I've approached someone from gumtree to do kitchen joinery and he'll come over to measure + collect deposit.
How to make sure I'm not giving away cash deposit to someone that I'll never see again.
Precautionary Steps on Dealing Deposit Via Gumtree/Tradies
dcep on 22/12/2017 - 08:57
Last edited 22/12/2017 - 13:47 by 1 other user
Last edited 22/12/2017 - 13:47 by 1 other user
Comments
Find a reputable company?
make sure you park a Harley bike on your front door when he arrives…
Even if you pay a deposit by credit card, all sorts of things can still go wrong. Ie, he won't come back, he does shoddy workmanship, or he takes forever to complete. Then your remedy will be to sue him. If the extent of his failings are limited to not completing then you might be able to charge back your credit card.
Good luck with that. It will take hours of your own time to fix up, and unless you value your time at nil, it will deplete any potential saving you might have achieved from engaging the type of people found on Gumtree.
If you're here asking these questions, I'd be seeking someone reputable with a proper company. Not a one-man job. There are good one-man operations out there, but the risk of getting someone dodgey is quite high - especially from gumtree.
I'm forseeing a new topic early 2018 - "Paid deposit to kitchen guy from gumtree and is uncontactable".
The difference between what you'd pay for someone on Gumtree vs a reputable person - pay it and take it as the cost of insuring some certainty.
You can also use apps/websites like Service Seeking. I've used them in the past with good experience.
Send a cheque from your company name 'I've killed a man for less Pty ltd'.
Pay via CC and ask for a receipt