New research from HomeServe has revealed that four in 10 UK adults have been ‘ghosted’ by a tradesperson, with one in ten blanked in the past six months alone.
HomeServe says that just like in the dating world, being ghosted by a tradesperson means they have suddenly stopped responding, or completely ignore a person’s enquiry in the first place.
The research suggests that people are most ghosted after they request a quote from a tradesperson (38%), leaving potential customers feeling annoyed (43%) and rejected (12%).
Increased demand for tradespeople – up 22% year on year – means many people are struggling to find someone to commit, especially when it comes to plumbers. HomeServe says a third of homeowners claim plumbers are harder to find than any other tradespeople.
Thinking about the reasons why they were ghosted, close to a third (30%) believe they didn’t hear back as their job wasn’t considered high enough value. The same amount (30%) reasoned the tradesperson was too busy with other jobs. One in ten (9%) reflected they may have been too specific about the work they wanted done.
Others (8%) felt they were ghosted for being a ‘difficult customer’, whilst one in ten (10%) women felt it was because of their gender.
Location also was shown to play a role in response rates, with the trend more common in larger cities. London (51%), Leeds, and Liverpool (both 48%) ranked as the top ghosting hotspots overall.
The prevalence of Tradesperson Ghosting has led to some people making ill-informed home improvement or repair decisions. One in four (27%) said they took matters into their own hands after not being able to find a good tradesperson and ended up regretting it. A similar amount (31%) paid for work that ended up being low quality as they were eager for it to be completed quickly.
Such is the appeal of a good tradesperson in 2023, over half (69%) of UK adults say they’ve gone out of their way to be a good host to ensure repeat work. One in four (23%) have even kept the details of a good tradesperson to themselves so they don’t get too busy, with men more likely to do so than women (26% vs 19%).
Talking about the findings, a spokesperson at HomeServe says: “The research shows that demand currently outstrips supply when it comes to finding good tradespeople in 2023. Understandably, many can’t keep up with their admin as there are too many jobs for every tradesperson, leaving one in four UK adults ghosted, annoyed and alone.”
Read about HomeServe’s advice to householders on how to avoid being ghosted by a tradesperson.
