Contractors not replying
Has anyone else experienced this? I'm trying to hire some people to do some work on our house and I'm constantly experiencing one of two things...
#1 - a contractor will not respond or return a phone call or email
Or
#2 - a contractor that comes out, takes measurements, says he'll provide a quote and then never hear from them again
And some of these people were selected based on reviews I read here on Hlife!
Now, it's not like we were in the middle of a project and they vanished. But I find it insanely rude when they do it return emails, are unresponsive and essentially waste my time.
OliverQueen It happens all the time. Knowing many contractors, three of the biggest reasons are:
1) they are just too booked
2) your job is too small to make a decent profit
3) they don't want to work for you (found you annoying etc.)
It is very frustrating when this happens. It took us over a year once to get a mason to come out and look at our chimney.
Calico696 I bet you'd get many, actually too many responses during the winter months. Possibly lower quotes too.
positive That's happened to me many times over the years and I often wondered how these people stay in business.
lola I've been trying to get contractors from everything from roofers to landscapers, plumbers, etc. Been dealing with this for years. I find it very frustrating but agree with the reasons Calico969 stated but here are my thoughts on that:
1) they are just too booked - Unprofessional to not communicate that to the customer
2) your job is too small to make a decent profit - Unprofessional to not communicate that to the customer as this job may be desirable when you are not busy. Or they may have bigger work in the future.
3) they don't want to work for you (found you annoying etc.) - Unprofessional! I've worked for many annoying people myself and it's part of doing business. At least make up some excuse and communicate that.
Bottom line, this behavior is unprofessional and these people will eventually need your business when they are slow. Problem is they are all the same in my experience so you will need someone. Again, a very frustrating experience.
JB400 This is the norm with these contractors. Not even the decency to call back and let you know they are booked or the job just isn't worth it for them. Let's start a list of the good and bad so that people know who will actually respond...
Bad - Beams plumbing, scenic paving, hicks paving
Good - TGM services, Gallaghers Plumbing, Eric the healthy handyman.
LJRubi I used Eric the healthy handyman for a lot a repairs on my previous home. He is very good and prices are reasonable
marjon Calico is correct as to why they do not call...and JB400 is a 100% correct that they should have the decency and the common sense to call the customer back! Personally I do not care how good someone's work is...if they don't bother to call me back I will never use them in the future. You'd think they would want to make a good name for themselves?
The other thing that drives me crazy is when I make an appointment and they don't show or call. I have used vacation time to have maintenance work done by someone that wouldn't work nights/weekends only to have him be a no show...gee thanks. That also gets you crossed off my list for next time.
i currently work from home and thought it shouldn't be a problem because I can be flexible with day/time getting the work done. WRONG! I Scheduled an appt and Of course another no show. I waited about a week and called him. He says he had an emergency but he didn't forget about me...yea ok it's been over a month now and not a word from him.
JRT I called four different landscapers, all of which either said they would call me on the weekend, or even scheduled a day for a quote and never called me back/never showed up.
Called three different tree companies, all of which never called me back.
So freaking annoying!
Darrin I have gone through the same thing over and over again. Most of my issues have been with landscapers however. Same thing, year after year, no matter how early I start contacting them before they get busy. this year I called one who showed up for the estimate and I hired him on the spot. He was supposed to show up the following week and didn't and I never heard from him again. As my mother used to say, when they're not busy will come with their tongues hanging out!
Nellejoy Repairchamp is good.
Call or text 908-892-6882 And ask for Ron.
Local, and does Excellent work.
Lili The bottom line is, when you do find a contractor who does good work and is honest. You must show him you are loyal by rewarding him with future work and not calling in three different contractors to quote for every job you have. Showing loyalty forms a good working relationship.
hammer I wish I could get a call back to build a relationship with!
I'm going to give the latest guy a few more days before abandoning him, but in the mean time...
Bad - Washington Flooring. Bad attitude from the get go when I asked him to hold for a moment before coming in. Measured, said I'll send you a quote and peeled rubber leaving.
Give me a call. I am local to Hackettstown and would like the opportunity to help anyone experiencing this problem. 30yr. Contractor from basic maintenance of land to pavers and walls. From foundation up. I am a school trained carpenter with several projects under my belt. Feel free to call me at 908-386-8264.... Pics if requested. Look forward to speaking to all of you!!
All Home Services
Christopher Sutton
908-386-8264
Christopher Sutton Try Matt at Garden Grove Landscaping. None of these situations would EVER happen with him. Very professional and reliable. Been using him for years. Hes local
908-763-2634
allyWe wanted a pool deck and we have given up. They were all refferals from this site.
Only contractors we had luck with was roofers
Nosila Try NJ Handyman 973-519-5541. Mark and Steve are brothers. I used them twice. Once to redo my Mom's basement and once to fix some things around our house before we put it on the market. Tell them Mariann recommended them.
Mariann Matt at Garden Grove - sets the bar for superior and service. We could not be happier with his promptness, professionalism and quality of work. Our project which required a number of contractors was drawn out, but Matt and his crew was here immediately when their phase started. We will tell him to use us as a reference. Wish we could find more like him- wish him and his company much continued success!!!
Chef Pilsy 973-903-0609
Eric. He's a handyman. From Newton.
Just did my lawn. Great job. Does other things too. Good communication.
Jackie Boy, l'm glad l am my own contractor. I'd hate to never get people to actually show up and work. Sounds terrible.
Eperot 
Indie Has anyone had issues with TGM Services recently? I was looking for a new company last season and had them come to clean and service my boiler. Initially it was a little tough getting an appointment scheduled, but they eventually came and did the work and all seemed to go well.
