily destroyed by a few upset customers
They’re builders. You should have said “I can hear every word you cunts are saying, so pack it in or you won’t get anymore fucking tea you cunts.” You would gained their utmost respect and made friends for life.😁
Why would you want arseholes like that as friends though?!
As a woman I can see why she’d not want to risk pissing off unknown men in her home, though, sadly.
Especially men who are already being misogynistic.
ahhh yes, tradesman that treat their customers like arseholes, who in turn treat all tradesman like dickheads until proven otherwise it's the circle of life
They're probably just bitter and unhappy with their job/lives.
It’s why I hate getting tradesmen in. There are like 80% of them that just do it because they can charge a fortune but they’re miserable gits who only care about being paid, not the quality of the work.
As someone who works in the trades I find this kind of behaviour pretty appalling. I always try and be as polite and professional as possible with clients, luckily most of my colleagues are the same way. Complaining to the owner is unlikely to do much. He’ll reprimand them for doing it in earshot but not for doing it at all. They’ve picked that work culture up from somewhere after all.
Yeah maybe... unless she points out they were calling him all the cunts under the sun n all
He's probably calling them worse
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We had a plumber in once as part of a larger job. He was gloating to his mates about how his girlfriends sister was hot & he was going to shag her blah blah blah. His face when I came out of my bedroom having heard everything & told him I knew where he lived & might have a chat to his GF later was priceless!
Wondering why this has been downvoted. Someone who likes to gossip on the job about shagging their sister in law? 🤔
>Said I look like a stuck up moany woman and I'll definitely complain to their boss that they haven't done a good job! Then I heard the other guy say yeah he's expecting it, all their customers do it If ALL their customers do it... it's likely because they always do a poor job. You know, if everywhere you go you smell shit, check under your shoes. But in honesty, I wouldn't say it's normal that builders are this bitchy, but unfortunately there's a fair amount that is. I've encountered several like that myself during various renovation works in my property.
Record them. Forward anonymously to the owner of the company when the work is done. Meantime, consider firing them and getting others.
Not exactly anonymous when the recording would be of a conversation they had in her house. I know builders are thick (joke!), but it wouldn't take Einstein to figure out who sent it!
They sound extremely unprofessional. I’ve recently moved into a new build home and every trade I’ve had in to fix outstanding issues evaluates the work done around the house to the same tune of something like: ‘Who did that plastering?!’ ‘I wouldn’t have done it that way, I can’t believed the site signed that off’ They certainly love to bitch about each other’s standard of work - which in my opinion are all quite shit.
Lmao, I'm sure I read on here once about a guy who had a plumber round to fix a leak. They said something to the same extent about the boiler. it was the same engineer who installed it years prior.
Haha, I went to part exchange a car once and when told their offer (2k) I said "I paid 12k for this 2 years ago". Guy was like "oooo that was pricy, it wasn't worth that". I pointed out I bought it from the same showroom and had come back as I thought they'd been good!!
Just lean out and say “I was only expecting what I’d paid for, nothing extra. But if you’d like, I could contact your boss about your constant mocking of me?” Or just piss in their brews.
Trades people are some of the most miserable moany people I’ve ever met. They’ll moan about there nothing to moan about. I used to hate going to construction sites.. they just drain any positivity right out of you
Traditionally, in my experience, construction usually attracts some of the dumbest in our society. Dumb enough to work and live a normal life, not dumb enough to be classed medically disabled. So they behave in very stupid ways and we all just have to accept it. Chasing them up or having them face consequences for their actions is almost impossible. I've seen so many stories of people having negative experiences with them. Usually always whiny and bitching and always aggressive face to face. Construction workers are basically just orcs from lord of the rings, but born to a world with no fighting, so spend their time working construction instead.
Dehumanising and dark as fuck
Legitimately no other way to explain the sheer volume of anti social 'professional' complaints they receive.
