I understand that a client needs to pay for materials, eg pipes, screws, sandpaper, plaster, adhesive, baton. I understand that some tools need to be hired to complete a job and the client should be billed for them. I have no problem with that.
What do you think about a tradesman checking how much it is to hire a tool he did not have, then instead of hiring the tool he buys the tool (to keep and use on future jobs), but billing the client that he has first used the tool for and classing it as "materials." None of which was discussed before or during the job. He also says that he plans to bill future clients for its use.
Maybe it is just me but, I would not dream of doing this in my line of work. Potentially we have just partially bought his new tool. We would happily have paid the hire rate, no problem.
Thanks
Are you a tradesperson and able to answer this question?
you have a few issues here,
your plumber estimated the cost rather than quoted an estimate is subject to change ,
he was upfront with you & told you he did not have the right tools this would have been your opportunity to get someone else with all the required tools to do your job if you so desired,
he decided to buy rather than hire & again was honest with you & has billed you for it, while hiring can solve a quick issue hire tools tend to get abused & are not the most reliable of tools having hired tools in the past I personally have lost hundreds of man hrs picking up hire tools then having to change them because they don't work properly so cant really fault him for buying new, personally I would have bought the tool & charged you for the hire cost I would also have charged you for the time taken to find the tool & collect it but then again I would have given you a firm quote having taking everything into consideration rather than an estimate, good tools cost money and this should be reflected in the quote along with everything else. you can always get cheaper there are many programs on T.V. reflecting this fact.
the only real problem here seems to be that you feel you have been over charged on an Estimate,
the real question is are you happy with the job if so then pay the man & Stop trying to make Mountains out of Mole hills
So in your line of work everything is free,
You must be in the fortunate position of working for nothing IAM so proud of you.
Have a merry Christmas
Just one thought if god forbid anything happens with your new bathroom you would want your tradesman To come back and fix it as I presume it has some sort of guarantee it seems ideological to then create. Animosity were none existed better to part as friends rather than enemy's.
Have a good new year
i get where youre coming from as this has happened to me in the past.
if i was to rent something i didnt have for example a flooded property would need a sump pump.
if i went to hire a sump pump, say a hour out my day to collect it and another hour to return it and possibly £100 to rent the equipment but then screwfix might sell one for £100 in the first place. its a win win for both parties you dont loose as you wouldve paid the rental to start with and he/she has got a sump pump for future uses.
Hi,
The only issue here is a breakdown in communication. As other answers have mentioned hiring tools can be a fool’s errand because they are abused so buying the tool works out better for everyone. I had a similar experience where my drill burnt out while coring a hole. I had to leave to go buy a new SDS, I discussed it with the customer and they understood that a portion of that cost was going on their bill everything was open and upfront and everyone was happy.
Please don’t let this experience put you off, some people are just better at discussing charges than others. It is also good practice to get a quote before the work starts so any additional costs will have to be disclosed and agreed before final payment is made.
Hope this helps.
Kind regards
Big Dan the Plumber Man
Answered30 December 2023
0
Anonymous user
When you hire a pro they should have the tools if they don't have the tools they should not Quoate for the job
