Being offered 'cash price' what does this mean for me?

[Onetap]

jeez listen to the preachers

none of which have ever done it ( my ass )

people in glass houses etc

Would the Inland Revenue be the reason for your defection to the west, Kev?

I'm a bit baffled as to how he would hope to evade income tax if he intends to register the installation with Gas Safe and the local authority and provide you with the correct documentation. If he can provide you with assurances on that score, I don't see why payment by cash or cheque should be any concern. I'd hang onto a large wedge of the cash until the documents were received.

 

[lmk]

Thanks for the comments. The plumber is not even the cheapest quote but has a very good reputation. All things being equal we have decided to go with another plumber where everything is above board. Out of interest, would you ask for cash upfront for anything - megaflo for example- or would you normally wait to be paid at end of job?

 

[gas4you]

If there are a lot of materials involved on a large job, I always ask for a cheque on the day they are delivered to site, just to cover the materials, which then become yours.

Usually though on a standard heating system & megaflo, I just stipulate in my t&c that payment is required in full on day of completion.

 

[namsag]

Personally would not ask for a penny but i have been lucky and only ever been done for 50 quid,
If the guy has been stung in the past i could understand him asking for some money but only when mats on site nobody should need money to buy the mats first

 

[bengasman]

On an installation I ask 10% when blocking out time in the diary, 30% when starting, another 30% when the boiler goes in, and the balance upon completion.
I have found in general, the smaller the company, the lower the hourly rate, and the less you can afford legal cost to recover bad debt.
The opposite is also true; nationally operating companies charge around £100 an hour and don't care about bad debt as they employ enough lawyers to field several football teams.