Hi buddy

It's any easy one to answer, they're your clients first off not friends, always tell them plastering it's a messy job but you will do all in your power to keep things clean, inform the client all their items must be cleared from the areas your working in before start of works. If items are still in the room at the start of works you must do everything you can to keep them clean, if carpets are still down then you must cover them from dust and dirt. Most clients understand it's not an easy or clean job. But if you feel unsure draw up a contract with full list of works what you liable for and the client will get that way things are 100% clear from the start.

Any mess I always clean up, even if the clients say "it's OK that don't matter we will do it" as after all it's down to you to fix it, along with my tools I always carry cleaning gear and hoover. Might sound silly to some but I pays off in the end.

All the best to you and don't get too down hearted over it, if you put 100% in to what you do clients will see it.

Regards

Hi Steve,
Unfortunately this is becoming more and more common. Any excuse to avoid paying an invoice?

Like all trades people the Supply of Goods and Services Act 1982 comes into force when you are engaged to carry out work in a customers home. Part 2 of the act applies here. In the main the section that applies here is part 13.

Implied term about care and skill.
In a contract for the supply of a service where the supplier is acting in the course of a business, there is an implied term that the supplier will carry out the service with reasonable care and skill.

It sounds as though your customer may be behaving in an unreasonable manner. So, put everything in writing, if you have not done so already. If not, start again so you have a paper trail showing that you have tried to remedy the customer's grievance. If you have not done so already, issue an invoice for the amount of work completed to date, 80% based upon your calculation, with a seven or fourteen day payment period. Include time spent and/or area of plastering too. If the invoice remains unpaid after the end of the payment period your customer is in breach of contract. Issue reminders and, if still no joy, submit a Small Claim to the County Court. A County Court claim can be completed online and it doesn't cost too much and the small claims track can be used up to amounts of £10,000.

The main thing is to be seen to be reasonable throughout and the customer is in the wrong. After all, you wouldn't not pay for your shopping so why should they try to get away with not paying for their plastering.

All the best. Jason

It's a tough one I find I'm having to bend over back wards at the moment for customers. They seem to think they can get away with treating tradesmen like poo at the moment.

They could have had a bad day at work and you're just an easy escape goat.

不知道该给你什么建议。在我努力pull a fast one, fight your corner and see what happens. If they have a leather sofa it would just wipe or hoover off.

Good luck

Sound like cow boy customers plastering is a messy job we can only try to keep dust etc to a minimum take them to a small claims court they not have a leg to stand on

Send them a invoice for your work and if they refuse to pay take them to the small claims court you would win this easy.
They may try a counter claim but this would fail as its expected to get dusty no matter how careful you are.

most people know with common sence that you do get a little bit of dust when you get plastering done but that goes after a couple of weeks when it settles and its painted , it's worth putting up with a little bit of dust for the money you save in the long run painting your walls rather then wallpaper I cheaper and cost affective