Rude store manager?! Take my money elsewhere

[Sellotapeandlime]

Hello everyone,

Had a bit of a shit day but I want to know if AIBU.

I have been to three carpet stores and have been comparing quotes and have decided to (of course) go for the cheapest quote. I get there and I'm ready to pay for my deposit. However, the manager said that I need to pay the rest of the money in cash to pay the fitters on the day of the carpet. I told him "no" that I prefer to pay the rest of the money by debit/bank transfer on the day so that I have a digital record of the payment. I said I was happy to put down a higher amount for the deposit- but it would be too much money to cash out and due to the large amount, I prefer to pay the rest of the balance by card.

All of a sudden he got very angry, face red, shaking and said "NO! You pay all of the money upfront or half on the day in cash or nothing at all". I replied to him "Well, I can see that you are angry and I don't feel comfortable with the way you are behaving, so I'm going to leave and look elsewhere. Then he said "Bye!", and I left.

I mean what the hell???? Can anyone please tell me if AIBU?? Was I wrong to request that I would like to pay the rest by card?

Also! I'm now stuck as my only option is to pay for the expensive carpet place who are known to do a very good job but are very expensive. We need to move into our new home within three weeks. What should I do????????

I am self-employed. I do jobs for people all over the world and often they pay me into my personal paypal account. I could easily not declare it if I wanted to.

It's such a tired old trope that self-employed people who accept anything but BACS transfer are clearly on the fiddle.

They normally start charging after the introductory period ends, usually applying a fee per transaction. If you're not generating much income, though, it may not make a big difference.

I'm with Mettle.

Most personal accounts have it in their T&C's that you can't use them for business. If you're caught or they decide to look into it, they can close your account with no warning.

Mettle is completely free. There's no fees per transaction no matter how long you've had the account.

...

Good for you!
His behavior was a red flag for sure and I think you dodged a bullet there!

Carpet fitters often want cash .. I think we all know why !🙄

Ive never heard of them, so I'd be hesitant to use their service for that reason. Plus, I doubt they're offering it purely out of goodwill, there are likely fees involved, whether for an upgraded service, failing to meet a minimum deposit threshold, or exceeding it.
The regular main stream banks charge, if you’re not depositing large sums of money, why bother paying for that service, or searching out some obscure bank account.

@Gymmum82 are you not remotely bothered that they’re not paying tax? Presumably you pay tax. Why shouldn’t they? Are tradespeople exempt?

Two wrongs don’t make a right

They are a mainstream bank - they're part of the Natwest company.

And no, there are no fees for the basic account. At all. It's totally free. If you want to upgrade then yes, there are fees, but you don't have to. I've been with them two years and have never paid a penny.

@Pigeonlives

https://www.natwest.com/business/bank-accounts/mettle-mobile-account.html#:~:text=Is%20Mettle%20free%3F,days%20notice%20if%20this%20changes.

Totally free. The only limitations are that you can't have more than 1 million in your account, take international payments or deposit cheques.

No I’m not remotely bothered who pays tax and who doesn’t. Not my business

She never said it wasn't independent. I can only think of independent carpet stores near me, I couldn't even think where the nearest 'chain' one is.

Personally, I have always paid any work done on my house by transfer or card, never in cash. Sounds shady. However, even if cash is the custom, him getting so angry at you for saying no is a massive red flag. Go with the other company. You like they better anyway and good carpets will last at least 10 years. It will be worth the extra expense if you can afford it.

Mine's a Santander busuness account and I've never been charged a penny in over 20 years

Santander Business Account. £7.50 per month after introductory period.

I've never had any charges on mine. Perhaps they just charge new customers.

Sounds like he’s running some sort of scam with the fitters. Probably gets a backhander.

Cheapest isn’t always wise.

Him getting angry and red is weird. But I've never ordered a carpet where I haven't had to pay the fitters separately in cash on the day 🤷

Thanks and yes exactly. I would only pay cash to a service if I knew them very well and/or I had received a strong recommendation from a friend or family member. But If that's the way the manager operates his business, then fair enough. However, it was his behaviour that me off. He wasn't frustrated. He was angry- to the point that felt he may do something to me if I didn't leave. Nah I would rather take my money elsewhere.

It's not a scam it's perfectly normal. The fitters are self employed. So they decide how they are paid. It's not up to the shop. If they paid the fitter then they would become employees and the shop would have to pay NI , pension, holidays etc.
I've just had a kitchen done. The kitchen company gave me a quote. I paid them for the supply of the units etc but the electrician, plumber, plasterers, fitters and floor fitter were all self employed and i paid them all separately by bank transfer or cash but it was all invoiced separately but it was still coordinated by the kitchen company.

If you buy cheap you buy twice.

You might have discovered why they're cheap...

Always paid about 2 weeks after fitting once the invoice comes in, but it's a family business. Not the cheapest one but always great service. Sometimes it's worth paying a bit more.