Warning: flooring company demanding full payment upfront on big LVP job

FloorFanatic

·3mo·134 replies·108 participants

FloorFanatic⭐ ExpertOP3mo

120

Hey guys, we're in north jersey doing a 2500 sq ft luxury vinyl plank install with Mohawk WiseLock planks, gonna take about 3 weeks to knock out. Found this local outfit with solid reviews and tons of Coretec and Shaw options, but they want the full $18k estimate paid on day one before even starting. Never seen that before, makes me nervous as hell, especially after seeing that rant in the Flooring Contractors Network about similar BS. I'm tempted to walk even though their reps seem legit. Anyone dealt with this upfront nonsense? Should I counter with 50% materials in escrow or just bail? Edit: thanks for the input, went with another guy who only asked for 30% down.

RollerRandy⭐ Expert3mo

screw that, full upfront is straight up scam bait.

ScrewLoose2⚒️ Journeyman3mo

exactly, these guys are everywhere now trying to lock in cash before they ghost.

SawdustSavant10⚒️ Journeyman3mo

had one do that on a carpet job, took em to small claims and won, but what a hassle.

SpraySquad2⚒️ Journeyman3mo

i got burned once on a hardwood refinish, paid full up front and they never showed again. lost 5k, lesson learned the hard way.

WireWizardWalt⭐ Expert3mo

damn man, that sucks. did you report em to the BBB?

ThermostatTamer2⚒️ Journeyman3mo

yeah, file with the state licensing board too, might save someone else.

TileTerror3⚒️ Journeyman3mo

tried that, they were already shut down under a fake name. pissed me off big time.

ShingleSlinger2⚒️ Journeyman3mo

3 weeks for 2500 sq ft? that's forever, sounds like they're slow or understaffed. i'd run.

DustBunnySlayer3⚒️ Journeyman3mo

haha, yeah probably some part-timer with a harbor freight knee kicker thinking he's pro.

WireWhizKid⭐ Expert3mo

lmao, seen that too many times on jobsites.

DoorJamDud⚒️ Journeyman3mo

never pay full upfront, ever. it's a red flag bigger than a mismatched grout line.

ScrewLoose2⚒️ Journeyman3mo

pay half materials when they deliver, rest at completion. anything else is BS.

SuperheatSam⚒️ Journeyman3mo

as a flooring guy with 10 years, this screams fly-by-night. walk away, plenty of legit crews out there.

VentVagabond⚒️ Journeyman3mo

agreed, i stick to 25% down for LVP jobs like yours.

WireWizardWalt⭐ Expert3mo

jersey inspectors are tough, make sure your new guy pulls permits if needed.

CircuitSurfer3⚒️ Journeyman3mo

good call, had a buddy fined $2k for no permit on a tile job.

SawdustSavant⭐ Expert3mo

yeah, north jersey especially, they check everything.

PolishPro2⚒️ Journeyman3mo

permits? for flooring? only if structural, but better safe.

ThermostatTamer2⚒️ Journeyman3mo

i feel you, had a similar deal on a bamboo install, negotiated to 40% and it worked out.

GutterGuru2⚒️ Journeyman3mo

smart move, always negotiate on big jobs.

TileTerror3⚒️ Journeyman3mo

full upfront? hell no, that's how you end up funding their next truck payment.

DustBunnyBoss⭐ Expert3mo

right? these clowns think we're ATMs.

DrainDiverDan⭐ Expert3mo

or worse, they flip the materials for quick cash. seen it.

DustBunnySlayer3⚒️ Journeyman3mo

customer didn't want to pay for underlayment, so i charged extra. upfront demands are worse tho.

WireWhizKid⭐ Expert3mo

same here in flooring pros fb group, everyone says pass on 100% up front.

VentVagabond⚒️ Journeyman3mo

watched a tommy mello vid on this, he says escrow for materials only.

CircuitSurfer3⚒️ Journeyman3mo

outrageous, the irs already takes enough without these thieves.

SawdustSavant⭐ Expert3mo

tell me about it, quarterly taxes kill me after a big install.

PolishPro2⚒️ Journeyman3mo

yeah, but deduct that knee tool at least.

SawdustSavant⭐ Expert3mo

propose 30% down, 40% mid job, rest at punchout. standard for engineered stuff.

PolishPro2⚒️ Journeyman3mo

use jobber for invoicing, tracks payments and flags red flags early.

GutterGuru2⚒️ Journeyman3mo

frustrated with these demands too, just did a 1500 sq ft vct and same issue.

