No more to bad service

Today, everything changes. Today we start afresh. Today we rededicate ourselves to God and the  mission of not accepting crap service coupled with the excuse that 'we are in Nigerian now, what do you expect?'. Well I expect more, much more. Nigerians have shown that they can excel in any culture and habitat in the world. If you go any where in the world and don't see either Coca Cola or a Nigerian, I suggest you back your bags and leave. It doesn't matter if there are Indians or Chinese people there; no Nigerians? That's a seal of approval, that real betta dey.

So how come that whilst we can be so great (though alas often we excel in being very bad too) in so many different countries that we settle in, that we give our selves such poor service and standards in our own country. We appreciate all the fine things that the world has to offer, but never expect or demand the same at home. We need to repatriate this passion, this finesse, this culture back home. A culture of expecting to be treated courteously when giving a merchant your custom. A culture of expecting straight lines and well finished work as a minimum standard and not a delight. A culture of not having to stand over every craftsman to ensure things are done right.

A few things I have learnt that may be of use to you if you are looking for a service provider in Lagos, where it seems our artisans and vendors and almost always in a hurry and happy to cut corners.

1. Get a referral from someone that you trust has similar standards as you, and ask about the relationship of the vendor with your referee as sometimes the vendor does only good work for some people and mediocre work for others. Always get a second (or more) opinion if you can.
2. Never pay in full before the job is done; keep enough money back so you have some leverage to negotiate with if the job is not done to your satisfaction. Be clear if there is going to be any retention money or bonus tied to a deliverable (quality, time line etc).
3. Never trust the words 'trust me'. Make sure that they give you a sample or show you work done
4. Go through the specifications and instructions in detail. Get them to write it down if they can, and if not write it out yourself. Never leave them to make creative decisions for your unless they have provend themselves.
5. Get a break down of all the material, men and time required for the job. People often get ripped off on materials so check amount proposed and verify costs, and if possible supply materials yourself. You need to be sure they have thought through the resources required for the job adequately so there is no waste or inefficiency, which you pay for in the end.
6. Don't expect that they know what is right or how to execute the job, so check that they have a well thought out plan to execute the works.
7. It might sound silly, but if you can, call  them before they come, check the work plan and ensure they turn up with all the tools required. You'd be amazed how often they do not.
8. Do not in any circumstances leave them unsupervised. Check their work at least 3 times, just before commencement to confirm they fully understand what you require, once during their estimated middle of the work, and close to the end
9. Do not ask other domestic workers in your home to supervise, they most often cannot give any direction and even if they could they may not be listened to.

Don't despair, there are good workers out there, and even if there aren't with some precautions like those above, we can make them better.