I feel my husband is making us fools

[Wouldyoudoit2]

We engaged a company with good reviews to move our hot tub from one property to another. The distance is approx 100 miles.

We were quoted £600. Having had a hot tub moved in the past, this was the maximum I wanted to pay for this distance but asked if this was inclusive of VAT. We were told it was, all good.

The agreement was to meet (socially distanced) at one property at 9am for load and then the company had another job to do somewhere on the way, so the plan was to message or call and give a guide as to when they would be arriving at the other end and we would get there to ensure access is available for drop off.

My husband goes to the property as planned at 9am. The company did not arrive until nearer 10am.
I get a message from my husband to say it has been loaded on to the truck and that they will be taking it back to theirs (not sure if it’s a lock up or home) and bringing it to destination property on Monday.
They will wash it over the weekend and do the service on Monday at the house.

I’m fuming!
Here is my side: I feel that my husband has just allowed a company to drive away with our property and they could do anything over the weekend such as create jobs/repairs that they will come across when servicing it on Monday.
He has allowed this as the guy is running late (not my problem he has been more than one job for the day in the diary and arrived late) and it will make it easier on everyone.
The guy has offered no discount for moving the goal posts. I am quite happy to wash my own hot tub over the weekend and can accept he may run later but want my hot tub to be delivered on the same day as planned.
I then find out he is not charging VAT. I didn’t want a cash job, again this guy is manipulating the situation to suit his agenda at no cost to him.

This is just not what was agreed and I’m not happy.

My husband thinks I’m too cynical and need to trust people.
I think he is being foolish.
Who do you think is BU?
I’m also annoyed that he did not call to discuss whether I agreed with this change.

(The hot tub cost £15k when new. Please don’t take that wrong, it is just factual information as to what they have in their care over the weekend).

if you don’t desperately need the hot tub this weekend

How can anyone "desperately need" a hot tub? Surely they're a luxury thing and utterly non-essential?

Have you rung the company for an explanation?
Sorry if this question answered already.
I’m like you I’m a cynic, but I would be ringing the company for reassurance not looking for it on a forum.
You need to be assertive and say this is not the agreement and where exactly is your hot tub and what time will it be delivered on Monday and presumably the clean and service will be at the company’s cost as they have messed you about.

It doesn't matter of the item is worthless or worth loads.

The agreement was collection and drop off on the same day.

This is not happening and now the OP doesn't know where her property is for 3 days.

I would make a call to the company for reassurance, and for your records, if this is legitimate, they won't have any issues reassuring you.

Grilledaubergines Very distasteful.
I have lost my 5 year old child to a terminal illness.
No, it doesn’t compare.

Get some maturity.

If the guy said to dh "I'll knock the VAT off" he means 20% discount I bet, as is he will stand the sales vat himself rather than him swizzling anyone, especially if you have a written invoice with VAT on.

They are off to make people soup with it this weekend

Mmmm, people soup, garnished with poo crumbs and knob cheese...

LakieLady
Your summary is inaccurate.
It need to be filled, heated and balanced with chemicals.

The people soup doesn’t start until early next week.
You have clearly led a sheltered life if you haven’t played “flick the dangle berry”

I would be annoyed but I certainly wouldn't have expected DP to pick up the phone and discuss it, not exactly a ground breaking decision?

Thank you for putting me straight @Wouldyoudoit2.

You're quite correct about "flick the dangleberry", it has never appealed to me.

Naked Twister, on the other hand, is tremendous fun (although possibly not as much fun as it used to be, my arthritis is terrible these days).

If it's going on the back of a lorry then the driver will have to comply with HGV legislation. If he's out of driving hours then all he can do is return to his depot or park up asap.

15K on a hot tub that's not expensive at all for a hot tub.

LakieLady

Naked twister is so last decade. 😁😉

MrsMoastyToasty

Speculation leads to facts by page 7.
Nothing to do with HGV that’s not how they are moved.

YANBU OP

Not in the least.

Your husband was caught on the hop by them and agreed to this.

Men do this sometimes, particularly easy going men.

He was probably sympathetic to the guy running later.

I'd be very pissed off too.

You should have been contacted first.
Catching your husband on the hop was deliberate.

Oh and I am another person who is suspicious of tradespeople.

I only ever have someone recommended do work for me.
If ever I hear of someone whom has done a good job, I take there name.
A lot of great guys have gotten a lot of work after doing a good job for me.

Too many cowboys about.
I certainly do my level best to avoid having contacting them.

Goid luck OP.

OP I don't think you're being unreasonable. Aside from the fact they have your property (OK I'd probably just be inclined to trust and let this go slightly):

1. It massively affected the plans for the day (travel to property #2 and back etc).
2. It seems to be more for the convenience of the hot tub service company rather than you & your husband - you're the paying customers.
3. The last-minute nature is not on.

