Non paying, infuriating customer.

[Andy B]

We quoted a job to rewire 2 bungalows. Did the job in the summer doing bits and pieces around other trades. They took forever to get plastering etc done. They changed there mind on the kitchen and stuff so many times. We moved the cooker switch and point for them twicw and basically bent over backwards keeping them happy. November came and we finally finished the job. They had paid about 2 thirds as we went along. They seemed to fall out with every trade on site and we thought we must just be more easy going. Before xmas we invoiced the final amount and they refused to pay coming out with crap excuses. They keep saying that people have told them the cables aren`t deep enough. I keep telling them that as long as the cables are in safe zones and RCD protected there is no minimum depth. Finally we sent them a letter threatening them with court action unless we recieve payment by today. They have just phoned me and they say they have called in trading standards and we will hear from them within a couple of day. I said I`m giving them to friday and registering it with small claims court.

They are the most infuriating people I`ve ever met.

 

[bigbaddave]

As long as the work complies then there is bot all they can do.. Its tough but people wil try anything to get out of paying..

Good luck but if they have nothing to complain about it then go for it.. Horrible process though and doesn't always guarantee you your money.

 

[Jay Sparks]

I feel for ya mate. Ive not had this problem yet!!! But I did a bit of work for my cousin a few years ago. He paid me once I had finished my work but when the whole job completed, he invoice the customer. The customer refused to pay. She owes him £4000! He took her to court and found out that he wasnt the only one She and her ltd company owed money. She liquidated the company and my cousin didnt get a penny. What some people will do just riles me!!!!!!


Jay

 

[bigbaddave]

I feel for ya mate. Ive not had this problem yet!!! But I did a bit of work for my cousin a few years ago. He paid me once I had finished my work but when the whole job completed, he invoice the customer. The customer refused to pay. She owes him £4000! He took her to court and found out that he wasnt the only one She and her ltd company owed money. She liquidated the company and my cousin didnt get a penny. What some people will do just riles me!!!!!!



Jay

It makes me sick.. Did this cause friction with you and the cousin ?

 

[trev]

I wouldn't wait for the mythical trading standards contact mate, they've had their opportunity to complain to you and you have addressed their "problems" get the coun ty court paperwork filled in and sent off without messing about any further, ity's your money you'e earned it.

 

[Andy B]

Funnily enough its me and my couson that did the work and he bought a lot of materials that he is owed for. These people do it with everyone. They were telling us about how another electrician they would use was calling them names and shouting at them. Also she was saying that the carpenters wife was screaming at them on the phone and the plasterers said that she was trouble. So they`ve obviously done it with all them as well.

 

[Jay Sparks]

No, he paid me a few weeks before the whole job was complete. It was a renevation of an oldish house. He was doing plastering, plumbing, fitting a kitchen, fitting two new bogs and painting the whole lot. I did a little bit of electrical work and helped him out with a bit of painting.
Turns out though, she owed another guy over £15000.

 

[Des 56]

I feel for ya mate. Ive not had this problem yet!!! But I did a bit of work for my cousin a few years ago. He paid me once I had finished my work but when the whole job completed, he invoice the customer. The customer refused to pay. She owes him £4000! He took her to court and found out that he wasnt the only one She and her ltd company owed money. She liquidated the company and my cousin didnt get a penny. What some people will do just riles me!!!!!!

Jay

Sometimes.legalised murder could be deserved
Shame on them

 

[Rampantchilli]

IF they had contacted trading standards they would have said to call in the scam detectives, TS wouldnt carryout an inspection as they aint qualified for that. TS would say if you had broken trading rules and laws, ask the customer for details of person at TS they spoke to so that you can get process moving.
i would personally pass it to a debt collection agency, not bother with the courts as you are already entitled to your money, provided you didnt do anything dubious, and the bad debt marker may scare them more than the british legal behemoth

 

[brizospark]

Scumbags

 

[Rockingit]

Try a letter from Higgins first - will only cost you a couple of quid - and see what response it gets.

 

[Swicade]

Unfortunately there's a rise in the profession of people screwing over good honest tradesmen lately. Alot of what they say is an attempt to get you off thier back so they can get away with yet another scam. Aslong as the paper trail is a good one and in your favour you stand a chance of getting some (hopefully all) that is due eventualy but it can often take a very long time but stick with it as from time to time someone has to win against this sort of scum.

i'm still owed £1300 from 2 years back from a so called 'property developer'....well tbh it's a small group of people who just keep changeing firms and the director of those firms in our area here. I'll openly admit i made the BIG mistake of no paper trail as it was cash in hand and tey bought all materials so i screwed meself over really.....harsh lesson learnt and wont be happening again. A paper trail is extremely important.

