FabSwingers.com forum: Should they pay fully for their work?

By *hagTonight OP Man
15 weeks ago

From the land of haribos.

I saw a post and it was about whether or not they should pay fully for their work.

The background to this is, the workers had to work on their patio in the garden, they estimated that the work should have taken about 4 hours, but they finished it a lot earlier, so the owners was a bit hesitant to pay for the work in full, but they did it.

I can see where the thinking behind it from the owners comes from, it can be seen as because they finished early, the workers got payed more.

I know that some companies have it like it doesnt matter how quick you do a job, as long as you get it done by that date.

It would be interesting to see what you think of it, should they have been payed less or the same prise?

I think they should pay the same price and not less, because it is not always about finishing at the agreed time as it can get done quicker too

Reply privately

Reply in forum

Reply +quote

By (user no longer on site)
15 weeks ago

I would pay the agreed full price for the job.

The end result is achieved & that was the goal. I'd be delighted they were finished early tbh.

Reply privately

Reply in forum

Reply +quote

By *irjess4050Couple
15 weeks ago

Scunthorpe

Being a tradesman with 30+ yrs experience, its irrelevant how long it takes to finish a job, I quote for completed job, not an hourly rate, my experience allows me to do the job in less time than so_eone less experienced, doesn't mean I've cut corners, just learnt the hard way and dont make mistakes and know the quickest way to get the finish the customer requires, also I've spent thousands on the correct tools.

Reply privately

Reply in forum

Reply +quote

By *m just me 78Man
15 weeks ago

Preston

Before you start,you agree whether you're on price or on rate,no matter how long you ESTIMATE how long it will take.Id you're on price, doesn't matter it takes, price is the same to customer,if it's rate, you're charged by the hour,by sounds of it, it's on price

Reply privately

Reply in forum

Reply +quote

By *onin25Man
15 weeks ago

Durham

If you agree a price, and they do the job to the agreed standard then you pay the price.

Reply privately

Reply in forum

Reply +quote

By *he MinionMan
15 weeks ago

Surrey

As a tradesmen and to throw fuel on this fire.

If it took 6 hours, not the quoted 4, should the customer pay more ?

It boils down to was the work agreed on a price or an hourly rate. The price is the price no matter how long or quickly the work takes and if agreed upon thats the price to be paid.

Reply privately

Reply in forum

Reply +quote

By *ertsman46Man
15 weeks ago

Hertfordshire

If they have agreed a price doesn’t matter if they get finished early if it over ran would the clients pay more

Reply privately

Reply in forum

Reply +quote

By *hagTonight OP Man
15 weeks ago

From the land of haribos.

"I would pay the agreed full price for the job.

The end result is achieved & that was the goal. I'd be delighted they were finished early tbh."
Hi maybelady, yes, you are right there, the end result is achieved and that was the goal, same here. I would also be delighted if they were finished early too

Reply privately

Reply in forum

Reply +quote

By *acavityMan
15 weeks ago

Redditch

In this case.

You are paying for a task to be completed.

The estimate would include materials and labour, so it may have been padded, but it was an agreed price.

As so_eone else mentioned would the price have gone up if it took longer?

And in this case, the labour is probably a small part of the price.

Reply privately

Reply in forum

Reply +quote

By *urpleburgularalarmMan
15 weeks ago

nowhere, next to neverbeenthere

Im a carpenter and do give rough timescales, but its normally price per job for me, on the rare occasion i do work on a day rate its either a full day or a half day, not hours worked, its hard to fill a half day if you already have a half day booked tbh so i tend to avoid

Reply privately

Reply in forum

Reply +quote

By *inaTitzTV/TS
15 weeks ago

Titz Towers, North Notts

Pay, but for a million and one reasons, most of which have already been mentioned.

An additional reason is that it's far better to have good relations with people than to leave hard feelings, as I find I have no problem getting people to help with things, as I've treated them well

Reply privately

Reply in forum

Reply +quote

By *rLucky777Man
15 weeks ago

Leeds

They should pay the full amount for the job. As long as the quality is good then the time taken is irrelevant.

You are paying for the skills and expertise not the time.

Hire a terribly slow tradesman on a day rate and they will take 2 months to complete a bathroom refurb and it will cost you a fortune.

Agree a price for the job and the quality expected. The sooner it’s finished the better imo.

Wanting them to take longer is small minded thinking and will burn you badly in the long run.

Reply privately

Reply in forum

Reply +quote

By *tormQueenWoman
15 weeks ago

Manchester

Depends on how it was quoted

Fixed price for the job with a time estimate -pay in full

Hourly rate with a time estimate -pay for the time taken

Reply privately

Reply in forum

Reply +quote

By *og and MuseCouple
15 weeks ago

Dubai & Nottingham

It all depends on what was agreed if you've agreed to fix price for something then you pay the price. If you've agreed a time & materials and pay for time and material.