I decided to continue using them this year so I called a few days ago to set appt. The woman that answered seemed very distracted or confused on the phone. She was having a hard time finding my info. I gave her all of my info yet she still couldn't find it. Then she says it was in the system wrong. Ok, it happens.....I then ask if I can request the same tech that was here previously. She says sure....but the 2 guys that were at your house are no longer with us. I asked if this was a common occurrence. She said not at all. I don't want a company that has constant turnover.
So then she says to me.....OK I will give you a call. I was a little confused since I was calling to make an appointment. I said "Can we set it up now since we are on the phone?" She said No, I have to catch up with things. I figured maybe she had a bunch of calls one after another or something, but assumed I would hear from her shortly. Well that was 3 days ago so I guess she forgot lol! So now I'm wondering if there are some issues going on there and maybe I should continue my search or did I just catch them on a bad week?
I had TGM do a new water heater for me two weeks ago. They were good as usual. Yes, they were extra busy and couldn't fit me in immediately. But they wanted to know all about how bad it was and how long could I wait because they know it can be an issue. But they still came right when they promised, might have tried to over promise but didn't. They did fine by me.
GC They are very busy - especially with pre-summer ac servicing. They generally call back with appointment options and they are prompt ................I've always been very pleased with their service.
4catmom The really good guys in this economy/season are usually booked 2-3 months and still busy in the winter. But they should still call back and tell the truth that they are to busy to look at the job.
Awesome I agree Awesome....I guess I will give it a few more days to hear back then move on.. Just wanted to make sure things weren't going downhill with them before I scheduled. Thanks!
I gave up on the Healthy Handyman. Contacted him in early June for a medium size job, gave him the specs and said he will start the ball rolling and never heard from him again. Next.
Ratman HH also left us hanging. We have used him in the past but the last time he never got back to us as he promised.
Reggie Voter Amazing when you've used them before which translates to you are probably not going to get a second quote, etc. for an easier job.
Got one of those now. Understand that people are busy, some have communication issues, but geeeeez --- why be in business. I mean HH has created a pretty bad buzz that obviously was only 2 people and now growing exponentially. All for a --- "can't take the job right now," message.
strangerdanger Called Scotty & Sons for appointment to clean my furnace. Left a message last week and haven’t heard back yet. Not sure if they’re still in business? Any suggestions are welcomed.
RAS RAS....I had that with Scotty too I gave up on him years ago,I use TGM Services 908-852-6355 great company don’t have to leave a message because someone answers the phone ,called them last week for a cleaning they take your name and get back to you when they make their schedule up most likely in October...never had an issue with anything with them.
Dam Called Jeff Alte Jr roofing for a small (low margin) job. Professional all the way, great work (work was QC'd). I feel they are vested in our area and "organized" (keyword) in a way to ensure good customer service and communication.
heart-h-town Hello, This is Eric the healthy handyman and I want to apologize to anyone that I was not able to get back to or to keep in the loop. I am a one man business and try my best to juggle work, estimates, calls and all the other book keeping that goes along with a bussiness let alone having a family and children’s schedules. Companies like tgm and Alte roofing have secretaries and employees who take care of those things for them - I do work for and am friendly with Jeff Alte and can say they are a great company and I refer them to my customers- I am not making any excuses for my actions only asking for some understanding for the ones that slip by. I have been very lucky and fortunate for the good that Hackettstown life has brought and hope that anyone that I have not gotten back to can accept an apology. Thank you
The Healthy Handyman 
Music gal The bathroom was in need of new wall vinyl. We stripped all the old paper off, and called a pro paper hanger. He came over, measured, we selected the paper, and a few days later, he called with the date of install.
He arrived promptly, as said time, and he set up a huge table in the living room on top of drop cloths.... All pro so far. right? huh!...wait! This takes the cake IMO.
My wife and I went to the kitchen to get out of the guys way, and all of a sudden, the table he set up was down, and drop cloths all picked up and in his truck.
Naturally, we were concerned, and we asked, ??? what is the problem?
He said," I'm sorry, I don't think the wall covering will stay adhered to the walls!"
He got in his truck, and left! My wife and I just looked at each other in awe!
Embryodad I understand what it's like, running a small contracting business, and all of the unexpected headaches, inconveniences, and disruptions that can go with it. But I tell every contractor in the same position the same things. If a potential customer contacts you, then get back to them promptly--reputation is everything, especially in this electronic age. If you're too busy to take every job, then just be up front and honest with them. Virtually everyone would prefer to hear, "Sorry--I'm just too busy" than to be ignored--or, worse, to be told that you'll do the job, only to keep being put off. Most likely, you've made contacts with other contractors in the same line of work. Get in touch with them, and ask about referring potential customers to them, when you're too busy to take every job. Most likely, they'll appreciate the referrals--they may even send a few your way, when your work is slow, or kick back a few dollars to you.
If your business is doing so well that you're getting far more requests for work than you can handle, then maybe it's time to think about expanding and/or sub-contracting some jobs. And if all of the paperwork and phone calls have you overwhelmed, then consider hiring something like a Gal Friday--plenty of people out there who would appreciate getting paid to spend a few hours a week at home, calling clients, ordering parts, sending invoices, etc. If you can bill customers $50 an hour, for construction work, but pay someone $20 and hour to handle some paperwork for you, then you're winning.
You might also try to make contact with some reliable "floaters"--day laborers you can hire, when you get behind on a job. Even if it means you'll ultimately make less profit on those jobs, the fact that you can get them done more quickly, and keep all of your clients happy, is a worthwhile investment, in the long term.
JerseyWolf 
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