Payments, Deposits & Recurring Work
How deposits, balances and recurring visits are paid on Mendli, what happens if plans change, and who pays Mendli's fees. These rules apply to every trade and service.
The key points
| Stage | What is paid | When |
|---|---|---|
| Accepting a quote | The deposit, if the quote asks for one: normally no more than 25% of the quote | When the customer accepts the quote |
| Job finished | The balance (quote total, plus any agreed extra work, minus the deposit) | When the customer confirms the job is finished, or 7 days after the worker marks it finished if the customer hasn't raised a problem |
| Recurring work | The agreed price per visit | After each visit; either side can stop future visits with 7 days' notice |
Customers pay no Mendli fee at the moment. Workers pay Mendli's service fee from what they're paid (section 8). Card payments through Mendli are being switched on; until then, no payments are taken through Mendli.
1. What every quote must show
Before a customer accepts, the worker's quote must clearly show the total price and what it includes, any deposit, any call-out fee, materials, the expected completion date and when the quote expires. If the worker is VAT registered, prices must include VAT. The customer must never be asked to pay anything that wasn't shown in the quote or agreed later through Mendli.
2. Deposits
- A deposit is optional. If a worker asks for one, it must be shown in the quote before the customer accepts.
- A deposit is normally no more than 25% of the quote total.
- A worker may ask for more only to cover materials or third-party costs bought specially for that job (for example made-to-measure windows, a venue booking or a marquee). The quote must list those costs, and the deposit must not be more than 25% of the quote plus those listed costs.
- A deposit is part payment of the price, not an extra charge. It is taken off the final balance.
3. The balance and finishing a job
- When the work is done, the worker presses Mark as Completed in Mendli.
- The customer then has 7 days to confirm the job is finished or raise a problem through Mendli.
- If the customer confirms, or the 7 days pass without a problem being raised, the balance becomes due.
- If the customer raises a problem, only the disputed amount is held while it's looked at; any undisputed amount can be paid.
4. Changes and extra work
Extra work or a change in price must be agreed through Mendli before it's carried out, using a revised quote. The customer sees the reason and the new amount first. Work that wasn't agreed doesn't have to be paid for.
5. Recurring work
- The booking shows how often visits happen, the start date and the price per visit (or a clear way to work it out).
- Each visit is paid after it's done.
- Either the customer or the worker can stop future visits by giving 7 days' notice through Mendli. Visits carried out during the notice period are paid for as normal.
- A price change for future visits only applies once the customer has agreed to it through Mendli.
- A visit the worker misses or cancels isn't charged. A single visit can be moved if both sides agree.
6. If the customer cancels
| When | What happens to money paid |
|---|---|
| Within the 14-day cancellation period | A full refund, less a fair amount for any work done because the customer asked for it to start early. See Cancellation Rights. |
| After 14 days, before work starts | A refund, less any costs the worker has genuinely spent on the job (for example special-order materials). The worker must show evidence of those costs. |
| Part-way through the work | The customer pays for the work done and genuine costs incurred; anything paid beyond that is refunded. |
7. If the worker cancels or doesn't turn up
If the worker cancels, doesn't turn up, or can't do the job for a reason on their side, the customer gets a full refund of anything paid for the work that wasn't done. Repeated cancellations may affect the worker's account.
8. Mendli's fees
- Customers: no Mendli fee at the moment. If that changes, the fee will be shown clearly before a customer commits, and never added at the end.
- Workers: Mendli's service fee is a flat 12% of the amount actually paid by the customer, on every job (recurring work is charged per visit), as set out in the Worker Terms. It's taken from payments to the worker. The 12% includes card and payment processing costs — Mendli pays those, so there are no other fees for receiving payments. Where a refund isn't the worker's fault, the fee is worked out on what the worker keeps.
9. Keeping payments on Mendli
For work introduced through Mendli, payments should go through Mendli once card payments are live. This keeps the job record and gives both sides access to Mendli's support and dispute process. Workers must never ask customers to pay outside Mendli to avoid fees.
10. Invoices, VAT and records
Each payment is recorded against the job. Workers are responsible for their own tax and VAT. Mendli may have to report workers' earnings to HMRC under the digital platform reporting rules; workers are asked for the details needed on their Payments page.
11. Your legal rights
Nothing here takes away a customer's rights under consumer law, including the right to work done with reasonable care and skill, as described, and within a reasonable time. For free advice, customers can call the Citizens Advice consumer helpline on 0808 223 1133.