What are the most used excuses tradesmen use to blow off work? Answers

9 years ago

There are so many good excuses out there but the top few seem to be the same over and over again. I heard today on another discussion here on Houzz the classic excuse:

"We had a pipe burst so we had to go to the other job."

This is a classic. Ranks right up there with:

"My truck got broken into last night and all my tools where stolen."

and

"Sorry my truck did not start so I'm sending it in for service"

These are the classics. The big three I hear here in Vancouver. What are the most used excuses in your city. Please share. Real or Pretend the list should grow.

Featured Answer

Darzy

9 years ago

last modified: 9 years ago

What they are REALLY saying is "I got a bigger job that is paying more and I don't want to disappoint them so you're on the back burner for a while".

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Comments (52)

PRO
By Any Design Ltd.
Original Author
9 years ago
Yes. Lets build a list of the best excuses ever. Then maybe the trades can give us some new material. The pipe bursting excuse I have easily heard maybe fifty times in ten years.

The broken truck about 20 and the stolen tools about the same.
PRO
By Any Design Ltd.
Original Author
9 years ago
And Margo - yes I could use a good excuse or two. Sometime the truth is something clients don't want to hear.....
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PRO
By Any Design Ltd.
Original Author
9 years ago
Really? No one has an excuse they can share? Here are a few more I here on occasion.

#4). My order did not come in for parts. They are back East, should be here by Friday

#5). It's been a crazy week. I'll call you Thursday and let you know when we will be there.

#6) I got called for Jury Duty.

All good ones and all a little different. #5 on the list is the real killer because Thursday comes and goes and then about like clock work the call comes in Friday at 2:00 to let you know that next week is for sure! lol
A&R bought a ranch
9 years ago
There was a wreck, and our guys are stuck in the ____ mile backup.
studio10001
9 years ago
We're sorry, but your area is experiencing a weather event, so we have no one available.
designklutz
9 years ago
Hired a well recommended person to sand, stain the original wood floor in our living room. Everything was going well until...He and his crew left for lunch. Left all the equipment (power sanders, pads, etc, etc)

we waited two days then called him. He stated i did not take any money we agreed to because your job is a time killer for a must bigger project we are in the middle of. No mention of this when he gave us a quote. wrote the contract or signed it....Kid you not, five days later, he called saying he has time now. He and a different crew of one showed up. Six days later of working off and on...the job was finished. He then looked at the job done then at us. He then wrote void on the old contract. He then wrote a new contract. all without speaking to us. The price was half of what he had first given us. we paid him then closed the door....we to this day wonder if the man had sniffed to many stain fumes. It was the oddest contractor encounter we have had.
By Any Design Ltd. thanked designklutz
PRO
By Any Design Ltd.
Original Author
9 years ago
When I built my house I had no intention of doing the drywall boarding or taping. We hired a crew. Booked them. Gave a deposit and then the crew arrived. They walked upstairs and saw the hand framed ceiling and all the angles.

They had a smoke and a Coffee. looked one more time around and then said "%^^((^&* IT"

I asked the guy why he was leaving and not doing the job. He said.

"I need to feed my kids. I will go broke with this much detail."
User
9 years ago
I just got a lead from Home Advisors. So one company called me to send out a guy to give me a quote to install a new build patio door. What I found out was that the guy who does the work gives half the money he quotes me to the company that called to send him out, and that company pays a fee to Home Advisors for the actual lead. Needless to say his quote was almost double than the others. I would call that an excuse to not do the job or finding people willing to pay crazy prices by not doing any homework??
PRO
By Any Design Ltd.
Original Author
9 years ago
Margo many company's work like this. Locally here in Vancouver you can do the same. People are lazy they want to find someone fast. Company's making money for forwarding links can have great SEO programmers and can dominate local searches.

When you pick a trade in the past you might look in the yellow pages. Who ever called the person with the biggest ad?
S. Thomas Kutch
9 years ago
Some good ones I've heard.....

1. "My chainsaw is broken"............from a plumber. As he put it one excuse is as good as another. That one was unique. Truth was one his crew had turned 21 the day before and his crew was still more drunk than sober.

2. "I was in jail"...........two days later, his crew was passing around pictures of him and some skank in some bar. He was to put it ....sh** faced when he was supposed to be on the site.

3. "The crane hasn't shown up yet...." When did you put the order in for the crane........."on the way over here...."

4. "My wife blew my truck up"......she had, along with all his clothes, tools and golf clubs. Seems his golfing buddy was another woman.

5. and my all time favorite....."there's a gator in there...." the site was along the St. Johns river flood plain in Florida.........and there was a gator in there. 12' pissed off female gator who had laid a clutch of eggs the night before. Called Wildlife Services and waited. I wasn't going in there.......my chainsaw's broke. When it comes to pissed off gators, any excuse will do.
User
9 years ago
Well, I am a lot of things but not lazy..;))
PRO
By Any Design Ltd.
Original Author
9 years ago
I'm not suggesting you are. But many are. They look at one ad, one site and call. they think the price is all the same and don't do the extra work you did. Then they get hosed.

