How to deal with someone not paying for work done

TomsMom

Sorry if this isn't the right forum, can't find anywhere better to put it.

My son is self-employed doing tiling, fitting kitchens and bathrooms, etc.

He quoted for a job, customer accepted price and asked how long job would take. My son said approx 4 days.

My son had the opportunity of my grandson working with him so he took him along to do the unskilled parts, he also worked longer hours than normal, i.e. 8am-6pm with 15 minutes for lunch instead of 8am-4pm with one hour for lunch, plus there were the two of them on the job instead of just my son. The job was finished after 2 days. Customer was happy with the quality of work. My son invoiced him for the original amount. Customer didn't pay after a reasonable amount of time passed, my son contacted him and was told a cheque would be put in the post, this happened twice.

Customer is now saying he wont pay, that he's not happy with the price and that it only took two days not the four that he was originally told so it should cost less. My son has explained that there were two of them and that they worked a longer day than normal. Customer still refuses to pay and has said he will "blacken your name and make sure you don't work around here again". It turns out that this customer also owes money to a local business (who passes on work to my son) who wont sell him anything else until he pays them what he already owes!

Any ideas where he can go from here?

Doozergirl

Straight to moneyclaim online. It will cost an amount to register it but it will get added to the "customer's" bill. This man needs to be shown that people are not to be taken advantage of.

Outrageous behaviour

Plumber90

If it was me I would Go round there and take back whatever I put in there. It may not be legal but that's what I would do.

TomsMom

Doozergirl wrote: »

Straight to moneyclaim online. It will cost an amount to register it but it will get added to the "customer's" bill. This man needs to be shown that people are not to be taken advantage of.

Outrageous behaviour

Thank you, I'll pass that on to him .

Plumber90 wrote: »

If it was me I would Go round there and take back whatever I put in there. It may not be legal but that's what I would do.

Funny you should say that, I half expected him to say he was going round there and taking the tiles off the wall!

muckybutt

To be official from the start he needs to send a strongly worded letter stating what money is owed and to give a time limit of 14 days.

After the 14 days have expired and there hasn't been any communication or money from the customer then you send a Letter Before Action, again state your case time limit 7 days. This will inform the customer that you fully intend to sue for the money.

After 7 days you can then start legal proceedings against them through Moneyclaim online.

Even if you win at County Court you are not guaranteed to get your money back though - I have been there done just as stated above.
If the Judge finds in your favour then the claim is made against the customer and he is told to cough up and registered with a CCJ. If he can't or doesn't cough up you can enforce the debt then with a bailiff or sheriff officer who can attempt to seize goods to the value of £xxx's if the customer has enough seizeable goods to cover the amount owed.
If they don't own enough of value then it's not been money well spent

aggypanthus

A word of warning, if he gives you part payment by cheque, dont cash it as this will count as you having accepted it a a final settlement.
my OH got done over this way, debt agency drew a blank, also told same by pal who is banking legal bod.

rustyboy21

This website is normally about how builders have done someone out of money and poor workmanship, so It is good to show that it is a 2 way street.


I have been done a few times like this, and it is not nice. I even had one ring me and complain that the fire had gone faulty and demanding I called out to it, even though he hadn't paid me !. Small claims and telling every other builder/workman in the area not to do any work for that customer is the only route to go. Pity there isn't a website that builders/engineers etc could name and shame consumers who don't pay !


Just shows, people complain about builders etc pulling a fast one, and pressurising them for payment. It is customers like this, that make the builders do that in the first place.

macman

If he agreed a fixed price, rather than a day rate, then it's irrelevant if it took 2 days, 4 days or 40 days.

moneyistooshorttomention

Small claims court is risky, in the sense that there is always the possibility that judgement may not be enforceable, but it doesn't cost much to bring a claim through it (well it certainly didn't use to in the past). A risk worth taking I feel.

As stated, if it was a fixed rate for the job then that is the price payable. From the customers pov, I get nervous about "extra bodies" turning up to help with a job if its an hourly rate (wondering if another person is after some "hours"). At my standard way of working (ie fixed rate), then the more people the better, as my job should get finished faster.

Doozergirl

rustyboy21 wrote: »

This website is normally about how builders have done someone out of money and poor workmanship, so It is good to show that it is a 2 way street.


I have been done a few times like this, and it is not nice. I even had one ring me and complain that the fire had gone faulty and demanding I called out to it, even though he hadn't paid me !. Small claims and telling every other builder/workman in the area not to do any work for that customer is the only route to go. Pity there isn't a website that builders/engineers etc could name and shame consumers who don't pay !


Just shows, people complain about builders etc pulling a fast one, and pressurising them for payment. It is customers like this, that make the builders do that in the first place.

Had the same last week. Haven't paid the final bill on an extension, due months ago despite being happy. They emailed last week saying that the toilet blocks. We didn't do the plumbing!

andydiysaver

Doozergirl wrote: »

Straight to moneyclaim online. It will cost an amount to register it but it will get added to the "customer's" bill. This man needs to be shown that people are not to be taken advantage of.

Outrageous behaviour

yeah agreed, that's what I'd do, and you can add interest. most people pay up before the CCJ but if they don't you can commission bailiffs