Therefore YANBU, at all.

I feel your unease, totally. My husband would probably have done the same thing! Can you text and say you would like it delivered tomorrow? If they’ve promised same day then it should be, even if they have to be later home - that’s their problem.
My advice would be, to try not to worry over it this weekend, give them until Monday and see what happens. If it doesn’t turn up then, I’d put something on their Facebook page asking if they’ve seen your hot tub! I’m sure it’s all perfectly honourable, but I do understand why you are bothered by this.
I’m also very sorry for the loss of your daughter.

I'm cynical as fuck, so I'd be thinking they were using it this weekend and that's why he'll bring it back cleaned on Monday to cover his tracks.

Because the sensible part of me would think, even if he's running an hour late he still has a commitment to fulfil the job he's going to be paid for.

An entire weekend with an expensive hot tub is a bit suspect to me but that's just my opinion 🤷🏼‍♀️

Did you get a receipt of any sort? Or know where it is being taken My? My concern would not be the 3 day delay but more whether you will actually ever get it back. They have you over a barrel and can now demand any amount they like to return your property to

Only last decade, @Wouldyoudoit2? Last millennium, surely? It was the 80s when I first played it (I think, it was so long ago I could easily be a decade out).

@Wouldyoudoit2

Grilledaubergines Very distasteful. I have lost my 5 year old child to a terminal illness. No, it doesn’t compare.

Get some maturity.

I’m genuinely sorry to hear this.

But it wasn’t distasteful. It’s pointing out that it’s not important. As opposed to a child.

One thing is that - if the firm is VAT registered - the £600 is inclusive of VAT. £500 for their service and £100 VAT. You are not VAT registered so you do not need to have a tax invoice.

I am sure all will be well

@Wouldyoudoit2

The time to get annoyed with your DH is if and when this all goes tits up. You are going to look very silly if it’s all delivered in good condition at the renegotiated time on Monday.

@Grilledaubergines

You can do that with anything, and all of a sudden, nothing in anyone's life should matter.

I'm upset that an ex partner of mine sold a diamond choker of mine. It was inherited from my Gran... and he stole and sold it. Its not a child, but I was really very very upset about it.

I was also upset when my dog chewed up a pair of shoes which you can no longer buy. I really liked those shoes and I was upset. It's not a child, but I was still allowed to be upset.

Or are you saying that mumsnet is now only allowing posts which are about genuine sorrow and heartache? We're not allowed to post about smaller annoying/worrying things anymore?

People are allowed to feel irritated or worried when people have their stuff when they arent meant too! Saying its not like a child is just stupid, because then we could never have a moan about anything.

The lesson here is if you want something done right, do it yourself. Or supervise it all yourself. This is of course very frustrating because you end up doing more than you feel is your share sometimes.

YANBU.
I would be very concerned. Was insurance discussed? Who is liable if the hot tub is damaged in transit or in 'storage'?

However - how did you let the detail of VAT get past you if an actual document was produced containing the terms of the transaction? Does it say 'VAT included' or not? If it does say that then they can kiss your arse.

Grilledaubergines

It is ridiculous to compare it to a child in the first place.

Nobody stated it was the most important thing to happen. Life is filled with many moments of frustration for us all.

You never know who you are talking to or what they have been through.
This platform provides a tiny snippet into what somebody is experiencing at that point in their life and from that people make grand, definitive statements and attacks on their character.

It is unreasonable to make “cheese and house” comparisons.

If I compared somebody losing their hamster to me losing my child, or somebody having a marital huff with somebody experiencing domestic violence, it is not only off the scale and belittling but pointless.

How do you measure that individual’s hurt or frustration?

Yes, we are discussing a hot tub. It is an inanimate object and on the scale of life importance, it is not comparable to life, nor is it a necessity. I’m not comparing it to anything at all.
I’m discussing a situation that has caused me irritation. You do not have to agree with my frustration but to just make a pointless, irrelevant and flippant remark achieved what for you exactly?

Yes, I have experienced the loss of my child. It does not compare and I will forever walk around incomplete but it also does not mean nothing in life will ever irritate me or that I won’t ever feel happy again.
It doesn’t mean I’m in some way not entitled to feel annoyed by something that isn’t a global crisis.

I’m an individual that can handle negative comments and people disagreeing with me it bothers me not but I’m telling you this because some day, the ridiculous, non relevant comments and attacks that have no other intent than to cause the recipient to feel sad and make the author feel superior will do somebody, somewhere real harm.

There is an argument that those that can’t handle it shouldn’t put themselves out there but what is the point of a pedantic comment just for the sake of it.

Who will be responsible. The poster? The attacker? Or the platform?
I’m sure as eggs is eggs that accidents don’t just happen, they are caused.