etiquette - is it normal to pay after or before job? etc

Tiling questions and answers in here please

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hostelgirl
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etiquette - is it normal to pay after or before job? etc

Post by hostelgirl »

I have found a guy to lay some slate flooring in my house. He has given us a quote that we are happy with. Do you usually pay at the end or does the customer lay out for materials then pay for labour at the end? Whats normal? Never done this before. :dunno: I could not find any ratings/reviews for tilers in my area so i have nothing to compare this guy to. How do i know hes not a cowboy? What should i look for? We just got a better vibe from him than the other guy who came to quote and he was efficient at getting back to us and seems keen.
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Colour Republic
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Re: etiquette - is it normal to pay after or before job? etc

Post by Colour Republic »

If it's a small amount of materials such as adhesive/grout etc. then I'd expect that to be added to the final bill if you they are supplying the tiles and these run in to hundreds or thousands of pounds then I'd expect to have to pay for them upfront for the tiles.
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Megaross
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Re: etiquette - is it normal to pay after or before job? etc

Post by Megaross »

Always at the end, with exception of extremely large jobs which drag out for weeks and weeks on end and cost a fortune in materials, in which case I'd put installments into the contract.

Thats me though, I can't see many tiling jobs (unless you're having a pool or something done) lasting weeks and weeks.
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Colour Republic
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Re: etiquette - is it normal to pay after or before job? etc

Post by Colour Republic »

Megaross wrote:
Thats me though, I can't see many tiling jobs (unless you're having a pool or something done) lasting weeks and weeks.
It's more the cost of tiles which are often high. The risk of a customer not paying for labour is one thing, for the risk of losing money on something you can't reclaim is another.

It's a deposit and safe guard, middle ground if you like. You don't lose on the cost of materials and the customer doesn't pay for the labour until they are happy.
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thescruff
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Re: etiquette - is it normal to pay after or before job? etc

Post by thescruff »

hostelgirl wrote:I have found a guy to lay some slate flooring in my house. He has given us a quote that we are happy with. Do you usually pay at the end or does the customer lay out for materials then pay for labour at the end? Whats normal? Never done this before. :dunno: I could not find any ratings/reviews for tilers in my area so i have nothing to compare this guy to. How do i know hes not a cowboy? What should i look for? We just got a better vibe from him than the other guy who came to quote and he was efficient at getting back to us and seems keen.
Don't mix keen and efficient for desperate, talk to the guy, you can discuss terms etc at the same time.
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Wes
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Re: etiquette - is it normal to pay after or before job? etc

Post by Wes »

We just got a better vibe from him
'Good judgement can only be gained by experience..Experience is often gained by bad judgement'..Not sure I got it right but a brilliant quote :-) If he gives you good vibes and the price is right for you, give him a shot :thumbright:
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