Customer From Hell

[The D]

We give people this advice all the time. She can’t with holdthe entire payment she by law has to give you the opportunity to rectify anydefects that she preserves as a problem. Or come to an agreement on what moneyswill be withheld from the invoice in order to get another tiler to rectify theproblem areas. My main point is to put the bill in now and she can pay it orshe can dispute it but you do not have to just walk away with nothing.

 

[The Legend; Phil Hobson RIP]

As most of the opinions, you definitely need to get paid.

I'd take a few days off to chill. Then send the invoice recorded delivery etc...

I would've given her 2 choices, pay whats agreed, or if the tiling isn't good enough, then let me remove all the tiles

Cheers Martyn, I think I will fight this one. I am so fed up with people running rough shod over decent tradesmen. Thanks again for all your imput TF peeps. We are all in this together, we are at the bottom of the pile it seems.

Maybe I can make a stand, for all of us.

 

[White Room]

how did it go phil.
been thinking about this all day

You and me both jonny, just can't imagine how how I would have reacted but would have been seething....

 

[Peter]

She doesn't have a leg to stand on legally if she's just knocked you for no reason, she can't dispute that the workmanship is not of a high enough standard and any independent inspection would tell her that.

Do you know if she paid the other trades in full?

 

[ianflem]

Another Head Up ur *** Engineer....Probably been planning it from day 1 !

You make sure you get paid Phil ! Once you do post her a wee stool

Al never leave a skid mark on a customers pan again...ever ...

 

[White Room]

Dos'nt the TTA have some kind of legal route advise that could be used....

 

[Deleted member 9966]

don't forget, our long standing member Oli had a very similar issue with a customer of his going back some years. Oli wrote a whole thread about it, about what action to take, legal support, small claims court etc. Oli won his case and received the payments he was due plus a little bit more. it was worth it.

 

[John Benton]

Phil, Phil, Phil. DO NOT let her get away with this. You MUST invoice her and pursue this to it's end. I would guarantee that she has done this before and will continue to do so if you walk away. Many more may suffer, why should you not get paid for it. She wouldn't go to work and not get paid for it.

Don't forget Phil, we freely throw advice to Joe Public and tell them to pursue cowboy builders to recompense them for poor/bad workmanship. You've done everything right and you should be paid.

Why not go to CAB and get some free advice, trading standards with your photos and ask them if they think your work is shoddy and your mitres poor.

Please think about this Phil before just writing it off as a bad debt.

Good luck mate!!!

 

[radim]

I like post 88 and 94.

 

[Dougs Third Go]

You and me both jonny, just can't imagine how how I would have reacted but would have been seething....

me three, get your bill in mate, then take it from there.

 

[The Legend; Phil Hobson RIP]

don't forget, our long standing member Oli had a very similar issue with a customer of his going back some years. Oli wrote a whole thread about it, about what action to take, legal support, small claims court etc. Oli won his case and received the payments he was due plus a little bit more. it was worth it.

Thanks Liz, I really appreciate all your help, you are good people, honest hard working people.

I would feel so alone without you guys and gals, I will try to get over this, but it may see me off.

 

[White Room]

I'd hate to think you would think about this Phil even though this has given you some severe stress, as we get older we seem think we know (with experiance) the customers were working for but were all fallible to these cretins...there a breed of their own.

This is a lesson to learnt by all.

 

[Pebbs]

Phil, I am sorry that I havent put my 2 penny worth of opinion in, but I have my own nightmare going on right now on a big contract. So yes I am with you on the sleepless nights part. Phil you know me, and I tell it straight. You cant let this drop, and I'll tell you why, because if she does it to one person, she will do it to the next. Sometimes you have to stand up to these type of spoilt little up themselves non entities. You have to take this on the chin and go for the jugular, do not take this lying down. Draft the letter up and send it recorded post, do not get into the nitty picky parts put it down factually, as you may need to revert back to that letter if it goes down the legal route.

Keep your chin up and retain your dignity at all times, do not give into this manipulating bully.

Lynn

 

[Del W]

Dont give up Phil. Get your thoughts together,then go down the legal route.
Good luck, Del.

 

[steve187]

send the invoice and any follow ups, by recorded delivery and put the bar coded/ proof of posting part on a piece of paper, with a copy of the invoice/letter and date and sign it, as '' this is a true copy of the invoice/letter sent to ............., by recorded delivery on ( insert date) proof of sending is attached'' send a chase up after 7 days with a pay before date included, and put '' court proceeding will be commenced on ( put the next day after the pay before date) ''

good luck there are people out there that never intend to pay.

