Thread: A grizzle about some tradesmen

This follows some of the thoughts expressed in the thread on not being one of the boys.
I've had mostly good experiences with tradespeople. When I have insisted on quotes for work they have been given and adhered to, any problems have been attended to promptly. Mostly any problems have been of a minor nature anyway.
However the expeiences I have had that have left me with a sour taste in the mouth have not been good. I stress that there have only been a couple and I do not lump all tradespeople in the same boat.
My bad expeiences have been with plumbers. The first instance is too long to relate and I left my self a little bit open but that din't entitle the scoundral concerned to act as he did and go against my express directions.
The most recent episode concerned a plumber wo billed for work he most certainly didn't perform and then when he left took my old fittings with him. This he was able to do only because I was absent and my wife paid the bill and was unaware of the fiitings going. Is this why so many plumbers seem to be well off?
My brother had an episode with some stamped concrete. He supplied the 11 bags of colouring requested, but only 5 were used. The concretor promptly loaded the remaing bags on his ute until accosted by my brother. The clown had the audaccity to say that they were no use to my brother and this is how it went. Nice way to get free materials for which you charge the next sucker whatever you please.
The worst episode I had with an attempted rip-off concerned a solicitor and a barrister. A small problem that required some advice was going to cost us "about $50" "no written quote was needed". Bll for same $350!
Loud protetations.
"It took longer than we thought."
"How so?"
'"We were in with the barrister for nearly two hours."
"we were not.We sat outside. You were in there cracking jokes and not discussing the case at all. We saw and heard it all because the door was ajar." The first time the barrister was actually aware of the contaent of the matter was when he opened the letter and read it in front of us. We were in there for a little over 5 mins."
Big red face, retraction and a bill of $50.
We need to stand up for ourselves!!