Plasterer asked for money for materials up front for small job tomorrow

JimmyChanga

If it was a massive job of several thousand pounds you can argue tradesmen need some money ongoing but for that amount no way should they be doing so.

Risteard

AndyMc..... wrote: »

Do you settle on the day or after 28 days?

That's not in any way relevant to ensuring the money will be there to pay for the materials.

ka7e

I've been tracking a con man posing as a plasterer/carpenter/jack of all trades on my local Facebook recommendations site when I realised I'd drastically overpaid for a very bad plastering job (my fault). I realised he was asking people to PM him for cash quotes, so I started PMing them to warn them off.

I was then contacted by someone who had paid him £600 in advance for materials to decorate a whole house. He had found this chap on a trades site which seemed to show a lot of glowing testimonials and pictures of completed works. All the pictures were lifted from professional sites (Google reverse image!). The work has not been done and the con man has twice promised to meet the chap on site, and not turned up.


We know his real name and that he has no internet presence apart from a FB profile where he regularly changes his name. He made the mistake of sending me a friend request which I did not accept, but he cannot withdraw it so I always know the current alias he is using.


I would not employ anyone now, unless they were personally recommended and ideally, I could see their work in person. No money upfront - I can order materials in myself, often with free delivery. Once bitten and all that!

Dan-Dan

Cisco001 wrote: »

Ask him to list out what he material he want.

You then go to shop with him and purchase the materials directly.
So the materials is your properties not his.

Meanwhile back in the real world the OP is busy looking for another skimmer

Doozergirl

I know a nice plasterer that's based in Hammersmith. Not making a specific recommendation, just sayin'.

trailingspouse

What would he have done if you hadn't happened to ring him to check that everything was still on track? That's the bit that doesn't make sense to me.
If he 'always works like that' then he should have made that clear at the time of booking the job. Our pet electrician asks for a 10% deposit to 'book the day' if it's a big job - but by big job I mean a full rewire, not a bit of plastering!

G_M

nLdn wrote: »

I found this guy on my builder for what it's worth.

This is one of the increasing number of commercial sites linking tradesmen with customers. They (the sites) are in the business of making money, not vetting or discouraging poor tradesmen, who pay their fees.

If you can't get personal recomendations, try a site that actually looks at whether the tradesmen they recommend are professional, reliable etc eg

Trading Standards' Buy With Confidence' or


Which? Trusted Traders (not to be confused with a commercial site with a similar name.....)

parking_question_chap

Everytime I have had a trader in for a job, after I ask for the quote I will also say "and I trust its payment upon completion?". Saves you wasting time finding this out later on.

ceredigion

parking_question_chap wrote: »

Everytime I have had a trader in for a job, after I ask for the quote I will also say "and I trust its payment upon completion?". Saves you wasting time finding this out later on.

Go into Tesco's and ask if you can pay for the groceries when you have eaten them

G_M

ceredigion wrote: »

Go into [STRIKE]Tesco's[/STRIKE]Cafe Rouge and ask if you can pay for the [STRIKE]groceries[/STRIKE]meals when you have eaten them

Sorted that out for you!