Page 8 | How much is 'a drink' in payment terms for a tradesman?

cockapup · 2024-03-30T10:20:20+00:00

My elderly parents contacted a tradesman on a local FB group as needed an outside light replacing. The tradesman said he'd pop round after finishing another local job to assess. As it turned out it was a bulb needing replacing so took him less than 10 mins. He kindly said no charge but just give me a 'drink'. How much would you give? Just wondering if what my parents gave was excessive- I'll reveal amount later.

MaybeRevisitYourWipingT3chnique · 30/03/2024 14:01

CurlyhairedAssassin · 30/03/2024 11:39

Also, how many other people is he just "fitting in on his way home from work"? Another couple of jobs like that, with people proffering anything more than 20 quid for a 10 min easy job, and "fitting stuff in on his way home" becomes quite lucrative on top of a full day at work. Not such a saint really.

He may even find that to be the most lucrative way for him and the way he always works.

If he claims to do a minor job 'as a favour' - but then exploits elderly people who don't know what an ambiguous 'buy me a drink' means and so end up awkwardly offering/having taken a considerable amount of money, he could earn a lot more than just by charging and invoicing honestly - all cash in hand too.

MaybeRevisitYourWipingT3chnique · 30/03/2024 13:57

ByUmberViewer · 30/03/2024 11:06

£60 was a bit much really, however, he will be available at other times and will prioritise your parents hopefully. I mean, it COULD have been a real emergency. He'll be a good contact to have if nothing else.

That's what I'd worry about: him beating a path to their door next time they have a tiny little job to do and ripping them off again.

I don't know their situation, but it's a shame they don't have a younger neighbour who could have popped over for 5 minutes and done it for them. Not for money and not 'for a drink'; just because it's a really quick, simple thing for a young, able-bodied adult to do that makes a huge difference to a very elderly person.

Headabovetheparapets · 30/03/2024 13:39

That’s rather cheeky of him, I would say £10-20 normally. Just asked DH who said if customer provided the bulb he wouldn’t have asked for anything & if they insisted & offered money like that he would have only taken the smallest note offered.
Hopefully karma will bite this guy on the bum for his mean behaviour.

OneTC · 30/03/2024 13:38

The answer for this is around 10-20

The bloke is a scumbag

serin · 30/03/2024 13:37

Aww this is horrible. I hope your Mum and Dad are ok now.

MumblesParty · 30/03/2024 13:37

cockapup · 30/03/2024 13:05

She wasn't sure what 'a drink" meant so showed him the notes she had in her purse. 2x £20 and 2x £10 for him to select the right amount and he took it all. She didn't comment as assumed that's how much a drink was.
Mum is 87 and dad 89 so no way would either be able to climb a ladder to reach outdoor light to fix themselves although my dad now says he'd give it go for £60!

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That’s even worse. She gave him the option of taking an appropriate amount, and he took the whole lot! What a total scumbag!
Honestly OP, I’d contact him and ask for a receipt and breakdown of the costs - parts, labour etc.

And I’d out him on Facebook.

Wingingit11 · 30/03/2024 13:33

Personally I’d be calling him to explain your understanding of him taking all the notes from your elderly mothers purse and inviting him to clarify as you feel it has the appearance of them being very hard done by, but want to know his perspective before you relay to others….

LipikarAP · 30/03/2024 13:31

I hope this thread is picked up by a paper and that he reads it.

LipikarAP · 30/03/2024 13:30

I think sixty is excessive but was going to say that it's useful to have someone like that around.

However, I think that was exceptionally rude of him. I'd be tempted to contact him and explain that if used in future to please quote upfront - just so he knows you are onto him (you don't want him chancing it and coming back and confusing them).

AmethystSparkles · 30/03/2024 13:27

There shouldn’t be a call out fee. His assessment (should he have had to come back to do the job) would have been free and he’d have given them the price for the job which obviously wouldn’t have been £60.

I’d have given £20. £10 would also be adequate but I would tend to pay a bit more for that kind of thing just to make sure I was being fair.

MumblesParty · 30/03/2024 13:24

Ladyj84 · 30/03/2024 13:09

Tbh a call out fee is anything between 50-80 where we live. It got done quickly and saved them worrying is how I would accept it

The tradesman would pay tax on that, if it was a formal call out charge. The “buy me a drink” thing basically means a cheap deal for the customer and some cash in hand for the tradesman.

cheeseandketchupsandwich · 30/03/2024 13:21

OMG.

