They are like that all around the world it seems.
I'd start all over again with a whole new set of contractors. Evidently they don't need the work and have no respect for employers.
Along the lines of what Van said, also check your local courthouse records, some are more accessible than others (internet). Go to civil lawsuits, type in your intended contractor and see how many suits they have against them. Recent and numerous, then move on to the next.
So this is a problem all over the world. If any one has a real answer I'm all ears. It took me three months to get a guy to remodel my bathroom. I had two I hired to do the work and they never showed up. Then when I finally got one which did great work. He could have just moved in he took over a week to do a three day job. I can't complain too much the work is great. I've since had him do work at my office and he was in and out in three days.
Yep, all over the world they are the same !!. Best bet is to ask around, friends of friends, or people in your workplace, as to who has had work done recently. IE word of mouth recommendation is the best. But even then there is no guarantee. They all seem to function without a clock/watch, or calendar, but somehow they keep getting work. If i treated my clients the same I'd be out of a job !!.
Sometimes being unreliable is a good thing though. We had an electrician doing work at our place that took him six hours to complete. We still haven't received the bill after reminding him twice. And this was three years ago!
I hope you find someone soon. They're annoying when you have to keep chasing after them.
I'd also do an "ask" search. We have Ask Lisa, Ask a Contractor, etc. They recommend local ones that others have used and rated. We also have hardware stores with bulletin boards that local contractors put their business cards on. You could go to one of those and look. Also ask a worker at a hardware store if he knows any reliable/reasonable ones. I found a guy to put in my hardwood floor that way. He was buying supplies at Lowe's and his truck with his logo was on it outside. I copied his # and gave him a call.
Sometimes at a favorite coffee house or lunch spot they'll have a place where locals can put business cards.
Most of these tradespeople are sole proprietors, ie. in business for themselves. From years of working in the lending industry, I have found that a large percentage of people who are self employed are so simply because they can't work anywhere else, usually through lack of ability, motivation, or reliability. Especially with sole prop tradespeople. Naturally, this will translate into how they do business.
On the other side of the coin, there are some out there in business for themselves because they are good at it. The trick is to find the right one. The best way to find a good tradesperson is recommendation of others who have hired them before. If you don't know anyone that has hired one, there are some internet sites that have that information.
LOL,,,,
I'll do it for $2,999 nicola,,,and I'll even buy the air fare,,,,
on time!
well, i cant speak for all trades, but mine is very competitive, and i f im late or dont do a good job , i dont get repeats. and word of mouth is a killer
We have Hire A Husband here too.
Some of them were in one biz or another and retired. Also, they may know of someone. A lot of times they keep in touch with their old contacts so they can get things done inexpensively or can toss business their way.
My dad is a licensed electrician who has been in the construction industry in some form or other for over 30 years. While he now works in a very small portion of the market (installs central vacuum systems in new and existing houses) he still pays attention to the work that every other tradesperson does in the houses he works on. Like any other industry, there are good companies and bad companies. He's told me stories about companies that really impressed him, and companies which made him cringe at their incompetence.
When you are dealing with a smaller company, the contractor wears many hats. He or she is both office staff and actual production staff. Unfortunately this means they are often too busy to return calls as promptly as they should. Also, they may be busy with other jobs, and be waiting until they can be sure they will have freedom in their schedule to do your job before contacting you. Big companies are more expensive yes, but this is in part because they hire office staff. People who can handle the communication with customers, as well as scheduling and billing. They also tend to have more flexibility to send a crew out quickly to complete a task. A smaller company will often be cheaper, since they will have less overhead, but they will also usually be booked further in advance unless they are either no good, or in the midst of an industry wide slow down, where there isn't enough work to keep busy.
Trades people who own their own companies don't do it because they are good communicators, or have strong organizational and management skills. Their company will no doubt do better if they have those skills, but the reason they enter the business is because they have a marketable skill. Their trade. Which they want to have control over. And because they are good, and word gets around that the work they do improves your most valuable asset, they not only stay in business despite not being "reliable," they even thrive.
My advice to find the good ones echoes the advice of a few others above me: 1)Talk to friends and family who have had work done that you like, by people they were happy to deal with. 2)Talk to workers at the local hardware store. As a current employee of a hardware store I can tell you it doesn't take long to figure out who knows what they are doing, and is on top of their game. And 3) If you have had work done by a tradesperson you liked, contact them and ask if they have any recommendations. Chances are, they know which companies are worthy of your business and are happy to refer you, as those companies will tend to reciprocate referrals when it helps keep their customers satisfied and create goodwill for their brand.
BicycleBum hit the nail on the head. It's the type of people doing this type of work. They normally don't do well working for others or working under supervision. They like to do what they want, when they want and how they want. The problem is the majority of the contractors and their employees are the same way, so it's difficult to really find a quality contractor that is reliable and has the same work ethic that we have. It's also difficult to just go to the next one since it's a common issue across the board.
I realize this is a general statement and does not apply to 100% of the contractors out there, but very many.
Yes, you guys are right. They don't like bosses, time constraints, or doing anything in a hurry.
I finally got through to the guy this morning, who seemed the most competent, and lives locally. He can start "probably next week, I'll have to call you at the end of this week to make sure" lol.
I loved his comment:
"Yes, I saw your email, I haven't replied." There was no apology or anything, just an air of, "meh!"
Is there a form of the Better Business Bureau there? Somewhere you could report unprofessional behavior and/or get a recommendation on someone else to use?
When the debate is lost, slander becomes the tool of the loser. Socrates 
