Having lived in the house for some 30 years, my parents decided to renovate the house and give it a complete overhaul.
And so the question back then was who to trust the job with? A random contractor may do the job but my parents felt that it would be better to leave the job to someone we know. Thus, the job was left in the hands of this acquaintance of my father.
Ideas were finalised, the prices were fixed and the renovation works started. The acquaintance promised to deliver quality results during our numerous discussions. Floor tiles were chosen and carpentry works were decided. We thought everything (well, almost everything) was settled and the renovation would be completed soon.
However, we soon realised that the renovation was delayed due to insufficient stocks of the materials we ordered. And we were not informed about it until we went down to check on the progress of the renovation. And so it turned out that the materials we ordered were not out of stock, but merely low in stock. Misunderstandings arose and my parents were disgusted that the person whom they trusted was in fact a dishonest person. Calls demanding for an explanation were made but not returned. When returned, frivolous excuses were made. My mum demanded to meet him for an explanation.
I was there too, to hear what the acquaintance had to say. (Well at that point in time, we were almost ready to treat him as a foe.)
All he mentioned were excuses that we predicted and my mum questioned him on several other issues and decisions that were made without our consent, based on his assumptions. All he bothered about was the profit that he will make if materials of a lower price were purchased. He disregarded the trust we had in him and it was obvious that we have a different set of goals from him. For ours, it was to simply renovate our house with the belief that since he was someone we knew, he would do a good job. And as for him it is pretty obvious that all that was on his mind was his profit margin.
The renovation works finally completed (with delays here and there) and you would think that the conflict is resolved but whenever I see him on the streets I'd try my best not to glare at him.
And so, my question is - would you do the same if this happened to you?
Hi Liquan
ReplyDeleteI can understand the frustration you and your family must have felt. Coupled with the fact that he was someone your family had known, trust was definitely broken knowing that he had chosen profit margin over the relationship he had with your family.
Anger can really cloud our judgement, and especially towards difficult situations. Most people don't listen very well when we are agitated. Any explanation given would not be taken in as well either.
Even so, I had thought that the situation was well-handed as your family had fulfilled the responsibility as customers. Considering that a home is something that is very dear to any family, it was gracious to allowing this man to complete the project despite his mistakes. :)
Hello Liquan!
ReplyDeleteI actually encountered a similar situation before. My experience was more related to purchasing of my new flat instead. There were many misunderstandings and miscommunications, as a result, my parents had to incur additional costs and there was a period of time when we had no place to stay and had to resort to renting an apartment. Although I would not consider the impact to be very severe, I definitely felt that many things could have been done better, and there could be proper communications channel so that my parents could have communicated their interests expressly so that we could have reached a mutually beneficial solution.
For me, I must admit that I was pretty upset at the property agent who only had his own interests at heart. But on hindsight, it is really a lesson learn for my family and I. Ever since that incident, we have learnt to consult our friends and relatives, and do a more comprehensive research for any decision-making.
I do understand your frustration. But I feel that communication is really a two-way thing and for every problem that arise, there are many unlying factors that gave rise to it. Perhaps your family could have done some research and source around for the more reliable brands, and communicate your preference clearly to the contractor to ensure that the renovations are done according to your likings. I think it would be great if you and your family can take it as a lesson learnt and be more cautious next time!
Furthermore, now that we have taken modules like Business Law, I think we are clearer about our rights as consumers. Hopefully then, we will be able to better protect ourselves! :)
Thanks, LQ, for sharing this issue from your family experience. Your description is clear and concise. It is quite startling, too, but you might be shocked to know that I've heard a similar story several times.
ReplyDeleteMy only reservation here is about the question. Wouldn't it be better to ask this: How could such a scenario be resolved without acrimony?
Overall language is good, except for a few minor mistakes:
ReplyDelete1)"frivolous excused were made"...it should be "frivolous excuses were made"
2)"For ours, it was to simply renovate our house"...it should be "For us,..."
3) You used a lot of "And" and sometimes, it runs into a few sentences.(This is fine with a blog post but just be careful in report-writing.)