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[DragoonKain]

Called a plumber the other day to get an estimate on some work I need done. It's a company I used years back and had no issues with. A super young kid showed up, and I was waiting for someone else to come with him, and he was it. Looked 18-20, couldn't have been any older than 21. I didn't want to insult the kid because for all I know he could've been in training for years and started really young, so I asked in an inquiring way if he was the one who was going to come back to do the repairs, and he said yes.

The last time I used this company, an older guy came. Typically any time I've gotten some type of repair job done in any field, it's usually someone 30-50.

Nothing against young people starting out, just prefer someone who has extensive experience. Also, sending out young workers could be very common for all I know. I have no idea. Maybe things have changed over the years.

Would you trust a young person to do a repair job in your home or no? Not sure if I should just stick with the kid or call up another business.

 

[AV]

Depends more on the company than the workman. If they're a reputable company they have to hold up that reputation and wouldn't send somebody to mess it up.

I've had bad older tradesmen and great younger tradesmen both work on my place.

 

[Sleepwalker]

Just give the kid a chance, if he fucks something up call up the company. For all you know he might be a really good worker.

 

[Punished Miku]

We had two younger guys put in all our kitchen cabinets. Was significantly cheaper than the alternative and it turned out fine.

There's always going to be some risk involved. If it's not much cheaper than other more reputable companies, then go with someone you trust. The advantage for us to try it was price.

 

[SpiceRacz]

What work do you need done?

 

[DragoonKain]

What work do you need done?

Nothing major, just replacing some stuff. I assume it would be fine.

 

[Richard Packer]

The younger guys usually do everything by the book and haven't learned how to cut corners yet.

 

[p_xavier]

The younger guys usually do everything by the book and haven't learned how to cut corners yet.

Plus they don't overcharge etc.

 

[ParaSeoul]

Only plumber I trust.

 

[AJUMP23]

Had some young plumbers replumb my entire rental house. The older man came as did the estimate but the younger guys (early 20s) came and did all the work. Took out the galvanized and installed PEX. Did great work, I call the company to do all my plumbing now.

 

[Ionian]

Had a plumber come out for a broken bath tap, was old. Fucker asking me if I had a wrench, made the tap worse. Pissed down into the room below. Then he tried to charge me after I told him to leave.

Gave him money for petrol and told him to leave. Cheeky fucker looked shocked. Had to get another.

Look up reviews, good plumbers are hard to find, when you do get one make sure you keep their number. Same with any trade-job. If you have mates that had work done on their house, ask them. It's a random game getting someone online. Word of mouth is best, plus they remember who recommended them.

Also feed them, they love that and will smile and charge you less. My missus used to as a kindness, they don't forget you and work extra hard.

 

[March Climber]

Can't get the position without experience but need experience to get the position.

 

[Mistake]

Depends on the job. I think for plumbing it’s fine. I recently called some painters who were a bunch of young guys starting out, but I didn’t think they had enough experience with older houses, so I didn’t hire them.

 

[Aesius]

Sure. In many cases I think getting someone with less experience is better. They are probably more "up to date" in their knowledge, less willing to cut corners, and more likely to do a really good job to impress you.

 

[jason10mm]

Got my A/C installed, one of the installers had his 14 yo brother on site.

Gotta learn those trades somewhere...

 

[Calling 911 Melts Beams]

BE CAREFUL

he is going to bang any women in your house

 

[BennyBlanco]

probably an apprentice. if it's not some huge in depth project it wouldn't bother me.

 

[Cyberpunkd]

Just give the kid a chance, if he fucks something up call up the company. For all you know he might be a really good worker.

While this is normally true I feel that plumbing and electric work are really crucial to get right, since the opposite result can be so dangerous.

 

[jason10mm]

BTW, I'm reporting the OP for being a sexist POS, if this was his plumber no complaints would have been made...

BTW, it is CRITICAL to add the key word "female" to an image search for "hot young plumber" if you want the desired results

 

[BigBooper]

If the company were reputable and insured sure, if the job's not too big. I wouldn't want someone like that to redo my drain pipe or replumb the whole house for example.

 

[Richard Packer]

if this was his plumber no complaints would have been made...

Hey it's that job I did last summer at the Williams residence.

 

[Alebrije]

I have to trust very young pilots fliying on Delta or United , no problem with a plumber.

 

[IntentionalPun]

Honestly a young plumber may be better, as they haven't figured out how to do their job as shitty as possible w/o you noticing like everyone else in these kinds of professions.

