Cheeky customers should I respond

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Hairybear said:
A month or two back, I accepted a day rate plus mats as the bloke kept changing his mind on a job. Anyway, I quoted £x per day, per man plus materials. I detailed on the quote an estimate of 2 man days were required. Anyway, me and another spread smashed the job out on a Saturday, took us a full on day, think it was 3 big sets in all...about 13-14 bags plus the dubbin out etc

So, I arrive at house a few days later to collect payment and miss prim was sat in the X5 whilst mr charisma was cleaning his golf clubs in the garage. I'd told them on the phone what the bill was by text, so I was somewhat amazed that they were about 55% short. Now normally, I don't count the cash however fir some reason I did..... Then, the argument started, 'you said £x per day and you were only here for one day and my mate told me this job should only be 5 bags of plaster'....... Even though I'd given them a receipt for mats used and hadn't taken the pi55.

So, I had to pull up their quote and draw their attention to the 'per day, per man' bit which, they could not get their orange faces over.....thing is, if I'd done it on my own it'd taken me 3 days and they wouldn't have battered an eyelid.

By by the looks of their house, cars, car their teenage kid was driving they weren't short of a bob or two so why do they think I will work for peanuts?

Really boiled my sh1t..... Especially as I had to go back again to collect the rest of the cash.
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Hairybear, why would you accept a day rate plus mats then smash it in one day?
 
I usually put approx on quote when it comes to duration of job, but I had to change quote 3 times and just forgot to put approx.

i am calm, it just F*****g pisses me off how they have been nice as pie all week then he turns around and says he wouldn't have used me if he knew I'd be done in 3 days @ that price.

I would happily work for a day rate, if you are supplying materials, sorting my tax out and have a good run of work for say at least 6 months, 5 days a week, unfortunately for him, he wasn't offering that.
 
I had another plasterer help me on a big ceiling and he supplied the use of his scaffold planks etc.
We were all done and van reloaded for 2.30-3 but customer was reluctant to pay him for full day! I pointed out that my mate had to drive back and unload all HIS scaffold and planks etc although weeks before he had agreed verbally the money my mate required!
Said that was in HIS time not ours! :RpS_cursing:
Ceiling was 12m by the way!! :RpS_wink:
 
johniosaif said:
We are so fn busy now, I am trying to be relaxed but everyone's ringing me,that's our game feast or famine..I am never really booked up but never really stopped either,very hard to get people to take on work, the good guys are always busy
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so how comes your busy then................................:RpS_confused:
 
stuart23 said:
Hairybear, why would you accept a day rate plus mats then smash it in one day?
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Cos I needed the work at the time of accepting the job, when it came around I'd took on too much work in that week so got another trowel in to get through the work I had, simple as that. Everyone happy, just can't stomach some people when it comes to paying. Why I now always give written quotes irrelevant of size, no verbal contracts.....they're just a recipe for disaster.

That meant to say 2 big sets by the way........, not 3 ......typo!
 
Tell builders or any one else who asks I don't do day work because I take my kids to school, and sometimes pick them up, so can't be arsed arguing about hours I'm happy and your happy and the job will be spot on, simple :)
 
If I'm on a day rate I toddle about with no conviction at all and always make sure I buy all the papers.
 
Customers think they are getting better deal on day rate but really it's better for them on a price as we all work harder so we don't have to go back.
 
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