Strange Business Procedure - Is it Just Me?

[Athy]

apparent to anyone self employed!

No. I am.

[cheshire~rose]

apparent to anyone self employed! I for one don't enjoy seeing people capitalise for doing very little and not getting their hands dirty. Bit like banks really.

 

still, you pay for money, you takes your choice!

 

I do not think it is fair to say they would be doing very little. You as a self employed person should know how much valuable time can be taken up with admin tasks when you really want to be getting on with the job in hand. It takes time for people to answer the phone, call around to locate an engineer that can do it, deal with the invoicing etc. If they can make money out of it and they are not ripping off the engineers or the customers then I have no axe to grind with the service. Just the procedure

[WotEver]

Is RCR an introduction agent ? if so I suspect this is to stop you paying the engineer direct for a discount and cutting them out of the loop . I suspect that happens alot as someone has to pay RCR and I suspect it is both engineer AND you hence in both parties interest to try and cut them out .

 

It would be quite difficult for RCR to get paid in these circumstances and pursuing payment through the court system for relatively small amounts ( in business terms ) is both time consuming and costly much easier to take your card details up front before they do any work at all including quoting

I think this is most likely. To obtain a quote the engineer will have to see the job. Once the engineer is present, what's to stop you doing a deal direct with him, cutting RCR out of the deal?

 

I was flat-hunting in my teens and the agency I used gave me the address of an ex-naval chap. We both hit it off when we met and he suggested that we each tell the agency that we weren't happy. We then did a private deal between us. Similar kind of situation, I would suggest.

 

Tony

Edited March 2, 2016 by WotEver

[MtB]

 

I do not think it is fair to say they would be doing very little. You as a self employed person should know how much valuable time can be taken up with admin tasks when you really want to be getting on with the job in hand. It takes time for people to answer the phone, call around to locate an engineer that can do it, deal with the invoicing etc. If they can make money out of it and they are not ripping off the engineers or the customers then I have no axe to grind with the service. Just the procedure

 

Indeed, and how did 'the job in hand' get to be there in the first place?

 

I suspect that although being self employed, destinyjon is spoon-fed work rather than having to generate his own sales leads, do the pricing, collect the money or he'd appreciate how important it is to minimise this unpaid time in whatever ways possible.

[BlueStringPudding]

I would not even touch them. Reputable or not, card details are not required till checkout unless a service is being booked that requires preauthorisation such as in hotels. You wouldn't hand over cash before getting a quote. If they want your custom they will quote without taking your card details. If not they'll learn their lesson that this is not an appropriate way to conduct their work when enough people walk away without giving them custom.

 

The reason they've given is also rubbish and rings warning bells. If the speed of work escalates so quickly, what's stopping them taking your payment details on the first day of the job?

Edited March 2, 2016 by BlueStringPudding

[blackrose]

To me the bottom line is that either you believe that they are a reputable company and agree to their terms and conditions, or you don't and go elsewhere. If you think that the terms and conditions regarding disclosure of your card details prior to quotation may have some bearing on the company's reliability (i.e. if you don't trust them with your card details) then I would go elsewhere. Whether you disclose your card details before or after purchase is not really the issue, because whenever you purchase something on a card you are trusting the supplier to delete your card details and not to rip you off afterwards. So it's all down to whether you trust the company - unless of course you just don't like or agree with their terms because that's not how you choose to do business.

Edited March 2, 2016 by blackrose

[destinyjon]

 

Indeed, and how did 'the job in hand' get to be there in the first place?

 

I suspect that although being self employed, destinyjon is spoon-fed work rather than having to generate his own sales leads, do the pricing, collect the money or he'd appreciate how important it is to minimise this unpaid time in whatever ways possible.

to be honest mate, i not particularly interested in your opinion of the way i operate being self employed.

It always seems to me - reading your posts - you are often happy to throw in some facetious, personal comment.

oh, my mistake, perhaps you own the forum

[cheshire~rose]

To me the bottom line is that either you believe that they are a reputable company and agree to their terms and conditions, or you don't and go elsewhere. If you think that the terms and conditions regarding disclosure of your card details prior to quotation may have some bearing on the company's reliability (i.e. if you don't trust them with your card details) then I would go elsewhere. Whether you disclose your card details before or after purchase is not really the issue, because whenever you purchase something on a card you are trusting the supplier to delete your card details and not to rip you off afterwards. It's all down to whether you trust the company.

