How far ahead do you have work booked?

[leek]

Just out of curiosity, and because I got a crappy email from a customer this am, how far ahead are you booked up?

I have pretty much the whole of August and most of September booked with the odd day free here and there, which I'm pretty content with, new quote requests coming in and most people seem happy to wait for me when I tell them I won't be able to do the job for x weeks. I guess a lot of my work comes from recommendation so presume for some people that outweighs convenience.

However got one woman I have done quite a bit for and she is just doing my head in, think she has been stung by tradesmen in the past so is very mistrustful but she just expects me to drop everything to deal with her. She emailed yesterday that she wants me to do her outside tap, I emailed her back to say would squeeze her in in 2 weeks but that's not good enough, she doesn't understand why she has to wait and if I do that day it I have to be out the house by mid pm as she is off out to London on a jolly. I would if I could but already have a job booked in for that day so probably wouldn't even get there till then. She the follows it up by saying she wants a new boiler, that the quote would need to be with her in 3 days and the work completed no later than the 27th August, it's just all so demanding. She works in a school, so needs everything done in the holidays which I understand however had she told me this in July I could have just factored her in, instead I get these crappy demanding and actually rude emails.

Im my own worst enemy though, I have got enough work that it doesn't bother me financially to lose this job, but I just feel bloody irritated that after working for her for almost a year for various things,she knows the standard and quality of my work, yet she still expects the earth.

So it got me thinking this morning, are there many people that could fit a boiler at a drop of a hat, or do you have a fair bit booked in? How easy will it actually be do get a decent trademan to fit a boiler in the next couple of weeks?

Lee.

 

[JCSPLUMBING]

Very quiet period for me. I got bits and pieces to do over the next couple of weeks like the odd tap and radiator change. I have work next week and I have a large bathroom to do in September and then nothing again. I don't book things in weeks in advance as I'm far to unorganised and would probably forget some lol. Winter period is a different animal though

 

[leek]

Well she has got British Gas in to do it. In her words she is paying over the odds but gets it done when she wants and can pay it in instalments. I did send her an email once I had chilled a bit, along the lines of what Ray suggested and she rang to ask why I was so busy, and why didn't I just employ someone. Going back to do the tap in a few weeks, think she is just high maintenance, she is a single lady in her early 40's, sadly lost her mum and dad so been left a load of money (only child too) which is why she bought this house and spent loads on it. Think she understands a little bit better that I can't just drop everything but is just used to getting her own way. I know she has fallen out with loads of tradesmen in the year I have been working for her, and now I can see why!

It's interesting though to see what timescales everyone else is working to, I do the odd bit of subbying but went through my diary and have done 5 days in the last 8 weeks, so it's not that keeping me busy.

I too am trying to keep 1 day a week free, either Monday or Friday to catch up,with paperwork or fit in the little jobs but it just doesn't seem to be working out that way at the moment, I think I need to get a bit tougher and feel less guilty about saying no. Guess it's better to be busy than not have enough but which is wasn't feast or famine, just steady would be good!