My Tossed Off Day.

[rafezetter]

I'd treat these people in the same regard they seem to hold you. I'd bill them for time, labour and materials already spent. Then I'd ramp up my normal costs based on the way they have treated you by a fair percentage for the time you lost and the work they want you to do now. I'm in a different industry but how they treated you was just outrageous.

+1 to this. Sounds to me like you're the only game in town who has said this can be done at short notice, so despite wanting the work to use the materials bought and glass, I'd let them know without rubbing their noses in it too much.

Don't forget - verbal agreements, even over the phone (of which you'll have proof of the conversations) are LEGALLY BINDING.

http://www.contractsandagreements.co.uk ... ments.html

They asked you for a window - you went ahead and purchased the necessary stock, and spent time preparing and getting more information.

Bill them for this first, and if pay without fuss, carry on with what they want. If they don't, you'll know what kind of customers they are, which would be better now than after more time and money spent. Then you can either walk away or send them a reminder and indicate you'll take steps to recover the money, regardless of the whether you do the work or not, £500+ time is no small sum. If you have to go down this route I would also tell them any form of slander or libel against your reputation will be met with court proceedings.

Their window emergency isn't your problem to solve, as mentioned a sheet of something can go there until they have paid the first part, but let THEM sort that, don't allow them to say "if you do that we'll pay you" - or if you are inclined, make them pay as you turn up to do it, but BEFORE you do it, and take the invoice for the stock you bought as backup proof.

I've fallen into the trap of "oh can you please do X" or "please do X and I'll pay you for Y" and in several cases of both I've been left out of pocket. Chasing the rainbow of more work without getting paid for the first rarely ends well.

 

[lurker]

About this time last year I was doing up an old victorian terrace.
I needed quite a bit of plastering doing, and the job went to my usual chap, I never even bothered getting altenative quotes.
Anyway the arrangement was I'd have everything ready and he would go in for 4 days and do the lot.
Inevitably things went wrong (my fault, as things were not ready in time) and he was only able to do just over half, but could not get back for 6 weeks to finish.
I went around his house with half the payment, at first he said no leave it to the end, but I insisted he be paid for work done as it was my fault.

He then told me he had recently spent nearly 2 weeks replastering a whole house for apparently weathly clients, they owed him near 3K.
After his invoices were ignored he went around, the woman answered the door and said "I dont have any money so I am not paying you" and shut the door.
Evidently there were 3 high value cars on the drive.
He says it happens all the time.

 

[Phil Pascoe]

Paint stripper or brake fluid does the trick. A friend of my wife who fitted a bathroom for us told me that he'd only been caught out for a lot of money twice - once by an accountant and once by a solicitor.

 

[tomatwark]

A joiner I know was owned money for fitting some windows I had made for him, the customer used all the excuses to avoid payment.

It was only when he went round and started to take the windows back out the customer suddenly managed to pay his bill.

 

[Steve Maskery]

Moving somewhat downmarket, I am finding that I meet different people to those I used to encounter. I have one, what shall we call him, acquaintance-cum-friend, who is a really nice bloke, but I certainly would not want to cross him. He has a past.

He had a bicycle nicked from the back of his house, and a few enquiries led him to a house just up the road. He walked in, without knocking and there, in the back yard, was his bike.

"I want my bike back"
"That's my bike"

The father got up from the sofa, only to be put out by one blow. The son, who had stolen it, took it back where it belonged.

That night the father's white van mysteriously caught fire.

On other occasions, working as a debt-collector, it was customary to bundle 3 cigarette lighters together with an elastic band and pop the bundle up the exhaust pipe of the car, in order to persuade people to get their priorities right.

Like I say, nice bloke I wouldn't want to cross.

 

[transatlantic]

It's funny how we always see the 'Builders from Hell' type shows on TV. Maybe we also need a 'Clients/Commissions from Hell' type tv show, looking at it from the other side.

I hate getting in people to do work, in the back of my mind I'm always thinking the worst is going to happen. Would much rather take 10 times longer to do it myself if possible!

 

[Phil Pascoe]

I believe that as many of us are perfectly capable of doing most things around the house but for one reason or another don't, we tend not to put a true value our work and not to put realistic prices on other people's. I came across something in the controls of a three port valve I was unsure about (smart DIY, to my mind - knowing when to stop ) and I had to call an electrician in. He was excellent, but I still begrudged paying. Swmbo had a point, though, she asked when I last called someone in for anything ( including building in furniture, making windows and doors, replumbing, rewiring, fitting a bathroom, all tiling and decorating). We worked it out at sixteen years ... which is probably why I'm not used to paying people, as everything seems extortion.

 

[ColeyS1]

Paint stripper or brake fluid does the trick.

Just to clarify,are you suggesting pouring it over their cars or chucking it in their face ?

Coley

 

[Phil Pascoe]

Ripping off their heads and pouring it down their throats.

 

[TFrench]

There's a certain satisfaction to sticking that massively inflated bill in to someone you don't like. Even better if you know you're getting the work anyway...

 

[Benchwayze]

Maybe next time, if you don't want to be formal about a deposit, you could at least be very clear with customers about what you will be doing for them and at what expense, like you explained it in your post here.

It's possible that your non-customers have no imagination and just think you always have plenty of suitable wood just lying about, and that making windows is as simple as putting up a shelf.

That was my thinking exactly. I think you would be justified in charging them something. Five hundred is a fair wedge to me! :|