 

[DefiantEye]

Yes I will always appreciate and welcome younger workers. We all start somewhere.

 

[thegame983]

Of all the tradesmen who have done unsatisfactory work for me, none of them were young.

 

[Rival]

I don’t see why not.

 

[dr_octagon]

 

[RoboFu]

Yeah, with those types of service jobs it’s 80% having the right tools and parts and 10% having the energy and flexibility to get into spaces. I’d rather have some young guy than an old out if shape fellow like me who can barely sit on the floor.

 

[StreetsofBeige]

Yup. In fact based on personal experience needing various shit fixed like plumbing (twice), and my furnace.

The young guys did a great job.

The two old dudes who came over, one ripped me off $150 deposit and never showed up (my CC company refunded me).

And the other old guy (from the water heater company Enbridge or Direct Energy I forget) was a total idiot and came empty handed. The guy came to check it out, seemed disinterested and wouldnt be able to fix it anyway until the next day even if he wanted to. So I called someone else, and a young guy came at like 1am and fixed it no problem.

My furnace was fixed by a guy who looked like was in his 20s and did a great job.

 

[DeceptiveAlarm]

Yeah all depends on his skills. I've done hvac since I was 16. When I was running service calls by myself I was like 18 19. I got a few "old" guys questioning me when I showed up but most gave me the benefit of the doubt. Tbh I did a way better job than the other tech who was in his 40s at the company. Lol.

 

[BadBurger]

It's tough to say without knowing their reputation.

Two of my good friends took over their family business's - one was commercial carpentry, mostly tiling and other flooring, the other home building but also heating and furnace repair. They both helped out their fathers and grand fathers for years. When we graduated high school I would have trusted either of them to do the kind of work they had been raised doing at age 18. And these were not small businesses in terms of revenue. In fact, the home building / furnace repairing friend is rich now.

Then again, there's lots of small contractors who have flashy vans and seem to really have their stuff together, but hire really young workers to keep down costs, hoping to train them up as they go along. I ask around on NextDoor - people are not bashful on that app, and fellow contractors happily let others know if they heard contractor X does shitty work, leaves jobs unfinished, etc.

 

[ParaSeoul]

BTW, I'm reporting the OP for being a sexist POS, if this was his plumber no complaints would have been made...

BTW, it is CRITICAL to add the key word "female" to an image search for "hot young plumber" if you want the desired results

 

[Cyberpunkd]

Yeah, with those types of service jobs it’s 80% having the right tools and parts and 10% having the energy and flexibility to get into spaces. I’d rather have some young guy than an old out if shape fellow like me who can barely sit on the floor.

Not always, I will use my own example:

1. Guys came in to put the quartz stone on the wall facing the stove (a common thing in France since it prevents wall discoloration due to oil and food splashes, most of the time you put ceramic tiles or inox plating but we wanted to have stone surface + wall), they had to remove the wall sockets and later when they re-attached them we didn't have the power in the socket on the left side (they were not electricians)
2. While waiting for the company to send us a qualified electrician we hired one from classifieds, he came and concluded the people before messed up, he insulated the cables, still no power on the left side
3. Another electrician came, it took him 1 minute to figure out the first guys messed up the connection, since the power to the left socket actually goes through the right one, which is why there was no power, he also noticed the guy in point 2 messed up the insulation

So as you can see there might be a big difference to something as small as connecting the power socket, which is three color-coded cables.

In regards to plumbing this can also be messed up rather easily:

1. I had to redo the plumbing and put water evacuation pipe for the washing machine that was supposed to be put in a cabinet divided into two: top for dryer, bottom for the washer.
2. So the depth of the cabinet is determined by the machine that takes the most space, knowing that putting the pipe behind the washer adds 10-15cm (as every manual tells you). The standard for dryers in France is 60cm, so if I can have a washing machine with a depth of X + 10cm = 60cm, I do not need to advance the cabinet at all. Add 2-3cm for the front doors. The standard for washing machine is also 60cm, but there are smaller models, you just need to know what to look for.
3. Certified plumber put the evacuation pipe on the side, instead of the back. As some people might know washing machine needs 1-2cm each side free since it moves during spinning part of the wash (again, this is written in every washing machine manual) - in the end if I had it like that i risked damage to the machine and to the water evacuation pipe (imagine the machine banging on the pipe 1000 times per minute)

If I didn't know all of that and relied on the plumber I would have fucked up my kitchen and plumbing system.

