Up Front Payment ?

Bebe1980

I asked for a quote to clear the rotting decking and remaining pond rubbish from my garden and before going ahead I asked for their payment terms. It's £1350 in all.

https://proactivecleaners.co.uk/ initially asked for it all up front but have now agreed to take 75% on the booking and the remaining 25% the day before they do the work

Is this normal ?

I was expecting something like £250 for the booking and then the balance on completion.

Section62

Bebe1980 said:

I asked for a quote to clear the rotting decking and remaining pond rubbish from my garden and before going ahead I asked for their payment terms. It's £1350 in all.

https://proactivecleaners.co.uk/ initially asked for it all up front but have now agreed to take 75% on the booking and the remaining 25% the day before they do the work

Is this normal ?

I was expecting something like £250 for the booking and then the balance on completion.

Once they have cleared away your rubbish, what comeback would they have if you decided not to pay them?  (It would be illegal for them to dump rubbish in your garden to square things up)

As a general rule waste disposal companies want paying up front, unless you are an established customer and they trust you to pay.

More importantly, is the company legit in the sense of having the appropriate waste carrier registration/licence, and will they provide you with a waste transfer note?

saajan_12

Section62 said:

Bebe1980 said:

I asked for a quote to clear the rotting decking and remaining pond rubbish from my garden and before going ahead I asked for their payment terms. It's £1350 in all.

https://proactivecleaners.co.uk/ initially asked for it all up front but have now agreed to take 75% on the booking and the remaining 25% the day before they do the work

Is this normal ?

I was expecting something like £250 for the booking and then the balance on completion.

Once they have cleared away your rubbish, what comeback would they have if you decided not to pay them?  (It would be illegal for them to dump rubbish in your garden to square things up)

As a general rule waste disposal companies want paying up front, unless you are an established customer and they trust you to pay.

Well they have your address and can file a money claim online. By your logic, what comeback does the customer have if they paid 100% of it before any work was started and the company decided not to show up to clear the rubbish? 

IMO its just up to the norm in the industry / area, and hence if you can get better terms from a competitor. Around me, I've generally paid 50% upfront (or materials cost if higher) and 50% on completion for shorter jobs, or 33% at the start of each 1/3 section for longer jobs. Never paid 100% before the work was started. 

LoopyLoops

Did someone you know recommend them?  I’ve had a quick Look at their reviews and they have a lot of good ones, but also the low reviews are only 1 star.  I wouldn’t feel comfortable paying the whole amount upfront.  I recently used two different waste collection companies (for a lesser cost than yours) both took payment after they had done the work and I confirmed I was happy.  I would have been ok with paying part upfront if they’d asked, but not all of it.  Did you contact any other companies for a price?  

Bebe1980

Yes... I've got another quote more expensive and not able to do it as promptly - 30% up front balance on completion.

The other thought I had, about "ProactiveCleaners" was to pay them up front using a credit card - if they accept it - then I assume I'd be protected by the Sale of Goods (when I was at school - probably changed now) ?

Oops - Consumer Credit Act 1974