If you agreed fixed price, but in conversation asked them to break down how they got that price and they told you a labour rate that they have used then you have good cause to negotiate

It's not rocket science

Reply privately

Reply in forum

Reply +quote

By (user no longer on site)
15 weeks ago

[Removed by poster at 26/01/26 10:44:45]

Reply privately

Reply in forum

Reply +quote

By (user no longer on site)
15 weeks ago

Paid a lady of the night £5 once. Cheapest yet!

Problem is, I ended up with crabs.

Went to complain and she replied "for £5, what were you expecting?! Lobster?!"

Reply privately

Reply in forum

Reply +quote

By *illiam101000Man
15 weeks ago

Melton Mowbray

I've had this argument so many times. If a customer asks for a fixed price for some work then that's it. If for whatever reason it takes longer then I don't ask for more unless the job changes. If the job changes then advise the customer it's costing more and explain the reasons. I'm costing for worst case scenarios in the fixed price. So it's my responsibility to complete whatever happens.

Reply privately

Reply in forum

Reply +quote

By *vaRoseWoman
15 weeks ago

Ankh-Morpork

In the quote for an hourly rate or for the job?

If it’s hourly then you pay for the hours worked. If it’s for the job then the job got done you pay for the completion.

Reply privately

Reply in forum

Reply +quote

By *hagTonight OP Man
15 weeks ago

From the land of haribos.

"Being a tradesman with 30+ yrs experience, its irrelevant how long it takes to finish a job, I quote for completed job, not an hourly rate, my experience allows me to do the job in less time than so_eone less experienced, doesn't mean I've cut corners, just learnt the hard way and dont make mistakes and know the quickest way to get the finish the customer requires, also I've spent thousands on the correct tools."
Yes, you are right there, its irrelevant how long it takes to finish the job, that is good how you also quote for completed job too

Reply privately

Reply in forum

Reply +quote

By *oeBeansMan
15 weeks ago

Derby

For anything being done, I'd rather be quoted for the job as a whole than the hourly rate as I would hope they wouldn't take the piss making it take longer than it should. If they do the job and do it well, it doesn't matter how long it takes.

Reply privately

Reply in forum

Reply +quote

By *itheway99Man
15 weeks ago

harrow

"I saw a post and it was about whether or not they should pay fully for their work.

I can see where the thinking behind it from the owners comes from, it can be seen as because they finished early, the workers got payed more.

I know that some companies have it like it doesnt matter how quick you do a job, as long as you get it done by that date.

It would be interesting to see what you think of it, should they have been payed less or the same prise?

I think they should pay the same price and not less, because it is not always about finishing at the agreed time as it can get done quicker too

Would they have been paid more if they had taken longer?

Reply privately

Reply in forum

Reply +quote

By *hagTonight OP Man
15 weeks ago

From the land of haribos.

"Before you start,you agree whether you're on price or on rate,no matter how long you ESTIMATE how long it will take.Id you're on price, doesn't matter it takes, price is the same to customer,if it's rate, you're charged by the hour,by sounds of it, it's on price "
Yes, you should agree before, if you are on price or on rate too

Reply privately

Reply in forum

Reply +quote

By *ophieslutTV/TS
Forum Mod
15 weeks ago

Central

If you have contracted for a job, with stipulations on how it's complicated, then it's appropriate to pay in full

,if all conditions are met.

Reply privately

Reply in forum

Reply +quote

By *sleWightCoupleCouple
15 weeks ago

Ryde

From experience, if you are contracted to do a specific job for a specific amount, then as long as the work is finished to specification within an agreed timeframe, then all monies should be paid.

Any earlier than planned is a bonus that you can get things back to normal sooner than you thought.

Reply privately

Reply in forum

Reply +quote

By *hagTonight OP Man
15 weeks ago

From the land of haribos.

[Removed by poster at 26/01/26 17:24:07]

Reply privately

Reply in forum

Reply +quote

By *hagTonight OP Man
15 weeks ago

From the land of haribos.

"In this case.

You are paying for a task to be completed.

The estimate would include materials and labour, so it may have been padded, but it was an agreed price.

As so_eone else mentioned would the price have gone up if it took longer?

And in this case, the labour is probably a small part of the price.

"
Yes, in this case, you are paying for a task to be completed too

Reply privately

Reply in forum

Reply +quote

By *007ManMan
15 weeks ago

Worthing

If its a good job, pay in full. I always pay to the quote.

