Aggressive electrician demanding payment...what do we do?

[arbymeadows]

Hello!

We hired an electrician in August to complete some work for us in a little art studio. It included metal conduit, plugs changing to metal ones (plus more added), pendant lights fitted, strip lights updating (2), plus bits like electrical radiators (3) and a hand dryer installed.

The work was due to be completed for the 9th of September, in time for the space to be used the following week. We were asked to pay for materials up front as he didn't like the idea of buying them, so we transferred £1400 up front.

He then failed to show for two weeks, and gave us a few different excuses, then turned up in dribs and drabs (two hours here, then a full day on a random Sunday). We're now over a month behind schedule, paying rent on two places, and the work is still not completed. He never turns up. He never calls. We are constantly chasing him. Half of our unit is without lighting or power completely, including the toilet, which means the space as a whole is completely unusable. He has had to redo a few different bits where he has not followed our plan (pendants in the wrong places, power too close to the sink etc).

Anyway, he is now asking for payment before he completes. He's charging us for his mistakes and calling them our changes. He's threatening us with a bill for over £4000 +VAT when I've asked for his break down of work completed, plus a receipt for the materials we purchased. He's incredibly defensive, aggressive and unprofessional, but I have no idea where we go from here. The work is uncompleted, he is demanding payment, but we have no faith he will even return if we pay him for the work done. We have never undertaken work to this scale, and basically do not know where to go from here. Where do we stand? Do we have to pay him immediately, or is it ok to request that work is completed first? He is claiming over 80 hours work on site, but this is just absolutely not true.

Furthering this, in reality, we do not want him on site any more. He has been so aggressive in his correspondence that we would really rather just pay him for work already completed and move on from this mess. Is that viable? We have no idea what to do.

Any help would be massively appreciated!

 

[delano]

PS - by the sounds of it you already paid a down payment to cover material costs, now lets consider his 80 hrs claim was correct then that would amount to him charging you £50 a hour which is extortionate and not at all competitive, also is he VAT registered and are you so you can claim it back, otherwise why use a VAT registered firm to do a few jobs when you could have hired a local sparks non registered who doesn't have to apply the 20% to his Labour costs.

£50 per hour is not extortionate!

 

[123]

£50 per hour is not extortionate!

@darkwood is local to the OP so would have a far better knowledge of the rates in the local area.

Every sole trader in the London areas must be VAT registered if charging £50 an hour or more.

 

[slingshot2000]

[USER=7939
Every sole trader in the London[I]

Where is this written and who enforces it ??????[/user]

 

[slingshot2000]

Every sole trader in the London areas must be VAT registered if charging £50 an hour or more.

 

[Octopus]

@darkwoodEvery sole trader in the London areas must be VAT registered if charging £50 an hour or more.

Not sure I agree with that ............. there are many people who choose not to work 5 days a week - some much less ...................

 

[Diddy]

Without wanting to come across as a rich hippy lol. I average three days, I don't need nor want the money that 5-7 days would provide. My work life balance suits me just fine. Think my dad mentioned to me about 40 years ago - Work to live don't live to work. If you can "afford" to do so, then I heartily recommend it.
I don't charge £50 per hour more like 40....but then again call out the 1st hour is 75....take it or leave it. I look at it thus - I could do between 20-30 hours at £40, or I could do 40 to 60 hours at £20 (obv I wouldn't do self-employed £20), but I'm sure you all get the gist.

 

[Darkwood]

If your changing 50 quid a hour (excluding initial call out charges) outside london then you are either aiming at a specific high end market position or just trying to rip of the customer IMHO (note this is an opinion), can you seriously tell me if you went to an old vulnerable lady and did a few hours to find and resolve a fault then you would hit her with a £100 charge just on Labour alone?
I would expect closer to half that figure in the Yorkshire area, it is competition that decides the average charge rate and unless you have sort after skills that most don't then to charge such rates will not be good in a business sense of attracting new custom and landing quotations, yes one can get away with it but that relies on either those customers that do not get other quotations and thus are ignorant to the going rate but this becomes a little bit questionable if one goes onto specifically targeting the vulnerable, like I said before, I have sort after skills in the industrial industry and have to turn a lot of work away such is the demand but even I know where my bread is buttered and know I would quickly loose my customer base if I tried charging them £50 an hour an normal rate.

I have seen it happen to others who got greedy where they made a good living for a few yrs then slowly work dried up, they probably believe the work is no longer out there as a whole but the fact is they had a poor business model and became a victim of their own success and greed.