 

[The Legend; Phil Hobson RIP]

Thanks for your help peeps, 5th sleepless night

 

[The Legend; Phil Hobson RIP]

Still here, still awake.

 

[nakhodka2002]

Good night Phil. I know you are here. I went through al this thread. I am very sorry for what happend. My little advice is try to pray an it will help. It help me. And send a bill to this women . She has no right to behave like this. Chin up and good luck

 

[Pebbs]

This sleepless night thing is catching, Im up fretting over work related stuff as well. Why do we put ourselves through it? Must love what we do....just hate the aggro it brings sometimes.

 

[afright]

Sorry to hear youre bad news Phil
She sounds a right one,stick to youre guns and go down the legal route it just seems she wanted the slightest excuse.All the best.Albert.

 

[Dougs Third Go]

did you have the meeting on wednesday Phil? if so what was the outcome and did you manage to agree on anything?

 

[John Benton]

did you have the meeting on wednesday Phil? if so what was the outcome and did you manage to agree on anything?

Post 80 Doug, Let's hope she ends up with someone like Sparkle333, then she'd have something to moan about!!!

 

[charlie1]

Still here, still awake.

Jeeso phill, if I'd have known!! I was up 4 hours ago watching some vid mr t mentioned in another thread ( tile master or something). Could have been on here chatting with the real tile master! Chin up mate

 

[Andy Allen]

This sleepless night thing is catching, Im up fretting over work related stuff as well. Why do we put ourselves through it? Must love what we do....just hate the aggro it brings sometimes.

Tell about it im trying to get final payment on a 120m job and guess what she rang last night to say there's a few issues that need sorting.

Unbelievable I walked through the job with her on wednesday and she was saying what a good job ive done now all of a sudden when it comes to paying things change.

Lucky ive had a payment on this job still owed over a grand though

 

[Olz]

Don't let it drop mate, send her an invoice, with a clear payment deadline, make it clear you do not accept the work is under par. Give her say 14 days to pay. Then send her a letter before action. Then if still no payment file a small claims case via money claim on line, the county court online system. She's taking the proverbial and trying to get free work. I hate people like this with a passion, the cow that tried to do me over got it stuck up her big time by the court system and a bailiff on her door step. Funny, she though she could rip off me and some other trades, didn't take the stuck up £&@) long to pay the others once the neighbours in her posh little village saw the bailiffs van on her drive and clamp on her car!!

 

[Spud]

You are being too reasonable about this Phil you need to insist she sorts out paying you shame her with a bil board outside her house if needs be have you sent her a bill yet ?

 

[The Legend; Phil Hobson RIP]

Thank you all, but I am on my 5th day with no sleep, and I don't have any fight left in me. Sorry, you are all good people, shame there are not more like you.

 

[Perry]

Phil the good thing is it will be an easy one to win IMO, and wont cost you much. Add it all up inc the extra mucking about send it recorded asp. She has less legs than a snake, and broke all the rules.

 

[jonnyc]

Phil. Doesn't sound like you have sent her an invoice yet.
You have to do this.am I right in thinking that you gave a day rate only verbally.
that does make it more difficult for you but this lady cannot pay you nothing for work you have done .
she may think that you have taken longer than she think job merited but it certainly doesn't mean that the work you did nhad no worth at all.
if you go through the process of going to same claims I can guarantee that she will want to come to an agreement before it goes to court.
she is not stupid and will know that it will not be accepted Ina court that she paid nothing for your services.
it is also fact that if she has any grievances about quality of work she has to give you a chance to rectify if you want to before getting anyone else in.
if she gets someone else to rectify what she perceives to be wrong she has lost already.
Get the process started , you don't have to talk to her , better not and she will soon change her tone .

 

[Qwerty]

Phil, I noticed in another thread (as well as this one) that this incident has hit you really badly both financially and emotionally which is completely understandable. If I were closer I would take you out for a drink...a problem shared is a problem halved after all.
I know this is still very raw and fresh but please do listen to some of the advice some on here have given you. Don't give up mate. Your work is some of the highest standard on here and your passion is tiling. All the best Phil.

 

[stusgsx]

Chin up Phil. We have all had one of these customers I think. I've had sleepless nights just laying there really stressed out and doubting my skills. It makes you feel like complete **** but u MUST pick yourself up. I didn't bother doing all the legal stuff with my nightmare customer because I just wanted to forget it but it was only 1 week lost but every time I drive past her house my blood boils slightly!
Pick yourself up and go find some nice creamy jobs where u get tea and biscuits and even toilet facilities! (Yes they still exist...somewhere!)

Stu