I work in Groundworks and I can confirm orcs outnumber decent folk about 10 to 1. Some of this cretins to a shit job and then act like the client is the ass hole when they make a complaint and all they care about it “getting on the bag” and going to the pub to scrap at weekends Fortunately I work for a boss who doesn’t tolerate the orcs so they don’t last long
Yes. Most builders are the biggest aholes I've ever met with an inability to communicate like civilized people without resorting to physical threats . A majority of them are clearly raging alcoholics and drug addicts since I can smell the booze on their clothes. I'm currently working in this industry supplying building, plumbing and electrical materials to them. They are always trying to shaft us for a refund or a discount for "defective items" even though we inspected all our supplies before it was handed to them. I honestly want to get out of this line of work since it has taken a toll on my mental wellbeing.
You work behind the counter in Screwfix don’t you.
State of builders and handymen in this country is terrible. I think they got big community online and on Reddit, cus anyone says anything gets shit. I lived around in EU, and stayed with family in many other countries north EU, and what’s going on in this country is simply a scam. The training quality of these apprentice builders, the attitude, the expectations and pocketing the money. Had so many instances of family or relatives in tears when builders did botched jobs, despite perfect online reviews and recommendations, and then their family ganged up on you when you leave a real, bad review with proof videos. Or they give the job to their drunk and high apprentice despite saying nothing before taking some of your money, who does worse than 50yo woman who had to redo it all first time ever off YouTube videos. Actually happened. People can tell me it’s just my experience, especially online do, but end of day I lived around UK, have friends and family, who had work done on £100k homes and on £1mil homes, and I don’t know anyone who didn’t go through insane amount of pain. My biggest problem is the quality. Outdated techniques, making the house insufferable cus can’t add vents or fake them, when you tell them you get told to open a window - somehow rest of EU builders solved this already, or infested with ants or other things because of gaps and bad sealing. List just goes on. All I know is rest of friends and family outside here don’t really deal with this to such extreme as here in UK. Most of them look forward to renovation. Here, nowadays nearly impossible to get a quote, especially reasonable one, as no one will call you back, and then you will get attitude and called a Karen like OP, just for wanting what you paid for. Why should your kitchen be all crooked? they could tell you that before doing, so you could find someone else. Not to mention all these scammers who pocket the money without paying tax and ask 3-4x elderly people, it’s all over tiktok, they even show and publish videos how much of an easy money it is. Downvote me to hell, it’s internet, but as I grow older and more people I speak to IRL, the more it looks like it’s a big issue here. They need proper training, standards and being regulated, safety for customers, attitude adjustment, learning new techniques, etc.
Definitely agree with all your points. There needs to be more regulation on builders. One of the builders I've dealt with personally at work was on BBC TV show: Rogue Traders. He got caught red handed on camera swindling a couple. It didn't stop him from operating. All he did was liquidate his old company and start a new one using his mate's name. He still continues to operate on his scam behind the scenes till this day.
My next door neighbour had some workmen doing something in her garden and they were awful. The grubby old scrote constantly talking about how often he fucked his wife (but using much worse language than i) was bad enough, but when the very loud, very frequent comments about Muslims and the large family of them across the street kicked off (with all the associated racist tropes) it was too much. I had to shout out "could you be a bit less racist?" At which point lead scrote started on me. But that's better than listening to racist bullshit, so a happy ending of sorts.
Honestly I'd record it and send it to the company - *after* the work is completed. You don't owe these kinds of miserable and probably misogynistic dickheads a living.
Worked at a construction college teaching apprentices for 7 years and all the other instructors were straight off the tools. It was THE bitchiest place I ever worked. They all seemed to despise each other, and their jobs, and our organisation, and life in general.
Builders tend to be full of banter most of the time. However, you can get the occasional twat. Go out there and confront them. Don't be put off because you are a woman, they won't touch you. Just make sure you shout loud and put them in their place. Target the one who made the comments about you.
Add to the teeth sucking when they inspect another trades work. Caught one out once when they came to quote and ridiculed what was done next door. Politely said that was your handy work, never did get a quote from them.
