Harringay, Haringey - So Good they Spelt it Twice!
Responding to requests for tradespeople - what have I done wrong?
I'm really trying to understand what is going on. I had a good experience with a tradesperson whom I contacted after he responded to a another HoL member's request for a recommendation.
Last week, I contacted him again to provide a quote for another job. He is very busy, so couldn't start the new job until the end of next month. However, today, I saw that he was responding positively to a new request from an HoL member for a tradesperson recommendation.
I contacted the tradesperson and said that, because of his lack of availability, I had decided to use an alternative contractor. I also pointed out (politely) that he was responding to any request that popped up on HoL, so no surprise that there was an unacceptably long wait for his services.
He was not happy with my comment and texted me to say that he paid HoL £60 monthly for that privilege.
Naively, I had no idea that this system existed.
Folowing contact from the HoL system administrator etc, I checked and cannot see how the tradesperson's response to the last member's request for help is different from any other response. (No special logo, no indication that this is anything out of the ordinary.) Who knows? That may be the fault of my ancient laptop.
Or it could be that I am old and stressed. I have chemotherapy-induced peripheral neuropathy and I am sleep deprived because my neighbour has an unauthorised, children's loft bedroom and Haringey Council says that they cannot take any enforcement action, because no internal building work has been carried out in my neighbour's loft. This, despite the fact that this is in the Tower Gardens Conservation Area, my neighbour doesn't have planning permission, I have been complaining for 3 years and I sent the Council photos in 2014 and more recently of the huge velux window and giant escape roof ladder on the neighbour's dilapidated roof.
(The property's internal loft ladder is in the parent's bedroom, which I share a party wall with, hence the noise nuisance when the children need the loo in the middle of the night. There is no fire proofing, sound proofing, floor reinforcement etc in their loft, but Haringey Council cannot take any action, apart from pointing out the obvious dangers to the owner-occupiers.)
I'm beginning to fantasise that all this is happenng because I have big ears!
Replies to This Discussion
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Permalink Reply by HoL Site Admin on
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I'm not sure if you meant to start a second thread just a few hours after you started a thread on this same topic. So, to help you out, I've deleted that thread and copied it in below.
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As to the new information you provide in this second post, if the tradesperson has a commercial membership, they will have a 'shopfront' logo over their avatar. If they haven't, unless we've made a mistake, they're not a commercial member.
As Liz pointed out on your last post, there is no £60pcm commercial membership scheme. As I pointed out, the reason for the scheme is to stop users being bombarded with messages.
We're not really clear what your issue is. Are you complaining about the commercial membership scheme or are you unhappy that you've had an unsatisfactory encounter with a tradesman.
From what you've said, I can't see that the tradesman has done anything wrong. As I understand it, your complaint about him is that he's selling to new clients whilst he recently told you that he can't start your job till next month. It's quite appropriate for a tradesman to engage in a sales cycle for work he might deliver sometime hence, but to be busy now and for a period going forward. The fact that he's selling now doesn't mean he's not also busy with work now.
We've both invited you to message us with more details. Unless you can tell us (but please not on this thread) who the tradesperson is, we really can't help.
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You can screenshot your phone and email me at hugh[at]harringayonline.com
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Permalink Reply by pamish on
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Have you tried your ward councilors for help with the neighbour's dodgy conversion?
You can find who they are by putting your postcode into this page https://www.minutes.haringey.gov.uk/mgFindMember.aspx Then click on the names and it will say when they have surgeries ie when you can contact then. Sometimes a word from someone in 'authority' can encourage better behaviour.
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Permalink Reply by Colin Berry on
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Hi Ingrid, sorry to hear about your stress, I understand have the odd blair out myself from the neighbour presume youngsters. rented property.
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Permalink Reply by JoeW on
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Tradespeople can pay HoL a fee (currently £45 per quarter) to become a "commercial member", which then entitles them to post about their business and to respond to other members "looking for a tradesperson" posts. That seems fair enough - it stops the site being full of unsolicited marketing and if a business is using the site for promotion then it's only fair that they give something back. (Arguably there should be a similar scheme for members posting items for sale, although that may be more onerous to administer).
Commercial members can be identified though the shop image on their avatar:
I can't see that the tradesperson you describe has done anything wrong, depending on the trade it generally makes sense still to respond to requests, issue quotes etc. even if your order book is full, you still need to create a pipeline of work for the future.
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Permalink Reply by Old-Age-Emporium(OAE) on
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Really, what is Harringay coming to at all? If a mere tradesperson doesn't know how to respond to a Commander of the Most Excellent Order of the British Empire, why is he/she allowed to ply their trade on HOL in the first place?
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