Jump to content

Be prepared to pay a deposit if you want work done in France


Val_2
 Share

Recommended Posts

We have used French artisans for:    plumbing,  fitting a new kitchen,  tiling floors/walls,  plugs & wiring, even sealing & tiling a very large terrace, repairing the boiler & lots more to come.   I have NEVER been asked for a deposit & some of the work needed supplies having to be brought in by the artisan.

I have met ONE UK artisan for a quote - he wanted 30% deposit for labour ONLY,  & big delay!   I can only assume his work came only from ex-pats accepting this dubious practice - I can't imagine many of the French would.

Tegwini

Link to comment
Share on other sites

I have been in this business for many years and have learned a few harsh lessons, from customers i might add. I have done several jobs where no money was forthcoming after the work was finished. If you do work for someone and there is no materials to buy and you get shafted by non payment then you can write it off to experience however, if there are materials to buy and you buy them then you lose not only time, but your own personal money that you spent buying someone else's materials.

I am at this moment trying to get money i am owed by clients who agreed to pay a deposit, the work was carried out to their standards ( and mine ) the stage payments/work were met ........until the final 3rd plus the agreed 5% held back for snagging. Unfortunately for me the work was finished, because we had built up a trust gained mutually from the time spent working there, i worked on at my expense to finish the job.

Lesson learned here, although i am sure i shall get what i am owed but still a warning shot over the bows. I tell you this just to let you know that it does cut both ways and that there are unscrupulous clients out there as well as builders.

Just to compound the facts, i done some work for a guy who moved here from the south, first money i received/ was offered in US dollars, brand new and sequential in number ?????? he then payed me some cash in Euros, as the agreed currency, i should have walked then but didn't. To cut a long story short we eventually left the job early after being refused another payment but it was obvious from the start that this guy was out to get as much for as little as possible.

A dark night in a dark alley would be a grateful wish come true.

Link to comment
Share on other sites

We have used French and English artisans.  The English artisan has asked for advances when he was having to put out significant amounts of money for materials.  The French roofer, electrician and plumber never asked for deposits before completely replacing the roof, electrical wiring and plumbing (even though the not inexpensive plumbing fixtures sat in the house for 6+ months before installation).

This week, for the first time, the French electrician (who is also a plumber although he did not install our plumbing) asked for a 30% deposit before purchasing and installing 3 rather pricey woodstoves.  This does not seem unreasonable to us.

FWIW, in the US, in my experience, artisans either ask for 50% or nothing.

Link to comment
Share on other sites

We were asked for a deposit for our very extesive works and like you, t/w, we didn't think this was altogether unreasonable.  Also, the cheque wasn't cashed until the very day that they arrived on site, so although 30% may look steep, they were very honest about it and the money remained in our own bank until the builders needed it to start buying materials and paying staff.
Link to comment
Share on other sites

[quote user="cooperlola"]We were asked for a deposit for our very extesive works and like you, t/w, we didn't think this was altogether unreasonable.  Also, the cheque wasn't cashed until the very day that they arrived on site, so although 30% may look steep, they were very honest about it and the money remained in our own bank until the builders needed it to start buying materials and paying staff.[/quote]

In my experience, whenever I've paid our French artisans, the check has not been deposited for at least two weeks (frequently longer- sometimes I've wondered if they've lost the checks).  Our English artisans are much more prompt about making deposits. 

Link to comment
Share on other sites

Yes when I had some windows done, one French artisan did not even ask for any money until a month after the job when we got the invoice.  I went round to his house to give him the cheque I was so impressed. The ones where I have paid a deposit have always been hard to nail down to start or finish the job.

Georgina

Link to comment
Share on other sites

Our experience with both the builder and carpenter that we used on moving into our house some seven years ago was that far from seeking a deposit it was difficult to get them to come up with a final bill.  Both were local tradesmen and came highly recommended by our neighbour.  We offered a deposit but got a "we have done no work yet, why should you give us money" type of response. Estimates were comprehensive and offered a choice of solutions for some of the work.  It was a while before we were slotted into the programme but once started work progressed until completion, with no undue delays. Our main concern then was that despite our queries it was some months before the bills were presented. Both brought the bill personally and we sat down over a drink to go through it and write the cheque for payment. In the case of the carpenter he also brought us a very nice bottle of St Emilion because he thought we would like it. Perhaps we were lucky, but having heard some horror stories it was for us a great introduction to France and a good experience all round. [:D]
Link to comment
Share on other sites

  • 2 months later...

Oh dear..