Reply privately

Reply in forum

Reply +quote

By *ife NinjaMan
15 weeks ago

Dunfermline

Job and done. Pay up. Only decent 🤓🥷

Reply privately

Reply in forum

Reply +quote

By *hesterred16Man
15 weeks ago

Chester

Surely you’re paying for the job, regardless of how long it takes. I’m delighted if a job is finished quicker, provided the quality is right

Reply privately

Reply in forum

Reply +quote

By *eonMan
15 weeks ago

The wallled town

Definitely pay the full price. Maybe even a tip for efficiency 😂

Reply privately

Reply in forum

Reply +quote

By (user no longer on site)
15 weeks ago

"I saw a post and it was about whether or not they should pay fully for their work.

I can see where the thinking behind it from the owners comes from, it can be seen as because they finished early, the workers got payed more.

I know that some companies have it like it doesnt matter how quick you do a job, as long as you get it done by that date.

It would be interesting to see what you think of it, should they have been payed less or the same prise?

I think they should pay the same price and not less, because it is not always about finishing at the agreed time as it can get done quicker too

"
I do landscape gardening etc , some people don’t take into consideration the price of the tools you use cost of pet to ol for strimmers etc , and looking for ways not to pay

Reply privately

Reply in forum

Reply +quote

By *andybitches1Couple
15 weeks ago

Aberdeenshire

A price is the price no matter how quickly they finish if the job is to the standard expected.

One man's graft in a day can be two days to another man so he shouldn't be penalised due to a narrow minded client.

I price a lot of my jobs and the quicker i can do them the better both in moving on to the next one and on the pocket.

Reply privately

Reply in forum

Reply +quote

By *vmarisaTV/TS
15 weeks ago

Motherwell

Agreed price ,if it is finished quicker than expected and is of the quality required. Pay in full and add £20 for him and his apprentice to have a couple of pints on me. Mx 😈

Reply privately

Reply in forum

Reply +quote

By *hagTonight OP Man
15 weeks ago

From the land of haribos.

"Depends on how it was quoted

Fixed price for the job with a time estimate -pay in full

Hourly rate with a time estimate -pay for the time taken"
Yes, you are right there, it also depends how it was quoted too

Reply privately

Reply in forum

Reply +quote

By *rightonsteveMan
15 weeks ago

Brighton - even Hove!

"I would pay the agreed full price for the job.

The end result is achieved & that was the goal. I'd be delighted they were finished early tbh."

This - as long as they did a god job. I’d be more interested in quality not the time it takes. Bit ironic, eh ladies?

Reply privately

Reply in forum

Reply +quote

By *utsackerMan
15 weeks ago

north east

When I quote a job it’s the price for the job itself regardless of the time it takes, I’m happy to give an estimate of the time it will take but yhst has nothing to do with the price.

If I were the customer in that case I’d have paid the agreed price, at the time it was quoted they obviously thought it was a fair price for the work involved and completing it faster doesent change that so can’t see why it matters

Reply privately

Reply in forum

Reply +quote

By *r99mr99Man
15 weeks ago

Ealing

You're paying for the job and the experience not the time. There's a whole ted talk on this.

Reply privately

Reply in forum

Reply +quote

By *hagTonight OP Man
15 weeks ago

From the land of haribos.

"It all depends on what was agreed if you've agreed to fix price for something then you pay the price. If you've agreed a time & materials and pay for time and material.

If you agreed fixed price, but in conversation asked them to break down how they got that price and they told you a labour rate that they have used then you have good cause to negotiate

It's not rocket science"
Yes, you are right there, it also depends on what was agreed on too

Reply privately

Reply in forum

Reply +quote

By *elvet RopeMan
15 weeks ago

by the big field

If it’s done right and on time, pay up- unless you prefer to pay extra for anytime they encounter a problem.

Look at it another way, if you go to work on a salary, would you be happy if your boss deducted money anytime you go to the toilet, get a drink or are stood chatting- cos you ain’t earning for the company doing those things and they pay you to work

Reply privately

Reply in forum

Reply +quote

By *omRachCouple
15 weeks ago

Wirral

"I would pay the agreed full price for the job.

The end result is achieved & that was the goal. I'd be delighted they were finished early tbh."

This

Reply privately

Reply in forum

Reply +quote

By *inkyriderMan
15 weeks ago

barrow

Clearly your one of them melts who just dont like to pay

Reply privately

Reply in forum

Reply +quote

By *n the cloudsMan
15 weeks ago

warlingham

If the price was agreed in advance then there is no question.

The workers need to account for any unforeseen circumstances so will allow a little extra time to cover their backs.

As long as the outcome is what you agreed then its value for money.

If they had charged by the hour and dragged the job out then you would have an argument

Reply privately

Reply in forum

Reply +quote

By (user no longer on site)
15 weeks ago

I give my cystomers two options, a day rate or hourly rate.

Day rate is at my descretion, whether I'm there 8hrs or 3, they agreed to the rate.

Reply privately

Reply in forum

Reply +quote

By (user no longer on site)
15 weeks ago

Depends how many bodies they've got under the patio.

