We’ve been working on a basement finish for a church in Wichita, KS. They had an issue where they needed some concrete pumped in under the floor slab to fill some big voids that would potentially cause the floor to cave. One of the guys in the church had used a mud jacking contractor for similar work at his home and recommended him for the job. They got the contractor to come out and take a look at the project. He told them it would be no problem and that he would get back to them with the price. The basement finish project was put on hold. The church waited a week with no response from the contractor. They started to antsy and started calling, texting, and leaving messages. They tried from 2-3 weeks. No answer. I tried calling him a few times, but got nothing. I looked on their Facebook account and found that other people had similar problems with the company. I found another contractor from Andover and gave him a call. He was very professional on the phone and agreed to meet the next day. He gave a quote and got the job done within two weeks!
So why don’t some contractors return calls? Here are my thoughts:
1. They don’t like saying “no”
Contractors are people. We don’t like to disappoint others by telling them we can’t help them. However, it would be much better to just be honest and say, “no.” J
2. They are disorganized
Many contractors do not have systems in place and many things (including calls) fall through the cracks. Piles of paper on their desk cause returning a call to be the least of the day’s problems.
3. They are too busy – current jobs are more important
As with any job, when a lot is going on, it is easy to get stressed about all the work you have and how you’re going to be able to take care of it. So when a call for a new job comes in, contractors will run from anything that will add to the stress. Sounds crazy, but I think it’s true!
4. They lack long term vision
So obviously, not returning a call does bad things for a business. I’m sure that whole church will not use that contractor. I know I’ve told a few people about the situation and warned against using him. I’m not a prophet, but I highly doubt the company will be in business in a couple years from now just because they don’t pay attention to small details like returning your call.
5. Many contractors are not businessmen
I’ve seen this a lot! A technician will get tired of working for a “boss” so he quits and starts his own gig. He thinks, “it can’t be that hard to run a business!” He’s not a businessman, he’s a technician. He loves doing the work – not running a business. So the many aspects of running a business slide through the cracks. He gets frustrated when he has to sit at a desk and do the nasty “paperwork” or sit there and return phone calls.
What about you? Have you had an experience where a contractor would not call you back? Why do you think this happens? Leave your comment below!