Paying for materials

[ronconcoke]

I've just had the hinges of 7 doors replaced in my house. The carpenter invoiced me ahead for the materials - £110 for 21 hinges, which I paid in advance. When he came to do the job, he only used 14 of them. Should I ask for some money back (or rather, off the labour cost, which I'm about to pay), or ask to keep the hinges that weren't used - or just forget it (if I'm being petty)? Is this standard practice? (Is £110 a lot for 21 hinges?!)

What pack size do they come in? I'd expect to pay for the next pack size above, so if they come in packs of 5 I'd want to pay for 15. But TBH also depends how much money that is compared to the job and if you want to use him again........

Yes. Query that.

Query the cost you mean?

Get the money back. My builders would always tell me if they over ordered and would charge only for what they used. Exception being paint, which is useful to keep anyway, tiles as they come in packs and hard things precisely estimate how many they need due to breakages etc.

I would feel far too pedantic to ask for the money back. I would ask for them to be left as spares in case the others wear out.

Are the doors thicker than usual?

Should he have used 3 hinges per door?

Why would you need the hinges changing on 7 doors anyway ?

tell him to leave the others as spares .