DustBunnyBoss⭐ Expert3mo

vct is a pain, hope you got paid proper.

DrainDiverDan⭐ Expert3mo

man, i hate when clients push back but contractors pulling this is worse.

JoistJuggler⚒️ Journeyman3mo

pay materials separate, labor on milestones. keeps everyone honest.

CleanFreakCarl2⚒️ Journeyman3mo

this is why i only take checks after demo day.

TileTerror3⚒️ Journeyman3mo

disagree, sharkbite for plumbing but for flooring? nah, upfront is always bad news.

RustyNailBob4⚒️ Journeyman3mo

sharkbite debate aside, yeah upfront sucks.

PickMaster2⚒️ Journeyman3mo

wait, sharkbite in floors? that's a new one lol.

RustyNailBob4⚒️ Journeyman3mo

got stiffed on a laminate job last year, now i demand progress pics before more cash.

PickMaster2⚒️ Journeyman3mo

i hear ya, these full upfront guys are ruining the rep for all of us.

BloomBoss2⭐ Expert3mo

frustrated af, just quoted a mohawk job and they tried the same crap.

RoofRat883⚒️ Journeyman3mo

sharked a deal once by walking, found a better crew for 10% less.

SparkJockey3⭐ Expert3mo

smart, saved money and sanity.

SparkJockey3⭐ Expert3mo

use square for payments, easy splits without full upfront.

SoilSculptor⭐ Expert3mo

sucks, but in flooring contractors network they say always get a contract with milestones.

ChillTechChris⚒️ Journeyman3mo

contrary to popular belief, some legit guys do partial upfront for custom orders, but 100% no.

SawdustSavant27⚒️ Journeyman3mo

yeah if it's imported tile maybe, but lvp? nah.

SawdustSavant27⚒️ Journeyman3mo

proud of dodging a bullet on a similar 2k sq ft gig last month.

WrenchWarrior⭐ Expert3mo

pay half on material delivery, that's what i do for all vinyl installs.

CanvasKing6⚒️ Journeyman3mo

irritated by the tax man already, don't need shady contractors too.

BugBlaster5🔧 Apprentice3mo

disagree with upfront ever, even for small jobs.

FurnitureFlipper3⚒️ Journeyman3mo

hit 100k this year by sticking to fair terms, no upfront BS.

DoorOpenerDave⚒️ Journeyman3mo

nice, what's your secret for steady leads?

DoorOpenerDave⚒️ Journeyman3mo

warning: check their license on the state site before signing anything.

ChillOutTech⚒️ Journeyman3mo

i feel that, lost a buddy to a scam like this on carpet.

RoofRat⭐ Expert3mo

had a roofer pull that crap on me last year, demanded full cash upfront for a $15k shingle job and vanished after i paid half, those scumbags ruin it for all of us.

DoorOpenerPro⚒️ Journeyman3mo

haha, told a guy no and he called me scared, blocked him.

AntAnnihilator5⚒️ Journeyman3mo

we're all in this crap together with these demands.

WireWizard88⚒️ Journeyman3mo

helpful tip: get everything in writing, even the payment schedule.

TarheelTiler2⚒️ Journeyman3mo

saw a post on r/flooring about this exact thing, everyone said run.

SawdustSavant10⚒️ Journeyman3mo

use housecall pro, invoices progress payments automatically.

AmpedApprentice6⚒️ Journeyman3mo

frustrated, my first big job had this and i almost fell for it.

LeakHunterJoe⚒️ Journeyman3mo

damn, these stories make me double check every contract.

SodSlinger4⚒️ Journeyman3mo

same, after taxes eat half, can't afford losses.

HueMaster⚒️ Journeyman3mo

pay via credit card for protection if they flake.

SlateSlinger4⚒️ Journeyman3mo

we all hate the upfront game.

PaintSplatPro⚒️ Journeyman3mo

in the tile and stone pros group, same warnings everywhere.

ShingleShuffler4⚒️ Journeyman3mo

laughed when a client tried to pull upfront on me, flipped it.

DustBunnyHunter3⭐ Expert3mo

solid advice: 25/50/25 split works great for plank jobs.

TarHeelTiler⚒️ Journeyman3mo

yeah, keeps cash flow steady without risk.

TarHeelTiler⚒️ Journeyman3mo

proud i negotiated down to 20% on my last shaw install.

ACAvenger3⚒️ Journeyman3mo

outrage at these companies, ruining the trade.

