How much is 'a drink' in payment terms for a tradesman?

[cockapup]

My elderly parents contacted a tradesman on a local FB group as needed an outside light replacing. The tradesman said he'd pop round after finishing another local job to assess. As it turned out it was a bulb needing replacing so took him less than 10 mins. He kindly said no charge but just give me a 'drink'.

How much would you give? Just wondering if what my parents gave was excessive- I'll reveal amount later.

I would guess he expected £10 - £20 to take all the notes from your Mums purse is a rotten thing to do. Im angry on their behalf. 😡

Because it can be considered a bit "rude" to demand cash for a favour type job.

Oh golly that's awful. Definitely excessive.

But when she showed him all of the notes, did she actually specify along the lines of 'take what you need' or 'how much do you need' to make it obvious she didn't expect him to take the lot?

OMG.

If a tradesperson said 'just give me a drink' I'd have given them a can of fizzy pop or a cuppa!

Thank god I know better now 😆

The tradesman would pay tax on that, if it was a formal call out charge. The “buy me a drink” thing basically means a cheap deal for the customer and some cash in hand for the tradesman.

There shouldn’t be a call out fee. His assessment (should he have had to come back to do the job) would have been free and he’d have given them the price for the job which obviously wouldn’t have been £60.

I’d have given £20. £10 would also be adequate but I would tend to pay a bit more for that kind of thing just to make sure I was being fair.

I think sixty is excessive but was going to say that it's useful to have someone like that around.

However, I think that was exceptionally rude of him. I'd be tempted to contact him and explain that if used in future to please quote upfront - just so he knows you are onto him (you don't want him chancing it and coming back and confusing them).

I hope this thread is picked up by a paper and that he reads it.

Personally I’d be calling him to explain your understanding of him taking all the notes from your elderly mothers purse and inviting him to clarify as you feel it has the appearance of them being very hard done by, but want to know his perspective before you relay to others….

That’s even worse. She gave him the option of taking an appropriate amount, and he took the whole lot! What a total scumbag!
Honestly OP, I’d contact him and ask for a receipt and breakdown of the costs - parts, labour etc.

And I’d out him on Facebook.

Aww this is horrible. I hope your Mum and Dad are ok now.

The answer for this is around 10-20

The bloke is a scumbag

That’s rather cheeky of him, I would say £10-20 normally. Just asked DH who said if customer provided the bulb he wouldn’t have asked for anything & if they insisted & offered money like that he would have only taken the smallest note offered.
Hopefully karma will bite this guy on the bum for his mean behaviour.

That's what I'd worry about: him beating a path to their door next time they have a tiny little job to do and ripping them off again.

I don't know their situation, but it's a shame they don't have a younger neighbour who could have popped over for 5 minutes and done it for them. Not for money and not 'for a drink'; just because it's a really quick, simple thing for a young, able-bodied adult to do that makes a huge difference to a very elderly person.

He may even find that to be the most lucrative way for him and the way he always works.

If he claims to do a minor job 'as a favour' - but then exploits elderly people who don't know what an ambiguous 'buy me a drink' means and so end up awkwardly offering/having taken a considerable amount of money, he could earn a lot more than just by charging and invoicing honestly - all cash in hand too.

Wasn't it Tommy Cooper who used to stuff what felt like a folded banknote into people's top pockets, with the words "Here, you have a drink on me" - and it was actually just a tea bag?!

Sounds like he took advantage. This is why we live 5 mins away from my parents even though I’d love to move away.

Mum feels a constant guilt about money and gives her basic pension away like sweeties.

It's a bit of a nightmare. But you also have the MN attitude that all older people are rolling in it. And benefited from cheap houses and triple lock pensions.

Are you miles away from your parents? What about Grandchildren at those ages I'd expect teen or 20 something grandkids could have done it.

Did they tell the guy before he came out it was just a bulb it needed, but they weren't fit to do it?

He's totally mastered the art of making himself seem like a really good guy, whilst simultaneously acting like a really bad guy, hasn't he?

Honestly: anybody taking £60 for changing a light bulb from a couple who are both knocking on 90 needs to have a really long, hard look at themselves.

I'm not necessarily saying he was wrong to earn anything for his trouble, but what a shame he couldn't have been like plumber James Anderson of Burnley:

Why would I say that and not mean it?

Sometimes something restores your faith that there are good humans out there !

£10 or £20 if I didn't have a £10 note.

Better to have him remember you as being generous if you ever need urgent help in the future.

No not miles away, but I wasn't aware it needed doing. My mum thought it was a broken fitting and not something any of the family could deal with as 'electrics'.

£20

You think £20 a day is a reasonable wage ? What decade are you in ?