All contractors have fielded a complaint or two from an unsatisfied customer, whether it was about job site clean-up, price or employee conduct. Likewise, landscapers have their own beefs with certain customers who can be pains in the you-know-what.
A little understanding goes a long way when it comes to the symbiotic homeowner-contractor relationship. Two surveys conducted by Opinion Research Corp. on behalf of Kimberly-Clark Professional shed some light on pet peeves of both contractors and their customers.
The survey of 401 contractors included landscapers, general contractors, painters, carpenters, handymen and others. All respondents were male. The homeowner survey included 348 male and female adults who had a contractor of any kind do work in their home within the last few years.
LET THE GRIPING BEGIN. Homeowners say their worst nightmare is shoddy workmanship. Four out of 10 respondents selected this problem over other unpleasant possibilities like contractors who make romantic advances, break things, talk all day or even use the bathroom without flushing. Contractors identified their worst nightmare as the customer who continually asks for work to be changed or redone. Next, contractors selected customers who don’t pay on time, followed by those with the gift of gab, those who ask for work that doesn’t conform to building codes and those who threaten to sue. Customers' top complaints about contractors were: work that’s not started on time, when the prices of a job is increased after it’s been started or completed and when a mess isn’t cleaned up. Contractors’ top complaints are all financial. They include: customers who try to get more work completed for free, customers who don’t pay on time and those who try to renegotiate the price after the job is completed.
UNFAVORABLES. For customers, negotiating prices and “feeling weird about having a total stranger in their homes” tied for the least favorite aspects of hiring a contractor. “Feeling like you have to watch them all the time,” was a close third. For contractors, customers who change their minds ranked first, followed by nitpicking, having to negotiate prices and feeling like they’re being watched.
WHEN NATURE CALLS. The surveys questioned homeowners and contractors about their preferences when it comes to bathroom privileges. When contractors are working outside the home, 74 percent of customers said they would let workers inside to use the bathroom. Eleven percent said they would say yes and then immediately regret it. Eight percent simply would say “no.” Contractors who work outdoors answer nature’s call several different ways: 44 percent ask the homeowner to use the bathroom; 38 percent hightail it to the nearest gas station, convenience store or fast food joint; 22 percent order a portable outdoor toilet; and 11 percent resort to finding the nearest tree.
KEEPING IT CLEAN. Job site condition after a contractor has completed a job can leave a lasting impression. Fifty-six percent of home improvement customers said contractors generally cleaned up well; 26 percent said their contractors usually left a mess. Conversely, 90 percent of contractors said they clean up everything when a job is complete. Only 1 percent fessed up to packing up their supplies and leaving clean up to the customer. If you're a member of that 1 percent, beware: Most customers (64 percent) said a personal recommendation from someone they trust is the key factor for selecting a contractor. Seventy percent of contractors said they believe customers choose them because of quality work they’ve completed in the past for that customer or from someone they know.