 

[GymWolf]

Only if my wife is not at home.

 

[mitch1971]

The younger guys usually do everything by the book and haven't learned how to cut corners yet.

yep this

 

[ButchCat]

This feels like a trick question.

 

[Ophiuchus]

I moved to Brisbane about six months ago and needed some plumbing work done for a bathroom renovation. I got help from Brisbane local plumbers, a team of younger professionals. At first, I had similar concerns about their age and experience, but I was pleasantly surprised by their professionalism and skills.

They did a fantastic job, finishing the work on time and leaving everything spotless. Young plumbers often bring fresh knowledge and enthusiasm to the job, which can be a huge asset. I’d say give the young guy a chance, especially if the company has a good track record.

 

[navii]

I took my car to get an amp installed for my car stereo to a "reputable" place. It was far away and a pain to get to, but they were recommended. The owner got some young kid to install it... I was thinking at the time, wtf is this shit. But maybe he will do a good job. On the drive home I decided to test the left / right channels... Sure enough they were wired in reverse. Fucking hell.

I wouldn't trust any repairmen to do a good job until a few years have passed and the repair is still going well.

 

[Durien]

BTW, I'm reporting the OP for being a sexist POS, if this was his plumber no complaints would have been made...

BTW, it is CRITICAL to add the key word "female" to an image search for "hot young plumber" if you want the desired results

Judging from the picture, we all know how the plumbing gets fixed.

 

[jason10mm]

We hired a young guy to do some remodelling. About halfway through the job he just ghosted on us, left his tools and everything. Heard NOTHING from him for over a month, hired another contractor to finish the job. Then his dad showed up to apologize and collect the tools (fortunately I had just put them aside, we hadn't paid the guy for anything other than materials so there was no need to recoup $$$), apparently the dude had a domestic with his wife and was thrown in jail :O

 

[ForAcademicPurposes]

Only if he goes by the name of Johnny Sins.

 

[*Nightwing]

Inspired by this thread I’ve decided to exploit my old age and grey hairs.

Like a 18 year old thot realizing she must start an onlyfans now to capitalize on her youth before it’s gone, I must now start my handyman company to exploit my salt and pepper colored hair and visible ass crack poping out to say hi from unsuspecting ageist homeowners

 

[Pagusas]

as long as they are insured, yes. Great opportunity to build a relationship with a trade worker for future projects at reasonable rates.

 

[Little Mac]

 

[Pegasus Actual]

So how did the work go? Horribly?

Now that he's two plus years older will you give him another chance?

DragoonKain , not sure how you can just abandon a thread like this. It's not a child ffs.

 

[deriks]

I started working at 14 by building PCs on small companies

It's ok to hire young people who know their shit

 

[DragoonKain]

So how did the work go? Horribly?

Now that he's two plus years older will you give him another chance?

DragoonKain , not sure how you can just abandon a thread like this. It's not a child ffs.

It went fine. No issues.

Although I called a plumber since for another issue and a young kid came(not the same one) and he checked one of my toilets for an issue with the tank and made some adjustments and said if this doesn't fix it you'll need a new toilet, there's nothing more we can do. I did research and it was a very fixable thing that I fixed myself. Not sure if the kid was lying and that particular company tries to rip people off and tell them they need major work done when they don't or if he just sucked at his job.

So two jobs, two kids, 50% success rate so far.

 

[Solarstrike]

Why shouldn’t you play poker with a plumber? A good flush beats a full house every time. Hopefully that shitter ain't a quitter! GL

 

[clarky]

I'd go to a smaller firm, a one man operation thats comes from a recommend. Then youll know exactly what youll be getting.

If a company is quoting full price then sending round the apprentice you should be paying apprentice rates regardless of the end quality.

They even pay lads just out of their time less cash.

 

[Highway Star]

Had a plumber come to my place earlier this year to fix a leak. They sent an older dude to do the job. He wouldn't stop talking about nothing, and took way too change a relief valve that is a 5 minute job. There was a corroded old on/off valve I though he should change at the same time. He said no and it didn't need to be changed. 2 weeks later that valve started to leak, so I had to call the plumber again. This time a young lady showed up (cute too around 25 years old), and she did the job in 5 minutes all the while having a conversation with me. She did a clean job, and was very professional.
So age means nothing. Sometimes the older folks are more professional at screwing the pooch.