It's time for You Be The Etiquette Judge: Contractor edition...

[Phentex]

1. If you call a company/contractor and have to leave a message, what's a reasonable amount of time to expect a call back?

2. If you speak to someone and they say they will call you back, what's a reasonable amount of time to hear back from them?

3. If they call you a month later, do you bother to call them back? Would you call them back to let them know you found another contractor?

[Lochloosa]

1. 1. One day. 2. One day. 3. Hell no

30 year's construction

[Phentex]

2. Thanks...

seems like common sense but something had me wondering if it's rude not to call them back and say I found someone else.

[sarge43]

5. I'd if you didn't get a call back within a work week, then you have no obligation to call them n/t

[Fla Dem]

3. I'd give them a couple of days. Then call again.

If you have to leave a message again, I'd tell them this is their 2nd and last chance to give an estimate and they have 2 days to call you back. If they don't, drop them. A lot of contractors don't have an office staff handling their calls and I can see where a message might be overlooked and/or they forget to get back to someone. But after a 2nd call with no return call, scratch them off the list.

That happened to me once. Made a call, left message. No return call. After a couple of days called again and left message. Fellow got back to me right away . Apologized profusely for not getting back earlier. Ended up hiring him and he did an outstanding job. Arrived each day when he said he would. He and his crew worked every minute they were here and finished on time.

[Phentex]

6. Glad it worked out...

I was allowing a week to get a return call. Meanwhile I had reached out to someone else.

[femmocrat]

4. I give them a few days to a week.

Because the really good ones are probably busy. The ones sitting around with nothing to do might be the first to call you back.

I wouldn't bother calling to tell them I have found someone else. One place called us 6 months later after the job was long completed. Did they think we were sitting on our hands waiting for them to get back to us? Dunno!

Good luck. It's a crap-shoot.

[Phentex]

7. Ha! That reminds me of a former accountant...

was always late filing our taxes. Always gave them the info in early February but they'd file an extension and not call us until September. One year I used a different accountant. Then sure enough, the other one called in the fall and asked about our information. Didn't even realize we hadn't signed with them again for the year.

Also, got an email from them the next year! It was scary to think we ever used them in the first place.

[Orrex]

8. Clarification

1. Is this a first attempt at contact, or are you already working with this contractor? If the latter, then one business day is reasonable. If the former, then I'd say two days, but I'd also contact other contractors in the meantime

2. What time of day, and what was the nature of the call? If it's before, say, 2PM, they should call back same day with an update at least, to show that you're important and that they haven't blown you off. After 2PM, I'd give them until noon of the next business day, then I'd call them back.

3. I would absolutely not bother to call them back after a month with no contact.

[Phentex]

9. Before noon just to see if they were interested in the job, first attempt.

I had different experiences with different companies but my poll was more general. I usually call around 10 in the morning for these kinds of things.

So far, people agree with your #3.