I do expect some to disagree and I am fine with that but I like to provide a service that is good and rates that are realistic as this has ensured that my business model lasts and thus far I am in my 10th yrs of self employment with plenty on and lots in the pipework, I started out when the financial crash happened and it only the fact I had a good business model that I got through some tough early times.

 

[Diddy]

If your changing 50 quid a hour (excluding initial call out charges) outside london then you are either aiming at a specific high end market position or just trying to rip of the customer IMHO (note this is an opinion), can you seriously tell me if you went to an old vulnerable lady and did a few hours to find and resolve a fault then you would hit her with a £100 charge just on Labour alone?
I would expect closer to half that figure in the Yorkshire area, it is competition that decides the average charge rate and unless you have sort after skills that most don't then to charge such rates will not be good in a business sense of attracting new custom and landing quotations, yes one can get away with it but that relies on either those customers that do not get other quotations and thus are ignorant to the going rate but this becomes a little bit questionable if one goes onto specifically targeting the vulnerable, like I said before, I have sort after skills in the industrial industry and have to turn a lot of work away such is the demand but even I know where my bread is buttered and know I would quickly loose my customer base if I tried charging them £50 an hour an normal rate.

I have seen it happen to others who got greedy where they made a good living for a few yrs then slowly work dried up, they probably believe the work is no longer out there as a whole but the fact is they had a poor business model and became a victim of their own success and greed.

I do expect some to disagree and I am fine with that but I like to provide a service that is good and rates that are realistic as this has ensured that my business model lasts and thus far I am in my 10th yrs of self employment with plenty on and lots in the pipework, I started out when the financial crash happened and it only the fact I had a good business model that I got through some tough early times.

Horse for courses is the saying I think. I target customers who can afford me. If a genuinely poor old lady needed her lights/power back on either they can't and won't call me, or I will get to hear of it through friends etc. and I go round and do it for free. I have done this many times.....Maybe it's my little way of saying here ya go don't worry about it...have something back on me.
I am in east kent so london rates "almost" apply, ie half my customers work in london earn london money....in fact, yeah most of my customers are in the above average wage bracket...These people want a good service a neat job they want you to be presentable they want high end gear they want you to turn up when you say and they also require your knowledge and advice on equipment and accessories...I often find myself giving these types of customer numbers of similar minded "good" trades people who I can readily endorse as fitting the above criteria.
One last point it is a fact that those with grey hair have more disposable income than those who haven't reached that stage yet.

 

[Octopus]

As I have commented many times on pricing is that LOCATION MATTERS.

 

[Darkwood]

@Diddy
Fair enough, clearly you are in the London catchment zone so not who my posts were aimed at as I clearly stated.
Your outgoing comment about grey hair is not what I implied though, I termed the key word vulnerable, also having disposable cash does is not a reason one should take advantage, the elderly are one of the most targetted group in our industry by the low lifes that give us good tradespeople a bad name.

 

[Diddy]

Yes I agree about taking advantage. Like I said not my target market. I come recommended from friends who have had work done...neighbours of people who have had work done...Like I say I am more likely to be found doing stuff for free for truely vulnerable. My point about the grey hair was just a throwout comment really that a lot of people miss that being elderly doesn't automatically mean vulnerable nor skint. I'm sure we/most of us all have the same heart when it comes to helping others less fortunate than ourselves out if we can.
I'm not talking about it no more as I don't want to sound too much like a church-going saint either lol. Like i say happy customers who can more than afford me who don't want pimlico or whoever they are charging £140+ per hour... "Everybody's apppy" in my best Harry Enfield voice.
BTW day off today nothing in until Wed....wife works me harder for bloody free anyway !!

 

[Mike Johnson]

Second option would be to engage another contractor to complete the works but you will probably have to write off the monies already paid
Keep all correspondence professional and in writing
This option will possibly end up in the small claims court
You will need times and dates recording and pictures of works currently completed

Do not engage another contractor to complete the works, until you have given the original contractor in writing by registered receipt letter, or company e-mail, the opportunity to complete his contracted works in a reasonable time period, believe it or not if you don't do the above you will leave yourself open for a loss of profit claim from the original contractor, conversely if you carry out the above correctly he is liable to a claim from you for breaking the contract and liquidated and ascertained damages.

 

[Strima]

In his contract does he have a right to cancel clause?

 

[Octopus]

In his contract does he have a right to cancel clause?

Is there a "contract"?

 

[Mike Johnson]

I understood there is no signed contract, but by starting work he has agreed to whatever was stated at contract start, my above post is standard contract procedure and would hold true in court whether a written contract existed or not.