CoilCleaner2⚒️ Journeyman3mo

i get it, big projects are scary but don't pay full.

BrushStrokePro12⭐ Expert3mo

frustrated with the whole payment BS in flooring.

CircuitSavant3⚒️ Journeyman3mo

flooring clowns demanding full pay upfront? that's some straight-up scam artist BS i've seen too many times. walk away before they ghost you mid-job.

NotAnElectrician25⚒️ Journeyman3mo

watched essential craftsman on contracts, he says same: no full upfront.

FrameForge⚒️ Journeyman3mo

got paid on time finally after insisting on milestones.

BrushStrokePro4⚒️ Journeyman3mo

these full pay guys are the worst.

PaintSplatter2⚒️ Journeyman3mo

these upfront payment demands are total BS, had a flooring crew pull that crap on me last year and it nearly tanked the whole job. pissed me off so bad i walked away from the deal.

DrainDiverDan⭐ Expert3mo

man, taxes are bad enough without this.

SpraySquad2⚒️ Journeyman3mo

question: did you check their yelp reviews deep?

PaintSplatterPete⚒️ Journeyman3mo

use quickbooks to track and deduct bad deals.

AmpedApprentice5⚒️ Journeyman3mo

i feel bad for new guys falling into this.

RustyNailBob3⚒️ Journeyman3mo

sucks, had to lien a house once over partial pay.

DeckBuilderDan⭐ Expert3mo

commiserate, north jersey market is cutthroat.

AmpedUp2⭐ Expert3mo

damn these stories.

BoxHaulerBen3⚒️ Journeyman3mo

haha, upfront? more like up-front and center for lawsuits.

BugBlasterBen2⚒️ Journeyman3mo

these shady flooring outfits demanding full upfront are just begging for a mechanics lien to bite em in the ass, same BS with half the contractors i run into these days.

HueHero⚒️ Journeyman3mo

those flooring scams are EVERYWHERE now, demanding full cash upfront like we're idiots who wont notice the scam. had a buddy get burned last month on a kitchen job, company vanished after pocketing the money. time to hit em with liens and bad reviews til they learn.

SodSquadLeader⚒️ Journeyman3mo

these flooring scumbags demanding full upfront are ruining it for all of us legit contractors, just waiting for the day a lien shuts their operation down for good.

RootRider⚒️ Journeyman3mo

hit my goal by avoiding shady deals like this.

SawdustSavant16⭐ Expert3mo

we're pissed at the irs and these contractors.

RustyNailBob⚒️ Journeyman3mo

i hear ya, keep fighting the good fight.

BeamBoss5⚒️ Journeyman3mo

frustrated but learned to spot em quick.

TrimTerror⚒️ Journeyman3mo

same boat, big lvp jobs are risky.

HammerTimeHal⚒️ Journeyman3mo

those flooring outfits are straight up scammers, demanding full upfront on a big lvp job like that is a HUGE red flag, just walk away before they ghost you.

NailGunNinja10⚒️ Journeyman3mo

had the same BS happen to me last year with some fly-by-night flooring crew, demanded full payment on a 1200 sq ft lvp install and then vanished with the deposit. pissed me off so bad i filed a lien and got half back through small claims, but what a hassle. these scammers are ruining the whole trade, just walk away like OP said.

CoatCaptain⚒️ Journeyman3mo

these damn fly-by-nights are everywhere now, had one screw me out of $2k on a simple paint job last month and im still pissed chasing the check.

NotAnElectrician18⚒️ Journeyman3mo

yeah man, got burned on a similar deposit scam last summer and it took months of BS to claw back even part of it, these assholes are killing our rep.

ShingleShark2⚒️ Journeyman2mo

told my buddy to get half upfront on a flooring gig and he ends up with a check that bounces harder than a bad hip after 20 years on roofs 😂

BugHunter⭐ Expert3mo

nah, upfront payment aint always a scam, sometimes legit outfits do it for big jobs to cover materials like coretec or shaw lvp that run $8k+ outta pocket.

ChillMasterHV⭐ Expert3mo

outrageous demands from these outfits.

CircuitSmasher4⚒️ Journeyman3mo

man, these flooring outfits pulling that upfront crap is straight up BULLSHIT, had a similar mess with a supplier last year who wouldnt budge on payment til i threatened to walk. it pisses me off how they think us trades guys are just walkin wallets, especially on big jobs like lvp installs that take weeks. been there more times than i can count, and it always feels like theyre holdin your ass over a barrel. my buddy in the biz got screwed outta 5k once cuz he paid full upfront and they ghosted on delivery, total nightmare. we gotta stick together on this shit, no way im forkin over cash like that without ironclad terms. sucks that its so common, makes you wanna go back to cash deals only. hang in there, dont let em bully ya.

