The chap who came to size up my long-overdue-for-replacement windows the other day would be interested to see a copy of the latest survey by the Skills Register.
The survey shows that 78% of carpenters and joiners believe their trade is being brought into disrepute by cowboys.
Well, yes, of course it is, along with plumbers, electricians and probably everyone else in the building trade.
The problem for Joe Public – and I include myself in that category – is that unless a personal recommendation is forthcoming, the Yellow Pages is usually the first port of call. But, as David Winson of the Institute of Carpenters says, anyone can advertise in it, so there’s no guarantee that what you see in the small ads is what you’re going to get.
Having said that, my window chap did come to me following a personal recommendation. I was told he was a carpenter and I believed that up to and including the time he replaced my back door. Turns out he’s actually a plasterer by training.
As it happens, that’s okay. I know he’s a competent chippie and now I know that he’ll make a good job of making good. I feel like I’m killing two birds with one stone.
However, it does strike me that maybe that’s the problem. There are simply too many jack of all trades and too few masters. How do you know who’s who?
The Skills Register – an online directory of approved businesses which was developed in collaboration with local Trading Standards officers – sounds like an excellent way of encouraging reputable builders to police themselves and create consumer confidence.
But I’m still left with a sneaking worry – since the survey showed that only 29% of carpenters and joiners thought they had a representative trade body to protect their interests (and it’s not too hard to find out), how many of them will be interested in doing anything other than lassoing unsuspecting punters and their money and riding west?