 

I do believe they are a reputable company but I do not agree to these particular terms as I think they are unjustified

 

I was sharing it here because I felt others might be interested to hear these are their terms

[mrsmelly]

Tell them you don't have a card and send a photo of a few ten pound notes.

 

When I used RCR I simply told them I dont have any plastic as I do with other firms, I always pay with real money. They turned up and did my job as have others in the past. In the last few weeks I have used two people for jobs on the boat and I am more than happy to say they both eagerly accepted my Sterling.

 

Tim

[Paul C]

 

I do believe they are a reputable company but I do not agree to these particular terms as I think they are unjustified

 

I was sharing it here because I felt others might be interested to hear these are their terms

 

Its up to you to decline to give the card details until later, they may trust you and agree to this; they may offer to decline to start the process off to find an engineer to come look at the boat and quote for it.

 

Have they made it clear that they merely ask for the card details at this stage - ie they're not taking payment until the job is complete? Or are they doing a preauthorisaion (like hotels do - I'd be surprised if they are, but its possible I suppose).

 

You're pretty well protected from unauthorized or fraudulent card payments, by the credit card provider - I see no risk in itself, giving a company my card details. However there is the small point that they shouldn't really be storing the card details - so maybe they should take them now, do a pre-auth, then ask again for them later (since they've forgotten them.....) for full payment once the job is complete. It does seem that more and more companies are storing card details though, which isn't great.

[blackrose]

 

I do believe they are a reputable company but I do not agree to these particular terms as I think they are unjustified

 

I was sharing it here because I felt others might be interested to hear these are their terms

 

It's good to share experiences. The terms probably are unjustified from a consumer perspective, but sometimes it doesn't make a lot of difference in terms of the end result.

 

So whether you choose to use the company's services basically comes down to whether your sense of injustice regarding their terms and conditions is greater than your need to get the job done - or your ability to find someone else who you can trust to do the job properly.

 

When I used RCR I simply told them I dont have any plastic as I do with other firms, I always pay with real money. They turned up and did my job as have others in the past. In the last few weeks I have used two people for jobs on the boat and I am more than happy to say they both eagerly accepted my Sterling.

 

Tim

 

Yes, why not try that.

[Boat&Bikes]

Not always easy to spend cash. I am currently trying to buy a car from a dealer. They are insistent that I can get best deal by buying on finance, and then cancel straight away settling the loan. Cash price is somewhat more... Mad.

[cuthound]

Not always easy to spend cash. I am currently trying to buy a car from a dealer. They are insistent that I can get best deal by buying on finance, and then cancel straight away settling the loan. Cash price is somewhat more... Mad.

It will be because they are getting commission on selling you the loan.

[Athy]

Not always easy to spend cash. I am currently trying to buy a car from a dealer. They are insistent that I can get best deal by buying on finance, and then cancel straight away settling the loan. Cash price is somewhat more... Mad.

Though (as recently proven in another thread) I am no expert on detecting scams, I sense one here. Other cars and dealers are available.

[Paul C]

Not always easy to spend cash. I am currently trying to buy a car from a dealer. They are insistent that I can get best deal by buying on finance, and then cancel straight away settling the loan. Cash price is somewhat more... Mad.

 

Dealers make more money on the finance than they do the car sale......so its no wonder they're pushing you towards this. No scam, they all do it. I guess you are buying a reasonably expensive car (as in, not a £1000 secondhand one)?

[Boat&Bikes]

Though (as recently proven in another thread) I am no expert on detecting scams, I sense one here. Other cars and dealers are available.

I can see why you say that. However it's a mainstream dealer that we brought from previously. I think they just want you to get in there finance packages and think might as well use the cash elsewhere. This ties you into there brand I guess and they make interest on the loan. I would go elsewhere but they offer a good price and it's a present for daughter so kinda tied to make and model.

Dealers make more money on the finance than they do the car sale......so its no wonder they're pushing you towards this. No scam, they all do it. I guess you are buying a reasonably expensive car (as in, not a £1000 secondhand one)?