If you have t pay 50% of your bill to the lead generator. In time this has got to make you bitter. I have been asked by many company's to do this. I never have.

My Nana's friend hired a local company to fix a pillar support. An easy job. Nothing hard. I learned later it cost her about $7,000.00. This was maybe nine years ago. The lady then about 67 years of age.

The job should have been maybe $1,200.00 by my account. $7,000.00 she spent. That is $3,600.00 to the contractor and $3,600.00 to the man in Palm Springs doing radio spots for his Home Improvement Business. Careful who you call - you never know how much cake needs to be passed up.
User
9 years ago
I am old school, I like it when the guy who comes out to bid the job, actually does the job with some help, pending the size of the job;)
Curt D'Onofrio
9 years ago
Word of mouth advertising. Years ago, the independent property
management guy that kept care of elderly lady's neighbor house did a
really good job. My mother inquired about him and found that he was also
a carpenter. He designed and built the deck on my mothers house. He personally did the work with some help of course
Kat Cheng
9 years ago
I actually got this excuse from a contractor who didn't submit his proposal within the promised timeframe.

"I got hit by a piece of lumber on a job, which gave me a concussion that sent me to the hospital. Sorry."
By Any Design Ltd. thanked Kat Cheng
PRO
By Any Design Ltd.
Original Author
9 years ago
That could happen. A friend of mine just fell off a latter at work and was out of action for weeks. I like that one. It's fresh and new. I might have to save that one in the data base for future reference. Maybe I can say a tile fell on me and knocked me out! :) lol
Carol Johnson
9 years ago
Having heard the "truck" excuse so many times, made me wonder why my guys had such bad luck with one of the key ingredients to their lively hood. Assuming now it was all probably just an excuse not to work those days.
By Any Design Ltd. thanked Carol Johnson
PRO
By Any Design Ltd.
Original Author
9 years ago
The truck excuse is so old so lame that this discussion will hopefully breathe new freshness to the excuses being used for 2015. So far getting hit and knocked out is my new favourite.

Two years back a painter called one day and said. My uncle died in France. I have to go back and clean up the estate. Should be back here in about three months.

What do you say? "Sorry to hear that. Take your time". Had I not worked with this man for years I might not have believed him. But he did leave. I did know him. And he did come back.

What I remember most about the fellow is the word Sorry was never used. He was not sorry - he was upset. he was not sorry - he did not cause it. I think he was more pissed with his cousins than anything else.

But wow - there is a good excuse that can buy you a bulk of time.
Curt D'Onofrio
9 years ago
S. Thomas Kutch ---> reference : excuse #4 (wife blowing truck up). LOL: I don't see how that excuse can ever go out of style :))))
A&R bought a ranch
9 years ago
My mom told me a good one. She works in a bottling factory and said the new guy called out once because he "superglued himself to well, himself."
Curt D'Onofrio
9 years ago
last modified: 9 years ago
LOL And you want this 'new' guy working for you...............???? Not to be cruel or anything, but leave him glued to the wall and look for a better co-worker. Working on book "How to get fired in 3 hours or less"
A&R bought a ranch
9 years ago
Story goes, his gf wanted revenge on him for breaking it off so she put super glue in his lotion. He's been with the company for 5 or 6 years now but his nickname has been Mr. Sticky ever since. Luckily their work has a good sense of humor but I doubt the poor guy will ever live down that incident.
PRO
By Any Design Ltd.
Original Author
9 years ago
Mr. Sticky ??? Stop it. I'm going to wet my pants. that is hilarious.
User
9 years ago
I wonder where his hand got stuck??
zazfuzzroc
9 years ago
Well, this isn't an excuse....but I always find it funny when I call a guy out for an estimate on a roof and he doesn't even have a ladder??? Yeah, I definitely like a guy that can climb a ladder.....especially when it's my roof I want redone. :)
I've never had an excuse given to me, but I have had a bad job done on a few projects. And I have chased one of the guys down in the Home Depot....you can run, but you can't hide! Lol :D
PRO
By Any Design Ltd.
Original Author
9 years ago
Hi Margo. I see the discussion.

Why can you not?
zazfuzzroc
9 years ago
Me too, but I'm on my iPad. It's different than on PC. If they pull it, it still shows on the app version. Trust me... ;)
PRO
By Any Design Ltd.
Original Author
9 years ago
Well Karma just bit me hard in the back side. Two nights back my truck got broke into. I lost my demo hammer and two grinders. The thief was nice enough to remove my spec book from the bin holding my loose tools.

Now I'm up early to go buy a new grinder or two. BEFORE WORK.

