Customer not paying small amount but it's the principle!!!

[Masood]

So I have demanded my money and stated my case to her and now she says she's on holiday and will talk to me when she gets back...lol

so I have no option but to go there today to demand payment. I'll let you guys know what happens

I think this is a mistake.

A) How will you demand money from her if she's on holiday? B) it weakens your position if she can claim that she or her staff felt threatened by you turning up making demands with menaces. You may not be menacing but she could claim to have felt threatened.

And if she refuses point blank? Then what? Will you smash the place up? Hit her? Take her possessions? No. You'll walk out of there humiliated because your bluff will have been called in front of witnesses (assuming you're going to the shop).

Send her a final demand, by recorded letter, giving her X number of days to pay, otherwise you will start small claims proceedings, which can include interest, admin fees, court fees etc. Do it right and you will win. Start playing outside the legal system and you won't. Simple.

 

[chris watkins]

I think this is a mistake.

A) How will you demand money from her if she's on holiday? B) it weakens your position if she can claim that she or her staff felt threatened by you turning up making demands with menaces. You may not be menacing but she could claim to have felt threatened.

And if she refuses point blank? Then what? Will you smash the place up? Hit her? Take her possessions? No. You'll walk out of there humiliated because your bluff will have been called in front of witnesses (assuming you're going to the shop).

Send her a final demand, by recorded letter, giving her X number of days to pay, otherwise you will start small claims proceedings, which can include interest, admin fees, court fees etc. Do it right and you will win. Start playing outside the legal system and you won't. Simple.

Very sound advice, please take it !!!

 

[Millsy 82]

What I would do is leave it 21 days after the job finished and post a reminder saying they have 7 days to repay the debt. Also state that (as been said) it is a business to business debt and you have the right to add additional charges to the final invoice.

After you have given them 7 days send out a revised bill and keep doing it until it gets paid.

Send everything by recorded delivery.

 

[Reg Man]

That's rich: She is probably charging £80 + per hour on my misses hair cut; and don't have to go anywhere near unpleasant bum waste.

 

[Best]

For her to advise her clients to avoid you is slanderous if you have done nothing wrong - ie :- honest & good workmanship and reasonable agreed hourly rate.
You should advise her of that in writing, stating that it will damage your good reputation and cause you great loss of money and you will sue her for this.
She stated after the job was done that she only had a £80 budget for the job. As you told her at start that you have a £60 hourly rate, that means she reckoned the time would be 80 minutes maximum. Ask her how she came to the imaginary time scale, especially considering her lack of knowledge of plumbing.

 

[Best]

For her to advise her clients to avoid you is slanderous if you have done nothing wrong - ie :- honest & good workmanship and reasonable agreed hourly rate.
You should advise her of that in writing, stating that it will damage your good reputation and cause you great loss of money and you will sue her for this.
She stated after the job was done that she only had a £80 budget for the job. As you told her at start that you have a £60 hourly rate, that means she reckoned the time would be 80 minutes maximum. Ask her how she came to the imaginary time scale, especially considering her lack of knowledge of plumbing.

 

[Boilerbud]

My barber charges £15 for a hair cut takes maybe 10 minutes and plumbers are called expensive?

 

[Best]

My barber charges £15 for a hair cut takes maybe 10 minutes and plumbers are called expensive?

But barbers cut hair, we plumbers just cut corners - allegedly.

 

[SimonG]

I had something similar. Went to an appointment, nobody in, but spoke to two blokes removing an emergency generator. The place was off the beat and track and would only ge there if you were going there sort of thing. Anyway, bloke phones a couple of days later, its disgusting that you didnt turn up, etc , etc. Said I was there, but nobody home, spoke to the blokes removing the emergency generator etc. He told me that he would tell everybody that I was useless and didnt turn up as planned. Touch of red mist hit me, said I would rip his head off and crap down his neck and actually went down there but he wouldnt open the door. Two days later I had plod on the phone about my threatening behaviour. Apparently the bloke had left all the detail out about the conversation with regard to the bad mouthing. Plod asked me to be more diplomatic in future and were going back to give him a bulling.

Upshot is, keep it firm, keep it, clean and keep it legal. But chase it down.

 

[SimonG]

I had something similar. Went to an appointment, nobody in, but spoke to two blokes removing an emergency generator. The place was off the beat and track and would only ge there if you were going there sort of thing. Anyway, bloke phones a couple of days later, its disgusting that you didnt turn up, etc , etc. Said I was there, but nobody home, spoke to the blokes removing the emergency generator etc. He told me that he would tell everybody that I was useless and didnt turn up as planned. Touch of red mist hit me, said I would rip his head off and crap down his neck and actually went down there but he wouldnt open the door. Two days later I had plod on the phone about my threatening behaviour. Apparently the bloke had left all the detail out about the conversation with regard to the bad mouthing. Plod asked me to be more diplomatic in future and were going back to give him a bulling.

Upshot is, keep it firm, keep it, clean and keep it legal. But chase it down.

 

[newcastle phill]

We should start a national database lf non payers, black ball them lol

 

[Reg Man]

I had something similar. Went to an appointment, nobody in, but spoke to two blokes removing an emergency generator. The place was off the beat and track and would only ge there if you were going there sort of thing. Anyway, bloke phones a couple of days later, its disgusting that you didnt turn up, etc , etc. Said I was there, but nobody home, spoke to the blokes removing the emergency generator etc. He told me that he would tell everybody that I was useless and didnt turn up as planned. Touch of red mist hit me, said I would rip his head off and crap down his neck and actually went down there but he wouldnt open the door. Two days later I had plod on the phone about my threatening behaviour. Apparently the bloke had left all the detail out about the conversation with regard to the bad mouthing. Plod asked me to be more diplomatic in future and were going back to give him a bulling.

