I trust my contractor to do everything...except answer his phone

[Chris Nowlin]

I'm still new to the business and looking to expand my list of contractors, but in the mean time I have been using a guy I went to high school with. I don't have any complaints about his finished product, but his communication is terrible! I have referred him to two others who seem to be having the same issue. Not returning calls, text, etc. 

Most recently, for example, one of the referrals had tried for 2-3 days to get him to return a text/call. After the third day I reached out and received an almost immediate response that he was out of town for the week in an area with little to no service. Maybe so, its the hill country after all, but it's the same pattern over and over. 

Worker supposed to show up - Doesn't Show - Call/Text GC - No Answer - No Answer - Finally Answers - Insert Excuse

On my project he was only working on the cabinets, for the other two, he did a majority of the work. His pricing is reasonable for a GC and I'd like to continue to give him work, but I don't feel like I should have to be his motivation. Yes, I can talk to him about it, but I'm not sure it's worth it. Overall, I see myself using more direct contractors, as opposed to a GC, as my network grows. 

Just curious for thoughts, feedback, or stories from others with similar situations.