If a tradesperson said 'just give me a drink' I'd have given them a can of fizzy pop or a cuppa!

Thank god I know better now 😆

MaggieFS · 30/03/2024 13:16

Oh golly that's awful. Definitely excessive.

But when she showed him all of the notes, did she actually specify along the lines of 'take what you need' or 'how much do you need' to make it obvious she didn't expect him to take the lot?

penjil · 30/03/2024 13:12

MolkosTeenageAngst · 30/03/2024 10:59

Shit. My friends husband has done a number of odd jobs for me with my house and car and I always just buy him a beer. I had no idea the right thing was to give cash. I’m autistic - if people want cash why can’t they said ‘just give me £20’ instead of a drink. Especially as a drink usually only costs £5-£10!!

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Because it can be considered a bit "rude" to demand cash for a favour type job.

PrueintheLoo · 30/03/2024 13:10

cockapup · 30/03/2024 13:05

She wasn't sure what 'a drink" meant so showed him the notes she had in her purse. 2x £20 and 2x £10 for him to select the right amount and he took it all. She didn't comment as assumed that's how much a drink was.
Mum is 87 and dad 89 so no way would either be able to climb a ladder to reach outdoor light to fix themselves although my dad now says he'd give it go for £60!

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I would guess he expected £10 - £20 to take all the notes from your Mums purse is a rotten thing to do. Im angry on their behalf. 😡

Missamyp · 30/03/2024 13:09

cockapup · 30/03/2024 13:05

She wasn't sure what 'a drink" meant so showed him the notes she had in her purse. 2x £20 and 2x £10 for him to select the right amount and he took it all. She didn't comment as assumed that's how much a drink was.
Mum is 87 and dad 89 so no way would either be able to climb a ladder to reach outdoor light to fix themselves although my dad now says he'd give it go for £60!

Show quote history

He actually picked the notes out of your mum's purse?
I'd call him up and complain.

Ladyj84 · 30/03/2024 13:09

Tbh a call out fee is anything between 50-80 where we live. It got done quickly and saved them worrying is how I would accept it

Kitesinthesky · 30/03/2024 13:08

cockapup · 30/03/2024 11:02

My parents gave him £60, which is what cash my mum had in her purse. So although I think too much I do appreciate he did come at fairly short notice and sorted it there and then.
The bulb was actually provided by my parents, as my mum is one of those that has the stock of a supermarket in the under stairs cupboard 🤣

Oh god that’s awful.

I would have said a 4-6pk of beer… £6-10 max.

mrsbyers · 30/03/2024 13:06

A case of beer or £20

Original poster

cockapup · 30/03/2024 13:05

MrsSlocombesCat · 30/03/2024 12:43

She gave him £60 and he accepted it? That was a bit mean of him.

She wasn't sure what 'a drink" meant so showed him the notes she had in her purse. 2x £20 and 2x £10 for him to select the right amount and he took it all. She didn't comment as assumed that's how much a drink was.
Mum is 87 and dad 89 so no way would either be able to climb a ladder to reach outdoor light to fix themselves although my dad now says he'd give it go for £60!

OP posts:

TubeScreamer · 30/03/2024 13:05

£20

Starseeking · 30/03/2024 13:04

cockapup · 30/03/2024 11:07

Just to add, they are not well off and the £60 was their shopping money. My mum just got the cash out of her purse and showed him the notes and he took it all - I too would have expected him to hand at least £20 back!

After hearing this, he sounds like he saw pensioners and £££ at the same time. There's no way he should have taken £60 for changing a bulb, he should have been embarrassed to.

I wouldn't use him again, and try and find someone else to help your parents next time.

bridgetreilly · 30/03/2024 13:01

I love how naive people are. He says no charge so that he doesn’t pay any tax on it. No invoice, no receipt, nothing for HMRC.

Twenty quid would be generous, ten would be fine. Even if your mum appeared to be offering sixty, he shouldn’t have taken all that.

Starseeking · 30/03/2024 12:59

I'd want to give £10 in this scenario, but would probably give £20 to be over generous as £10 feels a bit stingy, even though it would be fair!

pavedwithgoodintentions · 30/03/2024 12:55

That's really shit of him to have taken the £60 imo. Way too much: he was there, they had the bulbs, easy peasy for him. Tenner at most. I would definitely be telling anyone and everyone not to use him for jobs for that and explaining why. Rip off merchant.

When we took our car in to be serviced a few years back, an elderly couple drove in and asked if someone could help them with changing their headlight bulb which had gone out. Garage guy immediately did it and refused payment.