[dave f]

how do you deal with constant late payers with out dumping and replaceing with 2 ive started asking them to leave payment in a safe place if out but still its hard to train them

[paulben]

I never ask for payment to be left out or they will start to say they left it so you must have had it or paper boy/gardener etc might find it . If it happens all the time put up with it or dump

[Smudger]

Anyone who is 2 clean payments behind does not get cleaned until upto date, if this happens again or someone is constantly behind over six months or more they are asked to either pay 3 in front or at least move to go cardless.

Why work and have to wait for your money ? IME the majority of those to have to constantly chase usually start wanting to miss cleans and then start cancelling on the day. Best drop to find a better class of customer

Darran

[C o z y]

Anyone who is 2 clean payments behind does not get cleaned until upto date, if this happens again or someone is constantly behind over six months or more they are asked to either pay 3 in front or at least move to go cardless.

Why work and have to wait for your money ? IME the majority of those to have to constantly chase usually start wanting to miss cleans and then start cancelling on the day. Best drop to find a better class of customer

Darran

Agree. I'd like to keep some, cups of tea etc etc, but it's all about money, so they need to be replaced.

[Clever Forum Name]

Anyone who is 2 clean payments behind does not get cleaned until upto date, if this happens again or someone is constantly behind over six months or more they are asked to either pay 3 in front or at least move to go cardless.

Why work and have to wait for your money ? IME the majority of those to have to constantly chase usually start wanting to miss cleans and then start cancelling on the day. Best drop to find a better class of customer

Darran

I have had to start doing this. You can have the best payer for years then they turn to poop. I tell them we are stopping at 2 cleans and no more. I do have some customers who go 6 cleans and some let it mount up to £100 then pay. If they never pay i have nobody to blame lol

[Positivity]

I've found it is important to have a contact number for all customers. After 3 days send text reminder after 3 more days phone up and remind them. Most have simply forgot.

[Ian101]

its just a matter of time .... bad payers / slow payer either get trained or replaced with what become good customers.

Im just on 5 years now and thankfully 95% of my residential pay within a few days ... others take a couple of weeks but only a handful thankfully ... didn't get here by accident ... followed the mantra set by The BFG (ex member now) canvass - clean - cull .......... takes a while but it can be done .... very rare I will print a George job sheet and see a payment from last clean outstanding .... if there is then will either clean it and leave slip for 2 payments which tend to gets paid very quickly or if its a customer who is starting to go bad then slip left with note saying "no clean today due to outstanding debt" if after a week its still not paid then they tend to go onto the "thin ice" list which means no clean till paid ... occasionally it goes unpaid so I will never go back and just dump them - too busy to chase a £12 debt.

Any new customers are told along lines of this
We clean sills, frames, glass, UPVC doors.
We turn up once a month
Were reliable
Were trustworthy
We do a great job
We lock the gate when done
We will text the night before for access
Were flexible if you want to miss a clean due to holidays (they never do though)
We take cash, cheque, BAC
WE DONT COLLECT
Any issues with quality resolved next working day


We do ALL the above and all YOU have to do is to send payment within 3 days .... can you do this Mrs Smith ?

The answer is always yes .... then I tell them again we don't collect as too tired after a days graft and if they take too long to pay then no offence but you will be taken off rounds and replaced and we never take anyone back on .... all done friendly with a smile but firmly .................. good to know where we all stand

[Soupy]

ive started asking them to leave payment in a safe place if out

Yeah, asking for trouble that, I reckon.

[dazmond]

I've found it is important to have a contact number for all customers. After 3 days send text reminder after 3 more days phone up and remind them. Most have simply forgot.

i give them 14 days to pay(domestic and commercial)then send text reminder.

[slap bash]

IN todays world people often forget so dont chuck as so many advise. Print a warning on you invoice with printed on sticker.  

All payment are to due on completion. Any late payment exceeding 10 days will attract a £3 admin fee and £3 every month thereafter. If for any reason payments are not forthcoming and further cost are incurred they will be for the customer's account.
Conditions of Payment.
This has served me very well and all I do is add the amount and 3 quid onto my next invoice.So by the next clean its 6 quid as its the last month and this month + the current clean. I tell them its my accountants system. Sorry. I have only had one push it but it, cost him 75 quid more than the clean amount.This way they dump themselves and I get paid more. When they come onboard I give them a welcome card and my terms are there for all to see. I just make out as if its normal in all business.  I will invoice them if they are due and i have not cleaned yet. Most times they pay up and I laugh all the way to the bank.

