Is there really a recession?

Dear reader,

Welcome to a new follower, Cheap Chick-great name!

I want to know if there really is a recession? Are people hard up? We hear a lot about small companies struggling, the loss of our high streets, self employed people losing their houses.
I'm sure this is the case but listen to this.

Big man and I bought our home last February. It needed a lot of work as it hadn't really been touched since the sixties and we had the stone clad fireplace to prove it!

Some of the work Big Man did but some needed specialists.
We wanted to use local tradesmen or try to and we like to support small companies and self employed people earning a living. I'm sure we all do the same with shops and the like.

Below is a list of the jobs that we wanted doing and the responses we got.

Plans for upstairs to be extended. I rang a local guy, he came round, took photos, gave us price just for the drawing which we agreed. That was last May-never heard from him since.

We wanted a log burner installing. We got a man round, he only lives up the road. He gave us a quote, something like £2,000-we agreed the work-never heard from him since. That was last September.

We needed the whole downstairs plastering-price agreed, did one days work, said he would ring me.
That was last September-still waiting.

We asked a local firm to draw up plans and quote for a new porch. They had already fitted our new windows so they knew us and that we paid immediately. Yep, you guessed it, still waiting. Err last summer some time.
Window fitters were the worst, one forgot to turn up, one was going to be over this way as he had family here but then his plans changed and one cancelled as his wife had got tickets for a pantomime and he had to babysit the smaller child. All very lovely but ain't gonna get the money coming in is it.

We've asked for fencers, decorators. All totally blasé,

I want a grille or shutter on the back door. I am always worried about being burgled. I rang one company. The conversation went like this.
"Hi, I'd like to get a price for a grille on the back door, can you come round?"
"Well it's not just as simple as that, I need measurements and if you think about it, having a grille on the back door, it's not really going to work it is?"
Call terminated.

I rang another firm, didn't answer the phone
Another went to voicemail

In the end I rang a large company, I would rather use local but guess what? The phone answered
immediately and their brochure arrived first thing this morning.

So want I want to know is, are all the people making so much money they can afford to turn business away? I know if I had my own company I would be striving to get every bit of business I could.
I wouldn't mind but some of these workmen were recommended and I was told they were quiet and needed the work!

In the words of Jim Royale.....Recession, my arse.

How is it where you live?

FIB. X