Gardener charged VAT after the event

[ded_innit]

Hi,

I had a gardener come round my house the other week to chop down trees. He verbally quoted me for the work £500

I just had the invoice through the door and it has the work for £500 and and extra £100 for 20% VAT

 

I wasn't expecting this. Surely a quote is total cost. Surely residential people dont also have to factor in VAT from tradespeople.

Have messaged back saying I wasn't expecting VAT and in the meantime thought I would ask on here if this is normal and WWYD?

[dx100uk]

you quoted for the work, the vat is what you have to pay not him he doen'ts make from it..the gov't do they charge it so he is correct 

[ded_innit]

That's a fair answer just never happened that way before so was not expecting it.

For example, last week I had plaster work done in my house. Builder quoted £1200, thats what I paid him. In fact every bit of work I get done, the quote is what I end up paying. When somebody tells me he'll do the work for £500, thats what I expect to be paying at the end. If he said it'll be £500 + VAT on top then thats another matter. Basically there is now a blurred line on a verbal quotes. 

[Manxman in exile]

Surely if a consumer asks a tradesman for a quote or estimate and it simply says something like "To carry out XYZ  £500", the consumer is entitled to assume the figure quoted to be inclusive of VAT (if applicable)?

 

If I'd been given a figure of £500 to do a job I wouldn't be paying VAT on top of that unless it had said "£500 excl VAT" or "£500 plus VAT".

 

I had three painting quotes last year and all came back "... plus VAT".  I'd think it distinctly dodgy if somebody tried to charge me VAT after never mentioning it beforehand.  (Plus I doubt it's lawful.  Have I got that wrong?)

 

 

 

 

[Manxman in exile]

It used to be in this Government guidance at 2.2.7 at page 18:

 

Valued Added Tax

 

(i) Price indications to consumers

2.2.7 All price indications you give to private consumers, by whatever means, should include VAT.

 

Microsoft Word - pricecodetraders09051.doc (nationalarchives.gov.uk)

 

I know that this guidance is from several years ago, but I'd be surprised if it was now different... 

[Manxman in exile]

I would have also thought it was covered by the Consumer Contract Regulations 2013 in Schedule 2?  (It covers info that has to be supplied pre-contract)

 

(f)the total price of the goods or services inclusive of taxes [my bold], or where the nature of the goods or services is such that the price cannot reasonably be calculated in advance, the manner in which the price is to be calculated,

 

The Consumer Contracts (Information, Cancellation and Additional Charges) Regulations 2013 (legislation.gov.uk)

 

I may well be mistaken but, as I read it, that would apply here, wouldn't it?

[hightail]

16 hours ago, Manxman in exile said:

I may well be mistaken but, as I read it, that would apply here, wouldn't it?

I believe you're correct.  B2B quote VAT exclusive but private consumers should get quoted a VAT inclusive price.