BoltBandit⚒️ Journeyman3mo

question for op: what'd you end up doing?

DuctDoctor⚒️ Journeyman3mo

told em i'd pay after the floor was down and not a damn thing before, ended up with a free lunch and them begging for the job 😂

HeatPumpHank⚒️ Journeyman3mo

hell yeah, had a roofer pull that crap on me last month, wouldnt budge on my terms either and they ended up eating their own lunch. been there brother, makes you feel like the boss for once.

DeadboltDude⭐ Expert3mo

these damn flooring outfits think theyre kings of the castle demanding full upfront like were their personal atm, screwing over every honest contractor in the game.

JoistJockey4⚒️ Journeyman3mo

contrary opinion: if they're bonded, maybe ok, but still risky.

RustyNailBob4⚒️ Journeyman3mo

yeah, bonded or not, that upfront crap always feels like a setup waiting to bite you. been stiffed on similar jobs myself, sucks every time.

NailGunNed⚒️ Journeyman3mo

get a cpa to review your contract terms.

TenYearVet⭐ Expert3mo

frustrated with the whole system.

MoveMasterMike⚒️ Journeyman3mo

what's the deal with these flooring outfits pushing for full upfront on a job that size?

HardwoodHero⚒️ Journeyman3mo

these groups are full of similar rants.

PipeDreamer24⚒️ Journeyman3mo

question: anyone use escrow services for this?

SparkPlugSue⚒️ Journeyman3mo

sucks man, hope you found a good one.

CleanFreakJoe⚒️ Journeyman3mo

outrage at the tax load plus this.

PipeLord42011⚒️ Journeyman3mo

full upfront is for suckers only.

PipeDreamer15⚒️ Journeyman3mo

these flooring clowns pulling the full upfront crap are just begging for a lien notice from me next time they try to snake a plumbing side job.

WattTheHeck19⚒️ Journeyman3mo

these flooring idiots think they're slick demanding cash upfront, but i'm done with their side hustle BS. next time they call for a quick drain snake, it's full lien notice before i even show up.

DuctDoctor3⚒️ Journeyman3mo

these flooring idiots think they're hot shit demanding full upfront, but i got stiffed 5k last year on a similar sub job and it pisses me off every time. now i walk away unless it's 50% down and the rest on completion, no exceptions. gonna start hitting them with my own liens if they keep trying to lowball the trades.

TileTamer4⚒️ Journeyman3mo

yeah, been burned by that crap before on a big install, never paying full upfront again.

PrunePioneer🔧 Apprentice3mo

always ask for 50% upfront then the rest on completion, saved me from a shady LVP contractor last year who bolted after the deposit.

LiftAndShift3⚒️ Journeyman3mo

proud of the crews that do it right.

NailGunNinja7⚒️ Journeyman3mo

yeah, been stiffed on a big flooring gig like that before, full upfront demands are a massive red flag.

RollerRascal🔧 Apprentice3mo

tell em 50% down and the rest after install. had a flooring sub try that crap on me last year, walked away and found a legit guy with shaw LVP who did it right.

CircuitSavant4⚒️ Journeyman3mo

nah, upfront on lvp aint always a scam, i always demand full deposit from sketchy contractors cause they ghosted me twice last year. if theyre legit like your shaw guy theyll work with ya, but these days you gotta protect your ass first.

TileTerror10⚒️ Journeyman2mo

these flooring outfits are straight up bandits now, demanding cash upfront like were their damn ATMs. got burned last month on a sub job and now i wont touch em without a lien in hand.

DeckDoctor⭐ Expert3mo

proud i turned down a similar gig.

PipeLord4202⚒️ Journeyman3mo

good call, man, i once took a job like that and ended up chasing the check like it was my ex's alimony.

HeatPumpHero⚒️ Journeyman3mo

we're all dealing with this crap.

RootRider⚒️ Journeyman3mo

question: how's the job going now?

GeneralFixIt2⚒️ Journeyman3mo

screw these flooring outfits demanding full upfront, i had one ghost me after i paid for the whole damn lvp install and left me with a half-done mess.

WireWhisperer⚒️ Journeyman3mo

damn, been there with a sketchy roofer who took my deposit for the whole tear-off and never came back, left me holdin the bag.