Why Do We Put Up With This Rubbish

[january 0]

My reno contractor is this old guy, who claims that he does up houses and condos in Bkt Timah, Orchard Road.

But he is disrespectful.

And rude.

Doesn't know the difference between cool white, daylight and warm white fluorescent tubes.

Doesn't know what is electronic ballast.

When things have gone wrong he will "sien" rather than admitting his mistake "yes la the light is dimming! just that now is daytime you cannot see." @&@*#$??!

When we asked him to help us reorganise the kitchen and yard area, he went into this 30min lecture on why landed homes are better than condos, instead providing us with solutions.

When we asked him to construct a mirrored cabinet in the bathrooms, he gave us plenty of excuses to not do it.

When I pressured him about the handover date, he lost his temper and hung up.

What I should have done is to coordinate the reno myself, instead of engaging this person.

Can't wait for my reno to be over.

I'm sure some of you have experienced worse. Please share your stories.

[everton 0]

My reno contractor is this old guy, who claims that he does up houses and condos in Bkt Timah, Orchard Road.

But he is disrespectful.

And rude.

Doesn't know the difference between cool white, daylight and warm white fluorescent tubes.

Doesn't know what is electronic ballast.

When things have gone wrong he will "sien" rather than admitting his mistake "yes la the light is dimming! just that now is daytime you cannot see." @&@*#$??!

When we asked him to help us reorganise the kitchen and yard area, he went into this 30min lecture on why landed homes are better than condos, instead providing us with solutions.

When we asked him to construct a mirrored cabinet in the bathrooms, he gave us plenty of excuses to not do it.

When I pressured him about the handover date, he lost his temper and hung up.

What I should have done is to coordinate the reno myself, instead of engaging this person.

Can't wait for my reno to be over.

Sorry to hear of your predicament. Ive heard of other forumers having similar problems but thankfully I've not had such issues with my project mgr. After reading about complaints made by various forumers I have come to realize that good project managers and contractors are not easy to come by. Most just want to get the job 'done' regardless of the quality, get their money and move on to the next project/paycheck. Pride in work and leaving a customer satisfied doesn't rank highly on their list of priorities. Some seem to take the attitude that if they can outlast their customer, most of whom have a certain date when they have to take possession of the unit, then the customer will eventually have to accept their less then ideal workmanship and be too mentally exhausted to pursue the matter. It seems to be a common practice in this trade so U are definitely not alone. Just read the various postings and you'll know. It won't solve your problems but there's comfort in knowing you're not alone. All I can say is hang in there and be insistent that he complete the work to your satisfaction and requirements. Hopefully, youre still withholding some payment..... and don't release the balance til you are absolutely satisfied. Hang in there!

I'm sure some of you have experienced worse. Please share your stories.

[Dante 0]

Sorry to hear abt your situation.

I am curious... Wat made u engage him in the very first place?

As for me, I am glad tat my Reno process thus far is going very well. Minor hiccup here n there but nothing major

[january 0]

everton thanks for your kind words. It is sad to know that what I'm experiencing is de rigueur in the industry. Why do they all not take pride in their work? Being a contractor is not a shameful profession. What I do realise is though, that it is relatively easy to be a contractor. It seems like once you know a few carpenters, plumbers, electricians, tilers, curtain makers etc, even I can call myself a contractor, ID, design consultant, interior stylist or some fancy name. I don't mean to undermine the people who really do their jobs well. I just want to highlight how easily it is for to masquerade as professionals in this industry. Attention to detail is key and it seems that most contractors don't have this vital skill. And reno newbies will be none the wiser until their reno goes horribly wrong. None of us want to be the guinea pigs of some contractor, especially after having to spend so much money. Unfortunately, it seems like that is the case for many people.

Dante, I hired an ID, whom I paid a design fee for. The ID was recommended by a relative. He is a great person and I'm thankful that he is around. This contractor was the one that my ID recommended. They have a long history of working together so I thought it would be okay. Little did I know he would turn out to be this, mess.

To be fair, my reno has been going fairly smoothly. Not many things need to be re-done because they're too big or small as per my request. I spent extra time with the ID in the planning process to prevent this construct, tear-down and re-construct thing. The major hiccups have been due to the contractor's own cost-cutting measures, which backfired on him. Oh, I also had to tell him how to construct a wire-free TV console. My main peeve is his disrespectful attitude. Just because I don't own a landed property doesn't make me less valid of a human being.

That being said, there's still no way of sifting out the good from the bad. I wish there were an easier way to do that without spending more than $20K.

[gettome 0]

My reno contractor is this old guy, who claims that he does up houses and condos in Bkt Timah, Orchard Road.

But he is disrespectful.

And rude.

Doesn't know the difference between cool white, daylight and warm white fluorescent tubes.

Doesn't know what is electronic ballast.

When things have gone wrong he will "sien" rather than admitting his mistake "yes la the light is dimming! just that now is daytime you cannot see." @&@*#$??!

When we asked him to help us reorganise the kitchen and yard area, he went into this 30min lecture on why landed homes are better than condos, instead providing us with solutions.

When we asked him to construct a mirrored cabinet in the bathrooms, he gave us plenty of excuses to not do it.

When I pressured him about the handover date, he lost his temper and hung up.

What I should have done is to coordinate the reno myself, instead of engaging this person.

Can't wait for my reno to be over.

I'm sure some of you have experienced worse. Please share your stories.

Roflmao! How did you managed to contract such a character

[mingming 0]

january,

contractors are 90% one-kind. i dont deny the fact that there are still 10% good-hearted ones out there.

at least u have voiced out ur unhappiness to him.

1) if he is willing to rectify, then its good

2) if he is unwilling to rectify & still crap around then u really is sway lor.

but dont worry, im sure things will turn out fine in the end.

maybe its year-end everyone rushing now...