For consumers remodeling their homes, working with contractors is among their least favorite parts of getting the job done. Many contractors work in a netherworld of undocumentation -- most states don't require licenses or certifications for contractors, and some contractors hire illegal aliens to save money, but the number one complaint is shoddy workmanship, with the top reasons being:
- work not started on time
- increases in the price of the job after it has been started or completed
- a mess that is left for the consumer to clean up
But guess what? Consumers can be a pain in the neck, too, according to surveys conducted by the Opinion Research Corporation on behalf of Kimberly-Clark Professional.
Contractors have a few axes to grind with customers who continually ask for work to be changed or redone. Their biggest complaints are:
- customers who try to get them to do more work without paying for it
- customers who don't pay on time
- customers who try to renegotiate the price after the job has been completed
Customers are particularly uncomfortable with negotiating prices, having a stranger in their home, and feeling like "you have to watch them all the time." Not surprisingly, contractors said they also found price negotiations unpleasant, and hated the feeling of "being watched." They also said they disliked dealing with customers who changed their minds or nitpicked.
To feel better about their selection of a contractor, 64 percent of home improvement customers said the key determining factor was a personal recommendation from someone they trust. Leaving no ego unturned, 70 percent of contractors felt they were selected because of the quality of their workmanship or past work experience with the customer or an acquaintance of the customer.
A small number of contractors said their customers chose them because they're "hot and everyone knows it." Only 2 percent of customers admitted to choosing their contractor based on their good looks.
Despite contentious feelings, generosity in the human spirit prevailed when it came to bathroom privileges. Seventy percent of homeowners said they would allow their contractor to use the restroom, while 74 percent said they would let their outdoor contractor inside their homes to use the facilities. Only 1 percent put the bathroom off limits to contractors.
Strangely, only 1 percent of contractors said they packed up their tools and left their customers to deal with messes.
