Well - I know its off topic a bit, but from a more commercial electrician perspective - the CIS deductions business, and the business of not charging VAT (If my company is not the ultimate clients contractor) - just makes running a business so dam difficult. I almost exclusively fall into this category. 

And I'm a small business with only 4 other guys on board. 

CIS Deductions take 20% of all labor charges - Guess where a large portion of my profit margin is..........on top of that,

Not charging VAT to the main contractor means I have to pay VAT on materials and claim this back quarterly from the tax man. 

I have found out the hard way over the last 15 years - to avoid Small shops, Pubs, Restaurants, Hotels, house builders, etc. Those guys have created a rod for their own backs and perhaps many sparks have found this and if there's the slightest reason - the electrician will do a disappearing act if he/she feels they're going to get a lot of grief, or little pay, or late pay. 

With the availability, of work at the moment, especially with the agencies, which around London, will pay circa £200 a day on a 6 month + contract, all of the small jobs need to compete with this sort of income rate and the uncertainty of future work. Maybe only the older electrician, owns his/her own house type person, or perhaps the feckless chancer, can afford to do these smaller jobs? 

Poor training with some guys getting exposure only to houses for the whole of their (lives?) apprenticeship, means that they'll not know whats going on if the shop is a three phase system.  Lots of sparks seem to be frightened by three phase.

So many sparks these last 2 decades get qualified after being poorly trained with a very narrow range of experience, and just when they are ready to be let off the lead and challenged, which is where you start to learn the job - they leave for the riches offered by the self employed life, of agency at £200 per day, with the attitude of I'll make it up as I go along. You tube will solve all my knowledge gaps. 

This trade takes time and experience to get good at.

Incompetent - sometimes just translates to inexperienced.

Lazy - definitely, especially when the self employed youngster, trying to make his way in the world, get a mortgage etc, discover its harder than was advertised, and in the domestic sector especially, (IMO Obviously) the client doesn't want to pay, as most householders earn way, way less than £30 per hour and feel paying a spark that, or more than that is somehow thievery. Householders don't understand the travel time to the wholesaler, paying for the battery tools, insurance, office, van etc etc.

Useless - sometimes. Again experience does wonders.........

Someone to show you how - does miracles, you cant learn it all by making it up as you go. 

What you've experienced is typical, and I get it.

I was where you are today once and made a tough call to be a businessman or a sparkie, I chose the latter, was much more interesting for me and what I got into the trade for 40 years ago. I am a crap business man. And a tricky to deal with sparkle.

What you've experienced is typical, and I get it.

I was where you are today once and made a tough call to be a businessman or a sparkie, I chose the latter, was much more interesting for me and what I got into the trade for 40 years ago. I am a crap business man. And a tricky to deal with sparkle.