Is it normal to ask for a 50% deposit before starting work..

[flutterbye]

Is it normal to ask for a 50% deposit before starting work on a new boiler installation (for around 2K). Its a one man band and I don't think he accepts credit cards so can't protect myself that way either.

But if its the norm then I guess I can accept it....

 

[Stingray13]

Well it depends on companies most want some form of deposit with us it is 50%

But some its 25% some its 33% others its no depsit at least one company i know of expects full payment in advance at time of booking

Regards

 

[electronicsuk]

I had a boiler fitted but not supplied a couple of years ago and the installer asked for no deposit. My parents recently had an RGI both supply and fit and again, their installer asked for no deposit. Unless you are employing the guy on good recommendation from someone you trust, I'd shop around for someone requiring a much smaller deposit, or perhaps no deposit at all.

 

[Agile]

I must totally disagree with the last posting!

We have to protect ourselves for the wont pay/can't pay customers.

Surely you have seen the council tenant who had a builder fit a porch which he had no intention of paying for? The builder had to smash it up while being filmed for TV !

If we did as Electronics seems to suggest, we would have to cover dodgy customers and recover the cost of their scams from genuine customers. Thats totally unfair to honest people. He needs to think again!

We ask for a deposit of £800 or £1000 to be paid when the new boiler is delivered to the property.

If dealing with an obviously well off customer with nice cars outside we would be tempted to dispense with the deposit but in reality those are the people most likely to default.

The most trustworthy are the British working class!

Tony

 

[namsag]

Getting a payment on delivery of boiler to premises is different to getting 50% up front.
Personally if you dont know the guy i would say i will pay you deposit on delivery of materials on job.
There should be no reason why he could not accept this.

Personally i never take a penny untill completion of job

 

[kevplumb]

hit the nail smack bang on the head there mr glazier

i got caught holding the baby for a 4k job where the git went into bankrupcy the day i put the invoice in

of course the merchants where very understanding b astards

 

[powell30]

I ask for the full value of parts ordered, in advance. These are itemised and invoiced at time of payment to me. Oh and if by chq then i never order till it's cleared.......be caught like that before

I can stand the lost labour cost......but not forking out for 1-2k of kit if need be

 

[wibbit]

Is it normal to ask for a 50% deposit before starting work on a new boiler installation (for around 2K). Its a one man band and I don't think he accepts credit cards so can't protect myself that way either.

But if its the norm then I guess I can accept it....

There was a bit on the BBC Rogue Traders (or was it the don't get done, do don or some such rubbish).

I can't remember the exact numbers, but the guy basically said, not to pay too much up front, as it makes it very difficult later on if there is a problem.

I think it went along the lines of cover the cost of kit, and on long jobs pay on a weekly fortnightly basis for work done (not work to be done).

That gives you comfort that the work is being done to your standard, but also does not mean that the builder is running at a loss, as that's just unfair.

We are looking to get 30k's worth of work done some time soon, so will be interesting to see how things go.

 

[Happyplumber]

On any installation job,i take small deposit for booking the job in,the day the boiler and assocaited parts are delivered to the house then i expect at least half of the final payment

we are not out there to stitch anyone up nor do we wish to get into long litigationover none paying customers

we have all been to the hard school of knocks so have to protect ourselves unfortunately

 

[Agile]

I had a seemingly sensible customer who at first agreed to pay a deposit when the boiler was delivered but then refused when it arrived.

His argument was that after he had paid for the boiler how would he know that I was ever going to fit it !

My argument was that I had paid for £1600 of boiler that was sitting in his lounge! How did I know that if I fitted it he would ever pay for it plus the fitting charge.

The reality was that the boiler weighed about 100 kg and I could not lift it and take it away, otherwise I would have done so.

In the end he paid the deposit and I fitted it !

Tony

 

[adlplumbing]

i ask for 50% deposit to cover cost boiler but i give them a receipt for this money
but the main reason for this one boiler not being paid for on time will wipe me out for a month as only started up recently

 

[cashjob]

If dealing with an obviously well off customer with nice cars outside we would be tempted to dispense with the deposit but in reality those are the people most likely to default.

Too right.

I have had to get a bit hard-nosed with the ''we're too grand to pay you, you little man'' types in the past. A couple just refused to pay.

I usually ask how much a full respray for the Audi/Porche/Merc/Beemer would be if anything were to happen to it?

 

[Corgigrouch]

I always ask for 50% when the materials arrive on site... Well there was one time when I didn't and that was for a friend who I trusted... He refused to pay me 7K for a job that I had done for him just as I was shipped in to hospital. I usually chase stuff up myself in a very friendly way but in this case I asked a chap who I knew was a professional thumper to have a word.. He came to visit me in hospital with a carrier bag of cash. Oddly enough the other guy is using someone else for his heating work now.... Let that be a lesson to us all, I know that I should have known better.

 

[electronicsuk]

If we did as Electronics seems to suggest, we would have to cover dodgy customers and recover the cost of their scams from genuine customers. Thats totally unfair to honest people. He needs to think again!

We ask for a deposit of £800 or £1000 to be paid when the new boiler is delivered to the property.

I think that's completely fair, as if the boiler is of a value equal to or greater than that of the deposit, there is no way the customer can lose out even if the tradesman were to disappear off the face of the earth. My point was that one should not part with any money when there is no guarantee of anything in return, but this is not the case when parts are involved as a form of collateral.

 

[transam]

My advice is never work for a builder , or construction company , if you do always get money upfront , we never ask for a deposit from private customers , & have very rarely had any problems.