[Zeke]

I think EVERYONE is missing the point. I've had many bad experiences with all kinds of services. Not so much home improvement because I tend to DIY. But I don't have my own dry cleaning equipment, so I use a professional as with the majority of the needs I have. Do I have poor experiences? Of course. But I don’t attack a specific, and totally obscure to the point, segment of the business community as a way of expressing my disappointment over a stripped nut on somebody else’s engine.

ruf brings 'construction trades' into the fold out of the blue. THIS is what is needless targeting of an unrelated enterprise in our spectrum of services. Additionally, I feel he meant contractors as opposed to non licensed individuals because of the use of the term 'trades.' You're not a tradesman if you don't have proper training. Otherwise, he should have said ‘workers,’ or something similar.

I'm not about to try to call all people performing repairs, or attempting to build, a tradesperson . In the main thread, someone said that he doesn't like to pay the high rates for services and indicated that he believes many feel the same way. If you fall into that trap, I have no empathy. But don't let that, or other negative experiences poison the well for all tradespersons, or more specifically, contractors.

The illogical conclusion that most complaints at the BBB are related to mechanics and the ‘construction trades,’ and therefore most mechanics and tradespersons are inept, is what my anger is directed at. Yes, that’s what it says back in the main thread. Go back and read it again. I cannot accept that premise and believe that making such a statement is irresponsible and slanderous, not to mention a fallacy.

Unfortunately, and apparently, most of you have had a bad experience with building. I’m going to digress from the point here a bit and ask if you haven’t thought this out some. Do you realize how many different aspects there are to building a home? And, how many people if takes? From the planning stage to landscaping, it takes a large number of individuals, companies, suppliers and even inspectors to accomplish such a task. It might be analogous to making a movie. Except, the movie director gets to re-shoot each scene until he’s satisfied. But you wouldn’t want to pay for that, so you want perfection on the first take. Given the number of personalities that have most likely never met before on a given job. it is amazing that anything goes as well as it does, much less criticizing the whole construction genre because of a few isolated mistakes or a couple of individuals that don’t perform to expectations. Where else in the society do you have that many people taking part in an unrehersed, one off project that have never worked that excact circumstance and have never worked in concert before? Also, can you take a look at those individuals one at a time and say that they continually screw up? They wouldn’t last long. They will be culled out. This is not a reason to impugn the entire catagorie.

But back on point, if someone here, on this group of forums, wantonly and inexcusably brings about criticism of a group with no prior reference to that group in the subject matter, then you can be sure I’ll rise to the defense of the use of logical argumentative principles and against the unwarranted introduction of an unrelated group. Especially, if I’m a member of that group. (Yes KurtV, that was directed at you as well as the general reader.)