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?

Oh come on! Most invoices allow a 7-14 day time frame to allow people to get their own financial shit together. This is harrassment. The OP has not suggested that she WON’T pay, but that he is bombarding her with messages as though she is being unreasonable. This is the case. I would definitely be concerned about the quality of his work of this happened to me.

If the work’s complete and to a good standard, why not just pay him quickly? They must get so many non-payers.

Why haven't you paid him?

If you'd paid him, then he wouldn't have needed to chase you.

Back in the days when you had to go to the bank to make a transfer or go and get a postal order then taking a few days or not paying at the weekend was fine. But now all you need to do it log into your banking on your phone and send the money. You can do that anywhere and takes 2 minutes. If you're worried about using internet outside of the home then you can do it as soon as you walk through your door.

It is completely unreasonable of you to not pay. It's sunday and you still haven't paid? What are you waiting for?

I had some work done on my house on Friday and he literally stood there whilst I paid him on the doorstep he wasn’t gonna leave without it. And I can’t say I blame him

whilst I see your point I still wouldn't txt the op 5 times in 1 weekend especially so soon after invoice. He could have being more ''could I get the money by this date please, and preferably give a few days''.

When I send out invoices I give people 14 days to pay them. However, I don't have upfront costs like materials, or having to pay other people for their labour.

I think the comparison with MOTs or Tesco shopping is unreasonable. If you have a job done, there should be some time to make sure the job has been done properly and to your satisfaction, even if only a few hours. And Friday to Monday seems reasonable, too. But it may have been he needed to pay someone himself before the weekend. I don't think a lot of tradespeople have great cashflow.

As for the person who said paying by online banking takes less than a minute, you clearly do not bank with Nationwide who make it impossible to pay a new person easily and quickly.

I hope those of you saying you pay immediately who work for large companies make sure your employers pay suppliers quickly as well, and don't make them wait stupid lengths of time like 45 and 60 days.

If you haven't got your financial shit together in the first place don't commission the work.

Op when your food shopping you pay on the way out.

You don't walk out with the stuff and say Youl sort it over the weekend so you

And that's big corporate shops I'm talking,not self employed tradesmen.

Some people really have it the wrong way round.

I'm in a trade and the times people have supposedly forgotten to bring their card or cash or their Apple Pay doesn't work and they say theyl call when they get home and don't.

I then have to chase them for payment as I have my own things to pay.

The last time this happened with one particular client I told her for future reference she had to call on the day as I wouldn't pre book and she was to pay when she called not after the service.

Clearly your in a possibly better financial place than the tradesmen so don't be so entitled.

It's shit.

Please tell me you've paid him now?!!

I too am interested in why you're keeping him waiting?

Possibly he is really feeling the pinch -.material and CoL rises. Just pay him if you are happy with the job.

You realise this is his wages ? Would you like yours to be done when 'they have time'?

He's probably had his fingers burned before with late payers and is trying to avoid the same issues with some polite reminders. Just pay him.
And if the work was good you should use him again.

what bank are you with that their app is out of use for a whole weekend?

I had new windows put in and they tried to strong arm me into paying there and then. I inspected after they'd gone and discovered numerous problem, including they'd endangered the structure of the house. They then sent round "a structural surveyor" 🙄, who refused to leave until I'd paid up. He got short shrift too. Eventually they sent back a team to put right all the problems and I still didn't pay until I received an acknowledgement and apology from the managing director.

Make sure you're happy with the work, have an itemisation of what they've done and then pay. Although some individual workers do work with small margins so prompt payment is important. However, my bank doesn't transfer after 6pm on Friday evening.

Of course it's not harassment, lol. He's done his job and should be paid for it - why should he have to wait for up to two weeks?

Would you be happy if your workplace had to "get its financial shit together" before paying you every month?

Hi - thanks for the responses. Yes I had paid before I posted :) There’s a limit on how much I can pay a new contact on internet banking per day so I paid him the max I could yesterday and the remainder today.

It seems the consensus is I’m unreasonable so I’ll take that. The invoice said payment within a day and the chasing started before that, plus I would consider a day to be a business day not a weekend. I want to be a good customer and always pay any tradesman within a couple of days and have never been chased or had any issues so this felt weird which is why I asked. Thanks for the feedback :)

Well so far all the entitled people saying it's fine have given really stupid reasons like because I can or because I need to get my finances together so I suspect the OPs excuse should they return will be equally wishy-washy.

Honestly baring something hugely unexpected like a death in the family or sudden emergency there is absolutely no reason not to pay a trades person on the day the job is completed.

I do training courses for NHS hospital trusts. They pay me within 3-6 months. Obviously that is bloody ridiculous but there it is. I had no idea there is a particular rush to pay tradesman. I mean I pay within a week always, but I remember the days when an invoice would come in the post and I would pay with a check soon enough.

You'd have had notification of that though so you'd have known to pay on the Friday instead. Never heard of any app banking or otherwise being down for full weekends though. Mine is usually from midnight or 2am til 6am.

I had a similar thing. Landscaper did my garden, I paid for all materials upfront. Before he left on Friday afternoon I asked about paying him and he said he would have to sit down and work it all out and would let me know, so I thought he would send an invoice on Monday or something.
9pm Friday night he sent the invoice. 9am Saturday morning he was texting me for the money, by 11am he had texted twice more. I didn't appreciate it especially as he had dragged a 5 day job out for two weeks of garden hell because he kept leaving to do other people's jobs.

I offered to pay my builder part of the cost of my kitchen on Friday as I overheard him saying he was owed £20,00 for a job that had still not been paid.

He said no, only when the job is completed and I am satisfied with it would he want any payment.

I dread the day he tells me he is giving up or retiring. 🙁

Do you have to chase your employer for your salary OP? I’d certainly been on the phone to mine daily if my salary didn’t go into my account on payday.
You aren’t engaged in some huge corporate deal where you get a 14 day window. The work has been done, so pay for it.
Do you always delay paying for services? Haircut? Shopping? Petrol?
Your builder and anyone he’s contracted have got bills to pay too and are reliant on cash flow. It’s a shitty way to treat someone.

It seems the consensus is I’m unreasonable so I’ll take that. The invoice said payment within a day and the chasing started before that, plus I would consider a day to be a business day not a weekend.

If he meant business day, then that's what he would have said.

There’s a limit on how much I can pay a new contact on internet banking per day so I paid him the max I could yesterday and the remainder today.

Did you explain to him that you could only transfer a certain amount at a time, or did you just not pay him enough and not give an explanation?

Can’t believe you didn’t pay him on receipt. Most people would expect to be paid before they leave. YABVU.