Contractors who ghost

[Anonymous]

I keep trying to find small independent contractors to do various around the house. They come, check out the job, say they will send an estimate, shake my hand and I never hear from them again. I text or email them for follow-up and there isn’t any.

These are not terrible jobs and I’m prepared to pay. Why can’t I find a normal handyman/carpenter?

[Anonymous]

They are busy

[Anonymous]

Where are you located OP?

[Anonymous]

If I had to guess they don’t want the job. My spouse does contracting on the side andwon’t do tile work or small bathrooms anymore.
Be very specific ahead of time if what you want done.
Is your house relatively tidy?
Spouse went do do a couple of ceiling fans last week and the house was a house was a hoarder house. Got the job done but won’t go back.

[Anonymous]

Don’t take it personally. They’re busy and no one is good at every part of the job.

A huge portion of having a successful small business like that is protecting yourself from unprofitable jobs and they are just doing that poorly.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:Don’t take it personally. They’re busy and no one is good at every part of the job.

A huge portion of having a successful small business like that is protecting yourself from unprofitable jobs and they are just doing that poorly.

Why bother coming out at all then? Just decline upfront and don’t waste either party’s time.

[Anonymous]

OP, try to bundle a few jobs together. My handyman says he prefers to work for a full day at a set rate, as opposed to taking small jobs here and there. You could also hire from a company like Mr. Handyman. Or if you’re willing to pay through the nose, Case’s Fred service.

[Anonymous]

Job too small.

[Anonymous]

My guess is they aren’t crazy about your job and they are slowing down their response to you in the hopes you find someone else.

We’ve experienced this with big and little jobs we’ve gotten estimates for. I think the smaller contractors may not be “polished” enough to deal with this aspect as usually the GM also does work, as opposed to a larger contractor where they have a specialized individual in that position.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:Don’t take it personally. They’re busy and no one is good at every part of the job.

A huge portion of having a successful small business like that is protecting yourself from unprofitable jobs and they are just doing that poorly.

Why bother coming out at all then? Just decline upfront and don’t waste either party’s time.

Because they probably have to quote 5 jobs to book one. So they always have to be going out and looking at a bunch of jobs to make sure they’re booked and they have work for themselves and their crew and it’s always sort of trying to keep on the crest of a wave.

Maybe they should send you a text that says “hey I booked a bathroom that’s going to keep me busy for two weeks with a better profit margin and less overhead but I want to string you along for a few more days because you never know if that will fall through and also I’m a genuinely good guy and I feel bad about turning you down so I keep convincing myself I’m going to get around to writing quotes for you and the three other people in the same boat, but instead I just keep putting it off and ghosting you.”

But I mean, I wouldn’t hold your breath for that. Don’t get hung up on what other people are doing in this kind of situation. Just be direct and don’t take anything personally. Move on if they’re not responding. You can maybe take advantage of what they’ve told you to describe the job in more detail to the next guy.

[Anonymous]

Not enough $$$$

[Anonymous]

Aholes

[Anonymous]

Unprofessional

[Anonymous]

F them all. Most will be on one way flight to Sudan soon. Then let’s see how picky they are

[Anonymous]

What are you looking for, OP? We've had good luck with handyman companies rather than independent contractors for smaller jobs like replacing a bathroom vanity, mirror, and light fixture.