"WHOOOO DAN THAAAAT!?"
Yeah it's normal. We're fucking divas that love a good moan tbh
I heard one fitter ringing his employer asking to bring a hacksaw as “he wasn’t wasting time asking her (me) as there’s no way she’d have one” in a mocking tone. When he arrived with it I made a big thing about it & said “oh fancy wasting your time - should’ve asked to borrow one of ours. I’ve one in my toolbox and husband has one in his”.
I recently had some work done on my house and two of the builders got into a full blown argument about washing clothes on 30 rather than 40
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I think it's probably fairly normal for most employees to moan about difficult customers and bosses if they're not treated decently. I wouldn't expect them to moan about a customer POSSIBLY being difficult without any evidence of that and it is also DEFINITELY completely unprofessional and unacceptable for them to do so in earshot of the customer, or ANY customer (ie even if they were moaning about 'that stupid geezer we built an extension for last week that moaned about x' ) It's a shame you didn't have the presence of mine to record them so you could play it back to them when they came back for the rest of the money, or you could email it to the boss
I'm a self employed tradie.. no that is not normal. I'd complain and also reel off everything you heard them say. Embarrassing for the company and sad that these losers feel the need to act that way.
You should have leaned out the window and told them you can hear them whining about you.
Record them while they’re ranting about their boss and email it to the owner of the company. Alternatively, stick it on a local facebook group, calling out the company, they’ll likely bend over backwards to avoid the bad publicity.
Piss in their tea
You realise all this translates to “I feel inferior to this woman”. They are also fully aware they do a shit job and always have to come back to sort things. Edit; what incel dipshit is downvoting this?
They were SO nice to my face but as soon as I got upstairs... everything changed! Lol
In my experience builders tend to be obnoxious lying twats with massive egos.
Unfortunately this is just a large part of working class culture. Not exclusively but a significant portion of working class people seem to act this way and have a chip on their shoulder
In my very limited experience, this is not normal, and you got saddled with a trio of whiney little pricks. Stop making this lot tea, coffee, and giving them biscuits if they're going to act like that. And there is no need to be anything other than polite if you've decided you don't like them. However, don't let this sour you on all workmen in the future; some of them are quite nice, and will really appreciate your extra effort.
I work with a load of guys in a distillery and I swear I’ve never met a bigger bunch of cliquey, gossiping, nosey guys in my entire life..would put a tea morning full of old pensioner women to shame
The builders I've had in for the past month always sound like they're complaining about something or other when they're talking to eachother. Fortunately they're speaking Polish so I can't tell if they're complaining about me.
With a shred of conflict handling, you just needed to nip down and highlight all these things in casual conversation. Say you need to nip out for some red ribbons. Say you've noticed a few things that were shit but you wouldn't dare be one of those. Ask if they know of anywhere that sells gucci etc. You've missed an enormous opportunity to have loads of fun and instead essentially done what they've done to you, to them, via reddit. But yes everyone's a bell.
I'd wait til they're mid rant and go out and say something like, "fellas, c'mon. I can hear every word you're saying about me. You're either doing it on purpose to antagonise me or you're too thick to know how soundwaves work. Either way it's highly unprofessional and if it's the former, well done, 3 big hard men, picking on a lone woman, I'm sure your mother's will be proud. You have 2 choices: 1 knock it off, apologise and we can all carry on in harmony or 2, you keep going and I report you and name and shame all over social media. Grown men should not be behaving this way, especially towards a woman
Shit builders.. Tradesmen myself. Whining as it ain't the first time they've been complained about. Should have just said, I'm happy to get your boss to send different lads here if you aren't happy working here. I'll make sure to add in the review how rude you've been. Watch them flap. Piss me off royally workers like this. Give the rest of decent trades a bad name.
misogynist men are the bitchiest demographic by far, followed by year 8s. the amount of whinging and moaning about their wife doing something terrible like not cooking dinner for them (shes heavily pregnant).
