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AIBU?

Share your dilemmas and get honest opinions from other Mumsnetters.

Original poster

Being hounded for payment

201 replies

JJPP1234 · 07/02/2018 17:45

I've had a guy in decorating my lounge. The job took a couple of days and he finished today at 4.30. When he was leaving he asked how I wanted to pay so I asked if bank transfer would be ok. He said fine and emailed his details immediately.
An hour later I've looked at my phone and I've had 5 text messages and a missed call plus voicemail asking where his money is.
AIBU to have not paid him (I've done it now - was going to wait for DH to get home and i was making dinner) within an hour of him leaving my house?

OP posts:
Mummyoflittledragon · 07/02/2018 18:30

I normally pay within 24 hours 48 tops. If there is a delay eg internet connection problems (bloody computer) I always text to say. If there is an issue dh sorts out at the weekend if not before. So never more than 5/6 days. But that is rare.

The decorator is hounding you. Well you’ll not be recommending him now will you?

fleshmarketclose · 07/02/2018 18:31

Our decorator sent his invoice on the evening he finished. I paid later by bank transfer that evening although not immediately as I had things to do. I would have been a little Hmm had I got any texts or emails besides the invoice that evening although decorator did text thank you almost immediately so maybe he was waiting, who knows?

BelleandBeast · 07/02/2018 18:32

I'd check both you and DP are happy with outcome and then pay. My DP is self employed does lots of work and doesn't get paid until he submits an invoice, and then it can be weeks. He doesn't behave like his.

He's shooting himself in the foot as you are feeling hounded and won't recommend him. Some banks take three days!

petbear · 07/02/2018 18:32

YANBU. 5 messages in an hour is a pisstake.

If he was THAT desperate, he should have asked for cash immediately.

How odd.

Just pay him ASAP, and don't use him again.

TheClacksAreDown · 07/02/2018 18:33

Massively OTT On behalf of the decorator. I would be very put off using him again.

petbear · 07/02/2018 18:33

Sorry OP, just spotted that you paid him.

Pemba · 07/02/2018 18:34

You did the transfer after about an hour, that's extremely quick. He was hounding you, in a very strange way. Well, he's not done himself any favours, has he? Doubt you will use him again, or recommend him to anyone else.

Kidspetsandcakes · 07/02/2018 18:35

My hubby is a self employed p&d /carpenter... we have some customers who we know will pay us normally later that day or the next day, some that we have to remind a few times and some that he makes a point of asking for cash or bank transfer before he leaves because otherwise we don't get paid... I do think this tradesman seems to be chasing a bit too much but at the same time I can see why he might be worried he wasn't going to get paid at all and from the point of view of a small self employed business a job that takes a couple of days not being paid can put a big strain on family finances especially in the first couple of years of business... maybe next time you could say to the trades person "I will send the money over when my partner gets home tonight"?

safariboot · 07/02/2018 18:35

5 texts and a call in the space of an hour? Yeah, I'd be pissed off, and it might well encourage me to pay later, not sooner.

beardymcbeardy · 07/02/2018 18:36

it takes all of 30 secs to pay by bank transfer, so saying you were making dinner doesnt quite cut why you didnt just pay him immediately?

TroubleinDaFamily · 07/02/2018 18:36

75% as he leaves.

25% for snagging in daylight, and then pay that as soon as there are no problems.

If you pay up in total you have no bargaining power. IMO

NotReadyToMove · 07/02/2018 18:37

The thing is, I think the onus is in him to make his expectations clear.
If you want to be paid immediately with instant transfer (which a lot of people do these days through their phone), then you need to say so.
If you are happy for. 48h payment, then same.

Fwiw, not everyone is banking in their phone and it takes more time to do that from a computer. Depending on the time of the day, if there are children around etc... I think it was quite easy for him to deduce that you coud only do it in evening for example.

The number of phones and texts was way over the top.

StaplesCorner · 07/02/2018 18:39

We paid our builder to the schedule of payments he asked for including £10,000 before Christmas when a lot of the work wasn't finished. 3 weeks later more or less finished he said he was struggling to pay his bills and wanted the remaining money around £700. Since then we have found all the problems with the work (mostly around the painting he did). Now we are struggling to get him back, he actually said to me its not worth his while coming back and wasting petrol unless we are going to pay him more.

Having accommodated him wanting that lump sum before Christmas, and then having him bang on for 3 weeks about needing extra money, I would never have him back.

NotReadyToMove · 07/02/2018 18:39

beard fwiw, the account I would be using to do that isn’t one where I have the app installed on my phone.
Starting my computer can take 15 mins (it’s a real pain), the you need to go through security question/pins that you never have on your phone.
I would plan at least 15~20 mins to do so....

Besides, if you are not aware that the payment is URGENTLY needed, why is it an issue to wait a few hours to do so when you have some peace and quiet??

mummyhaschangedhername · 07/02/2018 18:40

I've always paid immediately unless it's been the "boys" doing the job and I was expected to pay the owner. Then up to 48 hours. This has only happened once though and I knew the owner well so assume that most people expect immediate payment.

Original poster
JJPP1234 · 07/02/2018 18:41

No, it's actually quite annoying because I wanted to use him again but this has left a bit of a bad taste.

OP posts:
treaclesoda · 07/02/2018 18:43

If I'm paying by bank transfer I'd do it before they left the house.

If it's something that I might want to see in daylight, like wallpaper or painting I think it would be fair to offer to pay half before he leaves and the rest the next day.

Having said all that, chasing you five times inside an hour is very over the top.

ILostItInTheEarlyNineties · 07/02/2018 18:44

Decorating isn't a lucrative trade. He probably desperately needed the money.

Either that or he wanted to get the money quick before the wallpaper fell off and you noticed he'd split paint on the floor Wink

Spartaca · 07/02/2018 18:45

I have never known a tradesperson who doesn't issue an invoice with terms. Being hounded within hours is unheard of to me!

Original poster
JJPP1234 · 07/02/2018 18:47

It's interesting that the split in opinions is pretty much 50/50.

All the work I've had done previously has been bigger jobs, perhaps the invoicing route is more common in those circumstances.

OP posts:
PonderLand · 07/02/2018 18:47

Depending on what the work is we usually pay that evening. We had building work done in our kitchen and waited until day light to see the work. I did have to get them back to tidy the brick work up. I don't think they'd of come back if I'd of already paid!

If it's flooring/painting etc that you can easily assess in 5-10m then I pay before they leave.

NotReadyToMove · 07/02/2018 18:48

Actually do they not have to provide an invoice anyway, on a legal point of view???
And said invoice should have the terms of payment on it?

SilenceIsBroken · 07/02/2018 18:48

I've never heard of this and I've employed quite a few tradies. Although most give me an invoice with a "pay within XX days" (and it generally is days, not hours) so it's absolutely clear.

I'd pay him and then politely point out that he's being unreasonable with all the texts.

grannytomine · 07/02/2018 18:48

If he did a good job you could be cutting your nose off not to use him, the next one might be terrible.

If I'm having a job done I always ask how they want to be paid, some do want it straight away some say they will send an invoice.

MudCity · 07/02/2018 18:49

We recently had some work done. They sent an invoice the same afternoon and we paid the following morning. I think paying within 24 or 48 hours is reasonable. Sometimes I have transferred the money immediately but I was out when they sent the invoice this time so payment had to wait until the next morning.

I wouldn’t have him back OP. Texting you after 48 hours would have been understandable but not so quickly.

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