Ratsima wrote:Well, I didn't say it was cheap....
You didn't say, but, of course, we all knew that.
"Cheap" and "good quality" never go together, not in Thailand, that's for sure.
One approach I always use for getting workmen to listen is to pay well above the average rate.
First, I ask Thai friends and neighbors for the going rate in that line of work.
Then I pay double or, sometimes, triple that rate.
A specific example:
Several years ago I had exactly the same job done in a different condo where I was living then.
The tradesman was a "weekend handyman" who hired himself out to neighbors and friends on his day off.
It was not his regular job.
Typical rate for that would be around 600-800 baht/day (two years ago).
I offered him 2,000 baht per day.
At first he didn't like it that I specified the fit and finish of the work.
I could see hints of the sullen face and rising indignation.
But then the calculation appeared in his mind of getting 2,000 baht in one day.
Suddenly, he was happy to listen.
And I hired him again for many other jobs.
So, besides paying a lot, what else can be done to get tradesmen to listen to what the customer wants?
- Al