Is it me who's wrong?

[Ponty Massive]

Please give your honest opinion here because I genuinly need some advise for the future.

I carried out a EICR for someone via a letting agency. The report was un-satisfactory due to quite a few C1 and C2's. Passed the report onto the agency who in turned passed it on to the customer. Had a call a few days later asking if I could price to rewire the whole property, the customer was renting the house so wanted it done prior to someone moving in. Yep no problem, gave them a quote, they were happy job was completed.

When it came to the payment, the home owner deducted the cost of the original EICR from the total bill for the rewire (in other words, paid the rewire but not for the original EICR). Had a chat with the letting agency and decided to take it on the chin!!

This month, a little different. Got paid for the EICR, but 5 weeks later when waiting for the payment for the rewire, it was short (by the price of the EICR). Customer refusing to pay for the initial testing because they've had the work done!!!

To be honest, I've spent the whole day trying to chase money from about 10 different customers and this could be thestraw that breaks the camel's back.

So my question to you gentlemen and ladies is, if you were to rewire a property following a condition report, should the customer not have to pay for the initial EICR?

(In future, can bet your bottom dollar, I will be adding the price of the PIR to the cost of the rewire, followed by a statement saying I will refund the price of the EICR should they wish to have the work carried out!!)

 

[londonlec]

It all depends on what you've agreed with the land lords.

Sounds like they're all taking the p*** to be honest.

 

[telectrix]

of course they should pay for the eicr. totally separate issue. threaten them with legal action.

 

[Landril]

Is ur time free!!!
I would imagine the answer is no.... They should pay for both lots of work in full, regardless if they get the full paperwork after rewire too.

 

[Brightspark2]

The customer should have to pay for the EICR!. The reports a different job to the rewire, both jobs need paying for...

 

[LlandrilloSpark]

EICR is a different piece of work and quoted probably with a different reference/ invoice number, they should certainly pay, re send the invoice and threaten legal action or collection of the debt via a collection agency, dont use the small claims court, it does not work, the words "Independent Collection Agency" (bunch of hard bA**ards) will put the wind up them

 

[Landril]

I think this is only going one way, time is money ponty!!

 

[Top-Spark]

I wouldnt give anyone credit for a rewire if they couldn't foot the price of an EICR before hand!!

 

[accordfire]

Agreed with the above totally - separate job, separate invoice - no question.

You spent the time and labour doing the EICR, then the time and labour doing the rewire - why should any part of it be free?

It's not like doing the rewire gave you back the time you spent on the EICR.....

I'd also be making it clear to them on your quotes that the cost of the EICR is NOT refundable for any reason (other than failure to do it in the first place)....

 

[Octopus]

Did your quote for the rewire mention the EICR? If not simply chase them for non payment.

But who did you invoice? the homeowner or the agent?

Think they are taking the pxss.

 

[SPARTYKUS]

Agreed as above

 

[kingeri]

This would really wind me up. Never had it before to be honest. I certainly wouldn't be taking it on the chin (or anywhere else for that matter!).

 

[Ponty Massive]

Thanks all, much appreciated!!

Yes the annoying thing is, on both occasions, I issued seperate invoices for the work. The 2nd offender, had paid me for the EICR then deducted the cost from the second invoice.

I'm going in all guns blazing tomorrow to get to the bottom of this. Getting pi$$ed off with people not paying their bills!!

Just didn't want to go in and be made out the bad guy. If your car failed it's MOT and you had the work done, would you then refuse to pay for the MOT??

Cheers all !!
Ponty.

 

[Ponty Massive]

Did your quote for the rewire mention the EICR? If not simply chase them for non payment.

But who did you invoice? the homeowner or the agent?

Think they are taking the pxss.

No mension of the EICR at all on the quote for the rewire!!

In fairness to the letting agency, they simply pass my quote and invoice onto the client with no mark-up for themselves.

 

[Octopus]

In which case you need to politely chase them up 3 times over about the next 6 weeks and then issue a final demand including the following 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 --- 2013, I intend to refer this matter to the Small Claims Court without further reference to you."

If you get heavy without allowing due time for them to pay, the judge will throw it out. The cost of the court action IS added to their bill and when they lose they will get a CCJ against them.

