ruskino80
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| posted on 20/11/08 at 08:12 PM |
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advice on a pil***k
will try to keep this short and sweet-
early june 2007 commence bathroom installation work at this guys house,mid week i begin to realise he is a prat,with stuff not on site as arranged
etc etc etc.
at the end of the week i give him a bill for 600 he pays happily and we arrange loosely for me to come back and continue the work in a few weeks.
i did not go back as i expected there would be trouble(all of you guys that are self emp.i am sure you know what i mean!)
i told him on the phone that i was to busy and to get back to me if he could get no one else(again i had no intention of going back).
that was the last i heard untill i opened my post today 20 nov 2008
a letter from him states how he was unhappy with me and he basically wants his 600 back
any thoughts chaps?
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YQUSTA
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| posted on 20/11/08 at 09:12 PM |
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See what I dont get and don't take this the wrong way is why not just be honest and say your not going back?
I was a sparky when I was younger so I know what a pain customers can be.
I now have to deal with contracters coming round my house doing work getting paid then not comming back to fix work they haven't done properly,
it really pi**es me off, if they say screw you im not comming then I have a choice take there ass to court or find some one else.
sorry for the rant but it just gets to me.
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ruskino80
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| posted on 20/11/08 at 10:05 PM |
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my reply to him that i was busy was the politest way possible i could tell him to f off.
he also happily paid for the work i had done at the time-if he were not happy then why pay?
and certainly why ask for it back ayear and a half later cos that gets my goat!!
[Edited on 20/11/08 by ruskino80]
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omega 24 v6
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| posted on 20/11/08 at 10:16 PM |
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quote:
he also happily paid for the work i had done at the time-if he were not happy then why pay? and certainly why ask for it back ayear and a half later
cos that gets my goat!!
Perhaps (and I mean no offence) he has taken a while to get someone else to finish it off. Maybe they have slated your work, and the price charged,
with the advice ( you should get your money back mate)
I'm sure you know the type of folk I mean.
If it looks wrong it probably is wrong.
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YQUSTA
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| posted on 20/11/08 at 10:30 PM |
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quote:
Originally posted by ruskino80
my reply to him that i was busy was the politest way possible i could tell him to f off.
he also happily paid for the work i had done at the time-if he were not happy then why pay?
and certainly why ask for it back ayear and a half later cos that gets my goat!!
[Edited on 20/11/08 by ruskino80]
I would agree that if he wasn't happy with your work he should have said so and also agree that waiting a year is waaaaaaaay to long.
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JoelP
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| posted on 20/11/08 at 10:45 PM |
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if you have nothing in writing then he will have your pants off in court. But it probably wont come to that anyway.
Id send him a letter telling him politely but firmly that the £600 was for work already done, not future work, and that the job halted due to his fook
ups. Or maybe try ignoring him, that always helps!
I hate bad customers...
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Syd Bridge
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| posted on 21/11/08 at 10:53 AM |
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If you agreed a price for the whole job, and you only did part of the job, he is entitled in law to not pay you anything. If progress payments were
agreed, then you should have no problems.
If he got nasty, he could take you to small claims court and get his £600 back.
In the Small Claims Court, in 99% of cases, judgement is in favour of the customer, and not the tradesman. Judges have a very low opinion of
tradesmen, from what I've heard over the yacht club bar.
Cheers,
Syd.
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ravingfool
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| posted on 21/11/08 at 05:30 PM |
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quote:
Originally posted by Syd Bridge
If you agreed a price for the whole job, and you only did part of the job, he is entitled in law to not pay you anything.
Not true, and in my experience the law favours tradespeople to an almost amusing extent for reasons I won't go into. Even if you had agreed a
full scheme of work and cut short on that agreement you would still be entitled to reasonable compensation for work completed.
It sounds very much like you did some work as agreed, and got paid for it. Then he asked you to come and do some more and you declined.
Doesn't sound like any issue whatsoever.
Explain politely that you carried out works as agreed, invoiced for that work, and the £600 was full and final settlement of that account. As far as
you are concerned the matter was settled there and then as he happily paid the invoice in full without reservation.
hope that's of some help
Oh yeah, and 99% of statistics are plucked out of thin air  
[Edited on 21/11/08 by ravingfool]
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ruskino80
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| posted on 23/11/08 at 04:00 PM |
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thanks chaps.
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Syd Bridge
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| posted on 25/11/08 at 11:21 AM |
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You may wish to check on contract law with a professional.
If you agree a fixed price for a fixed schedule of works, this constitutes a contract, even if verbally agreed.
Failure to complete the fixed schedule, constitutes failure to complete the contract, and you are not entitled to any payment at all.
Not my words, but those (or close to) of Mr.Tennant, the judge who hears these cases locally. About five years ago.
Further, in civil law, the Balance of Probability goes in favour of the householder, as the tradesman has to prove he completed works as agreed, and
the householder has to show that he made necessary effort to not impede the works. This is the guideline given to the judges for this type of case.
This is why it is imperative to always put agreements in writing, and both sign it.
Down here, the tradesmen get hammered if they don't do a full and proper job.
Cheers,
Syd.
Not a 'Trade' problem, but I forgot one drawing in a total of 56, and it cost a lot. I got square, eventually, and ended up in front.
[Edited on 25/11/08 by Syd Bridge]
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