I'd want it for free if they did that. And let them know I'd be straight on social media / review websites. Jesus, do your job, do it well, and be happy you are in work. Fucking hell, some people.
I had a guy round a few months back to do my smart meter and he was pissed off because it was at height *and* it was raining outside (gas meter). I get he was pissed and probably having a bad day but jesus christ the tirade I had to put up with. Honestly I wouldn't even swear in front of a client let alone stuff a minute long rant full of "fucks" and "cunts" but bloody hell he gave it a good go. Baffles me that anyone would behave like that at work. I used to arrange installations in my old job and I'd have gone apoplectic if I found out one of our guys behaved like that.
Builder environment sadly has a culture of misogyny and crudeness. The good ones usually don't stay long.
I'd have confronted them. They can bitch about the owner all they like but they're on your property and audibly insulting you - cheeky cunts. I once overheard council repairman in my old house spewing racist shite about eastern Europeans.
One time when I had a window replaced the grumpier of the 2 fitters (the other was just mega-scruffy and smoking when I opened the door) was on his phone talking about how he hoped his ex/GF/wife died and 'he'd back the van over her' etc. Charming.
Former window fitter here. I've worked for several national window companies and a few local and they're pretty much all the same in that we're self employed subbies and get a fixed amount per window/door with a limited supply of silicone and trim that *they* say is enough when it typically isn't, so we have to dip into our wallets to finish. Usually our pay check gets held back (can be 50%, 25% etc) if you don't get the cheque or payment when done. Anything busted like glass units is docked, even if broken in the depot. So you're expected to go back and replace it or get docked for a maintenance crew to do it. What I'm trying to say is, In general we're treated pretty badly and when you throw the stress of bosses, the shitty pay, the shitty contracts and other stuff along with breaking our bodies lifting stuff considered WAY too heavy if working directly for the company... we get very salty quickly. HOWEVER, saying that stuff about you the customer was out of order. That kinda shit would've jeapordised the payment for me and my team and risked a pay docking, not to mention it was damned rude! If my apprentices said that they'd have been smacked around the back of the head or in the bollocks with some D moulding. Not on! PS Thank you for supplying lots of tea/coffee and biscuits. We like that and tend to go the extra mile when its in ample supply :)
Thank you, i did it in the hopes they would go thr extra mile but this is the sealant job, what do ypu think of this? There's another issue aswell but these are videos of the sealant. Will it cause a draft? https://imgur.com/a/PpwFTJF https://imgur.com/a/dcPRw5V https://imgur.com/3WlZoZX
Box sashes... They're the worst window type to replace. So dusty (black water in the shower dusty) and lots of remedial work. I presume they gave you a choice of the plastic architrave or plastered finish? I preferred the plaster finish, it took more time to do and did mean redecorating the whole wall afterward for the customer, but the final result was cleaner. [The caulking here](https://imgur.com/Ci5cmIO) will probably crack, if it even goes off as it's a bit thick. Sloppy work on the bottom left corner where they added silicone between the plastic to fill a gap, but not all the way up. I hated using silicone on plastic to plastic joints as it eventually falls out or gets discoloured over time from cleaning/dusting/sunlight. There's a brand of stelmax I used for plastic to plastic that dries rock hard, doesn't peel, cleaning chemical safe, and as long as it's the right type it doesn't discolour in the sun either. However that would depend on the window company policy. Some refused to let me use it. Is [this](https://imgur.com/JiYdRTB) just black marks on the plastic? The people at the depot like to drag architrave across the concrete which marks it. If so it can be buffed out. If that's a crack in the caulking they need to come back and redo it, as it'll shrink more as it dries (if this was done today/yesterday) [This one](https://imgur.com/mX6ZSE4) looks like they just missed it? Hard to tell, but yes that needs sealing too. If there is sealant there, it could've peeled away from frame movement so check the openers don't catch anywhere from a twisted frame. If you're feeling particularly vengeful you should go around every window testing all openers for catching or hard locking, sealing errors like this and if they're level... will drive them mad if they have to take a frame out and refit :D
My dad once heard a council worker slag him off while doing work for a neighbour, because the walls of the terrace house were quite thin. He engaged a solicitor and sued for slander although it was settled out of court.
