You just cant get the workers these days

Some of us still work like that :-)

And demand a vast deposit before starting the job ;-)

And get it :-)

More fool the customer I say for accepting your terms, damned if I would - and I would still find a contractor to do what I want. :-)

Just recently had a roof job done (I'm to bloody old to get up that height now) of which a large amount of the cost was materials - he arrived on the day he said he would to assess the work, gave me a reasonable price for the work - and nary a mention of a deposit.

He then again turned up on the agreed day, did the job effectively and cleanly and was then paid at the end - as agreed.

Now that's a *decent* contractor.

Tanner-'op

If you worked where Dave does, you would ask for a vast deposit too.

What! Me work after taking early retirement some years ago? Wash your mouth out with soap that man for speaking that foul, four letter word -

If Dave is *that* experienced, he would have developed the 'gut' feeling about 'bad' clients and just walk away - the signs are mostly there - the same as they are on the other side of the fence with client spotting the 'rogue trader'.

Tanner-'op

It is, but do you think that all customers are equally 'decent'?

I'm not that naive Andy, I've been around the 'block' too many times for that - but I do know how to deal with the building trades (and others) after working 'in the trade' for many, many years.

And if anyone asks for *more* than a 10% deposit for a job (which I consider fair) then the phrase "sex and and travel" is usually uttered by my good self to the gentleman and I walk away - even if that deposit rate is then dropped to a lower price. LOL

Tanner-'op

If Dave took that approach, I doubt he would get much work, if any.

Thats a contractor who buys his materials on a monthly account.

Are you casting Nastursians on the good burgers of the Medway Towns?

Better to ask them for a vast deposit, than have them s*it on you! :-)

On Sat, 24 May 2008 22:59:37 UTC, "The Medway Handyman"

Before you were a handyman, you didn't work for a school by any chance?

You seem to be stuck in a mind set here. Just because the building trade has always worked on a 10% deposit doesn't make it right.

It's simply bad business to commit your business to a large outlay with no guarantee of payment.

Look at a couple of examples. Fuel to independant petrol stations for example, the tanker driver asks for & gets a cheque before he pumps the fuel. The pub trade, keep the brewery waiting for payment & they will stop your supply. Buy beer elsewhere and they will find out because the pumps have GPS type flow meters fitted & people who visit you & check up.

I know how to sell my services, I sell a top quality job backed by references & accreditation by the local authority Trading Standards.

Part of any sale includes defining the payment terms. I'm not afraid to do that.

To my mind the small building trade is largely made up of bad businessmen with no concept of customer service, marketing or corporate appearance.

Try going to the checkout in Tesco & saying "I'll pay you next week".

Burger King or McDonalds? ;-)

Errrm no. I was a rep for industrial cleaning machines.

Why do you ask?

What did you nick ?

Oh. What as? Drug pusher, shoplifter, token drunk, dodgy burger selller?

:-)

Oh, just a WAG. My wife knew a guy called Dave, who went off to become a handyman in Medway at just about the time you started...

But, as they say, everyone knows someone called Dave...