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AIBU?

Share your dilemmas and get honest opinions from other Mumsnetters.

Original poster

To think my builder shouldn't have done this?

64 replies

Dolwar · 08/05/2017 08:53

We are having a new kitchen installed. Builder ordered it from Howdens which is a trade only place. It has been stored in his garage as he's been making the doors himself. He put the order on account under our name and we phoned up and paid for it directly. Due to the cost of the order, Howdens threw in a free radio with Iphone dock/USB. Our builder already had one so we knew what it was and we thought it would be really useful for in the shed or garden doing diy so we were pretty chuffed to see it on the invoice.
Fast forward for the week of fitting the kitchen. I asked the builder to bring the radio and he's told me he sold it because he already had one.
AIBU to think that it wasn't his to sell? I know he ordered the kitchen on his trade account but we paid for it and it's on our invoice. Hubby will be fuming

OP posts:
fascicle · 08/05/2017 10:02

ZeroFuchsGiven
I have trade accounts with many different suppliers and I often get rewards on my accounts. The rewards are for me as the account holder certainly not for my customers.

And do you get your customers to contact your suppliers directly to settle your bill? That's how this situation has arisen.

Good luck with your legal case OP. It sounds like the surveyer and previous house owners were negligent.

MuncheysMummy · 08/05/2017 10:07

As someone involved in the industry myself I have to say it's the workman who's being pretty ridiculous and grabby by selling on a £100 item that he knew his customers perceived as theirs and running the very likely risk of leaving them with bad feeling on a £25k job!! Very poor of him over such a small item

SapphireStrange · 08/05/2017 10:13

We'd said when we got the invoice that we were pleased that we'd got a radio like his and he said nothing.

YANBU just for this. He clearly sneaked behind your backs.

Kwoggers · 08/05/2017 10:14

I'd be annoyed but let it go.

LizzieMacQueen · 08/05/2017 10:19

Are you settling the account so he doesn't get tipped in to VAT territory? Very common for small businesses to do this.

user1491572121 · 08/05/2017 10:24

Saphire perhaps he was shocked they'd be so presumptious and couldn;t think what to say!

It's not OP's radio. It's the builder's!

If I have an account at Costco say...and I am a member....and I go to Costco for a mate who has given me a hundred quid to buy an item...and in buying that item, I get a free radio...then I'd keep the radio! It's my account.

SapphireStrange · 08/05/2017 10:26

He's a grown man, he could have made a light joke of it and laughed and said 'Well it's on my account.'

I can't imagine someone being rendered literally speechless by a comment about a radio, TBH.

DevilsDumplings · 08/05/2017 10:34

Flowers You asked a reasonable question but some of the replies are quite unreasonable. MN is a twin edged sword. Sometimes kind sometimes cruel Sad

Sorry OP about the state of your dream home. I hope the insurance company can help to get it sorted for you.

Badbadbunny · 08/05/2017 10:48

The VAT issue will be very interesting! If "he" thinks it's his account, then you shouldn't have paid them directly and should have paid your builder, who would then pay "his" account at Howdens. He's almost certainly getting you to pay directly so it doesn't go through his books so he doesn't have to register for VAT. But he can't have it both ways. To avoid the VAT issue, it has to be a "disbursement" and it that case, the "rewards" are your's not his!!

crazypenguinlady · 08/05/2017 11:05

I'm sorry about the situation with your home OK, hope you are able to get it resolved Flowers

Not going to say that YABU but I'd let it go. Due to your current finiancial situation, I would just be grateful that your builder was able to get you trade prices as opposed to the huge mark up rates in somewhere like B&Q/Wren/etc. And if he's doing a good job so far then it's really not worth it as they are rare to come by.

sopsmum · 08/05/2017 11:18

I don't think people understand how a Howdens trade account works. Anyone (in my experience) in trade (or not frankly) can open an account. Any builder will be able to get you a similar discount. My dad had an account from years ago and we got the full 80-90% discount on everything ordered. The last kitchen he ordered on that account was for my old house.. It's a selling gimmick and any builder who doesn't pass on all of the discount is a snake. It's not their discount. It's yours. As is the radio. Your builder is being paid for his labour already. I would be cross about this.

fascicle · 08/05/2017 11:19

user1491572121
If I have an account at Costco say...and I am a member....and I go to Costco for a mate who has given me a hundred quid to buy an item...and in buying that item, I get a free radio...then I'd keep the radio! It's my account.

But your friend would not be dealing directly/settling a bill with Costco.

sopsmum · 08/05/2017 11:26

And howdens discounted prices are not vastly different to wren, b&q etc.

Badbadbunny · 08/05/2017 11:31

Does anyone pay "retail" prices at Howdens? I thought the "trade discount" is just a gimmick to make people think they're getting it cheaper.

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