Taking my first customer to court....

Good luck, and please keep us posted.

You have written, agreed quotes and all that bar locks?

This could be very useful to a lot of people.

(Don't forget 'TheSheriffsOffice' when you win and if the customer starts dragging their feet - they'll soon sort them out )

 

If they say either "We didn't agree this..." or even "What - we've already paid you in cash!", how will you prove otherwise?

 

All my quotes are emailed to the customer, we then require an email back in return to carry out works we never do work from verbal agreement.

 

GOODLUCK with it mate, I hope you get the money.

 

Phew.

 

I understand you are not happy, but I think you will find that you will end up spending more money on the legal fees. As I understand a claim under £10,000 will go to the small claims, for which you can't claim back for expenses.

In future if you are doing work for a customer, provide a formal written quote, and have it signed. #Make it as much detailed as possible.

 

I hope you are successful, there are members on here who have lost 1000's in un paid bill. I am not in the trade, I only do my own renovations.

May be next time with any new customer is to test the water and sure that payments are stepped. Also as PB says everything should be written down.

 

If they don't turn up on the day, you win by default

Fingers crossed.

 

Good on you for having the balls to take them to court, I did the same a few years back, did a £28000.00 drive at the end of the job the cust tried to not pay £2800.00 of it saying it was his 10% discount.
He didn't pay so I sued him, he tried to defend it by saying some of the work wasn't up to a standard acceptable.

I had a independent survey done, this of course found the work to be above average and perfectly acceptable, this survey cost £460.00 which I added to the claim.

The judge found in my favour in less than 15 minutes and awarded me the money outstanding including court costs and the cost of the survey, giving the guy just 7 days to pay in full, warning him if he didn't, it would cost him dear.

So stick with it, I'm sure you'll be ok, judges ain't stupid they can see who trying to con who.

 

We had a customer took us for £18k back in 1986 because of a crack in a block wall. Cracks still there today and building still standing.
That's the same as £50k today when you put it through a historic inflation calculator.
We never seen it.
We were gonna go back and steal his tractor but didn't want to earn a name as hoods.
3 or 4 four other guys took us for close to £100k at todays rate.

Had about 10 guys employed at the time so no time to faff around with the law.
Luck has stayed with us over the years though.
At the turn of the down turn we were in a very nice position.

 

It can take a while though, I've got a claim going through MCOL since August, waiting for a date from the court at the moment.

 

£300 quid is not a lot to be bothered about. I'd just say goodluck to the guy and put it down to experience.
Bossman owes me £30k and I'll never see it.
But I'll have luck fornent it. The divel hates forgivers.
£300 quid wouldn't buy you 5 minutes in a court.

 

And yes plenty of our work was shoddy. We had a few walls collapse that we built.
That would put most guys lights out. Not us.
And we still made plenty of money as we had the turn around.
Most of our guys were on the double.

 

Or

 

That's sacriledge and nasty to knock your own work down.
Mind you we never had to as some of it fell down.

 

This is another one I found a few years ago.