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AIBU?

Share your dilemmas and get honest opinions from other Mumsnetters.

Original poster

Aibu to quibble this bill

82 replies

Sillyscrabblegames · 28/12/2019 15:15

Plumber quoted for two days work, lots of different tasks including connecting up several fittings and running new pipework.

He worked one day, didn't finish the whole job, and got something wrong so dh had to redo some work and then finish off the job.

He has now invoiced for the full amount.

Dh doesn't want to pay full amount as it just wasn't good enough and he spent half the time quoted for here anyway. So he offered him one day rate. (the rate is all laid out on the invoice for each day)

Plumber chap not happy with the situation and so has come back to say it was a long day with no breaks so he wants that reflected. And also it will take a few hours for him to sort the building control paperwork for the job as it included wiring in an extractor fan. He will do this from home and that is why there are two days on the invoice.

Dh offered him full day rate plus a pro rata amount extra to reflect extra long day (he was here from 10 to 6).

He then comes back to say also we need to add 20%onto the whole bill as he has to pay the person who gave us his number a fee for matching him up with us. I have never heard of this arrangement before and I don't think it has anything to do with us.

I think he is a cf.

Are we being unreasonable or are we right to be quibbling this?

OP posts:
Greenkit · 28/12/2019 15:17

10 till 6 is not a long day

and no you shouldn't have to pay the 'finder fee'

CF

bettybattenburg · 28/12/2019 15:19

10-6 is 8 hours, i.e a standard working day.
I would be quibbling over the invoice as well.

moleeye · 28/12/2019 15:22

Nope

He is taking the piss

Cfuckery at its finest.

I would pay one day, which is half the quoted amount. And that would be begrudgingly as he didn't finish the job, and the bits he completed he did rubbish!

Thehop · 28/12/2019 15:24

He’s taking the piss.

10-6 is a normal working day

You don’t pay a finders fee he does.

TrifenyMarlowe · 28/12/2019 15:28

I would pay as your DH suggested, and put it in writing or email with a cheque i.e. a paper trail, not cash.

He's a massive cheeky fucker and I say this as someone who rolls their eyes when most people quibble with small businesses or sole traders because folk don't realise how expensive running a business is.

I think your plumber is verging on scam with some of this. You don't pay him for him finding the work,. And you don't tell people after. His long day comments are ridiculous.

Get it all in writing and tell him to take you to the small claims court if he wants further exposure about his Dodgy/non-standard expectations.

Icanflyhigh · 28/12/2019 15:30

Definitely quibble that. A long day is not 10-6, that's a standard day!

paranoidmum2 · 28/12/2019 15:34

No way would I pay for the second day! And the matching fee is a joke.

I think you should have called him over before DH finished the job, to argue over what he didn’t do.

Is he acknowledging that your DH finished the job?

cultmaskid · 28/12/2019 15:36

Did he actually not do some of the jobs?

He was stupid to put a day rate on his invoice

When you get a quote for a job it's a quote for the job regardless of how long he took to do it
You were not forced into accepting it- you accepted it.

He needs to learn how to invoice

No to the finders fee, he should have discussed that with you / his mate/ that is nonsense I've never heard of that.

If he honestly hasn't done things you need to ask him what he thinks is reasonable. Where did you get his details from?

cultmaskid · 28/12/2019 15:37

Tell him to come back and finish the job and then you'll pay the total price

Original poster
Sillyscrabblegames · 28/12/2019 15:45

We don't want him to come back and finish the job. Dh has finished it and corrected what he did wrong.

He couldn't even come back on the second day as he had another job booked in. We needed the work finished before Christmas so had no choice but for dh to finish it off.

We certainly don't want him to come back now there is bad feeling anyway.

Glad to see people don't think we are being mean. We fully recognise that it's tough operating as a sole trader and we have never ever quibbled bills before.

If all the jobs had been done we probably would have sucked it up and just paid him but as dh then had to spend another day fiddling around sorting what hadn't been done, he really doesn't feel inclined to pay!

OP posts:
cultmaskid · 28/12/2019 15:46

He's shot himself in the foot
Send an email saying what you're paying and why and then leave it at that

You don't owe him the full amount if he didn't do the full job and he also didn't offer to come back to finish it

FWIW I am a plumbers wife

cultmaskid · 28/12/2019 15:47

And I've also worked in construction for years. I don't do much now but I do help with the invoices

That's why my husband is in high demand he does what he says he is going to do.

Maybe tell him you're going to write a review on google if he gives you hassle like suggesting taking you to small claims court

What was his day rate

RuggerHug · 28/12/2019 15:49

Ahahahhaha. Does he know your DH finished it or can you say he'll be paying to fix what he started wrong and finishing the job first, if it's less than the day rate he wanted you'll pay him the difference.

HoldMyLobster · 28/12/2019 15:49

I'm a sole trader and I would not invoice for two days work if I'd done 10-6 and not completed all the things I'd invoiced for.

No need to feel sorry for this guy. Just pay him for what he did.

Original poster
Sillyscrabblegames · 28/12/2019 15:49

Day rate was 200

OP posts:
LimpidPools · 28/12/2019 15:49

Sounds like a cowboy tbh.

Did he do anything right?

JKScot4 · 28/12/2019 15:49

Pay 20% to the person that gave you his number?? Wtf? My DP is a tradesman and most of his work is recommendations/word of mouth, should he be paying 20% to everyone who gives his name/number out?
He’s a bloody chancer, pay him one days rate and tell him to jog on.

Original poster
Sillyscrabblegames · 28/12/2019 15:53

He knows dh had to do stuff because they discussed it, he didn't have the right stuff with him to do the job, and he left one section because he prioritised other parts of the job. When we found something wasn't even working, dh called him and he offered to come back and correct what was wrong but he couldn't come back until the following week and that was just too late for us. So dh just sorted it out.
He was fully aware that there were niggles.
This is why we were taken aback when he still invoiced for the full job, and even more so when he pushed back at us querying it.

OP posts:
Original poster
Sillyscrabblegames · 28/12/2019 15:53

Yes he did do somethings nice and neatly. He is new to the trade so I guess he doesn't have business sense yet.

OP posts:
cultmaskid · 28/12/2019 15:56

Pay him one day rate and deduct materials not used

Move on and don't use him again

Original poster
Sillyscrabblegames · 28/12/2019 15:56

It's so hard to find sensible experienced trades people!

OP posts:
RozHuntleysStump · 28/12/2019 15:57

Stand your ground with this arsehole.

Original poster
Sillyscrabblegames · 28/12/2019 15:57

Thanks for your responses, I know what is fair now!

OP posts:
cultmaskid · 28/12/2019 15:58

My husband is a great plumber and always in demand it is so hard to find one who is good you are right
Ask on Facebook for recommendations and steer clear of place like my builder and check a trade as they are biased and expensive for the actual tradesmen to use

Why did you need the extractor stuff sent to building control

misspiggy19 · 28/12/2019 15:59

This guy is a joker- 25% finders fee???

He is tried to scam you

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