Serial payments for painting/decorating

Uffuffa

Hi All,

A quick question. Quoted 2400 for total stripping/lining/painting of walls and ceilings in 4 bed, dining, living, kitchen, hall/stairs/landing, woodwork throughout (frames, skirtings, etc) and radiators using Dulux products.

Paid 500 at request in cash after stripping done (for materials and stripping).

Now have been asked to pay 900 as a further payment... Not comfortable with this and hoping for your advice. So far about 75% of the lining has been done but there are bubbles and tiny gritty bits scattered around each room. He says this is not a problem as he will use a "special tool" to knock these bits in, smooth over with filler then paint once levelled. He will also fill in the small gaps between the lining paper strips before painting (quoted for two coats). He says these imperfections will ultimately not be visible and not return.

Please could you let me know whether this serial payment system is fair - should I part with this 900 interim payment or hold on or give a lesser amount? Further, does this technique of knocking/filling of imperfections make sense to you?

I must admit that I did not agree a payment pattern at the start of the job - haven't much experience in this and now know I should have had this in writing

Many thanks,
Uffuffa

(P.S. I just put this thread into the "is this quote fair" forum by mistake so am putting it here instead. How do I delete the other one?)

nickj_2

im a decorator and normally i dont ask for any payments until the job is completed and customer is happy , the only time i ask for money is if its a big job ,more than 3 weeks , then i just ask for a proportional amount

keystone

nickj wrote: »

im a decorator and normally i dont ask for any payments until the job is completed and customer is happy , the only time i ask for money is if its a big job ,more than 3 weeks , then i just ask for a propotional amount

I think thats what's happening here but £500 for stripping and mats, then another £ 900 when stripping only 75% complete seems a little one sided. The OP and their decorator need to sit down and discuss it really in an adult and civilised manner. Try and fix some milestones of achievment to trigger payments.

How long is the job and how long has he been there already?

Cheers

Yorkshire_Bred

nickj wrote: »

im a decorator and normally i dont ask for any payments until the job is completed and customer is happy , the only time i ask for money is if its a big job ,more than 3 weeks , then i just ask for a proportional amount

100% agree, usually at most I will ask for around 20% of the total cost of estimate, and only if I have to!! (depending on cash flow) this usually covers the material cost of the work.

IMO I would offer a lower payment but make it conditional on the work being satisfactory and overall in proportion to the work that has been done.

jcb208

nickj wrote: »

im a decorator and normally i dont ask for any payments until the job is completed and customer is happy , the only time i ask for money is if its a big job ,more than 3 weeks , then i just ask for a proportional amount

I am as well and would never ask for money untill the job was complete and to your satisfaction

DVardysShadow

Never pay in advance of the work which has been satisfactorily completed and materials which have actually been incorporated.

Otherwise, you are setting yourself up for a no show tradesman - with you he is ahead, so he will not return until he runs out of people who are behind.

Uffuffa

Thanks for your very helpful replies. Have edited my original post because it read that 75% of the stripping had been done - I meant 75% of the lining had been done instead (and all the stripping had been completed prior to that).

Have followed your advice, Keystone, and met up with the decorator today at the house for a proper discussion. He's been working on the house for 2 weeks now on an intermittent basis.

Following a frank discussion regarding my discomfort at the idea of interim payments we have come to an agreement. He has signed on an invoice to confirm receipt of my first 500 and now my 900 interim payments for the work so far (1400 total). He will now not take any more money until he has fully completed the lining, first coated the house and completed a bedroom to final standard so that I can view his quality of completed work. At that stage I will give him a further interim of 400 if I am happy with the quality of that room (1800 total). Then he will take final payment (2400 total) on completion of the house to at least the quality of that room.

I hope I'm not shooting myself in the foot here. Ultimately it seems he's had the wool pulled over his eyes before as a tradesman and not been paid for his work, which is why he now employs this system of interim payments. Only time will tell how this goes. In the future I will agree in writing that a single interim payment of max 20% for materials be made before completion of the work to my satisfaction.