tradie etiquette

i have to vent somewhere and i know there are a few tradies on here. so here we go.......
i am a subbie who works by myself all day long, i fit garage doors to peoples carports and garages. i am usually prepared to work all day, i deliver the doors to site, on a trailer behind my nav, fit the door and could be on site up to 10 hours without a break.
heres the rant, if i am at some peoples house, its not too hard to check on my welfare, offer me a drink or even check if i need to go to the toilet, some people dont come out until the job is done, 'all done yet mate?'
pretty rude....... thats all thanks.

i get that also,i find that the "richer,more posh" the suburb your working in,the more they are like you describe...
i take all my coffe,kettle etc with me and make my own..

i don't see that being a big issue. usually they come out and check to see how your getting on. what i get 90% of the time is standing right behind you watching every move you make. often asking questions etc. it takes a bit of getting used to.

with current job i get left alone all day.....its lovely

edit: i forgot one thing. when doing contract work, if they thing you work directly for a big company instead of being a low paid subie, you get treated like sh*t. i had that a lot. soon as they work out your a subie, the coffee and biscuits come out
the company (and me) ran a blacklist for all the nasty customers, the list was substantial. their accounts get suspended.

Its the wannabe rich in the burbs that have the same air of arrogance too.....just not the social status nor the coin to back it up.

we find the "middle class" are the kindest in offering us drinks, even food and the loo. our super rich clients dont usualy ask. i dont think they want to be priks, its just that thet dont understand how other people live. it kinda falls below their radar.

good point too aido. totaly agree with you.

Jeez, I could not imagine having a tradie working around the place all day without offering a cuppa now and again and telling them where the loo is and so on.

Except of course for the sparkie! Hard to offer a cuppa or loo in an all electric house running from a pressure pump while he has the main switch turned off and there is no water supply to flush or fill the kettle nor working kettle to boil it with anyway.

When I turned up for a job and they came out to greet you and go through the job I would say I dont mean to be rude but a strong coffee white with 2 sugars would be great thanks and after your 3rd cup you would say no I'm right thanks, but thats me.I put it in there faces.You would endup with cold drinks,biscuits lunch.It was great especially doing it to the richies.

grumpy - you're entitled to rant.

When I get 'tradies' coming to work - usually maintenance techs etc they nearly fall over when I ask them how they have their coffee - I feel they need something for the time they spend filling in the pages of paperwork that the contract managers require from them.

It doesn't take much to show a bit of courtesy and respect.

Yep agree Scotty. Its about the first few minutes with a client / customer.
I turn up at a pub to overhaul their gear and they are in the hospitality industry....the first thing I have to say is "Is the coffee machine on?" followed by a chat about what they expect and require.
Breaking the ice in the first few minutes makes all the difference to whether they see you as someone that is there to help or just another subbie that has blown in for the day. If you don't begin that rapport with them in the first few minutes then the moment is lost and they will be stand offish until you leave. Then they call the office a day or two later to whine like an EH diff that their expectations haven't been met....

By the time I've taken the trade through OHS in a school and asbestos management, we both need a coffee!
but seriously common courtesy goes a long way.
Have to agree with peoples observations re 'wealth' When I used to deliver pizzas, the bigger the house = no tip and cold greeting, yet in working class areas, regularly get a warm 'howyagoinmate?" and a tip.

Yep cause we working class worked three jobs to pay the deposit and as above we have an understanding of one another.

great points fellas, completely agree with the wannabes too much 'all show and no go'.... but my rapport with customers as stated with agreeance to aido is the first few minutes, i have been in this job for many years and can work out people in the first five mins of the conversation.
dont forget im going to their house which is their 'home ground' and the arrogance, sometimes is crazy, if they stand in garage watching me work intensely with no conversation then out comes the nine inch grinder and the sparks will fly..... but if they are friendly then its a completely different story.
dunno, its frustrating, like ridgie said it doesnt take much to show a bit of respect and courtesy.

jayk your local sa, what do you do?

It really does help if you work with someone else. Hard if your flying solo...as you obviously are.
I hate working by myself because I have no-one to relate to or chat with. Doesn't matter the topic just having someone else around makes a massive difference to your day.
I spent over 6 months on one job on my own and I got massively depressed because I had the workload in front of me and no support behind me.
I have since noticed this from all of my experience on building sites previously and currently. When you have 2 or more people on site that interact with the same common goal they are far more productive even though they arse about. Its the banter, jokes and camaraderie that gets them through the day and spurs them on.
I'm sure theres a thesis in that and I should submit an application for a government grant.

Personally, I'm more than happy to offer a drink and the amenities, as long as they turn up on time or touch base if they're delayed.

Arrogance can go both ways - I've had a number of tradies either not turn up or turn up late, with no apologies or contact. One of the worst (but not THE worst) turned up a day late, while we were trying to pack to move house, and then the boss called me and abused me for holding his boys up for their next job!

heata said:

When I used to deliver pizzas.

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And I thought school teachers were overpaid for all those holidays they get!

Or was that to save up for the Nav?. ROFL

08KINGCAB said:

And I thought school teachers were overpaid for all those holidays they get!

Or was that to save up for the Nav?. ROFL

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Jase, that was to get through uni, along with teaching swimming, personal training and labouring.

But since being teacher, I only stopped second jobs when I had kids. At one point I was making the same on the weekend as I was during the week. No complaints about the holidays though!

cant say its to often that we get offered a coffee or anything or a loo so i just piss in their garden. especially if they lock the house and know ones home. sometimes i tell them a carton goes a long way to improving the job quality, they just think its funny.

and as for working alone that just sucks. 2 is always better then one!

the working alone situation does some dudes heads in big time, but thank god for mobile phones, im just used to it, and know that the quicker i work the quicker i can get out.
as for tradies being late to jobs, from my perspective ive been late too, but being a subbie i dont control too much re time to site and jobs in between, i will ring customers to let them know if im late, but its the same respect thing, ive been to sites and no one is there, 'oh sorry mate we had to go out/go to the shops/pick the kids up....can you come back another day?' and there goes my income for the day........