MONEY MORAL DILEMMA: Should Handy Andy ask Carol and Laurence for more money? 29 May 2007 at 11:19AM edited 30 November -1 at 1:00AM in Money Saving Polls 33 replies 10.1K views

Former_MSE_Lawrence

Here's this week's hypothetical situation for you to cogitate on:

Should Handy Andy ask Carol and Laurence for more money?

Builder and decorator Andy has been helping Carol & Laurence do up the run down house they bought as their new family home.!As they're good friends he's been doing it at mates' rates to give them a leg up and somewhere to live quickly.!Originally it was meant to be just three weeks' work, but it ended up being five weeks.!Now Andy's found out that due to a job change, rather than living in the house, the couple are planning to put the now glistening property back on the market to make some serious cash. Should he go back and ask them for full commercial rates for the job - over twice as much?

Enter the Money Moral Maze: Should Handy Andy ask Carol and Laurence for more money?

Previous MMDs: Should Jordan take her kit off for cash?, Should little sis get a holiday too?

Morgana_2

Andy shouldn't have to ask for extra cash - real friends would explain their change of plan and offer to cough up. If they don't, he shouldn't help them out again.

bugsy101

As the house is now going to be sold, and some serious money made from it, Handy Andy should ask / or be given a % of the profits for all his hard work.:j

cotsvale

No Dilemma here - he should ask to be paid the full rate.

Leigh79

If he made an offer to do it for mates rates that is what he has to do. What they do with the house afterwards is their business. If nothing was agreed then
a) that was silly on his part!
b) he could then ask them to pay a different rate for work already done but they don't have to agree
c) he can only really negotiate for any new work

The only real moral dilemma is for them but there is no legal obligation :-)

msbarbarav

Ask for the money but be prepared to damage your friendship. A friend of ours was unemployed and offered to help with building on our house at his stipulated rate, stayed with us for 2 months and we had a great time, got lots done and enjoyed ourselves. Two weeks after we finished he had a heart attack and sadly it was fatal. His wife promptly told us that the last thing he should have been doing was physical work. I just don't want to see her any more, it has ruined the relationship we had with her and her kids. I know this is pretty extreme, but weigh up what your friendship means to you first.

JULIE

I agree with Leigh79 he shouldn't go back on what was agreed however he could make a joke saying that as you're gonna make all this money i shouldn't have charged you mates rates (type of thing) ha ha....if they had an ounce of guilt they could see him right for his hard work

JayD

I agree with what so many have already said - and probably more eloquently too! Andy should not need to ask for more cash if these are truly friends - but if they don't offer, then I am all for him asking for a slice of the pie that he has helped to cook for them (groaning here).

The terms under which he undertook the work at that rate have now changed dramatically and I think he has every right to claim a decent rate of pay for all of his hard work. If they don't agree, then they really are not friends at all.

GileZ

I agree with many of the aforementioned opinions in that if the couple wanted to live in the house then fair enough but if they are going to make a big enough profit to compensate for the full rates (i.e. if it is £5,000 extra and they stand to make £50,000 then they should definitely pay him for the full commercial amount. However, if they aren't going to make enough money to cover it then they should just split a percentage of whatever they make with him as a token of gratitude. If they fail to do either of these then they are obviously not the friends he thought they were.

LEEBIE558

Morgana wrote: »

Andy shouldn't have to ask for extra cash - real friends would explain their change of plan and offer to cough up. If they don't, he shouldn't help them out again.

TOTALLY AGREE TRUE FRIENDS WOULD SEE HIM RIGHT WITH A SWEET LITTLE BONUS, BUT IF ANDY IS DOING MATE RATES HE'S PROBABLY ALSO NOT PAYING TAX OR NATIONAL INSURANCE SO HE BETTER BE CAREFUL! AN ALSO HE NEVER ACTUALLY BOUGHT THE HOUSE WHERE AS THEY DID SO THE MONEYS IS THERES, OBVIOUSLY BUT I MEAN HE SHOULD AT LEAST BE OFFERED SOMETHING IN RETURN I.E. MATES RATES FROM THEM

bagby

I wouldnt ask them to pay the going rate for past work but if I was the on the other side I would give handy andy a bonus out of our profits. I would have thought that is what real friends do. If they dont give him anything without being asked, I wouldnt help out again again.