Should I pay a deposit before works are completed?
Service Central answers a common question from consumers about to undergo a major new project.
Many Customers have been asking Service Central if paying a deposit is normal trade practice or what if the Provider asks for the full amount up front?
It is not uncommon for a Provider to seek a deposit for works he is yet to commence. This will show the Provider that the Customer has the means and the intention of paying for his work. It is not recommended however to pay a Provider more than 10-20% deposit of a total price.
A Customer should never hand over the full amount of works before the job has been completed and they are fully satisfied with works. This should prevent jobs taking longer time periods and ensure a quality finish.
If a Provider asks for a high amount of money to be paid before starting works then alarm bells should be ringing!!!! It’s Illegal for a Provider to ask for monies for works they have not completed.
Whilst Service Central makes sure all of our Service Providers are fully licensed and Insured we rely on customer feedback to gain knowledge on a Service Providers quality of work.
At Service Central, a huge reason why people continue to come back again and again is that they can always read feedback posted about business's that want to quote on the website. This feedback is loaded by other people in the same situation, and reports what the overall experience was.Before hiring any provider we recommend you firstly have a look at their web profile.When a business responds to your job request you are provided with a link to their online business profile. you'll get this in the email sent to you, as well as online when you're logged in (just click on the link that says 'View profile').
This online profile contains a list of feedback we have received about that business and the ratings that each consumer gave them.
