Contractor asking for 30% deposit

The_Shadow

We have just had our facias, sofits and gutters replaced with Upvc, by a reputable recomended contractor didnt ask for a penny untill the job was finished and we were completley satisfied.


I hear what the flooring guy says, but personally speaking from experiance i would not pay a deposit.

garrysibbald

Mr_Poves wrote: »

I'm sorry to have to disagree with you all , but from my point of view being a small business (sole trader) -
It really rings an alarm bell for me when someone refuses to pay a deposit , and I infact walk away from their business .
I've been let down a good few times after ordering goods in that are bespoke to the individual job .
I'm in the flooring game so it's slightly different , but generally I think it's quite unfair to expect someone to order goods and book days in a diary without any sort of retainer .
The amount of people who think nothing of cancelling the night before or on the actual morning of a job is unreal .
I've had one job cancelled because someone has undercut me by a tenner !

We used to experience the same problem with occasional cancellations or rescheduling at the last minute which often had a big knock on effect so we started taking a booking fee of £100 to form a contract with the customer. They know that we will turn up as planned and we know they won't mess us about and that gives both of us confidence in each other and no-one has ever refused to pay. We often also take an advance at the start of a job but that is never before the day we start, therefore I don't think questioning paying 30% deposit in advance is unreasonable either.

Mr_Poves

garrysibbald wrote: »

We used to experience the same problem with occasional cancellations or rescheduling at the last minute which often had a big knock on effect so we started taking a booking fee of £100 to form a contract with the customer. They know that we will turn up as planned and we know they won't mess us about and that gives both of us confidence in each other and no-one has ever refused to pay. We often also take an advance at the start of a job but that is never before the day we start, therefore I don't think questioning paying 30% deposit in advance is unreasonable either.

Same here , I really can't see why people expect contractors to just make bookings on the strength of promise of payment .
And as uncanny as it is , I'm sat here after just texting a customer to cancel a job for tomorrow which has been booked on since last week .
Still not been sent an address at 10 pm the night before , oh and it was booked over the phone with no deposit taken as it was a labour only job - I rest my case :T

keith969

Mr_Poves wrote: »

Same here , I really can't see why people expect contractors to just make bookings on the strength of promise of payment .

Yes it's funny isn't it, I really can't see why employers expect me to work for a month before they pay me.

Furts

keith969 wrote: »

Yes it's funny isn't it, I really can't see why employers expect me to work for a month before they pay me.

Trades people take time to offer genuine advice, then receive comments like this. One could easily ask a question "Why should they bother".

Of course Mr Poves and garrysibbald have no guarantee of payment after a month. However, countless consumers have legally binding contracts of employment guaranteeing them payment of their monthly salary.

keith969

Furts wrote: »

Trades people take time to offer genuine advice, then receive comments like this. One could easily ask a question "Why should they bother".

Because they choose to be self-employed and run that risk. If they don't like that risk then they are free to ask for a deposit but equally they should accept that not everyone wants to do that.

The OP is not alone in worrying that on paying a deposit, any sense of urgency in delivering may evaporate.

Mr_Poves

keith969 wrote: »

Because they choose to be self-employed and run that risk. If they don't like that risk then they are free to ask for a deposit but equally they should accept that not everyone wants to do that.

The OP is not alone in worrying that on paying a deposit, any sense of urgency in delivering may evaporate.

This is why alot of sole traders and small business people go under , I don't run any risks , hence taking deposits , 99% of customers have no issue with this in my experience , the ones that do don't get my expert advice , planning and craftsmanship in the end result , simple as .

Mr_Poves

keith969 wrote: »

Yes it's funny isn't it, I really can't see why employers expect me to work for a month before they pay me.

I think the general concensus from the tradespeople commenting is a deposit upfront is a requirement , You actually have employment law to protect you keith if you don't get a wage at the end of the month , unfortunately we don't , It must be people like you I don't do any jobs for .

Doozergirl

keith969 wrote: »

Because they choose to be self-employed and run that risk. If they don't like that risk then they are free to ask for a deposit but equally they should accept that not everyone wants to do that.

The OP is not alone in worrying that on paying a deposit, any sense of urgency in delivering may evaporate.

I understood that Furts was asking why experienced tradespeople should bother offering their advice here if they are ridiculed for doing so.

You thought something was funny. It wasn't.

Thankfully your subsequent post makes sense. Same conversation happening on another thread; there is no right answer.

I don't take deposits but I do spend time trying to figure if potential clients think that tradespeople are a lesser life form.

Silvertabby

We used the same local company for our windows, facias and conservatory.

Each time, the contract didn't require a deposit - just full payment on satisfactory completion.