Getting around to doing house repairs is hard. You’re busy! You’re tired. You have more important things to do. Maybe you aren’t exactly sure how to do the jobs. Or maybe it isn’t really safe for you to get up on a ladder anymore or try to handle electricity.
You know you need to call in an expert for help.
When you need your honey-do list taken care of or you have house repairs that simply must be done ASAP, you need someone who will do what they say they will do. You want someone who will get things done on schedule. You don’t want to mess around with people who will waste your time, not do the job well, or overcharge you.
You don’t want any drama. You just want a reliable handyman you can trust.
Unfortunately, there are some unreliable handyman situations out there. Why is that? And how can you avoid being taken advantage of?
Why some handymen are unreliable
There are a lot of reasons for this, of course. And there are other industries that suffer from many of the same issues because they are human issues that aren’t limited to one profession.
But some of the main reasons some handymen might not be dependable could be that:
Some handymen are
Not qualified
Some people who do handyman work are not licensed and insured and don’t necessarily have a lot of qualifications. They think they can get easy money without much commitment.
Lacking accountability
If you hire someone who isn’t qualified and who answers to no one, there is a lot of room for problems.
Irresponsible
For some people, if they don’t have a lot of oversight and supervision, laziness, greed, drugs, or alcohol can be an easy path to take.
Overcommitted
Some handymen workers really are talented and capable but maybe they overcommit themselves to too many jobs at once and can’t juggle everything.
Prone to underestimate job times
Sometimes a handyman company may not leave enough time to account for hiccups that inevitably happen with home repairs.
Not experienced
Those who know how to do repairs well tend to make fewer mistakes and take less time than those who are new at a skill. Experience and the quality of previous work are important factors to consider.
Perfectionistic
Some handymen tend to run late and take too long on jobs because they care too much. They spend a lot more time than they intended to because they want to get things right. But if someone can’t manage time properly, everyone else’s projects suffer and the whole schedule falls apart.
Dealing with health issues or injuries
Handyman work can be kind of brutal sometimes. No one wants to think about a handyman getting injured on the job (or sick), but these kinds of things can happen and derail even the best handyman.
Delayed by weather
Some outdoor projects are weather dependent. It’s impossible to paint a fence in a rainstorm—or at certain temperature extremes. There are some delays in life that are out of a handyman’s control.
Delayed by a backorder
Occasionally, a handyman might experience delays because the item he needs for a job is on backorder. Hopefully, he will communicate this unfortunate news to the homeowner quickly. But if he can’t get a certain part or supply he needs, that can set the schedule back.
Scam artists
Some people who profess to be handymen are actually con-artists who just plan to take people’s money and not do much, if any, work for it. Consumers must use caution to avoid being scammed by a handyman like this.
Hopefully, you can talk with your handyman and let him know that you are disappointed if he is not reliable and perhaps he may be willing to improve.
But some situations are so far off course, you need to do something more.
If you have a terrible experience with an unreliable handyman, you can always file a claim with the Federal Trade Commission or file a complaint with the Better Business Bureau. You can also turn to Yelp, Google, Angie’s List, or other online review sites.
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