Customers and payment - some online theropy please

[Fekin]

Aye... quote price and materials, payment for materials upfront and cash on completion

 

[Dan]

Why is it that customers expect you to try to work to their schedule, yet they won't pay to your schedule?

Current situation: Customer couldn't write me a cheque straight away as the money needed to be transferred to another account taking 4 days, quite reasonable. Offered to send cheque in 5 days.

I replied that I was hoping to clear it before Christmas but if they needed more time then so be it, to which they suggested that they transfer it straight to my account.

I hand delivered my bank details to them that day, and wished them a merry Christmas, and the following day I politely phoned them to ask if it went through OK (I really want to pay off the materials and stick the rest into an ISA NOW). I made the excuse that I was trying to get it into a high interest account whilst I still could.

They hadn't done it yet, Assured me that it would be done as soon as possible but couldn't do it for one reason or another, not been near a computer etc.

I wouldn't mind so much but it seems that I MADE time to finish their job, which meant working up to 10 hours a day plus I'm out of pocket for materials, some of which I've had to pay for already, yet they can't find 5 mins to log onto their account and type my details in to do a BACS transfer.

I don't think that they'll avoid paying, just that they are not treating it with the priority it deserves.

I really don't want to be phoning up after Christmas to find they haven't done it, I don't think that's reasonable.

Maybe I'm being unreasonable. In any case I just feel better for posting this.

I think you should have perhaps been a bit clearer (there's talk on here often about getting some sort of agreement/contract put together in an informalish quote-type form) about when they need to pay, and how much, and I'd even be joking about it a day or two near the end on the bigger jobs "can't wait to get paid for this it feels like it's been ages since I've had the cash to go the pub" or whatever would make them chuckle a little but start thinking about your payment.

I think it can be easy to just be their tiler, in and out, and then when you hit them at the very end with it, although quite rightly so they should have the cash ready, but also quite rightly so when a tiler experiences this just once it can be the customers fault, when he experiences it again it HAS to be the tilers fault.

I hope I haven't been too barbaric with my reply there but I too get annoyed when I see a tiler not getting paid, I just don't think it's always the customers fault.

You want to call them now and make them feel sooooo bad for not paying, and make them realise that you need the cash, you're a one-man-band say and this is your food for next week. Chuckle in a polite but point making way if they come back with an excuse such as 'the computer isn't on' and say 'well i would appreciate it if you'd turn it on for me, this might just be a 2 minute job for you, but I'm worried that a present you need to get and the food you need to buy wont be available when they've made time to spend 10 minutes on paying your bill.

I'm telling you not mate they're taking you for a ride, or they just really are oblivious to what you need the cash for and how to go about treating their tiler. Either way it's YOU that needs to correct them, and you could do it in one phone call and 20 minutes of really polite laughter type scenario with lots and lots of almost cheeky but laughable hints.

If you want me to call them for you as "your accountant" or whatever please PM me and I'll give it a go before it gets too late tonight and I'll say it needs to be done my midnight to get your prezzie in time or whatever. I can be discrete and don't need to know the figure, or even their full names etc. But long term perhaps a chat with you could change the way you deal with the invoicing a bit. Or perhaps on here together we could sort out some sort of 'way' of going about it?

 

[cornish_crofter]

why not make a verbal agreement when you take the job on that its cash payment on the final day of the job,,this is what i do mostly unless im subbing for a builder,simply speak to the customer day before job ends that you need cash tommorow and i have had no issues at all using this method so far

That's a very good point. When I started out I used to do that. Recently I suppose I've been spoilt in the fact that most people pay me straight away, or provide a perfectly acceptable reason for wanting to delay it.

For example, one customer recently asked if she could go through the invoice with her husband over the phone that evening. He was away at the time but he had originally agreed prices with me. I was happy with that. The cheque was hand delivered through my door a day later.

This current customer was asking me when the invoice was ready the first time. I said that I would get it to them the day after I finished as we both agreed there were some extras that had to be added. This was presented the day afterwards at their request, and a cheque was duly written and issued - no complaints there.

I think they've just been disorganised this time. The day I finished I was asked by another family member when I would bring the invoice around. I replied that I had it with me in the van and would go through it with them. This I did.

The cheque writer was out at the time. Even though I was invited to wait for her I chose not to as the other family members were settling down to a cup of tea and a snack and I didn't want to intude on their home life.

I said I'd phone later, which I did.

Payment will come, it's the slow approach to it that I don't care for.

