is it O.K. to pay first

umami

I rang a structural engineer re a ?structural problem(have already spoken to builder) and his company's policy is paying upfront first with a written request from me, before they proceed to give me a date and time.Is this safe to do? Thanks.

latecomer

Personally I wouldn't pay anyone up front. Its unusual for most trades although I cant say I've ever employed a structural engineer (yet!)

adaze

Depends if you trust them or not! I wouldn't do it without a written document from them first....

Broadsword

If you are employing a professional practice with qualified engineers then it would not be unreasonable to pay up front. You may want to get competitive quotes from the Institution of Structual Engineers who claim:-

"If you are trying to find a structural engineer, IStructE runs an on-line directory of structural engineering firms. The site contains details for hundreds of structural engineering companies all across the UK, from London and Cardiff, to Edinburgh and Belfast."

OddjobKIA

chun wrote: »

I rang a structural engineer re a ?structural problem(have already spoken to builder) and his company's policy is paying upfront first with a written request from me, before they proceed to give me a date and time.Is this safe to do? Thanks.

If you pay me upfront first I will come and do it for you........:beer:

IE NO

Ladybird20

nope ...mine didnt ask me ..in fact job has been done and i havnt had my bill yet,,in my opinion find someone else who arnt as cowboyish

umami

Thanks everyone, it does help even oddjobKIA!

Their reason is they have had customers not liking their reports and refusing to pay.

a_star_3

Get all their company details, how long they have been trading, registered business address etc, if they are fairly new be cautious, if they have been active a few years most likely genuine.

Any payment you make... make sure you have a copy of the invoices, payment amounts made, its best to try and pay on card if they accept... you have a valid proof of payment as opposed to giving cash.