Tradesman chasing for payment

[CharlesIsQueensHorcrux]

Hi - I had a tradesman in last week, finished Friday & invoiced Friday night with email and message. Since then has messaged another five times chasing me! By the way I wasn’t ignoring him I messaged back saying I was out but would deal. Is it me or is he unreasonable to chase me all weekend for an invoice issued on Friday night? I was happy with the work but not sure now I would use him again as I feel a bit ick like there’s a suggestion I wouldn’t pay or something. Aibu?

This os one of the reasons I'd never be self employed. Noone seems to want to actually pay any of my self employed friends or acquaintances. Takes days or weeks every time.

Just pay people for the work they have done. Not so hard. Quicker than posting on mumsnet since the update...

Your unreasonable. More so if he’s paid out for materials

do you think he can pay for his diesel on tick? Or his rent on tick

Why haven't you paid him yet?

He's done the work. Why haven't you paid him?

You should have paid him after the first time he asked.

Have you paid him now?

I think this is probably due to non-payers. Is there any reason why you can't pay him by bank transfer right now to resolve this? You clearly have internet access, since you're posting on here. He's self employed, not salaried.

You should pay him. He might need the money to pay himself, staff but materials for the next job. Why wouldn’t you pay him immediately? I think you are being very unreasonable if he’s expressed the fact he needs the money and your withholding even though your happy with his completed work? If you ate in a restaurant on Friday….enjoyed it, got the bill you wouldn’t wait till Monday to pay it! PAY THE MAN x

I know [of] a tradesman, carpet layer if that makes any difference, who was told by an organisation, after he had laid the carpets, "not to expect payment for 3 months".

Most tradesmen I've dealt with payment is expected upon job completion. He could have had issues getting paid for jobs in the past or he could just need the money to buy food and pay bills. Why not just pay him?

You could have paid in the time it took to write that post

Legally, don't you have to pay tradespeople within 30 days? I would just pay him, but this emailing multiple times at the weekend is a bit much

Tradesmen - cash - ON the day!

window cleaner would always catch me out and I’d not have cash on me - but I’d stick it in his account before he’d even started next door.

You pay immediately upon completion of the job. Poor guy.

You are WAY out of order. Such bad manners to have to have him to chase you. The job was done, you were happy, you should have paid him right away. Nightmare customer.

No

Maybe try and put yourself in his shoes.
He's probably paid upfront for materials, the job is done well, now he wants paying. It's a two minute job to transfer money. I can imagine it's quite stressful doing a job for someone then as a couple of days pass wondering when or if you'll get paid.

Tradesmen usually want and expect to be paid on the same day. Why haven't you paid him by now? Preferably on Friday night or Saturday morning.
How does he know you are not one of those nightmare customers who get the work done and then fail to pay, while ignoring requests or making excuses like 'the cheque's in the post' or 'I'm out but I'll deal'?

People like you are why I'm so glad my dh isn't a self employed tradesman working on this type of work anymore. He did the work, you are happy with the job, pay up! Why do you think you are entitled to make him wait?

Just pay him, why are you dithering?

Times are tough for everyone at the moment. Maybe he's relying on your payment to help get him groceries and electricity etc. Just pay the man.

Payment upon receipt of invoice unless other terms agreed or stated on invoice. That's normal. You even said you'd do it and haven't. I'd chase you too.

YABU and should pay him now.

Its tricky when you are more used to dealing with invoices in a work setting than a personal setting as companies tend to be given longer payment terms such as 14 or 30 days or in the case of one company I worked for 120 days. Small self employed tradesmen doing work on a residential property usually expect payment immediately. I always ask how and when they will want paying rather than receive an invoice and just pay it when it suits me. Rather than just replying saying you would deal with it maybe would have been better to say that you were paying on X day then he wouldn't need to keep chasing you.

I feel a bit ick like there’s a suggestion I wouldn’t pay or something
Eh? But you haven’t paid?

We have pretty much renovated our house from top to bottom. It’s always payment on completion. The I’m out so can’t pay you is not believable. It takes minutes to pay.

Cash flow for small businesses is nightmare and made so much worse by customers who drag their heels with payment.