 

[cornish_crofter]

Dan I don't think you are being blunt. I'm ashamed to say that I think you are right. I should have been more assertive when I had the opportunity.

Thanks for offering to be my accountant . There is one family member who I've been dealing with and have a good rapport with, but he's not the cheque writer. But he is keen to get the invoices paid.

I did ask for a deposit for the first job, then I got paid straight away the day after.

As I said above, they are just being disorganised about it, I wouldn't mind so much but it's Christmas and 1) normally it occurrs to people that people like me need the money, and 2) any payment is likely to take longer to clear.

I may drop them a Christmas card when I take the dog out tomorrow. I'll thank them for all the work over the last few months.

 

[Daz]

I'm quite blunt. If I've got a customer that I think will be difficult with paying their bill I start dropping old anecdotes about customers that refused to pay up on time.....about how I popped back and offered to remove tiles until I got my money. I guess I've indirectly threatened quite a few of my customers - LOL.

But seriously, if you start getting nervous about customers paying, give them the choice of giving you a post dated cheque. Not many people realise that post dated cheques can be presented immediately upon receipt! Job done :santa_cheesy:.

 

[doug boardley]

on bottom of my invoice I state that payment to be made within 7 days of completion. Only had 1 late payer, a millionaire! bill was for £75! his excuse was that his daughter was getting married. I waited 3 months before I got it!

 

[Dan]

I'm quite blunt. If I've got a customer that I think will be difficult with paying their bill I start dropping old anecdotes about customers that refused to pay up on time.....about how I popped back and offered to remove tiles until I got my money. I guess I've indirectly threatened quite a few of my customers - LOL.

But seriously, if you start getting nervous about customers paying, give them the choice of giving you a post dated cheque. Not many people realise that post dated cheques can be presented immediately upon receipt! Job done :santa_cheesy:.

I'd clocked that too but didn't want to dwell too much on what have been done in that instance, but more so what can be done generally in future ones.

I also think the family member who is keen on getting the payment done but can't is the contact the "cheque writer" is using to test to see how bothered you are whilst they get their Xmas gifts in.

If you have good rapport to him, get him to get you your payment and give lots of reasons but the one first of all to condition them for the future is simple; you've done the job and want to get paid, if they're a domestic customer I'd consider really laying in on hard and suggesting that you feel let down by customers who pay late and you didn't have them down as one. Though I always say going about it the right way, with the right tone of voice, really shows them that you're still sound about the situation but you're just getting a little bothered about your xmas prezzie, food next week, a bill you have to pay, some medical treatment you have, an issue you have to do with a parking fine perhaps even something to do with whilst "on your job that was too" and so on and so forth.

I still think you're to blame though lol.

Perhaps to late to call now so i'd do this.

Write your card, call the family pawn and tell them 'you're calling around with the xmas card whilst taking the dog for a walk AND TO COLLECT THE PAYMENT SO PLEASE HAVE IT READY, i'm setting off now is that okay with <insert payers name here>'.

If they question it or even start to comment about the payment I'd be butting in quite firmly with 'and I don't mind cash, cheque (post dated or not), or confirmation of wire-transfer but you do want the payment this time. And say this time.

 

[Dan]

on bottom of my invoice I state that payment to be made within 7 days of completion. Only had 1 late payer, a millionaire! bill was for £75! his excuse was that his daughter was getting married. I waited 3 months before I got it!

Pehaps not enough to moan about but I'd have had a whole different range of responses to a person who is outright taking the wee.

Clearly this person in question is either taking the wee or is a bit confused about the way it's supposed to work. In fear of it being the latter I'd go about it a different way but the moment I detected any wee-taking I'd be seriously making them cry about what they're saying and I swear they'd be dropping the cash off to me with a bottle of wine or I'd be selling the debt and telling them I'm doing so and stick them down as a lost customer that I wouldn't want to deal with too much if I had work on. Sort of thing lol.


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Does anybody think it's worth me getting some contracts done available for download that are strong enough to get Equifax on the case and a line on their credit file for late payments? They (the customer) would be seriously considering switching their computers on and paying their £75's when they're a millionaire if they knew it was loosing them some credit points. ???

 

[White Room]

4 months, I would have been knocking on someones door

 

[Saltire69]

I give the invoice the day before as well with payment must be made on completion at the bottom off it. Had a customer ask if i take Visa52,i know u can get hand held machines but how many sole traders have 1. The job had been booked in 5weeks in advance and price agreed. Was just a bathroom floor so explianed i would b in and out in a day. They wrote me a cheque (visa card cheque) but come on they had plenty off time to get money sorted out.