To think that if you get an invoice you dont NEED to pay it immediately?

[Hundredthmillionthdiet]

Context : used a new mechanic to repair car who issues invoices. Its taken 4 weeks to get the invoice and I've said to OH we can pay it when we get paid on Wednesday. OH wants to pay it now out savings , I'd rather not as more often than not the money doesn't get replaced (that's our issue not mechanics')

I'm not disputing paying it - of course not. Just opinions. Usually invoices will say pay withing x number of days which I've asked him to double check. Just wondering what's reasonable, as I'm sure there will be times cars need fixed etc and people to have the money immediately to hand.

I pay tradesmen on the day the work is done (assuming all is satisfactory) or on the day I receive the invoice. Doing this makes it more likely that they will prioritise working for me again.

For anyone saying pay now so you don't forget, Just schedule the payment!
Usually though I'd say pay as soon as you get it if you value their work and want to use them again. If I ever had a scheduling conflict I go with the easiest/best paying customer!!

Could you pay out of savings now and schedule a transfer back for Wednesday so everyone is happy?

I do usually pay trades straightway, but if he's taken 4 weeks to send you the invoice, and it's more convenient for you to wait, I'd wait a few days.

What if the mechanic had asked for immediate payment when you collected your car? Would they still be waiting now?

I always pay when I pick up the car. Weird to just walk in and drive off?!

I don't always get an invoice straight away from my local garage, but it's normally within a couple of days, and I always tend to pay within a couple of days too. Sometimes the bill is ready when I collect it and I normally pay it there and then, the exception being if the receptionist has left the bill but since gone home and I don't want to disturb the mechanics. They are good, reliable and trustworthy and I appreciate that so pay them promptly. My previous garage, who I stopped going to for other reasons, actually presented you with the bill and got you to pay before you left. Some garages do this because so many people try to claim poverty after agreeing to expensive work. I pay tradespeople within a day or so normally too, even if it's taken a good while to actually get the bill from them.

i always do

and consequently tradesmen always come back and put me to front of queue when needed!

We tried but he hadn't worked out total cost

exactly

When I was renovating my house trades invoices would come thick and fast. I’d usually sit down on a Saturday and pay those that had come in during the week, updating my spreadsheet as I went. All fine.

There was one guy - a stonemason- who would want same day payment. Literally send the invoice in the morning and the emails would start at lunchtime saying “haven’t seen payment yet, can you attend to invoice asap!”. By the evening “is there a problem with the work, are you refusing payment” etc. I was literally at work FFS I was not going to drop everything and start doing personal banking, and had no chance to even validate the work had been done. I won’t use let him again, such an aggressive way to operate.

so you were expecting to pay immediately?

so what is the problem?

Of course not. This is purely from point of view from being issued an invoice, that's taken 4 weeks to be issued thats all. Not something I have experienced before.

And what do you do if the bill isn't ready? Tell them to keep the car until it is?

That sounds ridiculous - I'd probably initially reply with 'We have a lot of bills from tradespeople so to make it easier we pay them all at the same time, every (insert day). Your payment of (insert amount) will be included then, and we were really happy with your work.'

and it seems to have knocked you sideways 🤭

Terms of our invoice is payment upon job completion. Don't pay = don't get car key back

Yes, the mechanics tend to work longer than the receptionist at our garage, so sometimes the bill isn't quite ready. They trust most of us to return to pay the bill when we receive it/within a reasonable time. We live in a small community though so if you don't pay your garage bill word will soon get around!

So why make them wait until next Wednesday? Pay from savings now and when payday comes around next Wednesday, put the money back in savings. Job done.

However if we're late issuing an invoice, we we're last week as new system then we would obviously give a bit of leaway

It probably depends on location and/or how well you know the garage.
(I have already explained this in another reply just above).

If you need to wait until you are paid then that's a valid reason to wait a few days - as long as it's not going over an agreed payment time. You need to check the invoice to see if it has a "payment required by" date on it. You shouldn't keep them waiting more than a few days either way.

This has never happened, but then I use the dealership where I got the car. Surely if you have no agreement on what the cost might be they'd just charge whatever they like and add things to the invoice?

If I was paying thousands for something I would want the invoice but also would want to check it was working before I paid. Just as I would if I was paying for a new boiler; you'd make sure it worked first before paying.

I think there is legally 30 days usually on an invoice?

This I always pay on the collection of my car.

Pleas pay as quickly as you possibly can.

I'm a freelancer and I've just spent 3 weeks chasing a significant payment.

It's my livelihood!

Do you mean yes? It sounds like you mean no. Which is what I would expect and have experienced.

If the bill isn't ready, I've always been able to take the car and pay when I receive it. They have never tried to keep the car at the garage because they haven't managed to get the invoice done promptly.