 

[LlandrilloSpark]

Id be really tempted to burn the house down, Non payers are scum of the earth

 

[guest119]

Why would they phone instead of writing or e mail???????????????

Boydy

 

[Guest112]

just break in and take the cables out lol

 

[sportsparky1602]

I'm with the whole break in and remove everything my friend! Nothing worse than a non payer! Absolute wan*ers!!
People moan about cowboy trades men and how they should be named and shamed well I say non payers should be named and shamed to stop this from happening to other good honest hard working lads and lasses....

 

[ayjay]

great idea break in and remove all of the electrics
don,t worry about any family living there just kick the door in
take some protection base ball bats stun guns knives a pair of cutters and a tester
for ****s sake

 

[Guest112]

I saw a piece on sky news about a woman who hired a builder to build a porch at the front of her property, another scumbag non payer so he told his boys that built it to remove it, the builder said it was a shame to see his hard work torn down but better than seeing a scumbag enjoying his hard work free of charge

and ayjay, go to bed

 

[onions1066]

Tin hat on but I would remove the main fuse from the carrier if its an external meter box. ok they will get it sorted but it will be some nice inconvenience for them to sort out, and just puts some doubt in there mind about f**king with you as you can do this whenever you like again and again. Failing that nothing says I want my money more than a s**t through the letter box . :33:

 

[keniff]

Slip a roof tile off while they are out and rig up the hose full bore in the roof!

 

[Rockingit]

Tin hat on but I would remove the main fuse from the carrier if its an external meter box. ok they will get it sorted but it will be some nice inconvenience for them to sort out, and just puts some doubt in there mind about f**king with you as you can do this whenever you like again and again. Failing that nothing says I want my money more than a s**t through the letter box . :33:

I wouldn't - it's the DNO's property and they probably WOULD take an interest in that. Besides, you'd also leave the install with a significant IP2X failure which could also land you in serious doodoo.

 

[ayjay]

is this what so called "electricians" have come to?? a bunch of criminals
its unbeivable

 

[onions1066]

I wouldn't - it's the DNO's property and they probably WOULD take an interest in that. Besides, you'd also leave the install with a significant IP2X failure which could also land you in serious doodoo.

I'd replace the carrier of course. How would they prove it was me,

 

[Des 56]

Re: Non paying, infuriating customer

We should all fit a switch hidden away with a remote control in our possesion

Any nonsence the neutral earth fault gets triggered,again and again and again until they pay
They could have all the inspections they want and likely never get it resoved

The letter we will have sent offering to resolve the fault would go hand in hand with the work done resolution

 

[High Tower]

Gentlemen, while i appreciate that the most of this is tounge in cheek, can we please keep the content vaugely legal on a public forum.

Ok, to the op, i know how frustrating this is, forget waiting for the mythical trading standards to arrive as chances are, they wont want to know. the best thing is to issue a final demand, and download this.......Just Claim :: N1 Claim Form ok you can edit it, fill in all of the boxes and print a copy off and enclose it with your final demand, DO NOT submit it to the court, send it only to the client "for their information". It looks extremly officious, and costs nothing and is normally enough to scare mpst into paying what they owe. its worked for me 3 times.

 

[onions1066]

Sorry high tower all in jest I wouldn't really **** through the letter box.......................that would be impossible I'd put it in a bag first then post it.

 

[High Tower]

I Know, if this was in the arms you call all have as much fun as you like.

 

[Heisenberg]

I think this highlights the need for everyone that works for themselves to have proper contracts, and also as has already been mentioned, a proper paper trail. Getting a local solicitor to draw up a general 'Terms and Conditions' that can be used on all jobs and contains time frames for complaints to be lodged etc, is also a good idea.
It might be expensive at the outset, but will be worth it's weight in gold when things go south.

 

[TaffyDuck]

This happened to me once. A customer who, having sent me a note with the 1st fix payment saying that he was delighted with the workmanship then refused to pay the 2nd fix bill of just under £2k. I really cannot be bothered with a court system that does not enforce their own judgements, often you will never get paid anyway.

So I sold the debt to the most "in your face" debt collection agency that i could find in the area. It cost me 30% of the invoice ( about £600) but it was worth every penny. A friend who is wheelchair bound and lives over the road and is home a lot took photos of this customer with 2 huge hairy arsed blokes at his front door.

That was priceless

 

[Octopus]

This may be anoying but if you commence legal action without issueing a final demand AND giving them due time to pay the judge won't hear the case.

So write them a letter today entitled "final demand" and make sure you include this statement:

"I attach my original invoice to this letter and wish to inform you, that if the invoice is not settled in full by xx xxxxxxx 2013, I intend to refer this matter to the Small Claims Court without further reference to you."

And the date should be 14 days from the date of the letter.

Have fun.

