Payment in advance?

[Russell]

I see some places like plant hire ( machine only) and skips charge in advance. Does anyone manage to get away with charging in advance for digger and driver work?

 

[doobin]

Always if it’s a builder or ltd I’ve not worked for before rather than a homeowner.

 

[Nick...]

On some jobs it woukd be nice to get paid at all.used to do a bit of hedge cutting for local neighbors.got 2 who still owe me for 4 years ago.one had the audacity to ask me to cut his again.i said you not paid last time yet and he said if I cut it again he would pay.he was told to f-ck of.another asked me to price kerbing and gravelling driveway.got a builder in to sort and price.he asked me to cut his hedge and he paid before I done it.anyway I done it and then when I finished he txt me to say drive had been done.just put some 20mm stone down.builder was not happy either having spent time visiting and pricing.he will get told to F off this year when he asks and as he needs to access my farm land to do it he will be in a muddle.
nick...

 

[mart1602]

there are some cheeky c@nts about for sure,spent half a day pricing work for a guy before he bought a property expect it was to put in a low offer he had every other fxxker in the county doing work there and i didnt get a sniff

 

[Nick...]

there are some cheeky c@nts about for sure,spent half a day pricing work for a guy before he bought a property expect it was to put in a low offer he had every other fxxker in the county doing work there and i didnt get a sniff

After 20 years I can sniff these people out now.
nick...

 

[Furniss]

Over here in France - customer signs a quote and pays 30% deposit - its the norm.

Not completely daft the French

 

[V8Druid]

After 20 years I can sniff these people out now.
nick...

I could spot a tosser at a 100 yds, when they appeared at my gates .... as you say, you get a nose for it and was rarely wrong

 

[V8Druid]

a lot of my stuff used to have large-ish price tags just for materials ..... if they weren't known to me, weren't a/c holders or just didn't 'feel right' (see above) ... it was proforma, with 50% and all the VAT up front, with written instructions and order, balance on notification of completion, banked and cleared, before release for collection or delivery.
If they were straight they understood ... any wriggling and i just told 'em to "take it or leave it ... that's the terms" saved me a lot of grief (and money) over the years

 

[Quattromike]

We get hpu's from a company, they cost approx £1.2k last time we ordered 12, have ordered approx 30 over last 8 years, they take about 6 weeks to come in and every time I place an order they expect full payment upfront every time I have to negotiate a 25% deposit. But still payment in full before delivery. 8 years we've been working with them. But then we are Scottish so I wouldn't trust us either

 

[Nick...]

When I started out by myself I was given a job from local plant hire firm to do some work for Balfour Beatty who were working for British rail.i drove my avatar from south norfolk to stow market and done the work.had all ref numbers so sent bill in to Balfour and after a month I called asking for money.i started getting excuses.this went on weekly for 4 months and the office girl I spoke was called Amanda doody.after 4 months I wrote to managing director of Balfour asking for my money which was around £160,this was 20 years ago.i eventually got paid.never worked for big companies since and never would now.its just about impossible to fight them.bloody screws the lot of em.people starting out have not got a chance and these big boys expect us owner ops to bend over and take it.
nick...

 

[V8Druid]

When I started out by myself I was given a job from local plant hire firm to do some work for Balfour Beatty who were working for British rail.i drove my avatar from south norfolk to stow market and done the work.had all ref numbers so sent bill in to Balfour and after a month I called asking for money.i started getting excuses.this went on weekly for 4 months and the office girl I spoke was called Amanda doody.after 4 months I wrote to managing director of Balfour asking for my money which was around £160,this was 20 years ago.i eventually got paid.never worked for big companies since and never would now.its just about impossible to fight them.bloody screws the lot of em.people starting out have not got a chance and these big boys expect us owner ops to bend over and take it.
nick...

I just didn't work for 'em ... was lucky that i had enough locally and from regulars to keep us occupied, with anything additional being a bonus ... on the very odd occasion I became involved with any one 'big', usually through being connected via a.n.other customer ... it was always bloody hard work. nearly got my fingers and a lot else burnt, early on in my biz life, by a national and cured me of getting tangled with them - for ever. I have related the tale before some where, but it was Druid/justice - 1 - 'con merchants' - nil .... and they (MD and 2 other directors) nearly got locked up in the cells for the night, by the judge -- wiped the smirk off their faces and put one on mine.

 

[Jimoz]

When I used to do bespoke joinery I always did 50% on order 50% on completion
Had @V8Druid s attitude, any haggling with these terms was a red flag straight away. Anyone with half a brain knows that you're still underwater at 50%, it's a gesture.

 

[Lancs Lad]

Eh? What's you smoking

 

[Gecko]

Eh? What's you smoking

Lots of "A", not so much "I" in this one.

 

[CPS]

Hi Guys,
Sometimes, it’d just be nice to get paid for the work you do. I used to do a bit of hedge cutting for local neighbors, but two of them still owe me from four years back. One even had the nerve to ask me to cut his hedge again. I reminded him he hadn’t paid me for the last time, and he said, “If you cut it again, I’ll pay you.” Yeah… he got told to f-off. Another neighbor asked me to price up kerbing and graveling his driveway, so I brought in a builder to help sort it out.

Then he asked me to cut his hedge and even paid me up front, so I went ahead. But right after I finished, he texted to say the drive was “done” which just meant he dumped some 20mm stone down himself. The builder wasn’t happy either, after spending the time to visit and give a proper quote. So this year, when he asks again, he’ll be getting the same answer. And since he has to cross my farmland to get it done, let’s just say he’s going to find himself in a bit of a muddle.

What kind of hedge cutter have you got

 

[6feetdown]

Hi Guys,
Sometimes, it’d just be nice to get paid for the work you do. I used to do a bit of hedge cutting for local neighbors, but two of them still owe me from four years back. One even had the nerve to ask me to cut his hedge again. I reminded him he hadn’t paid me for the last time, and he said, “If you cut it again, I’ll pay you.” Yeah… he got told to f-off. Another neighbor asked me to price up kerbing and graveling his driveway, so I brought in a builder to help sort it out.

Then he asked me to cut his hedge and even paid me up front, so I went ahead. But right after I finished, he texted to say the drive was “done” which just meant he dumped some 20mm stone down himself. The builder wasn’t happy either, after spending the time to visit and give a proper quote. So this year, when he asks again, he’ll be getting the same answer. And since he has to cross my farmland to get it done, let’s just say he’s going to find himself in a bit of a muddle.

Should have said yes and cut his hedge stupidly low

 

[6feetdown]

I recently charged someone 40 for a visit to look at a tank job. I'm fed up of looking at work and then having them do it themselves!