Paying half up front ...

Nothing wrong with asking for a deposit.

If the carpenter goes out and buys all the materials for a job out of his pocket, and then the customer cancels for whatever reason, they've taken a loss of the cost of materials, storage, maybe restocking fees (depending on what they got, where they got it, etc). Not to mention, wasted time actually sourcing/pricing materials and preparing any plans/drawings, etc.

A deposit guarantees that any losses will be minimal (hopefully), if the customer gets cold feet. Also helps stop people from cheating them out of payment.

I've done jobs where I didn't take anything up front and I was chasing payment for months. The hassle and stress alone isn't worth it!

It's extremely dodgy. Half up front to stop time wasters? That's bullsh!t. There's no way he needs that much upfront. Just move on and find someone else to do the job. I'd take Facebook reviews with a pinch of salt also as he could easily just ask his friends and family to go and leave reviews for him to make him look good.

Steer clear of bandits like him.

shocksy wrote: »

It's extremely dodgy. Half up front to stop time wasters? That's bullsh!t. There's no way he needs that much upfront. Just move on and find someone else to do the job. I'd take Facebook reviews with a pinch of salt also as he could easily just ask his friends and family to go and leave reviews for him to make him look good.

Steer clear of bandits like him.

He's a bandit because he asked for a deposit?

Lundstram wrote: »

Would a hotel let pay after you've stayed? No.

Would the barman let you pay after sinking 7 pints? No.

Would a clothes shop let you pay after you've worn a new pair of shoes out doors? No.

Why should tradesman be any different?

while I get the sentiment, the //'s are crap
1: you have an enforceable contract
2 the service is delivered there and then, or al least used to be:D.
3: You see the shoes so end of, if they turn out to be crap then you have an enforceable contact/consumer rights.

Pay him half when he arrives ready for work with materials. I would only ever ask for a deposit after I've started a job.

Paddy, get him to come look at the job, and you might get a notion of what kind of person he is, don't pay much heed to facebook, have you learned anything from your experience with the carpenter who did your lean-to roof.

A number of years ago I got a contractor to price some ground and concrete works for me. He visited the job, was given a detailed drawing and spec outlining what I wanted etc. We agreed price and terms of payment, by installment, start date etc, all good. He turned up with a small crew to do the work and later on that first day of work he rang to ask me could I give him a substantial payment at the end of the day. I was surprised and got a bad feeling about it. I told him I'd only be prepared to pay for work done the value of any materials on site. No money changed hands that day, but the following day he turned up with a lot of the materials needed for the overall job- timber, cement, agreggates, floor insulation and steel- all of which were unloaded and they got to work. After that I was happy to give him a draft for an amount to the value of what was completed and those materials and nothing more. We had no more problems thereafter and I was happy with the completed job 2 weeks later.

Never pay upfront for work not yet done, pay only for work done (to your satisfaction) and to the value of materials on the site. Reputable contractors and tradesmen have trade credit accounts with their suppliers to facilitate the nature of their business. There are some exceptions- bespoke/ one-off and made to measure work (including joinery, windows, built-in cabinetry etc) may be useless on another job so it may not be unreasonable for a contractor to look for a desposit for such items.

For new customers, I ask for 10% up front, 2 payments of 40 and 45% at intervals I specify during the job and remaining 5% upon satisfactory completion. I also insist on a job completion form to be signed. There isn't a hope in hell, I would work for anyone I didn't know, without a deposit.

I know tradesmen that have gotten screwed for thousands by some homeowners so they look for something upfront. There is risk on both sides on some jobs. Not unusual for him to look for something upfront but I'd still be wary. Can you pay the half upfront by credit card or PayPal? At least you have some control with these. I wouldn't pay cash.

the_pen_turner wrote: »

i wouldnt accept money from a customer through pay pal. i would be left wide open to them steeling it from me.

Paypal sucks

My Kitchen installer wanted 50% during a site survey I told him to get the boat.. I always pay when the job is finished or if I know who they or have done my research and happy I pay a deposit but never 50% before any work starts.

Lundstram wrote: »

Would a hotel let pay after you've stayed? No.

Would the barman let you pay after sinking 7 pints? No.

Would a clothes shop let you pay after you've worn a new pair of shoes out doors? No.

Why should tradesman be any different?

Most bars in Germany do exactly that. They mark your drinks on your beer mat and you pay when you’re heading. Like the way every restaurant works. Even bars here, you get the drink in your hand before paying. Same with a hotel or a clothes shop. You can see that they have the goods or service before you pay for it. They’re not good examples.

I had a plumber out to fit a shower years ago. He asked for €120 up front for materials. We’re a small town, I knew where he lived, and he seemed ok, so I gave it to him. He dropped over one day with a length of flexible pipe, and said he’d be back in 2 days with the rest of the stuff and to do the job.

I never saw him again. Every time I called him, he was in the pub. Called out to his house. His patents answered, and apologised profusely that he had “done it again”, and that they’d talk to him. But nothing came of it. In the end, I just had to give up, it was taking up to much time and mental energy. When I finally got a proper plumber out to do the job, I gave him the pipe and he said it was the wrong type and only cost about €20 of the €120. The pipe is still up in the attic 10 years later.

So I’ve never paid up front for a job again, and never will.

Gregor Samsa wrote: »

Most bars in Germany do exactly that. They mark your drinks on your beer mat and you pay when you’re heading. Like the way every restaurant works. Even bars here, you get the drink in your hand before paying. Same with a hotel or a clothes shop. You can see that they have the goods or service before you pay for it. They’re not good examples.

I had a plumber out to fit a shower years ago. He asked for €120 up front for materials. We’re a small town, I knew where he lived, and he seemed ok, so I gave it to him. He dropped over one day with a length of flexible pipe, and said he’d be back in 2 days with the rest of the stuff and to do the job.

I never saw him again. Every time I called him, he was in the pub. Called out to his house. His patents answered, and apologised profusely that he had “done it again”, and that they’d talk to him. But nothing came of it. In the end, I just had to give up, it was taking up to much time and mental energy. When I finally got a proper plumber out to do the job, I gave him the pipe and he said it was the wrong type and only cost about €20 of the €120. The pipe is still up in the attic 10 years later.

So I’ve never paid up front for a job again, and never will.

No offense but that guy sounds like a handy man not a real plumber. Distinct difference which is possibly why you said real plumber.

Small town. You should have known he had a reputation

listermint wrote:

Traditional merchant providers are crazy money. Perhaps consider squareup or similar. Percentage transaction fee could pass to customer for ease of card payment for them.

Cash, cheques & revolut cost me nothing. Bank transfers cost pennies. Card payments cost more than my van insurance each year. I'm done with cards. They are old tech anyway. I have more people asking to pay via revolut than cards now. Its free & instant

Out of interest Paddy, was it a built in unit? I got one end of last year and the price and paying half upfront was the same.

One crowd from Facebook quoted me and when I asked a question never bothered coming back to me. Came back this year when his work dried up, sod that.