Rant (Scranton, Hellertown, Penn: middle-class, insurance, house)

[theshan]

Since moving here, we have had terrible experiences with all but one contractor. The guy who inspected our car left our car worse than it started; we had to go to the dealer to fix what he did. Wasn't him, he said. The guy who came to fix a leak cracked our tub siding. Wasn't him, he said. The guy who worked on our drainpipes charged us 100 an hour for his driving time to and from our home, and told us to be thankful he didn't come in two trips. The guy who was supposed to remove some shrubs left one, then yelled at us for not doing the work ourselves when we complained that he left one.

What is it with contractors here? We have never had such bad customer service, rudeness, and dishonesty since moving to the Lehigh Valley. We have tried to find folks from Angie's List whenever possible, but there are so few reviews in some areas that is has been difficult. This highlights the importance of giving personal recommendations whenever we can!

[toobusytoday]

That's terrible theshan! We've had pretty good luck with service people but most did come word of mouth from neighbors or co-workers. We were very happy with the guys that had to replace the siding on one side of our house this winter. On a really windy day a bunch of the siding came off and we needed a whole side replaced. Of course the insurance wouldn't pay for the whole house but they were able to match the faded color perfectly, and did the whole thing in two days. For a bonus, our dog LOVED them and would not come in the whole time they were outside. We found out later that he jumped into their panel van and ate lunch with them.

[mczabe]

Theshan,
I haven't used too many contractors/service people here yet, but the one big one we've hired to build our deck has been a no-show, no-call for the past three weeks, after pouring the footings. Oddly, though, he has yet to cash the check we sent over a month ago either. Just bizarre.

Hey, what's Angie's list?

[jeffvivian]

Thats why they say if you find a good contractor - Marry Him - so he doesn't get away.

[toobusytoday]

I just googled Angie's list and it looks like it's review of service people. Great idea, but sounds like it didn't work for theshan.

[loose cannon]

The trouble is a majority of the blue collar service workers are stuck up and miserable. They have judgemental attitudes. Welcome to the Lehigh Valley!

[karen_s]

Get personal recommendations if you can. I've never had bad luck with a contractor, electrician, landscaper, plumber, or mechanic, but I'm native to this area in a long-established neighborhood.

I'd recommend all of mine, but I believe you are too far south in the valley to make convenient use of them.

I do know an excellent tile guy in Hellertown though.

[theshan]

Angie's List is a review service; you answer questions in depth about the services performed and how happy you were. Covers everything from car to house to doctors. It's only one from there that was bad--the others came through out home warranty company or the old phone book. I love jeffv's quote--never heard that one before!
While I would not be so bold as to make loose cannon's statement, in my experience it has been true and I'm not sure why. It hasn't been this way in the other places I've lived--folks usually depend on referrals and want to give good customer service where I'm from. Grrrrrrrr.

[SteelCityRising]

Originally Posted by loose cannon

The trouble is a majority of the blue collar service workers are stuck up and miserable. They have judgemental attitudes. Welcome to the Lehigh Valley!

Many contractors are exactly the same up here in Scranton too though. A lot of blue-collar workers have chips on their shoulders, feel like people "owe" them things, and become very defensive if you critique their work or ask them a question. I don't understand it. We live near the end of a dead-end street in a 30-year-old upper-middle-class subdivision, so we have to pass by two other homes that are currently undergoing massive exterior renovations. My mother had to contact the township to complain about one of the contractors, who stood yammering on his cell phone in the middle of the roadway so that she couldn't manuever her SUV around him as he just stared at her. Their oversized vehicles make squeezing past these sites very difficult, and I even had an HVAC contractor just swing his door right open into my path without even looking. Granted on a dead-end street in a child-dominated subdivision I'm traveling slowly, but there wasn't much clearance for me to hit the brakes.

I work with a lot of contractors for a major home improvement store chain, and I can honestly say many of them come in with the "I'm a contractor. What are you gonna give me?" attitude. I've literally had customers that demand discounts simply because they're contractors. In my eyes you're no more "worthy" of sweetheart deals than the little old woman on a fixed income who comes in once a week to purchase a new potted plant. I mean, it's not like many (if any) of these workers have a formal education beyond high school, so why do so many have the snobby, arrogant, pessimistic attitudes? I would be ASHAMED to present such a demeanor if I worked with the general public. I myself am only a high school graduate who works with the public, and I know my "place" in society is to put on a bright smile, extend my hand for a handshake, etc. to make my customers feel welcome. I wouldn't want to be met with foul language, spitting, racist jokes, and the "gimme stuff" attitudes of so many contractors here in Pennsylvania. Have they no respect for their clients?

[mlambert890]

Well this is all discouraging. Im new to the area (so new we havent moved in yet!), but I have had two really great experiences so far. One with our painter and one with the radon inspector. I found it kind of encouraging! Now Im getting worried! Although coming from NYC, the PA contractors would have to be PRETTY bad to get me really annoyed. NYC sets a nice low bar for you across the board