Getting paid (commercial work)

[Simon benn Leeds]

so,

I was wandering what measures you take when a builder is not paying your invoices?

Cheers sy.

 

[Dan]

Group their bills into £6000 each (the max you can claim per visit) and take them to small claims court.

Or perhaps sell the debt to a debt collector like the mobile phone bills or councils do for council tax etc

 

[Qwerty]

I don't work for builders!........sorted!

 

[Simon benn Leeds]

Yeah was thinking that Dan.

Thing is there is zero issues with said job, I have given a reasonable time frame for invoices to be paid, had an inerim payment with offer of loads more work!!... Winds me up when they think they can dangle a carrot and pay you what they want when they want!

Err no mate, I WONT be doing anymore work for you. Now pay your bills.... Or I'm sending the wife in!.... Ha ha.

 

[Dan]

Say you don't mind doing more work but previous work needs to be signed off on your system before you can start more.

Throw the marvellous wonders of "the system" back at him.

They usually distance themselves from the mention of payments quite easily but then always seem to know the terms for the new jobs coming in and what rates those will be paid at etc.

They know what they're doing. Just turn it around and say your system doesn't allow new quotes to be brought up before previous jobs are settled and signed off. Just blame the computer you have or whatever. See if that budges him along.

I'd also always email to communicate so its in writing. And if you chat about it in person, make sure you recap via email and get them to respond to it.

 

[Simon benn Leeds]

Only way I got the interim payment in the first place was (very unprofessional of me) to copy the client into the email stating that we would gladly return back to site once the outstanding invoice was paid. Bearing in mind my phone calls, texts and emails were blatantly ignored for 3 weeks!.
20mins later we received a bacs transfer!.
Also the builder owes me over 10k, I'm not a bloody finance company, just had a firm go bust on me in March for 20k+
So when it's the first job you do for a new client and your ignored for a few week you start to get bit hmmmm suspicious.

 

[Dan]

Yeah I'd do the same again if that's what gets you paid pal. They know what to do to stop you doing it. Pay you!

 

[AliGage]

What payment terms had you agreed prior to taking on the work?

 

[Simon benn Leeds]

Well,@AliGage

My mistake really, I had requested payment terms but nothing was properly organised or in writing (unlike me) but I was put in touch through a friend of my brothers who is a joiner on the books so thought I could trust him and I gave him the benefit of the doubt,
Due to his ignorance and rudeness I have reduced my normal terms from 30 days to 14 days from completion of phases, I don't think this is unreasonable.
As I had requested his payment terms but had not been given it, I assume he is willing to adhere to my terms stated on the invoices.

Also he is disputing the quants of adhesive I have supplied for the install, and wants to see MY receipts, usual bull of "I've used tilers for 30 years, quantified the materials myself and no way should that amount of adhesive been used"
no mate I agree, that's why you should of got your plasters back to take the bumps out of the walls, or call your screeders back to scabble the high points of the floors and fill the hollows? And being as experienced you tell me you are why didn't you realise that a large format tile of that type requires a floated floor and butterd back so they are double glued? X2 on the addy!.

So when he comes back with his his quantified guesstimation!. I'll have proof of materials used. Also he expects us not to make a profit on the materials, his words "I'm not being funny Simon but I can get the adhesive at the same price as you" ok well why didn't you, so I'll use my vehicle and my time free of charge. That makes great business sense! Bet Richard Bransons s@!#ting himself!!...

All in all the guy is a complete __________ you got it!..

 

[Dan]

I'd perhaps be a bit more strict on getting something signed and perhaps keep in touch a bit more when you spot uneven walls and floors so he has the option of getting the plasterer back if he wants to so he can respect the fact paying for more adhesive is cheaper still than the plasterer.

I'd definitely get something signed though now. And work on stage payments. So you're never out of pocket more than a week or something.

 

[Simon benn Leeds]

Tried to get the other trades back, no chance,
It's hard when your at site level with the site manager agreeing to stuff and director arguing the toss after.
Maybe a haymaker is in order lol.

This is what I was up against, the photo is the back of a tile on the riser part of a step, you can see the depth that the latex would be on the tread to level the steps up.

 

[Dan]

Christ that's bad!