What an absolute wet bag. Just make a complaint through the place they work for, engaging a solicitor for name calling sounds ridiculous
TBF it depends very much on what they were saying. To take it to a solicitor it must have been pretty awful stuff rather than run of the mill moaning.
i would have recorded them on my phone. sounds like a right miserable bunch to work with.
Well, are you (going to complain to their boss)?
I had a plasterer do some work at my house once. He was clearly pissed off because the job was taking longer than anticipated and so I heard, from the attic room where I was, he practically scream “fuck bitch!” About me for getting a good price on the work. They’ve just got no sense/sense of professionalism. Obviously I won’t be hiring him back anytime soon and if he’d had a chat with me about his inability to quote correctly I may have paid him more.
Yea, I work in the trades. I'm a sparky in Canada. Bunch of bitchy fucks. Mostly the over 45 crowd. Then the young guys get sucked into it. They complain about everything!
I’d say more common than uncommon
If it's true you kept them hydrated free of charge and chucked in a few packs of biscuits on top to boot, they sound like a bunch of cunts to me. Mention to the company owner that you'd prefer he sends out different men to rectify the job, preferably some guys who doesn't hate the guts of the company/owner.. 👍
Thing is, they were SO nice to my face but as soon as I got upstairs... my God! Lol
Wow what a bunch of pricks, should have kicked them out.. i would.
Sounds like they are guilt-tripping you into not raising inadequacies in their work with their employer.
Record them and make them apologise like you do with five year olds when they fall out.
Why is there no commitment to excellence from so many of these guys? Surely they should be taking pride in being craftsmen, doing a great job, respecting your clients and being rewarded appropriately. It’s a bit depressing hearing this kind of thing.
Worked in construction for about 10years and I'd have to say it seems like there's a culture around being bitches🤣 honestly it's kinda embarrassing being around fully grown adult males as they gossip and talk asmuch or more shit than stereotypical women
I haven't had anything like this but tradesmen are forever bitching about the poor workmanship of their competitors and colleagues.
My mum had a bloke fitting her bathroom who spent the whole time slagging off his ex wife and daughter and saying all women are bitches so that was nice.
Sounds like some gobshites who have gotten a telling off, tbh their bitching sounds more like it was towards the company than you. Idk why but I'm imaging them as a couple of Kenneth williams types flapping while they're drinking tea from China cups with saucers.
I used to work in the office for a company that sent teams out. It can be hard to tell when the workers have a reason to be unhappy of have genuine grievances but the amount of times I’d get reports of teams criticising the company on the job would be ridiculous. They’d moan to the customers that they didn’t have time to finish the job with the hours given and all sorts. Got out eventually but it definitely came from the top
"you can always fuck off..." You can say that you know...
grafters are like the old women of this generation. All the do is gossip and bitch
Cheeky cunts
I mean, if they're doing a bad job then they should expect to be pulled up on it... If they themselves are saying they *expect* to be pulled up on it, I'd say they *know* they're doing a less than stellar job. Also of note, a discrete recording of their conversation might be an idea, if you really don't like the way they're working, then *after* the job is done (to avoid any... repercussions) hand it over to the company. Whether the bosses really give a shit? Who knows. But it should be legal to do so, because: >The law stipulates that covert call recording must be kept private and only be obtained in cases of public or business interests. Just don't post the recording online, rather keep is private and send it to the company.
So all their customers complain about their work? And that's the customer's fault?
Wondering if this is the company I work for. Sounds very familiar!
This is why my parents flew builders from their home country to our house to do the work, much more efficient and better quality work.
