I lost this job on price - now I am back there tomorrow to put it right....

When I went to see it though I took some pics for posterity.

This was a plasterer (a good plasterer to be fair) who also happened to "do a bit of tiling".

http://img156.imageshack.us/gal.php?g=dsc03350f.jpg

Oh there lovely

How about sending in the photo's when your done mate, stuff like this would be a good (or bad) thing to show potential customers who question about price etc, perhaps Tilerworld could have a dedicated section to jobs that go wrong


Thanks

TJ

Good idea TJ - will do.....

Agreed. Paul put up a post a few months ago on this subject. It just goes to show that whilst just about anyone can stick some adhesive on the back of a tiles and get it to stick to a wall, or floor, it takes a tiling professional to do it properly.

Don't you just love those flush fitting sockets

Also did he actually score and snap those cut tiles

or did he BITE them

I wouldn't have believed it to be possible to get the first row of a splashback that far out from a worktop.

Ha ha
one in the eye for the customer
Serves them right for not waiting / paying for a professional
Just lost a job today,customer would not wait for my plasterer
they have found a plasterer / tiler to do it tomorrow for a fraction of my price
Hope he makes a mess of it

Really? I think that's very vindictive. You failed to explain why they should wait for your talents and now you are wishing them bad luck

Perhaps I failed to explain
I advised them that as they had done their own bodge job of the window reveal & walls after the tiles had been knocked off, ( original tiles had been spot and dabbed onto wallpaper over old lime plaster, then removed leaving exposed brickwork,which they tried to patch up with B & Q one coat plaster,leaving original round bits of wood on window edges. The woman's dad had told her, that the tiler ( ME ) would be able to spot and dab to sort it out !!!!!

I advised a proper plasterer, window reveals squaring up and sorting out, tanking,proper adhesive troweled on,not spot fixed.!!!!

Yes vindictive,they deserve a crap job if they will not wait for a good one.
They have already said that this guy will patch walls with bonding & spot fix tiles to make good......
They are basically calling me a liar because I told them that this should not be done, but have found someone who will, and taken his word over mine.
Yes I hope all the tiles fall off, what is wrong with that !

This post has been edited by leatherface: Nov 10 2009, 09:26 PM

As you wish Nick - lets not fall out about this. I'm just glad that rejection doesn't have the same affect on me. It sounds to me like maybe they wanted a budget job doing - naive but hey, so is life and they will either live and learn or not even notice the budget finish. To mean to spend the money (suckers!) or can't afford to spend the money (well they shouldn't be tiling the walls then). I'd be slightly dissappointed that I had wasted my time on such a visit, but also glad that I had the opportunity to see for myself what the bucket scrapers are working for. I certainly wouldnt view their naivety as some sort of a slur on my reputation and honesty.

Chin up mate

Hey
no sour grapes...
BUT,every time a 2 bit wannabe tiler does a job,poorly not following good practice and the job stays looking good,then these people will use again & recommend to friends. If all the tiles fell off after a week every time then they would get less business.
What is the point in us trying to do a good job using right materials & methods if these guys are frequently under cutting and getting the work.

Nick,

Firstly, your concern for the trade is honourable but won't pay your mortgage unless you can get a job with Matt Albright on Watchdog! If 'these guys' are frequently undercutting your work - avoid competing in this horrible market. Let these wannabe tilers bite lumps out of each other until they are working for peanuts and scrounging on the dole to make up the difference - again, not a great thought but not my problem to fix. Compete against the other professional tilers who are charging proper market rates. You won't win all them either but at least on the ones you get, they are worth doing .

Out of interest, are these the kind of jobs that get generated by your seach engine campaign? As discussed before, I don't optimise my site as I fear that every Tom, Dick & Arry will be calling me to look at jobs just like you describe. To me, it's very hard to 'target' an online tradesmans site....... I'm eading off topic now!

And don't go wishing for tile failure - the more of that going on, the less likely people are to want tiled finishes.

Other trades trying to muscle in.

Funny how a lot of other trades think Tiling is easy

This was my next door neighbor but one who knows that i am a tiler.
I too decline to reply again.
Also,where I get my leads from, is of no consequence ! Internet,recommend,referral,other..
They are all leads,which I use my discression whether to follow up or not !
We all may not be in such a priveleged position as yourself where we can sit back and wait for hundreds of fully qualified leads to drop in our laps then cherry pick the best ! work is work, i will look at what I need to !
I stand by my views...... "cowboys = tiles fall off"...

Regards
Nick

This post has been edited by leatherface: Nov 10 2009, 11:26 PM

Nick,

I was trying to be helpful but rest assured, I'll refrain from doing so in future.

As for your perception that I am in a 'priveleged position'? I'm afraid it's a little more complicated than that - quite hard work actually but as for how I go about it, I was trying to share that info but as you say, it's of no consequence. Why don't we just call it 'luck of the Irish' or something simple like that.

And I wish you the very best of luck with all your leads and indeed I hope none of your tiles fall off !

Regards,
Andrew

Thanks for your efforts & advice
Always a hard line to tread on a"Forum"
All conversations never seem to come across in the right way when simply typed onto a keyboard. still love this forum & the chance to discuss / challenge other peoples views & learn !
Wish we could have chatted about this 1 to 1, never mind !
as always best regards
Nick

Here's a reply from a prospective customer who is trying to do their bathroom on a budget;
"Chris,
Thank you for your prompt and professional quotation.
As promised, I'm replying to your quote as soon as it was possible.

On this occasion I have to decline your offer of contracted work.

For your information the key areas on which you were declined were:
Total cost, and your standard procedure to replace the floor boards to meet British Standard underfloor structural support.
After some consideration I decided against this route after discussion with other contractors."

His floor boards were stained all over from years of previous "spillages" and I declined to tile on top or to ply over them "if he bought the ply". I am quietly pleased that we won't be involved in this bathroom because the general standard of the room didn't look up to ours but I am glad that we quoted and I am pleased that I know enough about tiling to be able to defend my corner when someone else comes along and rubbishes what I have said.

I contrast that prospect with another where we quoted for the divorcee who hated the floor tiles throughout the kitchen, conservatory, utility etc as well as a cloakroom, bathroom et al. We got the cloakroom so far and someone else got the big floor. We both used her tiles on the floor and our own materials and his floor looks as good as ours. However, he didn't level the floor all over after he removed the old tiles so he used more adhesive, he didn't remove and replace the skirting and he removed the kitchen unit plinths and hasn't included to trim and refit them. The end panels in the kitchen were also tiled around instead of under. I believe these "small" points are the important ones and they define the quality of service but not necessarily the quality of tiler.

SO, I agree that sometimes it is good to wish the worst in a job, but is the second customer wrong not to choose us? If she is happy, then I say no and try to remember that we aint the only good tiler round here, even if we do employ the best tiler in Chippenham!

This was done by a "tiler" and guess what - he was cheap, also,

they told the home owner that she had to gout it herself

Lasted less than a year