Paying the plumber - AIBU?

Payment terms (usually 28 days) are just that, a window in which payment is to be paid. I'm an electrician and spend much of my time contracting to the local authority and NHS, waiting 2 months is not uncommon, for regular customers I use the standard 28 days.

If the invoice isn't paid in 28 days I chase, if not paid two weeks from that date, and no contact from customer (very rare, but it does happen) I sell it on, and get 80% of the money owed.

I'm an electrician, I give the "standard" 28 days for payment and then chase - if you give a payment timeframe, whatever it may be, you don't chase until that period has elapsed.

I would expect to pay plumber as he left by bank transfer or cash. He is generous with 10 day payment, not unreasonable to ask if you could pay earlier, especially at this time of year. That said you weren't unreasonable to say no if it isnt possible either.

It's pay immediately but I'll give you 10 days before I seek to recover payment via other means I e small claims surely.

Don't use a service you can't pay for in my opinion!

YABU just pay him straight away. It’s tough for these small businesses and he needs the cash before Christmas. I always pay straight away. I’d be embarrassed to be chased. I imagine he wants it done and dusted so he can relax over the holidays.

I find it hard to believe that a plumber is short of readies, they can name their price nowadays.

Took 20 years for me to be paid for a job
They were paying every month during that time as forced by the courts

Amazing how they could afford to pay the builder to construct their building but not me the architect who designed and managed it’s construction

Should have taken it down tbh, that's what some builders do

this is a bit odd, unless he posts 'you dont need to pay me for 10 days' on his advertising, as you wouldnt have received the invoice until he had finished the work - which is where Im guessing his terms are?

However most tradies are going to want paying on completion. Yes, he probably puts 10 days to get ahead of the CF who try not to pay for a month (after which he can charge interest) or a big contract, but he would expect payment, generally, for a one of job straight away. Its Christmas and extra bills for him too.

As an aside I would make sure to always pay as soon as I get invoiced becausae when the shit hots the fan I want a tradesperson in who is going to be bothered, as they know Im a good payer. Finding a good tradesman who will come to you quickly is like gold. Hang about paying him and you likely find he is busy next time you need him.

OP has already answered this....

I don't see the issue either. If he'd asked you to pay straight away or even hadn't specified anything and just told you the amount, you might be unreasonable, but he specifically offered the 10 day frame! It's really weird that he said that on Friday but was then nagging you literally the next day. If he was that hard up by Saturday you think he'd have known he needed paying on Friday! Perhaps he went hard on Black Friday and had a 'oh shit still need to buy the turkey?' panic?

I wonder whether everyone saying YABU voluntarily pays their credit card off before getting their statement through?

I posted because you commented about re worse treatment like some of your late paying customers

She’s not a late payer

Her post reads that she’s peeved he kept asking for the money well within the ten days

She mentions he hasn’t acknowledged receipt, but that’s not her complaint

You paid within his stated 10 days so have done nothing wrong.

I was wondering whether you were planning to use his own plunger .... :)

YABU I pay immediately upon receiving an invoice of whatever work I've had done. Stick it on a credit card if costs are an issue.

Agree. But if things are so tight then the terms and conditions should state payment immediately on completion of the job, not within ten days.

Exactly. Some people may have been able to pay and would happily do it (tbh I pay all tradesmen immediately), others use the full time given before they pay.
Plumber was clearly just asking to see if people were prepared to pay before the 10 day deadline, nowt wrong with it

Well if the plumber was feeling the effects of the cost of living why did he state his terms as payment within ten days ? OP paid within five. They’ve done nothing wrong.

We’re having our second Christmas in a row where work has been done and we haven’t yet been paid. Did an emergency job last December so get a bar owner out of the shit and we’ve still had only half the money. Contractors need money for Christmas too.

Why ? The plumber asked for payment within ten days ? If he wanted it earlier he should have said so.

Yes it is, I’ve had some utterly ridiculous autocorrects lately.

He asked her to pay within 10 days. That's what she did.

The window cleaner and the gardener will have their own terms and conditions.

Hairdressers, dentists, vets and so on expect to be paid before you leave the premises and there's normally information to that effect somewhere in the salon or practice.
My vet practice has a notice up saying all bills are to be paid immediately by cash or card before leaving the surgery.

If the plumber wants to be paid immediately then he needs to tell his customers that before doing the job so that they know. This plumber didn't. He said she had 10 days to pay.

They paid 5 days before the deadline.

As I said, neither of them did anything 'wrong'.

He asked if she could pay earlier, they said they couldn't. It doesn't sound like he made a big fuss or became threatening. It sounds like he waited for payment within his terms.

It seems she's now annoyed that he's not replied to a text sent a few hours ago. That is a bit unreasonable I think. To be annoyed at him not replying immediately while he's probably at work. He waited for his money until the OP was able to/found it convenient to pay (within the time limit given) and now the OP feels she shouldn't have to wait more than a few hours for him to be able to reply at a convenient time. This thread was posted at 3pm ish and they'd paid that morning, so possibly only hours before. That's pretty entitled IMO.

well if they offered the option of the 10 days then thats the fault of the tradesperson not the customer

Do you pay your hairdresser on completion of the job or make him/her wait ten days? Or you window cleaner or gardener? Pay when the job’s done. There’s only one CF here and it’s not the plumber. You should have paid immediately or at the very least when he reminded you.

I think he is also feeling the pinch and was hoping you weren’t, that’s all.

I always pay on completion. Maybe this will make him change his terms. I do think he was unreasonable to chase again, after you told him when you would be paying - and you were within his timescale.