 

[Plonker 3]

I still have some one who owes me just over a grand from August last year, sent a few letter etc. Not sent anything since December just waiting a little longer before filling out the relevant paper work and surprising him.

 

[Octopus]

I still have some one who owes me just over a grand from August last year, sent a few letter etc. Not sent anything since December just waiting a little longer before filling out the relevant paper work and surprising him.

Have you sent him a final demand?

 

[Plonker 3]

Yes did that in September, so just having a bit of a wait just hoping he has forgotten about it which make it alot more fun.

 

[44ALLAN]

I'm not 'domestic' guys but wondered if the certs/paperwork for the jobs you do could be held back until final payment was made?

 

[Guest111]

Part of the problem with these lowlifes is they know the law,1 enter a property without permission=breaking and entering 2 force entry while people are in= aggravated burglary=custodial sentence 3 remove items that you have fitted without consent of property owner = criminal damage unless you can restore property to way it was before you did work ie no chasing/damage to decor etc.There needs to be a massive tightening of laws regarding non payment as too many people are getting a good living from not paying their debts.

 

[Robson689]

Have a read of this page, Bailiffs | Know your rights

If you're owed money you can put your bailiff cap on and once you've convinced them to let you in for a 'chat' you can start seizing goods.

 

[amlu]

my mate plumber told me his trick... leaving little valve on the pipes under the floor, to be accesed by a screwdriver... in place known only to him. in case of problems shut it and leave them thinking wtf is going on.
thinking of some equivalent for electrics...
instead of ripping cables from the wall I would knock on the door, ask for access to the consumer unit tell them that some testing has to be done, open it, isolate and cut all cables short. job done.

 

[ED17]

I've given up doing small private jobs. Unless you get paid up front or on completion it's not worth the hassle.

 

[Octopus]

my mate plumber told me his trick... leaving little valve on the pipes under the floor, to be accesed by a screwdriver... in place known only to him. in case of problems shut it and leave them thinking wtf is going on.
thinking of some equivalent for electrics...
instead of ripping cables from the wall I would knock on the door, ask for access to the consumer unit tell them that some testing has to be done, open it, isolate and cut all cables short. job done.

How about a contactor between the DNO fuse and the CU, remotely activated by your mobile?

 

[londonlec]

Turn the stop cock off in the street and pour post crete down the hole :33:

 

[thelondonway]

baseball bat + loud voice = cash in hand

 

[richy3333]

We quoted a job to rewire 2 bungalows. Did the job in the summer doing bits and pieces around other trades. They took forever to get plastering etc done. They changed there mind on the kitchen and stuff so many times. We moved the cooker switch and point for them twicw and basically bent over backwards keeping them happy. November came and we finally finished the job. They had paid about 2 thirds as we went along. They seemed to fall out with every trade on site and we thought we must just be more easy going. Before xmas we invoiced the final amount and they refused to pay coming out with crap excuses. They keep saying that people have told them the cables aren`t deep enough. I keep telling them that as long as the cables are in safe zones and RCD protected there is no minimum depth. Finally we sent them a letter threatening them with court action unless we recieve payment by today. They have just phoned me and they say they have called in trading standards and we will hear from them within a couple of day. I said I`m giving them to friday and registering it with small claims court.

They are the most infuriating people I`ve ever met.

Don't wait, small claims process of the County Court. Sue their backsides off.

 

[richy3333]

I feel for ya mate. Ive not had this problem yet!!! But I did a bit of work for my cousin a few years ago. He paid me once I had finished my work but when the whole job completed, he invoice the customer. The customer refused to pay. She owes him £4000! He took her to court and found out that he wasnt the only one She and her ltd company owed money. She liquidated the company and my cousin didnt get a penny. What some people will do just riles me!!!!!!


Jay

Those sort of people enjoy a good game of baseball, minus the ball

 

[richy3333]

I was called by the owners of a local hotel last week asking for a EICR. I pointed out bluntly that it was well known amongst local trades that they hadn't paid a plumber and decorator for work. Told them I didn't need their work, only to spend 2 years chasing them through the Sheriff court to get my money. Said they could pay me (over pay me) up front. Didn't hear anything else.

 

[not_today]

Essex justice! = Builder Demolishes His Work After Pay Dispute With Homeowner - YouTube

best advice i can give is buy a fax machine, the reason being is the moment you turn it on you'll start getting faxes saying things like "does someone owe you money?"

otherwise theres a few legal bods on here that give good advice

The Consumer Forums - Page One

 

[Poshspark]

Slip a roof tile off while they are out and rig up the hose full bore in the roof!

I know a bailiff that this happened to they used a ladder put the garden hose into the overflow and turned it on water brought the upstairs and downstairs ceilings down. His company collected poll tax in Scotland.