 

[ETradesmen]

ALWAYS explain the cost before the work is carried out.

not doing so will result in people pulling a fast one. I've learnt that... Always provide a estimate stating the cost of the work and what you've allowed in terms of work. If it was £3000+, that is a lot to lose and having email's saved and estimates stating what wok you have agreed on will provide evidence in a small claim court.

NEVER AGREE VERBALLY. Otherwise this **** happens.

Michael

 

[Silly Sausage]

Is it worth the grief chasing the report money, after reading these bad debt threads recently?
Say the test was £250 and rewire £2500, you take a 10% hit!
It's galling I know, but take it as a painful lesson, learn from it and make it perfectly clear your payment terms on future jobs.
Better losing 250 than future work.

 

[timo1]

Just to add my two pence...If you made decent money from the work, is it worth the falling out and possible loss of future business? I don't agree with whats happened by the way, but perhaps you could stipulate new conditions at the next EICR?

 

[Knobhead]

How much work do you get from the customer?


Think about it before you hit the nuke button.

 

[Ponty Massive]

Your right, it's probably not worth the loss of future work. It just winds me up big time. The other issue I have is, the invoices on all occasions have been to the letting agent and not to the owners.

The letting agent has issued the instruction to carry out the work. The quotes and invoices have been issued to them!

 

[accordfire]

Your right, it's probably not worth the loss of future work. It just winds me up big time. The other issue I have is, the invoices on all occasions have been to the letting agent and not to the owners.

The letting agent has issued the instruction to carry out the work. The quotes and invoices have been issued to them!

If they've been instructing you to do the work..... then strictly, they're the ones liable.

Just a thought - do you insist on a PO before undertaking work? If not, maybe you should, and get an order number from them for every task - that way you're invoicing them for a different PO for every bit of work, and have further come back....

 

[Steve_P]

Sounds like you're on speaking terms to the owners now so taking the letting cowboys to the small claims court isn't really going to be too much of a problem.

 

[Marvo]

I'm sure you're annoyed but I wouldn't go in with both barrels just yet. It sounds like there might but a communication problem where the letting agency thought the EICR was basically part of the quoting for the rewire and hence deductible. I think they sound like a good source of work and if they're good payers (apart from this issue) I'd be tempted to give them the benefit but make sure you either address the issue with them or cover yourself in future by working the EICR price into the rewire.

 

[ETradesmen]

Two ways around this...

1. Brush it off and treat it as a loss.
2. Bung the total loss of this job on your next one for the estate agents.

either way I would have firm words with the estate agents and ALWAYS provide written estimates for the work.

if they aren't paying you properly, why are you still working for them?

michael

 

[Ponty Massive]

We get quiet a bit of work from the letting company. I've had a bad day trying to get payment from people today so think this may have brought it to the boil.

Ive taken a deep breath, had a smoke, cracked a tinny and settled down now.
Pthink it's probably best I refrain from the "nuke button" and again, take it on the chin!!!

ill call in tomorrow to have a sensible chat with the letting company and explain again, we carry out the work for them, they issue the order numbers.

EICR's are separate orders to rewires.

In with anger out with love........

Thank you all for your input.

 

[pete555]

may be this is unique to wales but certainly know were else as said before chase your money and if all else fails off to court

 

[chrish_1977]

I would say, get the money for eicr, the. Be paid in full for any extra work they have contracted you for, two seperate things, the same as getting two different sparks in, tell them to do one, If they have agreed the second estimate price, and you haven't put anywhere that the eicr would be deducted from the further work price, then they should pay up

 

[Silly Sausage]

Two ways around this...

1. Brush it off and treat it as a loss.
2. Bung the total loss of this job on your next one for the estate agents.

either way I would have firm words with the estate agents and ALWAYS provide written estimates for the work.

if they aren't paying you properly, why are you still working for them?

michael

Better still, drip feed it in ever increasing amounts until eventually he'll be way over charging them!
Got to be subtle though.

 

[ETradesmen]

You need to use your brain. If this guy works for himself he should know when the cost is too high.

obviously if he lost £1000 on a job, don't charge £1050 to change a socket on your next visit.

why am I even replying to this... This is school boy stuff