90 days to pay...

[Ian C]

I just told companies that if they can pay me within 14 days, I don't want to work for them...problem is they lie through their teeth!...I'd rather not do the job that wait 3 months for payment on a job I've paid overheads and wages on

 

Same here now, I can't be arsed with the hassle.

 

I got rid of one firm last year who decided that they were going to pay contractors when they got paid! No thanks.

 

I operate to my term's and conditions not there's.

Edited September 15, 2013 by Ian C

[Hedge hunter]

Same here now, I can't be arsed with the hassle.

 

I got rid of one firm last year who decided that they were going to pay contractors when they got paid! No thanks.

 

I operate to my term's and conditions not there's.

 

thing is you got to spend money to make money and sometimes the commercial companys come up trumps with big pay jobs.it can be worth it if your prepared to ride the storm...

[tarzan]

You can't beat gnome dogging and doing the Tom cruse mission impossible above a green house it keeps you on your toes]

 

Lol, don't forget dog mess..Went to do this guys hedge, & the only access was through the house. The grass had'nt been cut all year, and was actualy growing through the lawnmower, which when i asked him, was only a few months old, he'd just left it outside as he "could'nt be arsed"(his words).

Anyway, it was like walking across a minefield, i pointed this out to him, & the possiblelity that some would get tramped in to the house, was'nt botherd at all.

 

Rob

 

I priced a job that had a massive conifer at lest 40 ft or so in a rear garden. They had this German Shepard that shat all over this garden they never picked it up and what they fed this animal made it shat cow pats runny turds. So I well over priced the job in hoping i wouldn't get it but shaw enuf I got the job. I tould the men we were going to war and there was a D DAY mine field there so we got to the job dodged the claymores and went up the tree. half way up I started to smell the turds looked at my hitch and there it was in my pulley hitch cord rope my hole MT covered. So I jumped down and said sorry mate we don't do dog turd and left

 

 

Choose a job you love, and you will never have to work a day in your life.

[dogman]

Lol, dog waste smell sure does linger...& i spent 14yrs as a dog handler !.

 

They are part of a German company & are doing well at the moment. As i've said i'm only starting up, so not exactly snowed under with work, but it is picking up, most seems to be domestic garden maintainence "contracts", ie can you come once a fortnight, can you weed the garden etc... so a bit of juggling & i could do a week there.

 

I'm writing out now what i'm prepared to do & putting in the price for the job, & what the hourly rate will be to maintain it, we'll see what happens,

 

Thanks for the advice folks.

 

Rob

[csservices]

Only had it once, price some fencing for a big firm labour only, put in double my usual price as being one man band it was too much work, got the job, they wanted 60 days credit, I sent back to thier accounts dept that I was on 14 days credit as small firm etc, billed it weekly and was always paid before the 14 days, don't think I'd take the risk again though unless it was a cast iron contract

[Lyncombe-climber]

I charge £2950 per day commercial for three man team excluding any additional hire costs

[john p]

Jesus wept! 3 grand a day! I've gotta put my prices up

 

 

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[difflock]

But, john p, you haint got a FENDT tractor to keep, unlike some.

Do keep up!

[Warners]

I did some tree felling works last November for a large construction company, terms were 90 days and that's from the end of the month in which you invoice

 

We finished the job on December 5th, so payment was due end of march!!!

 

March came and went with no payment, so then followed multiple phone calls, emails, reminder letters - kept on getting fobbed off with excuse after excuse.

 

So I looked at going down the legal route, you can't proceed with a small claims until the payment is past 30 days overdue, so there I am having sent all three reminders and a notice before action waiting for 30days overdue to send the court papers (with a fee of £400+).

 

In the meantime I've ended up phoning the site engineer to see if he can shed any light on payment..."oh that's terrible" he says "I'll get it sorted for you, by the way we want you to do some more work". So I arranged for a site visit, quoted (very very high) on the day for a bit of planting - right when can you do it, we need it doing yesterday - booked a date for the works and left site knowing full well that I wouldn't be carrying out anymore works until I'd been paid for previous.

 

Couple of days before due to start, I phoned site engineer to say we can't commit to the date as we still haven't been paid for previous works, " I'll get it sorted" again was the answer. So I get a call back saying its all sorted but I can't promise you will receive payment before you're due to start.... Well I'm not doing the job then! A discussion ensued promising payment (this is from a site engineer) but I stood my ground and said we can't do the works so you will have to get some other mug to do it.

 

Anyway, sorry for the long rant but it turns out we received payment in may...MAY! For a job we carried out in November! This was a 5 week long job where we hired machinery which we had to pay on a 30 day account so we really really struggled, this could have put our very small business under!

 

We survived thanks to borrowing on personal credit cards. Never again will we even contemplate working for these big construction companies, whom I have no problems in naming and shaming as McGEE CONSTRUCTION, steer well clear unless you can afford to wait 6 months for payment...

 

It's well known that the larger the company, especially construction, the longer they take to pay. we had a job for a very large company which involved planting/mulch/hedges, etc. After three months and chasing them i told them i'd take back my mulch and plants. Seemed to sort it as they paid in two days and i haven't worked for them since...... I agreee that there are big bucks to be made on the commercial side but you must monitor payments and don't be afraid to pull off site if payments aren't forthcoming.

[Lyncombe-climber]

But, john p, you haint got a FENDT tractor to keep, unlike some.

Do keep up!

 

Haven't got a fendt yet. But I do have overheads. I just say that's my price take it or leave it. It's just interest that allows me to wait 6 months for payment.