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AIBU?

Share your dilemmas and get honest opinions from other Mumsnetters.

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Original poster

Tradesman's quote includes his petrol - AIBU to refuse to pay it?

55 replies

Sidge · 02/05/2016 22:44

So we had a chap do a small job for us. Finally received his invoice.

Labour costs - fine (but I hardly think 10-12.30 counts as a half days work...)
Material costs - fine

But he's included a charge of £20 for petrol. I mean who does that? He lives locally and got the materials locally so how he used 20 quids worth of fuel I don't know. And surely your fuel costs are included in your labour quote?

So AIBU to pay the invoice minus the £20 for fuel?

OP posts:

MrsSippy · 02/05/2016 22:48

well I've never seen that on an invoice, I'd be less surprised if he had given a mileage rate but even so, he's a bit of a cheeky bugger!!

Blondeshavemorefun · 02/05/2016 22:49

DF has his own property maintenance company. He has never charged fuel as such - tho if he has been running around to first visit and quote - then go and get materials and Back to clients he will add it into his labour charge

In the end if he quoted you and you accepted it then you need to pay

MyKingdomForBrie · 02/05/2016 22:52

That would get him about 45 miles at my work's mileage rate - where's he been?!

darbylou · 02/05/2016 22:52

I've never heard it done before.
I'd ask him about his mileage for the job and how he justifies £20 for petrol for it. However unless he'd got a good reason I'd refuse to pay it.

Pinkheart5915 · 02/05/2016 22:54

£20 for petrol cheeky sod I wouldn't pay it.

Original poster

Sidge · 02/05/2016 22:54

Ah that's the thing blondes he didn't give us a firm quote despite us asking. We had an estimate based on the materials and labour which we agreed, and now the invoice has come in £95 higher (including the fuel!)

I don't mind paying a little higher than an estimate but not that much and certainly not for fuel. I've had tons of work done on houses over the years and never been billed for petrol!

OP posts:

ClopySow · 02/05/2016 22:55

But you claim fuel as a business expense. So you get the customer to pay for it and take it as a tax deductable?

ErNope · 02/05/2016 22:56

BIL (tradesman) doesn't add fuel onto anyone within a 5mile radius, anyone out of that will need to pay a charge of 50p per mile.
unless hes coming from 35 miles+ away, £20 is excessive.

ChicRock · 02/05/2016 22:57

Labour will include the time taken to collect materials, but adding in fuel costs is just him trying it on.

MadamDeathstare · 02/05/2016 23:02

This reply has been deleted

Message withdrawn at poster's request.

ExpandingRoundTheMiddle · 02/05/2016 23:12

If your estimate was based on materials and labour and no mention was made of fuel costs, don't pay it. If he makes a fuss, say you'll ask Trading Standards for advice and get back to him.
He's clearly trying it on unless there's a very good and unforeseen reason why he had to make a longish journey.

Osolea · 02/05/2016 23:16

He's taking the piss, I agree you shouldn't be paying for his fuel. It sounds like he just wanted to get more out of you than he quoted, and is making stuff up to justify it.

PaulAnkaTheDog · 02/05/2016 23:18

Absolute pisstaker! Call him on it.

Beaniebeemer · 02/05/2016 23:26

I've learned now with tradesmen that you have to get a quote out of them and in writing if at all possible. I wanted a particularly front door fitted and a man who lived 100 miles away agreed to do it (no one in my area fitted them). He said up front as part of his quote that there would be a fuel charge to cover the cost of the traveling involved and I was absolutely fine with that. Charging if he's local is out of order IMO. I bet he's learned that people will pay it and not argue the odds. Possibly affects his repeat business though I'd imagine!

LowDudgeon · 02/05/2016 23:28

unless he had to go to a particular distant supplier for something he couldn't get locally? is that possible?

NewLife4Me · 02/05/2016 23:31

he's taking the piss, and why don't they come with what they need for the job. This always bugs me.
A plumber who has to go and get a part when he knows what bloody job he's coming out to do.

Beepbopboop · 02/05/2016 23:35

Yanbu
Most people don't get paid to travel to work so why should he.

Catinthecorner · 02/05/2016 23:36

£95 more then quoted is not an easy benchmark without knowing the initial quote. It's a lot more if the first quote was £50, not a big deal if it was £5,000. You can alway ask about the difference if it bothers you.

If not worry about the travel cost, but I'm a sparky' daughter and a project manager. Travel doesn't happen free.

darbylou · 02/05/2016 23:37

Sidge if you're not happy with the invoice would you feel comfortable asking him about the hole bill. Something like 'the estimate was for X amount can I ask why it has now increased to X.' or even ask for an itemised list of materials and their costs. It's amazing how many people will try to fob you off.

I once took a car for a respray quote to cover a 1inch scrape, I was given an a quote for £1000, he'd told me I could drop my car off Monday morning then pick it up Tuesday lunch, but had quoted me for 50hours labour costs each for 2 men. The next quote I had was half the price and I was told I wasn't the first person the original garage had tried chancing.

darbylou · 02/05/2016 23:38

whole bill even, maybe one too many gins.

tigerdriverII · 02/05/2016 23:40

Total try on. I had a brilliant one where a (very good) decorator charged me for an extra hour: I saw him chatting to his mate who he'd bumped into before arriving at our house. I did challenge him and he did reduce the bill, but was "surprised " that I'd mentioned it. Cheeky bugger.

Blondeshavemorefun · 02/05/2016 23:46

sidge an estimate can change - a quote can't

Tho agree still cheeky

Childrenofthestones · 02/05/2016 23:46

Just a guess but it may be that he miscalculated and his estimate was well below what he has needed to turn a profit.
He may be adding to mileage on to actually make money on the job. Without the fuel he may have inadvertantly done the job for free.
Just a thought.

Balletgirlmum · 02/05/2016 23:49

When we cost a job up we include fuel costs but would then add it onto the labour charge unless it was over a certain mileage.

Occasionally a client will want a breakdown so we would show how much of cost was travel. We charge 40p per mile.

MrsKoala · 02/05/2016 23:49

I think fuel costs is a pisstake. It is usually part of the whole price and claimed back anyway (another sparks daughter). I do think it's half a days work tho. For a tradesman he would have had to spend time purchasing the materials too and where else is he going to work for the rest of that 'half a day'?

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