As a registered artisan in France , I always ask for a minimum of 50% of the devis or the cost of materials up front. There are several sides to every argument but as the old joke goes "I have an agreement with my bank, they don't do building works and I don't lend money"

Some projects can involve up to 15,000 euros worth of materials which I have to purchase, and bitter experience has taught me to get paid for the materials before starting work. If I get stitched for the labour then c'est la vie, but my suppliers want paying promptly for the bits and are not very sympathetic to late payment. Most house renovation projects in France seem to take a year or more to complete, and the local supermarket won't give me food on credit for 12 months. The various bodies removing large sums of money from my bank account every month (social security charges, donations to the french national debt etc etc) also won't wait. Small jobs no problem, labour only no problem, but please have some sympathy for the small businesses who need to keep the cash flowing

Link to comment
Share on other sites

Hi all,

I can see both sides of the story. However, we always ask for a deposit as the type of work we do necessitates the advanced purchase of materials and equipment, some of which is quite expensive. Artisans cannot afford to cover this materials cost from their own pockets or we would have no income at all.

To agree a devis and take a deposit and then not honour the agreement is disgusting and that kind of practice is damaging for us honest people who are just trying to make a living in a country that often makes it hard for the little people.

I don't know what the answer is.......i know that you can contact the Chambre de Metiers and they can do something on your behalf if the artisan is registered (which he should be).

We have assurance decenalle, which protects our clients from poor workmanship once the job is complete, and i am quite sure all of our clients have taken out a similar insurance on the job. However, i am not sure if either insurance cover the homeowner for artisans not turning up.

I suppose the best solution is to get everything written into the devis which should be signed by both parties, at least it is a binding contract and you know where you stand.

Bonne chance toutes le mond....

Link to comment
Share on other sites

I think this topic harks back to that age old discussion, as old as

forums themselves - i.e. To use English or French workers. There is a

strong thread throughout all these forums supporting the use of natives

over English and undoubtedly a certain amount of snobbery that goes

along with employing a French 'Artisan' instead of an English

'tradesman'. It might mean months or years of waiting, never knowing

when the 'artisan' will turn up at a moments notice, do a half a days

work and then dissapear for another few months before returning to

finish the job and finally presenting you with a facture but never

mind, it's all part of the charm of moving to France! Funnily enough,

if it happened in England the same clients would be on the phone to

'Watchdog' within a week and writing furious letters to the local

'Handjob Advertiser' moaning about their lack of service.

We ask for a 10% deposit upon acceptance of devis and 30% when

materials are delivered on site and work commences and that still does

not nearly cover our costs so we are running just as much a risk as the

client. We make no profit until the job is finished and the final

payment is paid so it is in our interests to always respond to the

clients and make sure the work is completed on schedule or near enough.

As Happy and Shark have said we cannot afford to finance your project

for you for the first few months and why should we be expected to

anyway? Luckily most of our clients appreciate the service we offer and

have no qualms about our terms of payment and we also have good

relations with our French competitors who regularly come over to check

out the latest gizmos that we are offering our clients. And have a

verre or two of course...

Link to comment
Share on other sites

I still do not understand it. For materials which are unique to the job, slate work surfaces for example, make the client order them and pay whatever the manufacturers want. For other works and materials agree when the work will be done and send photographs on Friday and get paid on Monday by bank transfer . On that basis you are exposed for a 10 days work and materials.

" We ask for a 10% deposit upon acceptance of devis and 30% when materials are delivered on site and work commences and that still does not nearly cover our costs so we are running just as much a risk as the client. " 10 % on estimate I might sign up for. I still do not understand why you cannot structure stage payments based on work completed

Link to comment
Share on other sites

[quote user="Anton Redman"]

I still do not understand it. For materials which are unique to the job, slate work surfaces for example, make the client order them and pay whatever the manufacturers want.

[/quote]

Because we need to make a profit on the materials supplied, too. After all we must guarantee them for 10 years.

Link to comment
Share on other sites

Putting aside the price uplift for advising on / sourcing an item, if (in the case of work surfaces) you haven't supplied them, would you responsible for the 10 year guarantee? I'm reasoning that in the case of worktops, you'd be responsible for the quality of the fitting but not the worktops themselves.

Link to comment
Share on other sites

Create an account or sign in to comment

You need to be a member in order to leave a comment

Create an account

Sign up for a new account in our community. It's easy!

Register a new account

Sign in

Already have an account? Sign in here.

Sign In Now
 Share

×
×
  • Create New...