Missed deadlines, poor quality work, damage to property, and lack of accountability are just some of the challenges Jamaicans face on a daily basis when dealing with local tradesmen.

These frustrations can turn even the simplest projects into long and costly nightmares.

A homeowner and her husband started renovation on their St Andrew home in January 2022, but the planned six-month project to transform their newly-purchased house turned into a nearly three-year ordeal at three times the estimated cost because of what they said was poor workmanship and unprofessionalism.

“A lot of the renovation that we were supposed to do morphed into other things. We had a plan, a drawing and everything, but the workmen didn’t know how to read the drawing so they started taking down walls that they weren’t supposed to take down, so that led into spending more money. Our walls were lean, our windows were lean and, of course, we didn’t really realise until after,” she told Jamaica Observer.

Noting that she even changed contractors and worked with different workmen, the homeowner said she encountered lack of professionalism across the board.

“Every time we got a new set of guys, they came in and found issues so we had to be spending more money to fix things that we would have paid for the previous workmen to do. And they don’t care for your things — they just come work, mash up your things and leave your place in a complete mess,” she said.

“Our plumber and tiler were unreliable. Our tiler left the tiles crooked. It’s just been a whole heap of disjointedness. If you don’t have a good contractor, you’re going to spend because you’re just going to be fixing all the things that the men do wrong,” the homeowner said.

She believes that if they had found a capable contractor from the start, many of their current problems could have been avoided.

“We ran out of money because we spent so much on a whole heap of the foolishness that we were doing. So, our experience has not been good because the sort of guidance that we wanted from the contractor, they weren’t providing because they themselves never know how to read the plan,” she complained.

Her horror story is not unique.

Another individual told the Sunday Observer that he has been struggling to find a reliable auto mechanic since his long-time motor vehicle repairman moved overseas.

“My check engine light came on, and my original mechanic recommended someone in Kingston. I went to that mechanic and he suggested almost immediately that it was a head gasket issue but that raised red flags because he never did a diagnostic test,” he shared.

However, when he raised questions the mechanic’s response was, “Bwoy, mi know mi thing”.

“I said, ‘No, you need to do a diagnostic test’. He was unwilling to do it but he eventually did it and then claimed that the diagnostic test pointed to a cylinder issue and confirmed his original diagnosis,” he recounted.

Despite being told the repair would take five days, the mechanic kept the vehicle for six weeks, constantly offering excuses and dodging calls.

“I’m calling him, but he doesn’t answer his phone. The only time I can get an update on my vehicle is when I physically go to the place,” he said, noting that another red flag was a garage filled with unfinished cars.

The driver, however, decided to trust the process because of the recommendation from his previous mechanic — a decision that yielded disappointing results because, within two days of having his vehicle, it completely shut down.

“It went into limp mode. It just wasn’t starting. I called that mechanic, told him the issue and the man said he was going to send somebody to look at it. Up to this day, not one person has come and I can’t get him,” he said.

Deciding to test the water with another mechanic, this time recommended by a colleague, the driver said the delays and excuses persisted, leading to more frustration.

“Commenting on what the first mechanic had been doing, this mechanic said, ‘This bredda yah, a joke business mechanic, foolishness him do with your vehicle’. He once again gave me a timeline — I never get through. He had my vehicle for nine weeks and during those nine weeks, on at least 10 occasions he told me that my vehicle would be ready by ‘tomorrow’ at ‘x’ time, and whenever that date came, either you can’t get him or him give you some excuse,” he explained.

“The amount of excuses; at one point he said his belly was hurting him. Run round, run round, run round. Very unprofessional and when you address him about the issue, him get defensive. Eventually with him now, one day I just got up and went for my vehicle and when I went for my vehicle, coincidentally the mechanic claimed that the work was now completed. Miraculously,” the driver said.

Even though he had finally received his vehicle, his issues were not fully resolved and the poor service came with a high bill at the end.

“I’m still having long-standing issues. He resolved some issues but he was very unprofessional, gave me the run around and I got a questionable bill at the end of it. It wasn’t itemised or anything,” he added.

Reflecting on the experience, the driver shared that he regrets not going straight to the dealer to address his car woes.

“It was a horrible experience. I’ve always heard about these issues but it’s never happened to me because I have a mechanic that I’ve been using over 10 years and now to have this happen to me with consecutive mechanics, it has left a bitter taste in my mouth. I would have been better off going straight to the dealer, which is what going forward I will be doing,” he said.

The homeowner suggested that many local tradesmen “say they can do the work but they can’t”. It supports a sentiment expressed by private sector stakeholders of a shortage of skilled workers in Jamaica and an impending labour crisis.

Pointing to the lack of legal framework in the industry as a primary reason so many Jamaicans suffer at the hands of unprofessional tradesmen, president of Incorporated Masterbuilders Association of Jamaica (IMAJ) Richard Mullings said his association has consistently lobbied to improve construction policies and promote continuous professional development across all levels.

“Unfortunately, many Jamaicans have had negative experiences with self-proclaimed ‘contractors’. At present, there is no legal framework defining what qualifies an individual as a contractor. Apart from the requirement to register with a public body to take on government contracts, there are no regulations governing who can offer their services as a contractor to private citizens. This has left many Jamaicans vulnerable to individuals who are ill-equipped to execute building projects,” Mullings told the Sunday Observer.

He said IMAJ, the trade association representing Jamaica’s construction sector, has long advocated for a licensing system that clearly defines who qualifies as a contractor, which would include a regulatory mechanism to handle complaints, making it easier to identify and exclude unqualified or unscrupulous contractors.

As the association continues to lobby for those frameworks, Mullings is encouraging Jamaicans to choose their contractors carefully, especially for something as significant as building or maintaining a home.

“Always use written contracts. The IMAJ offers for sale standard contract templates for small jobs. For minor projects, even a simple written letter can serve as an agreement,” he advised.

“Ask contractors for a portfolio of past projects and references from previous clients. Take the time to verify these details. Additionally, homeowners can consult contractors from the IMAJ’s membership list. Persons can also ask [tradespeople] there to provide proof of their certification,” Mullings continued.

The IMAJ president added that his association continues to support the HEART/NSTA Trust’s certification programme, which aims to establish recognised standards for construction skills.

“Over time, certification would elevate the quality of work produced by tradespeople across the industry, the industry should consider making certification a mandatory and not just voluntary requirement,” he said.

The HEART/NSTA Trust currently offers a range of training programmes in several sectors including construction, manufacturing, metal engineering, and maintenance, among others.

According to HEART, professionalism or employability are infused in all programmes and the agency is currently seeking to improve these areas by testing this component as well.

“All HEART standards and curricula have infused employability requirements for training delivery. We have seen some gaps and are addressing these gaps, especially with a new employability skills programme and a new strategy to incorporate assessments of the employability skills,” the agency said, adding that it will seek to partner with the private providers of HEART-funded programmes to commit to training and assessment in employability skills before certification.

“Programmes are sometimes short and this can be very challenging for trainees to absorb employability skills to effect behavioural change,” the agency noted.

However, HEART is also encouraging a community approach to infusing employability skills with company leaders/public sector partners who assist with industry immersions as part of wholesome skills development strategy.

It said it will nevertheless be leading a new campaign to improve employability skills assimilation for both long and short programmes that will address all persons participating in HEART/NSTA Trust-funded programmes.