As others have said, would be suspicious of any trades who can’t pull at least 30days’ credit with suppliers… smacks of not being credit and/or trust worthy.
In general I agree. But there's can't, and there's won't. One only has so much credit, which is used on buying materials for customers who are a known entity. The OP is a completely new customer. You take people as you find them. Perhaps the OP comes across as 'potential ballache'?
As others have said, would be suspicious of any trades who can’t pull at least 30days’ credit with suppliers
Some of us who are small businesses choose not to use credit.
I'm a cash account at the builders merchant. Never had any credit at all.
Just in the same way that a client needs to go out on a limb with a tradesperson, a tradesperson has to go out on a limb with a client.
I've just had to drop 7k on various materials for a big job I'm doing for example. I got that up front.
If I bank rolled my clients project and then for whatever reason it went wrong and they didn't pay me, that would finish me frankly.
This is less of course, but same principle.
Why should trades take all the risk?
There ought to be some sort of safe middle ground for this so both sides have peace of mind.
Just had roof done and veluxes fitted, including triple lift scaffolding rig. Whole job was finished before with the roofers, the velux window guys or the scaffolders asked for a penny. Excellent job all round too, though it took a whlie to get it done: the original roofers quoted "all-in" then just never bothered turning up, so I organised three separate jobs around the same time. Roofers actually receommended I book and pay the scaffolder separately as they'd have had to add VAT. If anyone needs any of these trades around the Marple / Poynton / Stockport area message me and I will happily pass on details of my recommendations
like a few have said, several times I have had trade place the materials order for me, and then I have phoned up to pay the invoice and arrange delivery.
the only trade who didn't do that was the plumber who I then had a bit of a falling out with because he charged me £1k in materials alone to replace a soil stack and first fix a kitchen. His mark up was 20% (apparently, more like 50%). He also charged for his time to go get it and have a 2 hour lunch break. I wont be recommending him to anyone
I prefer to sort all the materials so there is no funny business with big mark ups and I don'tpay expensive day rates for them to drive to shops the other side of town....past wickes and b&q who have the same kit.....
Obviously some trade believe it is their right to supply and charge markup rather than just charge a fair day rate. If you get one of these I'd suggest looking for someone else. The arguement will be the day rate will be more to accomodate the lack of margin on materials, but this is not my experience. Trades charging mark up also tended to have the higher day rate to compound it.
Anyways, tangent - I hope you get your roof sorted I know how stressful it can be living in a semi livable house!!!
Ask the scaffolding boss if hes been / been paid paid by you
Do it in a way that it sounds like you are ensuring he gets paid for the work.
His reply should be, yep xyz has paid me already so we're all good.
If it's a negative, not been paid yet by chummy tjat would set off alarm bells as he's claiming to have bunged them a grand.
Hoping it will be ok
Trust works both ways. The roofer doesn't know you either! If you're going to piss around paying for a relatively small job he may decide to F off to a less arsey client.
I never used to ask for a deposit but a couple of dodgy payers in short succession prompted me to start to ask for 25% up front. Only the clients I had had doubts about demurred.
