Mumsnet Talk

we are getting a whole new bathroom put in next week.new suite,flooring,tiling,ceiling etc.we have paid a 20!% deposit but company are now saying that want another 70% before they start the work.i think this is ridiculous but husband insisting its standard.is this acceptable?

I thought consumer advice was to not pay over half or something, before completion?

shit.i am really worried now.i only found out tonight that they asked for further 70% and hubby was happy to hand over wad of cash! what should we do?

It is customary to pay in stages as the work progresses.

Cash?

Does he have a receipt?

Who has purchased the fittings you mention? Are they separate or included?

it is from a showroom place.guy.came out and surveyed bathroom and gave us rough estimate then we went to showroom to pick fittingd etc.paid deposit by credit card but hubby was intending to pay rest in cash. he has now gone to bed in a mood because i questioned this :-(

Doesn't sound right at all.

It does not sound right. Fair enough if you were paying for the actual stuff they are putting in your bathroom up front, but not labour.

A decent trades person will not ask for money up front for a job of that size, as they will get all materials on account. If they want large amount up front it suggests either they will sod off with your money or that they are a bit dodgy and don't have trade accounts. Avoid.

im having my bathroom done right now....the suite/tiles/floor/ceiling/ cost about £1900.

i paid a £300 deposit on ordering suite etc.

i paid the rest of the fixtures just before fitting but i still owe the fitter 100% until its done.

fitter is charging about £1800 but thats for a new window, tiling, fitting floor, fitting ceiling, fitting lights, fitting shower, fitting fan, and the entire suite, plus radiator - basically everything.

btw - my fitter comes separately to the place i bought the suite.....but he recommended them - independent locally. excellent reputation.

i was stung once 5 years ago. never again.

this suite is quality and this bloke fitting it knows his onions....i think it depends on how you are paying for the whole job.

If you are using someone you know well who is a handyman rather than a proper bathroom fitting business then perhaps he might not have the cashflow to provide everything upfront, in which case I would provide/buy as much of the materials directly and would expect to only be paying for the labour in arrears anyway - after the job has been completed on time, and to my satisfaction.

But for someone with a showroom and a proper business to ask for 90% of money before he has even started is very unprofessional, and more than a bit suspect.

I feel ill this morning thinking about this. We are paying nearly £4000 for the bathroom which is a LOT of money to us so really cant afford to be ripped off. Hubby is insisting that he has spoken to people in the know-his friends-who say that is perfectly acceptable to pay upfront. So now he wants to offer a further 40%-meaning we will have paid 60% before a thing has been done but I am not happy with this at all.

Bathroom is due to be started on monday when dh will be at work and I am really not happy either to be left to deal with this guy now.

oh I thought you said they wanted a nother 70% on top of the 20%, making it 90%? I think some people may have a policy of 40 or 50% up front to cover the costs of the materials they have purchased on your behalf, but even so a very good, stable company with plenty of cashflow would not necessarily feel the need to do this.

Yes fellatio thats correct-they have been given 20% deposit and they are now asking for a further 70%-meaning we will have paid 90% of the final bill before they have done a jot of work! I am really unhappy about it but dh refusing to listen to reason.

Last time we did that - ok, it's in France so not strictly comparable - we found out much later that the firm didn't have obligatory insurance for the 10 year guarantee. Since then, the tiles - about 30 sq m have started to fall off the bathroom wall. The heat pump has failed - €3000 repair etc etc

Local practice is not to pay the last 10%. All that happens is that the tradesman happily inflates his prices, and trousers the 90%. What happens after that is anyone's guess. Bitter? You bet your arse I am.

I'd only be prepared to pay for the materials - and that's if you're storing them in your house and have full title to them. Otherwise, I wouldn't pay cash. At all.

We pay a 20 % deposit and the balance when it's completed on work done to our house . Do not pay 90 % before they have done a thing!!

Thanks for the replies. Dh has barely spoken 2 words to me all day. I know he is pissed off because I have dared to question this. I have inlisted the inlaws help-they agree with me that its madness to pay upfront-and they are going to try and advise him tomorrow.

Over my dead body would I pay this much up front. They have most of the carrot and you now have not much stick.

Cash as well. Hmmm

Doesn't sound reasonable at all. 20% at most which you have already done. We had ours done recently by an independent bathroom guy and he didn't need a deposit at all. We did pay upfront for all the fittings though.

Just did ours - paid for all the hardware ourselves ordering off internet except toilet which fitter bought and paid for. We paid the fitter nothing until the job was finished, not even for the loo. He never asked us for any money and we wouldn't have paid him (except for the loo) if he had.
Hope it all turns out ok.

A decent tradesman won't ask for a penny upfront....most will have an account at a local merchants so they won't be out of pocket and will pay their account a few Weeks later. The only exception might be a tradesman who has had issues with payment in the past. Paying for materials is probably fair enough but nothing else otherwise how will you make sure the job is done to your requirements. Sorry your dh sounds like a bit of an idiot.

I have to agree with fussychica and bluer.

I had a £10,000 bathroom fitted a couple of years ago and didn't pay a penny up front.

If you can afford it try and have underfloor heating put in, £500 or thereabouts, it's bloody marvellous, especially on autumnal days when there's no central heating on, but he bathroom's wonderfully cosy.

we used a small local firm for a 4.5k refit and didn't pay until they'd snagged it afterwards.

update-guy phoned dh today and basically started harassing dh for the further 70%.dh told him he was not happy to pay that but would pay 40%. i said over my dead body was this happening and i wanted to speak to guy myself.his attitude stunk-one of the rudest people i ever spoken to.told me he didnt have to explain anything to me as dh agreed these terms.said we have a written contract-we dont which i know is sheer stupidity by dh.told me i was only the 2nd person to query paying 90%,i was a liar and if we dont like it we can lump it.so we are now 800 quid out of pocket and dh not speaking to me :-(