[AuRavelling79]

its just a matter of time .... bad payers / slow payer either get trained or replaced with what become good customers.

Im just on 5 years now and thankfully 95% of my residential pay within a few days ... others take a couple of weeks but only a handful thankfully ... didn't get here by accident ... followed the mantra set by The BFG (ex member now) canvass - clean - cull .......... takes a while but it can be done .... very rare I will print a George job sheet and see a payment from last clean outstanding .... if there is then will either clean it and leave slip for 2 payments which tend to gets paid very quickly or if its a customer who is starting to go bad then slip left with note saying "no clean today due to outstanding debt" if after a week its still not paid then they tend to go onto the "thin ice" list which means no clean till paid ... occasionally it goes unpaid so I will never go back and just dump them - too busy to chase a £12 debt.

Any new customers are told along lines of this
We clean sills, frames, glass, UPVC doors.
We turn up once a month
Were reliable
Were trustworthy
We do a great job
We lock the gate when done
We will text the night before for access
Were flexible if you want to miss a clean due to holidays (they never do though)
We take cash, cheque, BAC
WE DONT COLLECT
Any issues with quality resolved next working day


We do ALL the above and all YOU have to do is to send payment within 3 days .... can you do this Mrs Smith ?

The answer is always yes .... then I tell them again we don't collect as too tired after a days graft and if they take too long to pay then no offence but you will be taken off rounds and replaced and we never take anyone back on .... all done friendly with a smile but firmly .................. good to know where we all stand

Post of the year!

[dannymack]

I do some work for a fella who owns a cleaning company who deals with just cleaning, I was doing about £1500 of work a month for him and he became a friend. I was giving him invoice each month and he topped up owing £12,000 with vat. He would pay a couple invoices then I'd give him another then didn't pay for quite a few months. I had to say I'm gonna have to stop doing the work until you start paying more money as he had,had the money of the company's so I wanted paying. He managed to pay £7,000 them paid the rest. I don't do as much for him now probably about £500 a month and a few schools through the year.

As for commercial can be a nightmare as some in here would say same thing, you give them 30 days net but means nothing to them se times we wait months even thou they get monthly window cleaning always behind that's most but not all.

[Shane O Neill]

I was telling a 'school teacher' last night that no more collecting now all on-line (he owed 2 lots of £10 each) he's one you really have to 'catch in' anyway I had said to him before can he do it on line but not much response but last night I said bluntly this the way it is from now on,save it mounting up for u etc but all he says was well I will have to think about it !! He has no intention so I feel we have come to the end of rd  as I'm tired of chasing some people so just ain't going back .... Am I wrong ??

[dave f]

i have a celing of 2 cleans. and a strike 3 and your dumped policey .i dont mind collecting it as bennifits like i picked up 3 jobs from custys last week whos friends relations etc .plus other add ons .but its some come to the door and think its funny to say ho i have no money on me can you come back tomorrow .with a big cheesey grin.then you turn up and theres no one in that gets up my nose.and strike 1yer twats.

[dazmond]

i have a celing of 2 cleans. and a strike 3 and your dumped policey .i dont mind collecting it as bennifits like i picked up 3 jobs from custys last week whos friends relations etc .plus other add ons .but its some come to the door and think its funny to say ho i have no money on me can you come back tomorrow .with a big cheesey grin.then you turn up and theres no one in that gets up my nose.and strike 1yer numptys.

i dumped customers like these years ago dave!

about half of my customers pay online,send a cheque or pay on the day of clean these days so i only collect for roughly an hour a week on a monday evening now.

electronic payments have really taken off over the last few years.its brilliant!it cuts down on collecting drastically.

[dave f]

to be honest i dont mind collecting ,ecept when its raining i like to keep my finger on the pulse.i have a quite a few add ons  and recomendations,i asked roughley half my custys about dd paypal but none of them realy wanted it .so ill stick with it ,just get rid of the dros.

[slap bash]

One just needs to be firm with your customers, Its a business afterall.