We engaged a builder to carry out some work for us and agreed a price, date to begin and were given a completion date of 10 days.
The payments were to be split in four equal amounts, one paid on booking, one to be paid on first day of work, one to be paid at beginning of second week and remainder to be paid on completion. Which I thought was fair.
He started three days later than planned - ok I understand jobs like this do over-run. He then worked a day, took a day off, worked a day, worked half a day, took another day off and worked another half day. And then said he couldn't come back for at least a week.
So out of 9 potential working days he had only actually worked 3 days, spread over four working days.
He isn't even a third of the way through the job and as invoice is broken down I can easily see that we have already paid him three times the value of the actual work he has done so far.
He is now asking for the third payment to be made - as per contract as when he does returns it will be the first day of the second week. Would you pay it?
I am mindful that if he puts us off again I think I would tell him not to continue. Would I have any recourse to getting any of the money already paid back if I did this?