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SEPTEMBER 2017 | 31
News
TRADESMEN LIFT LID ON COWBOY CUSTOMERS
The crimes of cowboy builders are well publicised , but a study from AXA finds the rogue traders may well be out-numbered by rogue customers . Customers having a cavalier attitude towards tradesmen ’ s safety and wellbeing is common , as are attempts to belittle their expertise , but the worst behaviour would be considered serious workplace harassment in any other context .
Eight in ten tradesmen told the survey they regularly encounter customers who attempt to knock down the agreed fee or avoid paying them on various pretexts – pushing back payment deadlines or disputing the fee only once work is complete .
Other types of behaviour are self-defeating , as clients unwittingly hinder work or prevent the tradesman from carrying it out properly . The most common ways customers undermine a building project , as voted by tradespeople , are :
1 . Insisting on cheap or unsuitable materials
2 . Not providing clear job specs ( contrary to myth , many tradesmen prefer a written agreement ) 3 . Ignoring their advice 4 . Asking them to do tasks they aren ’ t qualified for
5 . Hanging around while they try to work
Another bugbear is having to work around animals that are not properly under control : a third of tradespeople have been attacked by a home-owner ’ s beloved pet : (“ My mate told me the dog was coming , but I thought he was joking and carried on painting the window frame . It sunk its teeth in my leg : I got up the ladder and was trapped on the roof ”.)
Unsanitary working conditions were the third biggest complaint , with 27 per cent of tradesmen saying they ’ ve had to walk off a job after being asked to work amidst dog mess , maggot-infested rubbish or flea infestations : “ When you can ’ t see the floor through the rubbish and dog dirt , it ’ s time to walk away ”.
Meanwhile , 26 per cent of tradespeople say they have had a customer flirt or attempt to seduce them in a way that made them feel uncomfortable . Far from finding these situations comic , tradespeople often feel demeaned or threatened by this behaviour :
“ I once worked on a contract for a very well-known company : female staff would proposition , make sexually suggestive remarks or even make uninvited physical contact ”, said a male builder .
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householders have a duty of care towards people working in their home
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A female painter and decorator said : “ When you arrive , you greet the customer and they sometimes don ’ t even reply , others try and make sexist jokes or flirt with me .”
“ A married woman flashed at me . I ’ m a happily married man and just tried to pretend it hadn ’ t happened ”, said a male joiner .
Becoming embroiled in people ’ s family lives is another danger , as a quarter of tradesmen say they have stood by while a major domestic argument went on . Others report attacks by irate neighbours (“ I was rewiring a flat and a neighbour pulled a knife on me thinking I was cutting off his electricity !”). Tradesmen have even reported being left with a house full of children while the mum went to the shops .
“ We live in a society which tends to look down on skilled manual work in general , often undervaluing the knowledge , judgement and craftsmanship it involves ,” says Gareth Howell , managing director of leading trades insurer AXA . “ It ’ s hard to imagine someone in a white-collar role encountering such high levels of harassment or casual disrespect . People are quite happy to argue a builder ’ s fee down once he ’ s finished work , but would they do the same to a dentist , solicitor or architect ?”
“ Tradespeople are the best insured small businesses in the UK and follow health and safety regulations designed to protect customers . But it cuts both ways , householders have a duty of care towards people working in their home too : at the most basic level , provide a clean work space , and ensure animals and children are well out of the way .”