Reply privately

Reply in forum

Reply +quote

By *n the cloudsMan
15 weeks ago

warlingham

"Depends how many bodies they've got under the patio."

Maybe that’s why they packed up and legged it

Reply privately

Reply in forum

Reply +quote

By *asha86Couple
15 weeks ago

walsall

If it took longer than the alloted time is the customer going to pay more??? No so no the price is the price and if the customer doesn't like it they shouldn't have agreed it

Reply privately

Reply in forum

Reply +quote

By *ikeExMan
15 weeks ago

Near Alfreton, Derbyshire

The quote was for the job.

the guy who priced it up may have pulled people off something else to get this small job done and dusted... so i think it's fair paying what was quoted.

Reply privately

Reply in forum

Reply +quote

By *artorialMan
15 weeks ago

weymouth

Quoted price is the price, the contractor may have come across an issue that took longer but the quote is still the price. The customer gets surety on price the contractor based on his knowledge and experience takes a gamble on job pricing

Reply privately

Reply in forum

Reply +quote

By *rincipessaWoman
15 weeks ago

your wildest dreams,

If you’re quoted a price for a job then that’s surely what you expect to pay for the job however long it takes.

Reply privately

Reply in forum

Reply +quote

By *leasure MisfitMan
15 weeks ago

Lapworth

As long as the job was completed satisfactorily and to the agreed standard or better, then they should pay the full amount. Good tradespeople are worth paying for. If they finished the job early then that is good service and not something to penalise them for.

Reply privately

Reply in forum

Reply +quote

By *hagTonight OP Man
15 weeks ago

From the land of haribos.

"In the quote for an hourly rate or for the job?

If it’s hourly then you pay for the hours worked. If it’s for the job then the job got done you pay for the completion."
Hi eva, yes, you are right there. I think it was quoted for an hourly rate, where they estimated it would take about 4 hours to complete too

Reply privately

Reply in forum

Reply +quote

By (user no longer on site)
15 weeks ago

Theres an old saying....

"If I do a job in 30 minutes, it's because I spent 10 years learning how to do that job in 30 minutes. You owe me for the years, not the minutes."

Reply privately

Reply in forum

Reply +quote

By *verageHoesCouple
15 weeks ago

Bessacarr

I'd pay in full.

Unless I was doing work for family or friends, it wouldn't be worth my time charging less than 4 hours. By the time I've already been out to look at the job, arrange materials etc that job wouldn't be worth taking on for any less.

If I was happy with the price originally, and the standard of work, that's all that matters.

Reply privately

Reply in forum

Reply +quote

By *ustus5555Woman
15 weeks ago

Nottingham

Do wish ppl would learn the difference between " estimate "

& " quote "

Reply privately

Reply in forum

Reply +quote

By *ad NannaWoman
15 weeks ago

East London

The workers didn't get paid more because they finished early.

The job costs what it costs. If they decided to work harder and maybe through breaks the job still got done.

The owners should have got quotes from various companies to see what the going rate was.

People on hourly rates tend to work to rule, or even slower. Why work harder if you're not gaining anything from it.

It could have taken longer, if a problem had occurred that wasn't an extra-like rain or materials not turning up.

Reply privately

Reply in forum

Reply +quote

By *ad NannaWoman
15 weeks ago

East London

"Do wish ppl would learn the difference between " estimate "

& " quote "

Even with a quote, the time it takes to finish a price job isn't irrelevant. You could add another worker to the job to finish it quicker because you have another job to get to. They have to be paid.

Reply privately

Reply in forum

Reply +quote

By *ustus5555Woman
15 weeks ago

Nottingham

A quote IS a price. 🤷

Reply privately

Reply in forum

Reply +quote

By (user no longer on site)
15 weeks ago

Yes - whether they complete it in 5 days or 10, if we’ve agreed a set price and the work is of high quality, then it’ll get paid.

Reply privately

Reply in forum

Reply +quote

By *ershingMan
15 weeks ago

liverpool

if you agree a price, that is what it'll cost if you agree hours, you pay on the hours worked.

Its not rocket science

Reply privately

Reply in forum

Reply +quote

By *hagTonight OP Man
15 weeks ago

From the land of haribos.

"When I quote a job it’s the price for the job itself regardless of the time it takes, I’m happy to give an estimate of the time it will take but yhst has nothing to do with the price.

Reply privately

Reply in forum

Reply +quote

By *hagTonight OP Man
15 weeks ago

From the land of haribos.

"Im a carpenter and do give rough timescales, but its normally price per job for me, on the rare occasion i do work on a day rate its either a full day or a half day, not hours worked, its hard to fill a half day if you already have a half day booked tbh so i tend to avoid"
That is good you give rough timescales and that it is normally price per job too

Reply privately

Reply in forum

Reply +quote

Post new Message to Thread