Flipping customers.....ggrrrrrrr

[Pedroski]

The guy is 70!

 

You could of well had his pants off there! Charge him three times the price then march him down the bank for payment before the ink is dry on the 'estimate'.

 

It would be a terrible loss if he died before paying you, especially this close to Christmas.

 

first smile of the day!

 

I called him up this morning to let him know how I feel, and he apologised for not having sorted out everything sooner. He promised to drop a cheque round to his neighbour (who is my mate) before going. Just waiting for my mate to call to let me know whether or not he did. He asked if it was ok to post date cheque for 23rd. I said not really, to which he said that there won't be money in the account until then when he has transferred it anyway. At least with a cheque in hand I suppose I'll be on the creditors list if anything happens to him! Fingers crossed it doesn't get to that though.

[likeitorlumpit]

Like I said, the reason I can't wait 30 days is that I'm just starting to get some work off my own back to get out of the £100/day minus expenses minus tax minus NI rutt that I've been stuck in for too long and is causing me to get poorer and poorer. Once I've got a few more jobs under my belt and a bit more money in the bank then I can afford to allow people time to pay, but even then I think for a small business 30 days wait is unreasonable. Also, this bloke had agreed to my quote and wanted the work done urgently. If I do something urgently for him, then the least he should do is pay promptly.

 

You should have said- I can do it quickly but I will want paying on completion.

You will hopefully learn from this experience.

Some people naturally expect time to pay

[Stephen Blair]

The only way you will get your bank to fill up is by NOT allowing slow payments and only working for customers who do not have a problem with your payment terms.

As mentioned earlier, you have allowed this, start putting things in place now to prevent this happening again.

Find a printer and design your quote sheets.

make a list of all the information you want on it, payment terms, costs, names adresses, etc.

and a 2 boxes for signatures. A good printer will know the best places to place your information.

make up 3 sheets per invoice/estimate and have a hard paper to slip under the third.

first page is green, if they agree there and then, read the info back to them then both sign( this is why every good waitress, waiter, till operator will read your order back to you, you are agreeing to the contract) they keep the top copy, you then take the middle blue copy and put it in your jobs folder. the bottom sheet is red, this is there if the customer doesnt pay on time, it has all the relivant info on it for your Lawyer. If they agree at a later date, ask them to sign their copy and return but make sure you have agreed the payment term again.

If on a job and a customer wants more, do not agree there and then, finish your task, while they go and get their copy of the sheet, you discuss and agree a price, stisk it on their sheet, get them to sign it and then carry on, if they are awkward and chancing it, they wont even go and get the sheet and just walk away muttering stuff, just put your muffs down and carry on and forget that just happened.

Edited December 15, 2011 by Stephen Blair

[Pedroski]

Stephen, I really appreciate your advice. Thank you

[Stephen Blair]

Stephen, I really appreciate your advice. Thank you

 

invoice is in the post, with immediate payment:biggrin:

[Pedroski]

invoice is in the post, with immediate payment:biggrin:

 

I'll send you a cheque immediately.......

 

 

It's ok if I post-date it to the new year, yep?

[Mark Bolam]

For those of you who don't know him, Stephen Blair is not really a lean, mean timber-killing machine from Largs.

 

I've met him, he is a silver-haired portly genius lawyer specialising in contract and commercial law.

 

He resides in a Morningside mansion.

 

Stephen is 55.

[Steve Bullman]

Man, you're opening another can of worms that I'm finding hard to swallow at the moment I'm self employed, working 99% of the time for a mate's firm doing landscaping work. I get £100/day out of which I pay my own expenses, tax, NI etc, and take unpaid holiday time, while I'm charged out at just under £200/day. So firm makes £100/day out of me (before corporation tax), while I end up with £55-£70 to support family after I've paid my expenses and taxes. I also supply some of my own tools (hedgecutter, strimmer etc). Firm doing well. Good turnover, and the accompanying big tax bills. I moan about the money I get. Mate claims to take not much more than me, conveniently ignoring the fact that his tax is paid by the firm, as are his expenses, as is fuel for the family motor, etc, so in reality I probably end up with about half or less of what he does. When I moan about my tax bill he says he wishes his was as small as mine....again conveniently ignoring the fact that his tax is paid by the firm and doesn't come off what he takes as a wage. I'm working my bollocks off day in day out making more for a mate than I get myself, and after all these years it's getting to me. Never ever ever let him down, amd beginning to feel that for too long I've just been too grateful of the work.

 

So finally, the chance came along to quote for some work myself, all ok'd with my mate and lots of notice given. Put a good price in, mate got bit stroppy despite the fact he had plenty to do elsewhere as he wasn't needed on this job. All looking good. Thoughts of money in bank to tide me over while mate goes on hol for 2 weeks, and money to pay my tax bill. Then the flippin' customer delays me a week or more. Does wonders for my confidence, NOT. Christ, I'm mid 40s, highly qualified, recent B.Sc. and D.Phil and struggling to support family, pay mortgage etc, on £55-70/day. I know times are hard, but when people rub my nose in it (whether it's a customer mucking me about, or mate saying I should be grateful for a small tax bill and saying "money isn't everything"), I just wanna explode!

 

not being funny...but your second paragraph really should answer the question as to why your boss wants to make £100 out of you. You've found out first hand the headaches he has to go through on a daily basis, dealing with customers, getting paid etc...whereas when you work for him i expect you are paid regularly even though he may still be waiting for him money for a month after.

 

If you want the lions share im afraid you have to go it alone and deal with all the additional headaches

 

For the record, 1 week is absolutely nothing to wait....I hate to say it, but i doubt you will get repeat work from that customer now. I know Mr Blair will no doubt disagree with me and probably argue that you don't want customers like that anyway

[butler]

not being funny...but your second paragraph really should answer the question as to why your boss wants to make £100 out of you. You've found out first hand the headaches he has to go through on a daily basis, dealing with customers, getting paid etc...whereas when you work for him i expect you are paid regularly even though he may still be waiting for him money for a month after.

 

If you want the lions share im afraid you have to go it alone and deal with all the additional headaches

 

For the record, 1 week is absolutely nothing to wait....I hate to say it, but i doubt you will get repeat work from that customer now. I know Mr Blair will no doubt disagree with me and probably argue that you don't want customers like that anyway

 

For me this post is the most sensible comment I've ever read on arbtalk....................

[Tree cutter Stu]

sounds to me like you are having a moan as you are skint. why not just ask for your money at the end of the job ?