requiring payment in cash

across

i had the same problem with the kitchen fitter from MFI he only wanted cash and when i questioned the manager of the shop he told me it was so we dont have to pay VAT! surely this is illegal!!!!!!!! the manager at mfi thought it perfectly reasonable!(the bill was split into two one for the shop and the rest to the fitter in cash!)
what is the point of a receipt when the fitter does not want to disclose his address?that is what we were up against he said it was not normal practise to give an address which is fair enough if he wants confidentiality but how can we have any faith in his work if we cannot get hold of him easily if anything goes wrong? if he is as good as he makes out then he would not expect you to knock on his door anyway with any problems!
judging by the state of our kitchen and its many disgraceful faults no wonder he wanted cash and run!

baldelectrician

I take credit cards and as such the customer has additional rights throught the consumer credit act.
My business costs are higher (bank charges, trade registration etc, but these are reflected in the price)

with reference to major kitchen companies they do not want to pay the fitters they want you to pay direct- then if there is a problem it's not theirs (unless materials). It's easier for them to pass the buck. This appears to happen often.

You get what you pay for (usually)

How many people check a tradespersons credentials online before employing him?

you can easily check if an electrician is registered :
http://www.niceic.org.uk/common/contractor_search.html (all UK)

http://www.sbsa.gov.uk/register/Default.asp (Scotland)

Gas:
http://www.corgi-gas-safety.com/section_gas_law/about_installer_find_installer.asp

Cheers
Stewart

wolfehouse

i feel i ought to clairfy- i have now paid the kitchen company 'their' share of the bill. The fitter has yet to collect his.

Their web site states clearly that they use joiners who fall underneath the vat threshold (+ or- £60,000) to save you paying vat. You have no choice in workmen (i.e you cannot purchase the cabinents only from them). This is perfectly above board.

They also stated verbally that the split of labour/ materials on the invoice is pretty arbitrary- the patter of the salesperson leads you to believe they are warm and cosy and responsible- but use words that make you believe one thing when they are actually saying another. There is nothing about paying in cash rather than cheque though.

robby-01 if my cheque did bounce he could always take me to small claims court.
I have decided that if he wants cash he can accompany me to the bank so I am not carrying cash through town, and he needs to hand over a properly headed receipt. Hope that will do. thanks for all your replies.

Acc72

Just a few quick commentts ...

At best, these people are avoiding VAT, Income Tax and National Insurance (they may also be claiming benefits - this is quite common).

Don't fall for any sob story - remember he wants £1,000 - for you to earn that cash you actually need to earn £1,400

I think a letter to the head office of the kitchen company would be in order as they are obviously encouraging this fraud.

What would happen if there was a problem in 6 months - you would have no record of this service, and I am sure the helpful kitchen company would say that any fault was due to the installation.

I recently had a lot of work done at my house (I bought it needing a full renovation).

I paid "freinds / associates" in cash to do the work - no contracts, receipts etc. in an attempt to save money .........

Unfortunately I have had major problems - and it is difficult to prove what was done and for how much. Also who do you prove it to ? - I explained my problem to the NICEIC who, when I told them that I paid somebody cash said that "I had acted outside the law and they could not help me" !!!

Alas, most of the work that was done has had to be re-done by others at my cost - unfortunatley, it is often that these type of people do not respond to threats of legal action.

In the end I decided not to stress and to put it down to experience - I have resolved that in future any work will be done by an established registered company and that I will pay VAT etc. in order to get a receipt and guarantee of work.

silvercar

I'll pay cash with a receipt showing name and address; I'll pay VAT with a receipt showing VAT number, company name and address.