Commercial vs domestic

[White Noise]

Commercial just take the niss 90% of the time . Domestic's usually pay up on completion . Which is great really . My hands are covered in hard skin and look rough . This is a testament to how hard this job actually is on your body . After years of quoting you should be able to tell if the customer is a payer or a delayer . If I think the customer is awkward I will quote higher simple as I expect to be mucked about . This is for domestic only . Commercial well most can sod off and leave me alone as they pay late with crap rates and want an amazing job .

[Hodge]

I keep getting tender enquiries sent and I just turn them down. I read there terms and conditions off one firm who would pay me 75% of the bill on 90 days after the job is completed, then the rest when they are satisfied with the work. Well they can do one for a start.

 

 

Hodge

[s o c]

sounds like ye get payed a lot quicker in uk. most commercial work takes 60 to 90 days here,the 30 days seems to usually start after job signed off and invoice usually spends weeks in limbo between departments and somebody in accounts is usually on holidays or maternity leave. most domestic work gets payed within the month or on completion. we are rarely owed less than 20k, at moment owed about 60k some of it from 2013.

couldnt survive on just domestic though and you can command higher rates doing commercial

[Buzzsurgeon]

Stick with domestic better paid and more cups of tea! Oh and less red tape bull pap!

[10 Bears]

I have two types of rates - one lot for commercial (higher - due to longer processing times) and one for domestic. I state on the quote/estimate/invoice that commercial terms are 21 days net, and domestic is 7 days net. In all my time trading I have never had a customer go beyond those terms (fortunately!), and following this thread, I wonder why this is?

 

Am I right in guessing that the majority of you have been billing for manual works? All my work is consultancy now, so I am beginning to draw the assumption that there is a bit of employment prejudice here ie the guy on the tools can be put off a while from being paid, but the chap writing the reports needs to be paid on time?

 

Just a theory...

[Old Mill Tree Care]

What about stating payment terms in bold text on invoices, and a late fee. Interest added after say the 30 day payment period.

 

Does anyone find this speeds things up?

 

 

No it doesn't.

 

 

Sent from my iPhone using Arbtalk mobile app.

[HertsWood]

Our work is split 60/40 commercial. Our largest client is a Train a Operating Company; we receive a purchase order ( which is basically money in the bank), carry out the work & invoice. Their terms are 90 days - we get paid on exactly on time. With no problems.

 

In our grounds maintenance T&C there is a clause regarding late payment & interest payable - I've only had to implement once in 8 years.

 

 

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[skyhuck]

I'm not sure term and conditions on an invoice can be in anyway legally binding.

 

Presumably the works already been completed when you send the invoice, so if the client is not happy to accept your terms what can they do? They can't ask you to not to carry out the work, so they are not given a chance to agree or disagree with your terms.

 

Any payment terms would need to be set out at the quote or estimate stage and you would really need to get some acknowledgement from them for it to be legally binding.

[gensetsteve]

As small businesses I think we give large companies credit too easily. They send us plenty of forms to fill out rems etc. Return the favour and make them work for an account and while you are about it pay the small fee and get a credit check on them. I find alot of small firms just open an account without any details and then raise an invoice with 30 days what happen to by return post ?

[TimberCutterDartmoor]

After years of quoting you should be able to tell if the customer is a payer or a delayer . If I think the customer is awkward I will quote higher

 

aka tw4t tax.