Maybe I should call and say "Sorry my truck got broke into!" In the last thirteen years I have had nothing stolen. Ouch. That is Karma - has to be.....
zazfuzzroc
9 years ago
Wow, sorry to hear that.
By Any Design Ltd. thanked zazfuzzroc
Darzy
9 years ago
My contractor said he couldn't come over because he was in jail. He wasn't lying. :)
Terri Clark
9 years ago
Yay, I am sure that is what a client wants to hear!!
PRO
By Any Design Ltd.
Original Author
9 years ago
Morning.

Sorry to be so vague the past two days. I have been sick and
scrambling to reschedule now that your stone is finally in. I might
be able to get back for Friday afternoon but most likely I can clear
my schedule for all of next week.

That is as soon as I can make it.

Sorry for the delays. I really under estimated the work to
complete your bathroom and with all the repairs needed along the way
this job is way way behind schedule.

Hang in there. It will be yours soon and look like a million bucks.
PRO
By Any Design Ltd.
Original Author
9 years ago
last modified: 9 years ago
Not an excuse but a reason why I'm so behind schedule. The note above a quick email I just sent out to my client.
zazfuzzroc
9 years ago
Guess, it's sometimes unavoidable. Life happens! ;) Hope you're feeling better real soon John. :)
By Any Design Ltd. thanked zazfuzzroc
PRO
By Any Design Ltd.
Original Author
9 years ago
Thanks. I hate being sick. My wife and kids asked me if I have a "Man Cold".... It is a private joke at our home and one steamed from this video..... lol

If only women understood how sick us men can really get.... hahahah

Poor Little Bunny
zazfuzzroc
9 years ago
last modified: 9 years ago
I think I would have given him an atomic wedgie at that point. Lol :D Very funny. :)

PS I'm not too fond of being sick either. Don't forget to eat your fruits and veggies. ;)
User
9 years ago
JOHN- if you are so behind schedule, what are you doing on Houzz?????
zazfuzzroc
9 years ago
Well Margo, what else can you do in bed while you're sick? Hmm? Yeah...well, let's not go there! Hahahaha! ;)
J J
8 years ago
True story:

Landscaper: I can't come to work

Me: Why?

Landscaper: You have a bee hive in the back of your yard. I don't like bees

Me: Don't you come across bees in yards a lot? How about you just do the front yard?

Landscaper: I can't.

Me: Why?

Landscaper: I don't have the tools.

Me: oh, use our tools.

Landscaper: I can't, I am busy!
susanalanandwrigley
8 years ago
Hmm, well our GC informed us the tile guy he recommended and whom w had met with was going to be unavailable or delayed in doing the job, because he was in jail ... Some kind of domestic dispute. Fortunate GC then suggested a different tile guy, whom we actually liked better than the first and who does terrific work.
jmr412
8 years ago
Oooh, my contractor used this last week "my girlfriend took my truck keys to work with her & so I can't get my tools"

Uh, huh. Sure she did.
126434
3 years ago
My tile guy told me they couldn’t come because they had started to install tiles in a house and when the owner saw it he said that wasn’t the tile he had ordered. Supposedly the tile store had delivered the wrong tiles and now they had to remove and put back in the boxes It would take them to long to then come to me Another excuse he used was the flat tire excuse with a twist; his workers do t speak English so they were having a hard time communicating with the police that was trying to tell them to push van to side so traffic would not be blocked
Pam Carlson
last year
Your carpet came in but it’s the wrong color!

Your carpet is on a truck that broke down in Utah!

My favorite was: my assistant walked off the job and never ordered your carpet!

I WORKED FOR A CARPET COMPANY FOR FIVE YEARS AND WE HAD A LONG LIST OF EXCUSES. Usually, because the boss had a friend or family member who wanted a carpet install right away, so others got the excuses and schedule at a later date!!!
Andrea
last year
Contractor just texted that he has the flu. He was too "sick" yesterday to tell us that he has the flu. Had us waiting around all day because he's "too sick" to send us a simple text letting us know and not waste people's time. People with regular jobs still call out to let people know they can't come to work when they are sick. He has a lie for everything.
PRO
AiFL
last year
“I think I have testicular cancer.” - but it’s okay, he googled it, instead of seeing a doctor, and turns out it wasn’t cancer.
kl23
last year
Wow...I am really not looking forward to my upcoming project after reading all this. But I do appreciate to warning.
PRO
Joseph Corlett, LLC
last year
Allow me to translate every single excuse: "I underbid your job."
Lyndee Lee
last year
My partner says the one excuse that always works well is "my client (friend, relative neighbor) has a clogged toilet and I am headed there now" Everyone appreciates knowing someone who will come to their rescue so most customers will be quite understanding. If you ever hear that excuse, be sure to express your thanks for learning that the contractor handles emergencies.
PRO
Omega Construction and Design, Inc.
7 months ago
Some of us actually do have honest accidents that impact scheduling. Nonetheless, I still had a few customers ask what they were looking at. 🤨

What are the most used excuses tradesmen use to blow off work? Answers

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