Payment for materials

MattRichards789

That has been very helpful. Thanks 

Flight3287462

unholyangel said:

Personally, i can't believe your brass neck. You clearly don't know the first thing about consumer rights, but you're not letting that stop you from belittling the OP.

This is a consumer rights forum. It sounds like the trader has not remotely complied with their obligations. Yet you're saying the OP has a brass neck for doing exactly what consumer rights allow you to do? 

If someone is going to start a job on Monday then it makes sense that they buy the required materials on the Friday.

I think I have a basic understanding of what is reasonable and what is not, you post very useful posts but at the end of the day not everything needs to come down legalese but to what is reasonable.

But then again I live in a rural area where we still abide by my word is my bond, I know that is an old fashioned view but it has served me well for many years.  So as you would be done by.

DiddyDavies

Hunyani_Flight_825 said:

If someone is going to start a job on Monday then it makes sense that they buy the required materials on the Friday.

I think I have a basic understanding of what is reasonable and what is not, you post very useful posts but at the end of the day not everything needs to come down legalese but to what is reasonable.

But then again I live in a rural area where we still abide by my word is my bond, I know that is an old fashioned view but it has served me well for many years.  So as you would be done by.

When posting replies on a consumer rights forum, what is reasonable doesn't apply and legalese is precisely what it does come down to.
Yes, it would make sense for the builder to buy materials on the Friday, it would also make a lot of sense for that builder to understand their legal obligations and to be trustworthy enough to comply with them.

Jumblebumble

MattRichards789 said:

I have a flat roof above my kitchen and it needed to be replaced as it had started to rot. I contacted a few different builders to give me a quote, one replied almost immediately saying he had someone in the area who could take a look today. The builder came and looked then called the boss to give me the quote over the phone. I felt the quote was inflated but agreed as I felt pressured into a decision. The quote was given on Friday with a view to start the work on Monday. I received more quotes on Saturday and one was cheaper than the one I had agreed. I called the first builder to tell him I no longer needed him to carry out the work as I now had a cheaper quote. The first builder is trying to charge me for the materials he has bought to do the job. I told him they can be returned or used on another job but he is insisting that I pay for them. This feels wrong but I'm not sure where I stand. Any help is appreciated. 

If I were the builder I would be very annoyed with your entitled attitude in telling me that I could just use materials elsewhere or return them as you did not fancy paying for them.
Who do you think should pay for my time ?

unholyangel

Hunyani_Flight_825 said:

unholyangel said:

Personally, i can't believe your brass neck. You clearly don't know the first thing about consumer rights, but you're not letting that stop you from belittling the OP.

This is a consumer rights forum. It sounds like the trader has not remotely complied with their obligations. Yet you're saying the OP has a brass neck for doing exactly what consumer rights allow you to do? 

If someone is going to start a job on Monday then it makes sense that they buy the required materials on the Friday.

I think I have a basic understanding of what is reasonable and what is not, you post very useful posts but at the end of the day not everything needs to come down legalese but to what is reasonable.

But then again I live in a rural area where we still abide by my word is my bond, I know that is an old fashioned view but it has served me well for many years.  So as you would be done by.

And had the builder complied with the law, he'd be able to charge OP. But he didn't so.....

What other laws do you think it's reasonable for the builder to ignore? Health & safety laws? Building Regulations? Declaring his income to HMRC? Paying minimum wage/other employment rights of any workers he hires? 

So the trader breaking the law but still having his position protected is reasonable, but the OP trying to enforce their rights (as set out in law) to protect their position isn't? That's some convoluted logic. 

Flight3287462

unholyangel said:

And had the builder complied with the law, he'd be able to charge OP. But he didn't so.....

What other laws do you think it's reasonable for the builder to ignore? Health & safety laws? Building Regulations? Declaring his income to HMRC? Paying minimum wage/other employment rights of any workers he hires? 

So the trader breaking the law but still having his position protected is reasonable, but the OP trying to enforce their rights (as set out in law) to protect their position isn't? That's some convoluted logic. 

You just don't get it unholyangel on how it works for many of us, we know the contractors and the tradesmen well we know most of the employees.  I phone them up and ask for a job top be done, most are done on hourly rates without a quote.   If I had to sign bits of paper and wait the 14 days cooling period nothing would get done.  For many of my jobs I look up into the sky check the weather forecast and call the contractor and pray he can do the job before the weather breaks.

What goes on in the towns and cities has no interest to me, I will work with them in the time honoured tradition with trust on both sides.  Some of the trades people round here never send you a bill and you have to beg to pay them.

DiddyDavies

Hunyani_Flight_825 said:

You just don't get it unholyangel on how it works for many of us, we know the contractors and the tradesmen well we know most of the employees.  I phone them up and ask for a job top be done, most are done on hourly rates without a quote.   If I had to sign bits of paper and wait the 14 days cooling period nothing would get done. 

But that's the point. You don't have to wait 14 days. All you need to do it to make sure that the customer agrees that the work can commence immediately (or at any time within the 14 day cooling off period) and provided that both you and the customer agree, this can be confirmed by email or text message so complying with that particular part of the CCR's would only take seconds and have no impact on when the work starts.

unholyangel

Hunyani_Flight_825 said:

unholyangel said:

And had the builder complied with the law, he'd be able to charge OP. But he didn't so.....

What other laws do you think it's reasonable for the builder to ignore? Health & safety laws? Building Regulations? Declaring his income to HMRC? Paying minimum wage/other employment rights of any workers he hires? 

So the trader breaking the law but still having his position protected is reasonable, but the OP trying to enforce their rights (as set out in law) to protect their position isn't? That's some convoluted logic. 

You just don't get it unholyangel on how it works for many of us, we know the contractors and the tradesmen well we know most of the employees.  I phone them up and ask for a job top be done, most are done on hourly rates without a quote.   If I had to sign bits of paper and wait the 14 days cooling period nothing would get done.  For many of my jobs I look up into the sky check the weather forecast and call the contractor and pray he can do the job before the weather breaks.

What goes on in the towns and cities has no interest to me, I will work with them in the time honoured tradition with trust on both sides.  Some of the trades people round here never send you a bill and you have to beg to pay them.

I think it's you who doesn't get it. 

This is not a business board. Not a local trade board. Not a "am I being unreasonable" board. Or even a "what would Jesus do" type board. It's a consumer rights board. 

Plus it smacks of hypocrisy to ignore statute when simultaneously demanding money based on contract law. 

mattyprice4004

People like this are exactly why I gave up dealing with 'ordering first' and then expecting the customer to pay - you gave him the thumbs up, he's laid cash out and now you want to weasel out.

Even if you can exit from a legal perspective, your moral compass should guide you another way.

MattRichards789

I was willing to work with the builder as I understand I had waisted his time. I offered to buy the materials from him at cost if he could show me proof of purchase. He indicated he would not sell me the materials  and that I would just give him the money also he said he had no proof of purchase. Which seemed unusual to me. 

Quotes are usually given as no obligation, as he only came to my property once to give the initial quote I don't feel I have used an unreasonable amount if his time.