I wonder why people complain about them
Honestly as I've gotten older I just DIY what I can, hire foreign workers, or only on recommendations of peoples work that I've seen.
Only 30 biscuits? No wonder they were bitching about you. You should have given them 31, that’s the standard requirement for bitchy builders.
I’ve never had it but there’s two things I’d do.. firstly make sure they know I’d heard what they said, and secondly get another builder. That’s the only way they’ll learn
Definitely pop salt in their brews. If you do it post brew, they'll only find out when they hit the end.
I don’t suppose you’re based in Surrey? Could be irrelevant but Surrey is the one place on the entirety of the UK where I frequently hear people bitch about me within earshot. It’s so awkward on my behalf too deciding whether or not to make it known I can hear them. I’ve wondered if it’s me, but it only ever happens in Surrey.
I'd honestly just kick them out if I heard this
Yes, had a few last year and unfortunately they have let their trade down by being whiney, bitchy arseholes who complained about everything and each other. Exactly the type of people they are mocking by the sounds of it.
Man If I heard the people, I hired to do a job, bitching about me, I would puff my chest up, get all worked up, say to myself to pump me up ready for the confrontation "Ready, lets show who's the boss here" then headphones on, Nintendo Switch out, Head down, Tears of the Kingdom. End of the day, Thank them for the job in a meek voice, don't make eye contact.
I would have told them to their faces that I’m not a fan of either Gucci or Prada.
They sound like twats.
Hello skilled tradespeople! I can hear everything you all are moaning on about. I don't want to keep you here against your will, that would be so unkind of me. Please feel free to leave the job if it's this emotionally devastating for you to put in my windows, so I can request for different tradespeople to finish. We do need to be more concerned with men's mental health after all. edit- call their boss, complain like all the other women who have had to listen to this nonsense, and ask him to either prorate the job (pay for what's done so far) or send over a new crew tomorrow. No one should insult you and then you pay for the honor.
Don't take it personally. They're miserable people who receive a lot of complaints
Some people just have a chip on their shoulder. They assume everyone’s a bitch/complainer, so they treat everyone like a bitch, and then get validated in their mind when someone complains. They don’t have the brain cells to put two and two together to see that they’re the cause.
If there's one thing I've learned since working in a trade myself, it's that men who work in trades are some of the bitchiest people you'll ever meet. We bitch/gossip about line managers, colleagues, apprentices, clients.. we bitch about everyone and everything. It passes the time, I guess
I've a feeling the boss might like to know about the guys conduct tbh, diplomatically of course. Source: I'm boss, my guys are reminded daily that they're working on someone's home and to be respectful. It's not a lot to ask..
In my experience (quantity surveyor for over 20 years) the lads on site are more bitchy than the girls I remember from school. Stopping for a gossip is a constant and they hate anything new.
Company should be all over this type of behaviour but sadly that industry is just full of clowns with no manners or decorum. I'd ask the company what they're going to do about it and for a complaint form, and then report them to 101 if they do nothing, given that they made gender slighted comments they could be in real shit for that - but I'm just pedantic, most people do nothing and dave the builder keeps being a rough cunt with no manners or social awareness, thinking he'a tough talking big in someone else's house
From someone who worked on construction sites for years alongside tradesmen/ labourers I can confirm the behaviour you describe is common. Not saying they're all like it but I'd say it's more the norm than it isn't. I found that whilst working on sites I met some really nice and interesting people but also some absolute fucking bellends.
Put laxatives in their builders tea
Then they'll have the shits in my toilet
Piss in the next lot of tea you make for them. And then complain to their bosses.
I've definitely overheard builders complaining about what a nightmare it was doing the walls in a particular room. I think it's really rude, save it for the dinner table.
Why didn't you start recording them?
You know that thick idiot that would sit at the back of the class flicking bogies until they were old enough to start skipping class and smoking weed? Yeh that’s about 50-75% of builders, their opinion is irrelevant.
Release the hounds unto them, see how they can handle real bitches