Upshot is, keep it firm, keep it, clean and keep it legal. But chase it down.

Twice In an hour? that's just not on....

 

[newcastle phill]

Sounds about right - report your van or garage burgled you cant get to see plod for love nor money

 

[tomplumb83]

Only been to court once. Total waste of time and effort.
I had emails from an estate agent asking me to do the work and agreeing with my price of approx 200 quid. Everything was in writing.
I employed a credit recovery company who charged me roughly more than the bill with letters and what not. I spent 2 days in another town an hour away, where the estate agent was situated. Still got nothing.
They can say anything, and they did.
'The person who issued permission to do the work shouldn't have done and she doesn't work here any more'.
'We don't look after the house anymore and its even been sold.
'We have no proof that you've done the work you said you did'.

Get as much money off her as you can. Then issue an invoice for whats owing.
For the sake of forty quid I wouldn't worry about it. Learn from it and have people sign something before you start work

 

[joni os]

'The person who issued permission to do the work shouldn't have done and she doesn't work here any more'.
[/QUOTE]
Surprised this defence was accepted as:-
It is an admission that work was approved by someone who was an employee at the time.
Employers have vicarious liability for the acts or omissions of their employees. ( As we all know if apprentice damages clients property.)

 

[Masood]

None of this makes sense.

'The person who issued permission to do the work shouldn't have done and she doesn't work here any more'.

As Joni says, this accepts that a person who once worked there, gave permission. Not your fault if they acted outside their authority, the employer is liable.

'We don't look after the house anymore and its even been sold.

Irrelevant. If they looked after it at the time work was approved and carried out, they are still liable

'We have no proof that you've done the work you said you did'.

Presumably they didn't answer your invoice with a letter / email to the effect of "What are you charging us for, the problem still exists?" You'd have some correspondence from them surely?

 

[hammers4spanner]

Have they actually disputed the invoice???

 

[joni os]

Sounds like someone got stuffed by "Square fellow handshakes", but normally its not so blatant.

 

[Dotty]

Sounds like someone got stuffed by "Square fellow handshakes", but normally its not so blatant.

Meaning?

 

[tomplumb83]

Cant answer your questions other than to say you are wrong.
I had the emails, I even traced the woman who lived at said property and had her send me an email to say Id done the work.
It was all agreed before I went into the property by email.
The estate agent even had a solicitor which looking back shows she had a good idea she'd win.
The whole experience was awful from the amount of time spent dealing with them to the days in court were I had to sit near the estate agent and two of her cronies and was made to feel like ****. All for the sake of a couple of hundred quid.

 

[tomplumb83]

Good Morning Tom



I do recall your visit very well and know that you were at the house for some hours repairing the fault. I can also confirm that you were the only Plumber working on the heating system on that day (although someone else had worked on it previously some time back). It was just a few days prior to our moving out of the house and I was in the midst of packing boxes etc. I know that you were at the house long enough for me to offer you one, if not two, hot drinks.



I did have a call from *****(??) the owners representative, who asked me what I recalled and I gave her all the above information. This was some time back, perhaps 6 - 8 weeks ago, if not longer.



I dont know if this will be of any assistance to you but I hope so.



Should you want to contact me my mobile number is



Regards

***** *******

 

[tomplumb83]

I could give you a list of emails!

Seriously, you can almost get off with anything providing you throw enough money at a solicitor. Just ask Oscar
Somehow she obviously thought she was in the right. They all do. And so did the court.
I jacked plumbing in for 3years pretty much from the aggro of this one job

My mistake. It was 5years ago after all.
I had there permission by email but they asked me to call them once I had an idea of what needed doing.
Here lies my mistake. Its easily done when the tenant doesn't have heating, you think your doing the right thing.
That said, the estate agents story changed numerous times and I thought that this alone would stand me well.

 

[hammers4spanner]

I could give you a list of emails!

Seriously, you can almost get off with anything providing you throw enough money at a solicitor. Just ask Oscar
Somehow she obviously thought she was in the right. They all do. And so did the court.
I jacked plumbing in for 3years pretty much from the aggro of this one job

I have heard other businesses say similar to be fair got a friend of mine who has been court few times and said never again waste of time .

I had big prob with builder couple year ago who owed me a fair wedge had a mare getting money out of them .Started a money claims procedure and initially they seemed to not care however couple weeks down the line they paid (most). Not sure if it was the threat of court or they just decided to pay . If people don't want to pay it is a mare situation to try and get your money and should be an easier process.

 

[Masood]

Cant answer your questions other than to say you are wrong.
I had the emails, I even traced the woman who lived at said property and had her send me an email to say Id done the work.
It was all agreed before I went into the property by email.
The estate agent even had a solicitor which looking back shows she had a good idea she'd win.
The whole experience was awful from the amount of time spent dealing with them to the days in court were I had to sit near the estate agent and two of her cronies and was made to feel like ****. All for the sake of a couple of hundred quid.

My sympathies, then. Sounds like despite having a lot of evidence in your favour either the solicitor exploited procedural errors or found a way to weasel out of it. The email from the tenant confirms you were there but doesn't detail what you did. Maybe that threw doubt on it. Some judges / magistrates make downright stupid and inexplicable decisions at times.

 

[joni os]

Res ipsa loquitor