Paying the plumber - AIBU?

[Hanhan22]

We had work done to fix a leak on Friday. Plumber we have used before. He asked we pay within 10 days as is normal (we’ve always paid promptly in the past though).

We thought, great, as we are a bit tight with coats due to Christmas and DH not paid until today. Anyway, Saturday the plumber texts and asks if we can pay any earlier - we apologise and say we can’t until today as waiting for payday. He texts again yesterday to ask again incase our circumstances have changed, we again said no (politely).

We’ve paid this morning and text to confirm which he has read and not replied.

AIBU to feel he was a CF? If you don’t want a delay in payment, then don’t give 10 days for it!

Edit - obviously the title is meant to say ‘Paying’ if someone can change it please. No idea what happened there

[Title edited by MNHQ]

You paid within his stated 10 days so have done nothing wrong.

I posted because you commented about re worse treatment like some of your late paying customers

She’s not a late payer

Her post reads that she’s peeved he kept asking for the money well within the ten days

She mentions he hasn’t acknowledged receipt, but that’s not her complaint

OP has already answered this....

I don't see the issue either. If he'd asked you to pay straight away or even hadn't specified anything and just told you the amount, you might be unreasonable, but he specifically offered the 10 day frame! It's really weird that he said that on Friday but was then nagging you literally the next day. If he was that hard up by Saturday you think he'd have known he needed paying on Friday! Perhaps he went hard on Black Friday and had a 'oh shit still need to buy the turkey?' panic?

I wonder whether everyone saying YABU voluntarily pays their credit card off before getting their statement through?

this is a bit odd, unless he posts 'you dont need to pay me for 10 days' on his advertising, as you wouldnt have received the invoice until he had finished the work - which is where Im guessing his terms are?

However most tradies are going to want paying on completion. Yes, he probably puts 10 days to get ahead of the CF who try not to pay for a month (after which he can charge interest) or a big contract, but he would expect payment, generally, for a one of job straight away. Its Christmas and extra bills for him too.

As an aside I would make sure to always pay as soon as I get invoiced becausae when the shit hots the fan I want a tradesperson in who is going to be bothered, as they know Im a good payer. Finding a good tradesman who will come to you quickly is like gold. Hang about paying him and you likely find he is busy next time you need him.

Took 20 years for me to be paid for a job
They were paying every month during that time as forced by the courts

Amazing how they could afford to pay the builder to construct their building but not me the architect who designed and managed it’s construction

Should have taken it down tbh, that's what some builders do

I find it hard to believe that a plumber is short of readies, they can name their price nowadays.

YABU just pay him straight away. It’s tough for these small businesses and he needs the cash before Christmas. I always pay straight away. I’d be embarrassed to be chased. I imagine he wants it done and dusted so he can relax over the holidays.

Don't use a service you can't pay for in my opinion!

It's pay immediately but I'll give you 10 days before I seek to recover payment via other means I e small claims surely.

I would expect to pay plumber as he left by bank transfer or cash. He is generous with 10 day payment, not unreasonable to ask if you could pay earlier, especially at this time of year. That said you weren't unreasonable to say no if it isnt possible either.

I'm an electrician, I give the "standard" 28 days for payment and then chase - if you give a payment timeframe, whatever it may be, you don't chase until that period has elapsed.

Payment terms (usually 28 days) are just that, a window in which payment is to be paid. I'm an electrician and spend much of my time contracting to the local authority and NHS, waiting 2 months is not uncommon, for regular customers I use the standard 28 days.

If the invoice isn't paid in 28 days I chase, if not paid two weeks from that date, and no contact from customer (very rare, but it does happen) I sell it on, and get 80% of the money owed.

More common than you think, I know a lot of plumbers, most are good trades but poor businessmen, and plumbing materials are very expensive, they are often overdrawn at the plumbers merchants, scraping round for some cash to be taken off "stop" so they can get some more gear.

Op why would pegging be on your spelling list Huuummmmm
You been looking it up, dont worry us netters wont say a word.

You should have paid him immediately when he finished.

Payments terms are something businesses have.

You shouldn't engage services you don't have the means to pay for.

His request for payment was fine. Not sure what response you need from him? Why would he thank you for completing your part of the transaction?

No - payment terms are payments terms. If they state 10 days to pay then you’ve got 10 days to pay. Simple.

Payment within 10 days to me would mean due immediately following the completion of the work but no later than 10 days in any event as that’s when charges/further action could be taken.

Not CF territory, he was asking for money you owed him for a service he had provided. It sounds like he was hoping to get an earlier than deadline payment likely on account of it being Christmas this week and having extras to pay out for. It doesn’t sound like he started demanding it, just asked on the off chance. CF’s are people who wangle out of paying their way, or take advantage of others generosity whilst offering nothing in return.

Id also imagine that although his payment terms state 10 days, the very vast majority pay immediately and had therefore mentally spent the money for the job on something Xmas related before receiving it and was kicking himself for having terms that might now put him in a precarious financial position.

As a tradesman I can say this is nonsense, a lot of our customers schools, hospitals, estate agents, restaurants, retail etc don't pay immediately - if you offer payment terms then you should stick to them - and not hassle the customer within the payment window.

That's wrong, payment terms are just that - my invoices state 28 days, if I am not paid by the end of the 28th day I can chase, but any time between receipt of the invoice and the end of that window is fine to pay.

Its pretty much impossible to take any action after 10 days, the law considers 30 days as being standard.

Meh, every chance he’s a sole trader and the client is not a big company like the ones you describe that have to go through the rigmorale of accounts departments. Granted he wouldn’t be able to take action yet but I don’t think he’s a CF for saying “any chance you could send payment over today?” on Christmas week for services already rendered.

I'm a sole trader myself, he's being totally unprofessional, you set your terms, which can be immediate payment if you wish.

I've been in the electrical trade over 20 years, and very rarely do I get paid on the day of the job, even for small domestic work, I tender my invoice and get paid in due course.

I would never chase an invoice within the payment term window, poor form.

Sigh. Op wasn’t being chased. The terms of the invoice were payment within 10 days. Op paid at 5 days. She still had another 5 days leeway. If you’re a hard up plumber - change the terms of your invoice…

Exactly that, and what's Christmas go to do with anything?

Honestly I wouldn't overthink it. Sounds like his circumstances might have changes as well - and he needed the payment earlier. Maybe other customers hadn't paid or an unexpected bill came up for him. The bottom line is that he asked, you said no, he checked again, you said still no, he left it at that. I don't think it makes him a CF - as you pointed out, there is a CoL crisis going on, perhaps this affected him too temporarily.