Sticky Situation

[rockyroo]

Hi, got a bit of a tricky one, just wondered if anyone else been in this situation?

Did a floor for a customer 16sqm. Friend of a friend so agreed the price over the phone, £250. Then asked me how long would it take, I said 2, maybe 3 days airing on the cautious side having not seen the job. Did work, customer happy with work, told me several times. Took me day and a half in the end. He phoned me that night, again thanking me for a good job, then asked for the price. I said agreed price was £250, problems started! Thought I wasn't there long enough for the £250. I just wanted paid so I said that I would drop to £230 as he was the mate of a mate, and he said send the bill. I did and then he phoned me up again and starting complaining about the price again. I told him I wasn't getting into a slanging match and that the agreed price £250 was for the job and not for the hours/days worked. He asked for a breakdown of all my charges, I sent a letter saying that I wasn't prepared to entertain this any further and asked for payment again. Then six days after completion of the job, and being happy with it, he is now finding fault with it, grout has sunk (never heard of this 6 days after installation, oh and they supplied grout and adhesive, not me) and refusing to pay up. Just totally fed up now, and out of pocket!

 

[Fekin]

If your getting no joy from the actual customer, then try your friend and see if you can get them to talk sense to the customer if it's your friends friend.

If that fails, then you've tried to be plesant about it, then hit them with the small claims court action.

 

[alastair68]

i agree try the friend first if not write him an official letter summarising the sequence of events and underlining the situation.Give him 7 days to respond or you will take action through the small claims court.
Then forget about it and move on, what a pain in the arse!!!

 

[rockyroo]

Tried that, they don't want to get involved, some friend eh! Already looking into the small claims side of things

 

[Fekin]

Send the tosser... ohh .. customer, a letter saying that unless payment has been made with 14 days you will take it to court, and your friend dosen't seem too brilliant either, but that's a problem you can get into doing jobs for friends of friends.

 

[devonmark]

the cheeky tw*t got the job done at a very good price in the first place, i personally would make him pay...car, tin of paint through the windows all over that nice new floor (must be gloss)...not that i'm encouraging anything, it pisses me off big time when people take the michael .....as for the so called friend, wouldn't speak to him again..

going through the small claims court doesn't mean much, you may get judgement in your favour but you still have to get the money out of the pr*ck...if he still refuses to pay there's not much you can do..i was informed this by a solicitor.

 

[CLAYS TILES]

dark alley & big stick spring to mind?
sorry to hear of your problems m8 hope you get it resolved soon!

 

[rockyroo]

Thanks for all the advice lads, just glad he supplied adhesive and grout, all I really have lost is my time, although I have precious little of that!!

 

[Ric]

my course trainer advised to make sure customer knows you want cash on completion!! dont leave job without payment!! does'nt your case much rocky but i guess this is why he suggests this! I would if i were you go back to see him be really polite and ask to see the job where supposed problems are!! ask again for payment once you see nothings wrong. if he refuses agian rip the f**n lot out!!!

 

[TonyJ]

Try another way that a bricklayer once did, and theirs nothing the owner could do. he had a customer who got him to build a small office block for him, then started haggling him on the price. So he said he wanted paying in 24 hours. the customer still haggling, so an hour later the bricklayer went round with a JCB & knocked the lot down. customer phoned the Police, but they said if you don't pay, that's your fault.

go round to his house to look at the so called grout problem then start pulling the tiles up and watch his face and say if you don't pay then I eill carry on. after all they are your products untill he has paid for them.

TonyJ

 

[TonyJ]

Sorry take that back.They are not your products, but start to leave the tiles in a neat pile.

TonyJ

 

[CLAYS TILES]

nice 1..... :angel_smile:

 

[Fekin]

Yep I agree on that, ask to come round and have a look at whatever the so called problem is, and once you see nothing wrong start pulling the tiles up.

 

[scrubmuncher]

I dont know if you read my thread a while ago about a client like this. I got my money in the end, but after intimidating the guy and making him know I wasn't gunna take it. I told him I'd rip the fllor up if I didnt get my money in a week. Then after making my presence felt quite alot over 3 days and a few 'looks of death':happy: he handed me the cash and I went to warn all my mates in trades to avoid the tosser. He will never get a tradesmen from this town again, for sure.

Dont back down or accept anything less than what you agreed, it has sod all to do with him what your rate is, once agreed, its an agreement. If he wants to stop playing gentlemen, then you play his game.

 

[faithhealer]

Good luck with trying to get your money mate. Agree with ripping the tiles up (take a couple of mates with you), at least it's only lost time. I'm still owed from a flipping relative.