Vent: Non paying customers

malcindebt

My BIL is a plumbing and heating engineer and is having trouble getting paid from a job he did 2 months ago.

he fitted a full central heating system for a customer. the price he has charged was agreed on before the work was done, and he asked for 1/3 of the money up front to pay for materials (as he does for all work).

The job was discussed at length with the customer before work started, and my BIL uses Microsoft Project to give his schedule of work. Everything was agreed with the customer before hand, including where pipework would run etc.

The job has been completed but he cannot get his money. the guy has said his 'mate from ther pub who's a plumber' has said the work is illegal and he won't pay. He also claimed the boiler doesn't work.

My BIL arranged for the Worcester engineer to go around and have a look at the boiler. He said it's fine, working correctly and the job has been done to a very high standard. The guy is willing to write a statement to that effect and has even told the customer the same.

The customer has told my BIL if he rings his house again asking for the money he will phone the police and have him done for harrassment.

Short of taking this to the small claims court what else can my BIL do?

tgon

You have answered it yourself - small claims court. It's less effort than you might think and certainty more positive than the worry you are going though. You have an expert witness and proof of a professionally planned and legal job.

MooBag_2

Write a letter to the client documenting the facts from start to finish and request immediate payment of outstanding monies, method of payment and request a letter is sent back confirming arrangememt. Send it recorded delivery. Give it one week from the date the letter is received. If nothing is received, take it to the small claims. Sounds like the case is very much in his favour if an independent review has taken place. I'd obtain a copy of that inspection to present at the court should it get that far.

Hope it all works out!!

malcindebt

Thanks

It's just so annoying. you work hard, drum up your own work as a self employed person, price jobs as fairly as possible but obviously try and do so so there is an actual profit at the end, get no problems whilst doing the work, then when it comes to paying up the problems start.

Obviously IMO this 'Mate in the pub who's a plumber' doesn't exist. if he did then why didn't he do the job?

This isn't the first customer who has ripped him off. He did a job for someone who he thought was a mate, did it at a reasonable discount and because his missus had recently had a baby said he could pay him on the drip over 6 weeks. Weeks 1,2 and 3 were fine, week 4 came and the 'mate' says. You were only here 2 days, I'm not paying what you asked for, you've had enough. He lost the labour on that job what he received covered the materials only.

BIL has now said he's jacking it in, going to find a job cards in somewhere and let the company he works for handle all the crap. He'll just go to work in the mornin, come home at night and have done with it. Anything for a quiet, simple life.

rustyboy21

Malc I know how your BIL feels, I have it myself and in the same industry. I have had aggro over xmas with people not paying me and am still fighting to get the money back from jobs done.

The problem you have is that some of the great british public, want the jobs doing, but the rights are all on their side. You cannot go in and get your goods back when they are fitted, and they hold all the cards.

Small claims court does work, sometimes you have to wait for the money to come in, but at least you do have the backing of the law behind you. It's fairly easy to do and has worked for me on the one occasion I have used it.

I have done work for other friends before . My Motto now is'' DONT DO WORK FOR FRIENDS AND NEIGHBOURS, IT COMES BACK AND BITES YOU ON THE AR**E ! ''

Hope he gets sorted soon.

paddyrg

Court. You can initiate a scc claim online for some tens of quids (depending on the claim value) - this is added to the claimed amount, then the courts deal with it. Not particularly fast, but effective as they can send bailiffs to enforce the CCJ. And 'calling the police about harassment' doesn't work with court-appointed bailiffs - they turn up and collect goods to sell to make the value of the owed debt.