29/05/2026
𝗗𝗼𝗱𝗴𝘆 𝘁𝗿𝗮𝗱𝗶𝗲𝘀 ...
Friday has me reflecting on recent stories of people being ripped off.
Yesterday, a customer called a plumber who quoted $270 over the phone, $790 once on site - and then only when questioned (because the customer has had the same water issue previously) - did they concede it was a simple job, which they completed in under ten minutes and charged a much lower, fair price (around $200).
Reputable trade businesses don't operate like that. Legitimate pricing doesn't drop by 3/4 on a whim or the moment a customer challenges things.
I understand that some people will come up with feasible scenarios where the trade price might jump around like above, but that's not what happened for this customer. It was a very clear attempt to fake the complexity of the job and get more $.
This bothers me the most when it involves elderly and vulnerable customers, a common story.
𝗠𝗮𝗸𝗲 𝘀𝘂𝗿𝗲 𝘆𝗼𝘂 𝗱𝗼 𝘁𝗵𝗲𝘀𝗲 𝗰𝗵𝗲𝗰𝗸𝘀 𝗯𝗲𝗳𝗼𝗿𝗲 𝗯𝗼𝗼𝗸𝗶𝗻𝗴 𝗮 𝘁𝗿𝗮𝗱𝗲:
𝙇𝙞𝙘𝙚𝙣𝙨𝙚𝙙❓
I've seen handyman businesses posting about electrical work they've done, with no evidence that they have an electrical licence.
Out of curiosity I did a search to see if I could find a record of the business or the license, and nada. Doing electrical work without qualifications and a license is dangerous.
Ask for licence details and do your own search to confirm it's current and valid.
𝙄𝙣𝙨𝙪𝙧𝙚𝙙❓
It's OK to ask for proof of insurance.
𝙍𝙚𝙜𝙞𝙨𝙩𝙚𝙧𝙚𝙙 𝙗𝙪𝙨𝙞𝙣𝙚𝙨𝙨❓
Check for a current ABN (sole trader) and/or ACN (company)
𝙍𝙚𝙘𝙤𝙢𝙢𝙚𝙣𝙙𝙖𝙩𝙞𝙤𝙣𝙨❓
Search Google, Facebook and other platforms to see what customers say. Ask in local Facebook community groups for direct, current recommendations.
I've seen tradies quoting online review numbers that are simply not accurate e.g. saying they have over 100 five star reviews when a quick search shows they barely have 40. While this might not seem like a big deal, it can point to the ethics and integrity of the business.
𝗔𝗻𝗱 𝗮𝗹𝘄𝗮𝘆𝘀 𝗿𝗲𝗺𝗲𝗺𝗯𝗲𝗿 𝘁𝗼 𝗴𝗲𝘁 𝗮 𝗳𝗲𝘄 𝗾𝘂𝗼𝘁𝗲𝘀 👍