Yes. Also yes I know why they do it but it's hard work with them, only trying to get the same price , not even after a cash discount...

[cuthound]

If it's a new car, try a broker such as carwow or drive the deal.

 

They will do the legwork and come back to you with the closest price for the car specified.

[Boat&Bikes]

If it's a new car, try a broker such as carwow or drive the deal.

They will do the legwork and come back to you with the closest price for the car specified.

Thanks but have already. Nearest price was £700 dearer. Apparently part of finance offer includes a loyalty discount for repeat business. I may have to go finance route and cancel as they suggest. Just find it very annoying and a slight worry that somehow I get stung some how.

[George94]

I suspect they do this partly because it helps to weed out people who aren't serious. Their 10% commission is actually very small when you consider that the job might only cost £300.00, and they guarantee it on top of arranging everything. If they spend their time giving quotes to people who then disappear, or who use the quote to beat down somebody else's price, they are not going to do very well.

Edited March 2, 2016 by George94

[Boat&Bikes]

Anyway, apology to the OP for going off topic.

[Señor Chris]

 

I do believe they are a reputable company but I do not agree to these particular terms as I think they are unjustified

 

 

Can't you just give false card details?

[Machpoint005]

I can totally understand why they do this. I operate a similar policy where my customer is not going to be present so I don't have to waste time after, chasing for payment.

 

Anyone who is any good at what they do and therefore in demand is in a position to dictate terms of business. There are no 'rules'. I get the occasional one who objects too along similar lines, saying it is not 'normal business practice' (usually letting agents objecting!) but I don't see why I should expose myself to extra risk just because my competitors do.

 

My view is the type of customer who objects to paying up front is the same customer who is likely to be evasive when chased for payment after to work has been done. (Not suggesting you wouldn't pay CR, just explaining my and probably their thinking. Thye've already told you their old policy resulted in not getting paid sometimes!)

 

Thing is, I don't need the customer who quibbles about payment terms, I prefer them to go to a competitor and my policy smokes them out in advance. I suspect RCR feel the same.

 

 

Spot on, Mike. I wish I could have had somebody else do the work for some of my bad payers. No point doing work for nothing when you could be doing other work and getting paid for it

 

 

I do believe they are a reputable company but I do not agree to these particular terms as I think they are unjustified

 

I was sharing it here because I felt others might be interested to hear these are their terms

 

If you don't like the terms offered, go elsewhere. I'm sure RCR will be utterly devastated.

.

 

 

 

I suspect that although being self employed, destinyjon is spoon-fed work rather than having to generate his own sales leads, do the pricing, collect the money or he'd appreciate how important it is to minimise this unpaid time in whatever ways possible.

 

His business, his decision. Relatively few, and larger, contracts perhaps?

Edited March 2, 2016 by Machpoint005

[RufusR]

 

Can't you just give false card details?

 

no as to comply with the law they will have to put the details on their system and process at zero like a hotel does . Card info must be held on a secure server to comply and cannot just be held on scraps of paper or else where . As soon as they "swipe " the card ( metaphorically speaking ) their end it will show as false .

[Laurie Booth]

Looks like you NEED the services of RCR as a middle man, with their extensive contacts etc..........yes its unusual but its also completely understandable, especially if RCR are acting as middleman and taking a percentage of the price - otherwise they may freely introduce you, then you may freely try to deal with the engineer direct, and RCR have lost out. The contract has already started, when you asked RCR to try find someone to fix the boat.......

And RCR guarantee the repair not the man doing the work. So you have a good comeback if the job goes belly up.

[Machpoint005]

And RCR guarantee the repair not the man doing the work. So you have a good comeback if the job goes belly up.

 

All of which means you can expect to pay a premium. Nothing wrong with that at all.

 

Can't you just give false card details?

 

 

no as to comply with the law they will have to put the details on their system and process at zero like a hotel does . Card info must be held on a secure server to comply and cannot just be held on scraps of paper or else where . As soon as they "swipe " the card ( metaphorically speaking ) their end it will show as false .

 

Dangerous to give false details anyway, because it could be construed as fraud.