Should contractors call before they come out? (siding, better, HVAC)
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OP, if I have some exterior work which I want to be present for, I usually call the company and tell them to give me a call to coordinate a meeting time. If I do not need to be present, they can come and go as they please within normal working hours.
It is also the problem with many people who employ contractors.
Time is money. They need to get paid for every moment of their time. People don't want to pay $75 an hour to have a trim painter do some work, including his phone time to confirm and his travel time.
I get it.
But we have established as a population that we won't pay, and therefore don't want, such pleasantries as establishing appointments and confirming them.
Think about it, suppose the contactor has allocated a half day to do your work. He calls at 8 a.m. and you say, for no reason other than you have to run junior to school, that today is not a good day. That is four hours of his time that is now "available" and for which he doesn't get paid. That means the next four hours has to include"payment" for that wasted time. That means his $75 and hour is now $150. Okay extreme example, but do you even want to pay $90 or $100 for his time to compensate for your being unavailable? Probably not.
Door swings both ways. It is why we have lots of poor quality contractors who don't call, and don't show up. Maybe it is because we are poor customers?
I hired a company to do some work on the exterior of my house. We set up an appointment and they did the work but some of it has to be redone.
Since then, they sent somebody out to inspect the work and get my feedback, and then sent someone else out at another time to do some measurements. They did not call either time.
Shouldn't they call before they come out? Or is it normal to drop in without calling first? Thought about calling them and letting them know that I expect to be called, but don't want to come across as a jerk.
It's kind of an "ongoing job" since they've already done some work, and I personally feel that the fact they are coming back to check on things shows they value the quality of their work.
It wouldn't hurt their feelings if you simply asked them to please call first though. Tell them you want to make sure the Rottweiler is put up first, since he's already eaten the last 4 postmen.
Our landscaper doesn't call first. The water guys (we have a well) do. We are supposed to have an a/c guy come at some point this week and I'm pretty sure he'll need inside access, so I'm hoping he calls when he's on his way so I can at least let him know if I'm here or head home if I'm at the store or something.
As a professional, I believe a courtesy call or text is always best unless it’s a contractor (landscaper) who comes weekly or biweekly on a pre-scheduled day. A call or text also provides you with notice in case you need to meet with the vendor or discuss something prior to his arrival.
Almost everyone uses a smart phone so lost time is really no longer a valid excuse❗️
Exterior work where you don't need me to be there? SOmetimes i get a courtesy call, but usually not. I might get a "might swing by this week" heads up and that's it.
I once had the town building inspector show up without warning to inspect my deck and sign off a permit. I happened to be home, alone. Imagine my surprise when i walked out the open back door of my garage and bumped into him (physically) in my backyard not knowing who he was or why he was there.
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