A student has confessed to paying a tradesman £180 just to change the batteries in his carbon monoxide alarm, fearing he might get it wrong.
Sam Daley told Metro he does not want to speak to anyone on the phone. He also lacks the confidence to negotiate, even though he studies law part time.
Sam, from Nottingham, said: ‘There are skills that have been lost throughout the years, and it’s not just me.
This anxiety has forced the 22-year-old hospitality worker to turn to an app for help even for the most mundane tasks like swapping batteries.
‘Especially with Covid-19 hitting us, it has taken two years out of my life, I guess in theory I could’ve used that for learning practical skills but I was a teenager at the time.
‘I have got to the point now when I have got so used to using Amazon and stuff I’m less inclined to figure things out for myself and I outsource that to other people.
‘I could learn how to do it, but it is too easy to go on the apps.’
Sam sourced a tradesman through JustFix – which matches people with tradesmen in their local area – and paid them £180 to put up a shelf and change the batteries.
He explained that he uses apps like ‘for everything and I have to call someone out for absolutely every job’.
‘I live in a house with my girlfriend and I had to use it to get someone in to put up a shelf,’ he added.
‘I even had to have someone in to replace the battery in a carbon monoxide alarm, which I subsequently found out is an easy thing to do – it’s just screwing things in.
‘I just feel lost with DIY as I don’t have the foundational skills, there’s nothing to build on.
‘I have just resigned myself to it.’
Follow Metro on WhatsApp to be the first to get all the latest news
Metro’s on Whatsapp! Join our community for breaking news and juicy stories.
Sam’s admission comes after surveys found rouge traders are targeting Gen Z because they are more clueless about DIY than the elderly.
He says both him and his live-in girlfriend Catharine feel the same way and that his friends all use apps as they ‘don’t like having to call someone on the phone’.
‘If it wasn’t for the app I’d have to run crying to my parents, which is something I really don’t like doing,’ he said.
‘I already feel dependent on people and doing things by myself makes me feel independent – even if I am getting someone in to do it for me.
‘I do work quite a lot, as it is really hard to be able to afford rent.
‘I feel like if I’m working all that time, I need to come home and not have to do anything.
‘If I’ve got the money I’d rather use it and get someone to fix it and not worry about it.
‘My parents and grandparents would be quite judgemental, but I don’t mind as my house looks nice, it is not an absolute mess.
‘They don’t need to know how it is done.’
Speaking about the change in generations, Adam Graham, CEO of JustFix, said: ‘We find that many younger people simply choose not to spend their valuable time doing jobs around the home.’
Get in touch with our news team by emailing us at webnews@metro.co.uk.
For more stories like this, check our news page.
MORE: ‘Astonishing’ discovery at theatre found hiding in plain sight for 119 years
MORE: Rachel Reeves says she took free Sabrina Carpenter tickets for security reasons