 

[Simon benn Leeds]

I bedded the tiles out that much because the whole extension was out of square to the main kitchen wall (my setting out point and the point of visual importance) which then leads to being out of parallel to the stairs,
Had to reduce the 80mm difference over the 2 steps by fanning the cuts and scribing the tiles to look square but reduce the 80mm in stages to get back to square and parallel to the stair well through the other room in the existing building (if that makes any sense).
Not an easy task even for experienced tilers.

Not even a pat on the back from the builder for getting him out out the s--t big time!. But instead getting accused of dressing up my quants Come on ffs proofs there.

 

[White Room]

Builder are never wrong Simon so they keep telling me

 

[John Benton]

I don't work for builders!........sorted!

Ditto

 

[Andy Allen]

Double ditto......ain't worth the hassle. .

 

[Spare Tool]

I worked for a construction company on and off for 6 years..usually around 600sqm jobs.
1 week in hand is as far as I was ever in deep with em, work a week, measure up what's grouted on the Friday and if the cheques wasn't on the doorstep following Friday no return monday...they never missed a payment once!
You gotta set your payment terms before you start and stick to em..

 

[Simon benn Leeds]

its just wrong in this country how the system works, never favours the little guys.

Going through an administration at the moment @John Benton might of heard of wood Mitchell Plc pudsey? For 20k and I'll be lucky to get 20p in the pound.

Administrators have declared their fees..
Averaging.....
£ 392.00 per hour, securing a contract until sept 2016.
Germany, supply chain paid first, tax man next, administrators last, nowt left, directors go to prison.
What happens here. they go bust and set up a new company with your money!....

 

[John Benton]

its just wrong in this country how the system works, never favours the little guys.

Going through an administration at the moment @John Benton might of heard of wood Mitchell Plc pudsey? For 20k and I'll be lucky to get 20p in the pound.

Administrators have declared their fees..
Averaging.....
£ 392.00 per hour, securing a contract until sept 2016.
Germany, supply chain paid first, tax man next, administrators last, nowt left, directors go to prison.
What happens here. they go bust and set up a new company with your money!....

Yes have heard of them, they were a well established long standing company, never done any work for them, prefer just to have my domestic customers. Very rarely do commercial work or subbing, maybe thats a godsend, you don't make masses of money but by the same token you don't get hit for large sums

 

[Rizzle from the Portizzle]

think of it in this way you are sitting at home having a beer theres a knock on the door you open it there stands some you have never seen in your life you say hello can i help you .he says yes you can i would like to borrow £20000 .if you dont mind putting your house on the line for me and your marrage .i may pay you back on time but i dout it .i will probaly discount it .keep 5% just dont feel like giving it back make up some reason i always do .and will always pay you half what your exspecting .while having yet again a great holiday while you cant .and have you seen my new top of the range car just love free banking .so mr mug have you got any cash on you now i fancy a take away on the way home .well every time you come across a new builder his last banker just gone bust dont let it be you

 

[Simon benn Leeds]

think of it in this way you are sitting at home having a beer theres a knock on the door you open it there stands some you have never seen in your life you say hello can i help you .he says yes you can i would like to borrow £20000 .if you dont mind putting your house on the line for me and your marrage .i may pay you back on time but i dout it .i will probaly discount it .keep 5% just dont feel like giving it back make up some reason i always do .and will always pay you half what your exspecting .while having yet again a great holiday while you cant .and have you seen my new top of the range car just love free banking .so mr mug have you got any cash on you now i fancy a take away on the way home .well every time you come across a new builder his last banker just gone bust dont let it be you

Absolutely spot on ray.

 

[Simon benn Leeds]

Yes have heard of them, they were a well established long standing company, never done any work for them, prefer just to have my domestic customers. Very rarely do commercial work or subbing, maybe thats a godsend, you don't make masses of money but by the same token you don't get hit for large sums

43 years incorporated, didn't think we could work for a more established company.

 

[John Benton]

43 years incorporated, didn't think we could work for a more established company.

And I can't buy pick n mix anywhere now, nobody's a safe bet Simon.

 

[Simon benn Leeds]

Ha ha

 

[Rizzle from the Portizzle]

43 years incorporated, didn't think we could work for a more established company.

43 years go was run by builders with a clue today run by bean counters with out a clue do not value quailty or time only beans on paper