Paying workmen

[Myresistanceislow]

Basically, as per the title above.

Recently had a new fence put in. Cost approx £1,500. It's been many years since I've had any work done so wanted to make sure I didn't fall victim to any rogue workmen doing a midnight flit with my money.

As it transpired I wasn't actually asked for the money until the end of the job. I decided to offer them a choice of cheque or credit card. They stated they wanted a bank transfer, whatever that is! I don't do internet banking. I said no, so they reluctantly took my cheque.

How does everybody else pay?

My OH is a sole trader and is paid by cash, cheque or bank transfer.

I normally pay workmen by cash.

I just paid a work man yesterday. Paid via bank transfer online. When I set him up as a payee online the bank couldn't verify his account. Agreed with him that I just transfer £10 to test, once that was received successfully I paid the remainder.
I don't really know anyone using cheques anymore!

Farmers. So many farmers still using cheques it’s unreal.

We are having work done at the moment (£1300). I asked at the beginning of the job how he wanted to be paid. He said cash or bank transfer. I don't do online banking, so went to the bank and they put it in a sealed envelope for me.

I didn't think anywhere still accepted cheques. The norm for workmen I think is usually cash or bank transfer.

I had thought of paying cash, but as has happened to me in the past, when something later goes wrong with their work there's not a chance in hell of them coming back to rectify it.

Surely once they’ve been paid that’s normally the case anyway regardless of how you’ve paid them though?

@Norightorwronganswer

Surely once they’ve been paid that’s normally the case anyway regardless of how you’ve paid them though?

Agreed! You can’t cancel the cheque once it’s been cashed anyway.

You don’t need to bank online - you can go in to a branch or call your bank to do a transfer. It’s very standard these days...

We had similar done recently but I think it cost £2500
I didn’t pay anything until they’d finished and then paid cash. We also bought them each a bottle of champagne as they’d done such a fabulous job and worked so hard to get it done to a strict deadline

I'd be annoyed with a cheque too - who wants to find a bank these days to deposit it - it's a faff

And I don't think you have any more protection paying via cheque as you would just doing a bank transfer/cash if you needed to get them back to fix an issue

I also find it hard to believe you don't know what a bank transfer is!!!!!! You could have also rung up and arranged the transfer over the phone

We pay mostly by cash but some by bank transfer
The other way you can pay someone is by PayPal - select the Payment to Friends and Family and you don’t pay transaction fees.
Also useful if your PayPal is linked to a points earning credit card😉

I would always agree the method in advance.
Cash only if they are willing to give a receipt.
Bank transfer is most common these days.
Pay in £1 and then if it ok then transfer the rest.
But if you go into your bank they are usually
pretty good at checking and rechecking account details.
Show them the acc number on tradesmans headed paper.

Bank transfer. Giving a cheque hugely inconveniences a person.

For a tradesman there is always a risk that a cheque will bounce. A bank transfer is the usual way these days

Bank transfer

Bank transfer. It makes life so much easier and there's a record of how much and when you paid. If you can get on line banking it's very very easy.

Had quite a lot of work done recently. All the tradesman provided me with an invoice at the end and I paid by bank transfer

I even pay the gardener and window cleaner by bank transfer.
It is possible to pay cheques in now without visiting the branch. I've done this on a banking app, you essentially send a photo of the cheque.

It must be quite rare for someone to not do internet banking in any way at all?

Cheques take days to clear & can bounce, that’s why people don’t want to take them. You can pay in a cheque by app with most banks but some have a limit on the amount I think mine is £1k - any more than that you need to go in to the bank which is an absolute pain at the moment

Oh come on. It’s 2020 and my 94 year old great grandad uses internet banking.

Do you really not know what a bank transfer is, but you’re internet savvy enough to post on mumsnet?

I run a trade company and we prefer online transfer as get charged by the bank for each cheque I pay in! However I will accept any form of payment as just happy to be paid.

We send an invoice once the work is complete and the customer is happy.

They stated they wanted a bank transfer, whatever that is!

Is this a joke?

A bank transfer would have protected you if he did turn out to be a fraudster because there is a proper trail of the funds. Cheques go via processing centres and while they aim to have money trails for funds over a certain amount smaller amounts like yours often fall through the gaps.

Cash or bank transfer.
Cheques often cost a business/sole trader to pay into their account. Not to mention what a faff it is. Especially as business accounts don’t often let you pay in with a modern method (via phone for example) and usually capped at a certain amount.

Also very suprised you don’t know what a bank transfer is.