Covering my back when customers don't pay/cancel work....

[Goaty]

Flipping heck 30 days! In the last 2 years up to 3 months has been regular to me, Im no high income business either. As a self employed subbie just doing a day or two's labour often for some.

 

It has only been a serious problem for the last 2 years because alot seem to be paying at the last chance which me being at the bottom of the chain delays my payday. I have been asked to wait to help their cashflow. In this situ its an employees world, they have to be paid. However if you are doing domestic work Really they should pay on the day or asap thereafter. Don't buy something you can't afford. Also taking commercial practices in to domestic, people trying to have it all their way.

[StephF]

We have never had problems with paying when terms and conditions agreed, building industry/ County Councils/ Forestry commission will all agree 2 week terms and keep them if it is presented in writing, learnt this the hard way waiting ages in past

[Le Sanglier]

I also give verbal quotations 80% of the time, I have found that for the amount of times this backfires (not often) it's not worth the extra hassle in wrighting quotations for every customer (we can quote up to 10 jobs per day)

However Being a good judge of character does help in these situations. I find that you usually get a feel for the typ of customer within the first 10 seconds of meeting them, if they come across in any way of being the "can you just type" or the "how much for cash, and can you do it yesterday" type then I will then insure that a writen quotation is signed by both parties. Also any commercial work is always put in wrighting.

Also terms and conditions need to be clear:

Pay within 30 days or extra charges of 5% per day will be applied.

If job is cancelled withing 48 hours then a fee of 50% of the job price will be charged.

If nesting birds are found then a rescheduled visit will be charged for.

And so on......

 

If they don't pay I give them 3 chances

1: ring them on 30day point

2 ring them on 40 day point

3 send them snoty letter on 50 day point

If still no payment you can then pay small claims court £25 to send a warning of court action letter if they do not pay.

I have never had a customer not pay when using this system!!

 

Hope this helps

 

So let's get this straight! if you turn up at a job, you find nesting birds

you walk away, charge the client and come back later (presumably after the nesting season)

Edited January 31, 2013 by Le Sanglier

[Rick2517]

So let's get this straight! if you turn up at a job, you find nesting birds

you walk away, charge the client and come back later (presumably after the nesting season)

 

It very much depends on the situation, type of client and weather or not the business can absorb the cost (book in another job to fill the gap) but in short the answer is yes..

If I was to quote a large clearance job or a large hedge to fell, the customer insists it must be done now during nesting season and I have expressed my feelings on nesting birds and told him that it is our policy to cover our costs if work has to cease at short notice.

[hazzygawa]

Written quotation and 14 days to pay. Luckily I have not really had any probs with people paying. People usually want to pay there and then.

I try to get people to pay by BACS otherwise it costs me money to put cash/cheque in bank. But that's another story.

[Le Sanglier]

It very much depends on the situation, type of client and weather or not the business can absorb the cost (book in another job to fill the gap) but in short the answer is yes..

If I was to quote a large clearance job or a large hedge to fell, the customer insists it must be done now during nesting season and I have expressed my feelings on nesting birds and told him that it is our policy to cover our costs if work has to cease at short notice.

 

Well a Tawny Owl or something yeah ok, but I would not be chuffed if they stopped a job 'cos there was a Turtle Dove nest in the top of a hedge, AND charged me extra for the pleasure.

[likeitorlumpit]

[/u][/b]

Well a Tawny Owl or something yeah ok, but I would not be chuffed if they stopped a job 'cos there was a Turtle Dove nest in the top of a hedge, AND charged me extra for the pleasure.

 

You would still have to stop wouldn't you?

[Le Sanglier]

Course not, it's collateral damage. Same as it would be for most people on here.

 

ps. You can quote the Wildlife and Countryside Act if it makes you happy.

[Rupe]

It very much depends on the situation, type of client and weather or not the business can absorb the cost (book in another job to fill the gap) but in short the answer is yes..

If I was to quote a large clearance job or a large hedge to fell, the customer insists it must be done now during nesting season and I have expressed my feelings on nesting birds and told him that it is our policy to cover our costs if work has to cease at short notice.

 

 

So in that case you can write those terms into the quotation, rather than on a seperate t&C's. Thats quite normal, any problem that came up during the site visit should be written into the quote, so if they want a hedge fell in summer and you say about birds and then add that into the quote then thats fine. But you cant really have a t&c that stated you will charge for incompleted work due to nesting birds. It would be upto you to plan the work around nesting season or survey the trees for nests beforehand where possible. Thats why most site clearance happen in jan/feb/march.

 

If the client insists on it being done in summer then you can add as many clauses as you like to the quote or just put in a higher price.

[HCR]

Course not, it's collateral damage. Same as it would be for most people on here.

 

ps. You can quote the Wildlife and Countryside Act if it makes you happy.

 

It's not just collateral damage, it's a criminal offence. It's up to individuals to operate that way if they choose, but (a) they have to be prepared to face the consequences and (b) they shouldn't really advocate it on a public forum.