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?

The salary analogy just doesn't work, does it? Relatively few of us get paid for our work as soon as it is done, we mostly have to wait till the end of the week or the end of the month.

And you haven't read the OP's posts anyway, as she'd paid before she first posted.

Why should she? She's already paid it, days ago.

NatWest regularly carry out site maintenance at the weekends, but they usually do give notice by email in good time.

That’s exactly my experience as a freelancer too - I worked for several different clients and not one of them would pay within 48 hours.
Usually it was a week or two, with at least one company paying after 30 days. Those were their conditions.

Based on that experience it honestly would have never occurred me to expect immediate payment after issuing an invoice. 30 days is a long time and might be unreasonable, but a couple of days?

In my business I issue invoices as I start the work, I tell people when I expect to finish the work and I tell them that they can pay immediately, or they can pay nearer the expected completion date, or they can pay when I tell them it is complete (but before I issue).

I have just had an entirely normal experience - I invoiced at the end of last week and heard nothing, told the person today that it is 100% complete and I will issue when paid. Their response is that they will pay in the next 48 hours.

Despite the fact they have not got the work that they want they are still not able to just pay IMMEDIATELY. I presume he was busy over the weekend or didn;t really want to pay in advance. But now he knows the work is done and awaiting collection he can't just get the payment to me instantaneously, it'll take a day or two or so he says.

I just cannot comprehend the mindset of people on this thread who think that everyone is able to pay invoices immediately.

I'm also curious to know what OP's builder would be saying now if she'd paid the invoice "immediately" - say at 10pm on Friday night after and long long week and a couple of glasses of wine - and sent it to the wrong account? And was now saying it'll take getting the money back or next payday before she can pay again?

I don;t pay bills late in the evening, or when I am distracted or doing something or in a hurry because I don't want to make a mistake, not least as that mistake could negatively impact the builder not just men.

I had about 5 different tradesman from plumbers to carpenter to electricians and gardners the last year and not one single one had a invoice due on completion , not one single . They all took a while to invoice too and when it arrived it had from 14 to 28 days to pay .
I have no idea where people are getting this “ tradesman but trustworthy businesses have lines of credit or capacity to know not everyone pays at finishing .

This hit a bit of a nerve with me.
A friend had 2 new cleaners to clean her house. 2 people for 2 hours each, 4 hours in total to pay.
She didn’t like their approach or standard of cleaning. So refused to pay a Penny
These cleaners did their best but not to her standard. So how do these cleaners pay for their groceries?

I’m so annoyed with my friend. I think they should take her to the small claims court.
I’ve had cleaners who haven’t been good but always pay them.

This hit a bit of a nerve with me.

Your friend sounds totally out of order.

Unlike OP who paid up by the end of the weekend.

Barristers (sole traders usually with no other income) wait ages to get paid. Weeks as a matter of course, very often months, and sometimes years after they’ve finished the work. Judging by the opinions on here, they should be getting an absolute tsunami of sympathy. Oh no wait, they don’t.

I still don't agree that a couple of minutes to pay a bill can be classed as work.

You may not have online banking on your phone but do you not have it on a laptop? Pretty unusual not to.

I have great work-life balance thank you but have never regarded paying a bill, whether to a trademan or a utility company at the weekend or in the evening as "work". So not a sucker but a considerate person

I'll repeat again the lines of credit are not for the customer's benefit.

I have an abundance of working capital but it's not for you.

Neither is my substantial discounts nor my perks like VIP to the GP or MOTO GP.

This thread has turned into a discussion about payment and expectations.

Well proper tradesman do not expect payment on the day they finish . As I said I had all of the above multiple times and nobody even invoices until a few weeks after .
I'm in th U.K. too although in Scotland but this is the norm in most other European countries too

@onlythreenow Ha, same here!
I am genuinely surprised to see how many on this thread seem to think that unless the customer pays immediately, he/she is being disrespectful and rude.

This is just based on my own experience as a freelancer. None of the companies I've worked for paid straight after receiving my invoice, and that's absolutely nothing unusual in my field.

@Mfsf I agree with you (and am also in Scotland, so maybe it is regional)

I wouldn't have a laptop if I were away for the day or weekend, no. And I'd be extremely irritated if someone expected me to drop everything to pay them within a day.

Why are their cash flow issues more important than mine? I have to wait 30 days to be paid but they can demand immediate payment....why?!

Well proper tradesman do not expect payment on the day they finish . As I said I had all of the above multiple times and nobody even invoices until a few weeks after.
I'm in th U.K. too although in Scotland but this is the norm in most other European countries too

I'm in NZ and it is the norm here also. If someone needs to be paid immediately they would state that at the beginning of the job, but it is usual to wait for an invoice, which often doesn't arrive until after the end of the month.

Yes, it is the norm.

There seems to be a particular type of British tradesman who is unprofessional, entitled, and pushy. Their failure to plan ahead or budget is somehow their clients' issue, when everyone else seems to manage just fine with issuing invoices to be paid within 14/28/30 days.

They make good money. The average tradesman makes far more than the average salary. So again, why can't they sort out their own cashflow issues and accept that it's unreasonable to expect someone to pay an invoice within a day at the frigging weekend?

Took you longer to post and moan here than to do the bank transfer because God forbid, a tradesman, whose probably not had the best couple of years financially, wants to get paid!

People really should have to take a reading comprehension test before being allowed onto Mumsnet.

It takes two seconds to open a banking app and transfer a payment, I absolutely hate when I provide a service and people pay whenever they feel like, usually days after receiving their product. I'd never ever do it to someone else, I don't understand why people think it's acceptable to keep small businesses waiting for their hard earned money.

It's not a matter of how long it takes to post, is it? Particularly given that she'd already paid at that point. She's entitled to comment that being hounded like this left a bad taste in the mouth.

It takes two seconds to open a banking app and transfer a payment, I absolutely hate when I provide a service and people pay whenever they feel like, usually days after receiving their product. I'd never ever do it to someone else, I don't understand why people think it's acceptable to keep small businesses waiting for their hard earned money.

Luckily OP paid within 48 hrs.

OP did pay very promptly. Surely any decent tradesman would expect to give you a bit of time to check the work before paying?

My DH is not unprofessional nor is he entitled or pushy, just sick and tired of ignorant customers (themselves entitled) who think they can pay as and when they feel like it.

If he buys 10 boilers plus any other parts or items he needs and then has to wait weeks or even months for payment how is he meant to organise his cash flow? That's a lot of money going out of his account and none going in

I do know some tradesmen who state "payment within 7 days" on their invoices but I certainly don't know of any who say 28 or 30 days. Why exactly should they wait that long?

So you have lots of work done at your home whilst you're away on holiday? No one at home at all? Unusual. Also you're opting for and ordering a service, you should make sure you have the money before doing so. Are you often out of pocket for carrying out your job ie if they said right you need to spend hundreds on materials and you won't get anything for it for 30 days?