No Receipt for works carried out...No Comeback

stuartaman

Took car to a bodywork specialist to repair a dent..seemed to be a very competitive quote...paid cash as he requested it...asked for receipt by email...said he would send...did not even after chasing a few times...then discovered sticky tape like marks all over the car...asked him if he had stuck down sheeting with tape before putting car in oven...said no and that marks were there before...said he could polish them out..when i returned he would not give car back unless paid him £275 as he had spent the whole day polishing it ...stupidly paid him (most marks seemed to have gone)..again no receipt...a week later marks appeared back and then various people commented on how bad the dent repair job was (pay peanuts you get monkeys or so they say...again my fault for being so cheap)...took it to a Volvo specialist who confirmed that he had seen those marks before when the moisture from sheeting covering a car comes out following the oven process. So now i have to have the repair re-fixed and also the marks removed (which could cost me another £500-600) and no receipts.

So does anyone have a view on any comeback i have? My current thought process is to report him to the tax man (taking cash jobs/no receipts etc etc...) and/or to report him to trading standards (i don't think he belongs to any specific trade body) but am less inclined to go down this route as basically what did i expect when i only paid £X for the repair.

Any help most appreciated

Takeaway_Addict

Anything in writing about paying cash in hand?

unholyangel

Not sure the tax man would be interested unless you can prove that they're not declaring those sales to HMRC. Lots of businesses only accept cash. And theres no legal entitlement to a receipt unless you're vat registered.

You could certainly send him a LBA, Does he operate as a limited company as a sole trader?

Les79

unholyangel wrote: »

Not sure the tax man would be interested unless you can prove that they're not declaring those sales to HMRC. Lots of businesses only accept cash. And theres no legal entitlement to a receipt unless you're vat registered.

You could certainly send him a LBA, Does he operate as a limited company as a sole trader?

Indeed. Cash is a perfectly acceptable method of payment and accepting such payments does not automatically mean that companies are doing business 'off the books'.

Pretty strange that no invoice was provided mind you. That's something I would have insisted on before commencement of the work to be honest..

stuartaman

Thanks everyone for all your help.

Bottom line is that i have no comeback because i paid in cash to get a 'cheaper' price but then was not given a receipt. That old saying."you pay peanuts you get monkey's" is very valid in this case in my opinion.

USF Motors in Surbiton (Red Lion Business Park)...Never use for bodywork repairs!!!!

macman

You have exactly the same comebacks as if you did have a receipt. You can report him to HMRC for suspected tax evasion (although you have no evidence that he is doing so), and you can send him and LBA and then a civil claim after that.
The only difference a receipt makes is that it will be your word against his as to what was agreed and what was charged.

unholyangel

As above.

Civil claims work on the balance of probability, not beyond all reasonable doubt. It may not even occur to the trader to lie about it - often when there are disputes, its because both parties believe they are in the right, rather than knowing they're in the wrong and trying to conceal the facts.

But even if he does lie, there are options. Such as a bank statement showing you withdrew that amount in cash on the day/immediately preceding the car going in to him.

A LBA doesn't cost much and comes with no risk to you - you can send it and decide later if you want to file proceedings against him.