[bulldug]

Hi everyone, just looking for a wee bit of advice regarding a non paying domestic customer please.
About 3 weeks ago I cleaned her double ovens...they hadn't been used in over a year due to her trying to Mr. Muscle them and failing miserably!
To be fair, when I got there she said she had no cash on her and could I wait a few days for payment, as I was on site anyway I said it would be no problem...many phone calls later I'm still waiting for payment.
It's only £45 but that money could pay my diesel bill for a week or go towards something else.
I don't want to get laughed out of small claims court for £45! Should I just forget about it and put it down to a bad experience? Or pursue payment via the legal system?....Please no suggestions involving a baseball bat and balaclava!!
Any advice appreciated.
Tom

[JJdomestics]

Hi Tom

I have had this a few times and I have found the best way to handle  it is to put it in writing i.e an invoice with a covering letter stating that the amount is now overdue and I do give the option to pay in two installments. This way the client may feel that there is a way around this and ring back  I know it is only fourty odd quid so half of that isn't really worth having but it does clear the bill up and keeps everyone happy. Was she happpy with your service? is it just a case of no money?

Jo

[carloso]

go to claims on line
 the online small claims system if all else fails. tell her what you are going to do and do it if she does not respond. you can re claim your £ 30 costs as well as resonable expsense, also she will have to live with the judgemant.
 its dead simple and if you tell her what you are planning she will probably cough up anyway


good luck

 ps did it to one of mine who had owed me £150 for 18 months and kept promising anyway as soon as  soon he got the paperwork he paid up and the costs

[bulldug]

Thanks for the replies, I think I'll go Jo's way and give her the option of x monthly payments, even if it takes 4 months to get the money back at least I'll have something. If that fails then I'll go to claims online and have it sorted that way, hope it doesn't come to that though!!!
Oh, and she was over the moon when her ovens were finished, so much so that she said she will never clean them again, just pay the £45 and get me to do it in future :
Tom
PS Carloso do you have the full web address of Claims Online please? Thanks

[tomh]

its a real wind up ! don't like  people to think they had 1 over on me if i have done a decent job ! i'd invoice them saying it's over due with opp to pay in 2 payment's give time limit stick to it take them to court if not met

[paul bruce]

Tell her that if no payment is forthcoming by the Monthly terms you have offered, you will pass it on to a collection agency and it will be out of your hands.I bet you get paid.

Paul

[carloso]

hi bulldog

address for claims on line is
www.hmcsmoneyclaim.gov.uk

re the give it to an agency to collect,
 they will charge you , if you can get one interested in such a small amount and then they will use claims on line etc so its easier to do it yourself

cheers

[*Chris Browne]

I would recommend claims online , i have used it in the past for a non payer, although i never got my dosh back( he did a runner and ain't been seen since)


chris

www.scsf.co.uk

[Phoenix]

Use Claim on Line,  I've used it twice and won twice.  As long as you are totally convinced your claim cannot be rebuffed, ie the client turns round and says you didn't do a good job.  Always get a signature confirming satisfactory work completed.

[lynngc]

Tom,
if she cannot afford to pay in a lump sum, ask her if she would like to pay £5-10 a week until paid off, if she agrees, do it in writing, this way she'll be bound.

good luck

lynn

[bulldug]

Once again, a big "thankyou" for all the advice, I will keep everyone informed as to how I get on with this one.
Tom

[soapscentz]

Hi Bulldug,
i know what youre saying ive got a customer who owes me £30.00 from the middle of november after several phone calls and letters and visits i got cheesed off and filed the court papers for the small claims last week, the best thing is you can add on expenses so by the time i had finished she now owes me £100 with the interest and visits etc, the best thing is she also told me she was happy and lives and works in the most expensive part of Nottingham so why cant she pay ?, I think she does it all the time somebody has to teach these scum bags a lesson just  because we're cleaners dont mean we can't be paid. The best thing is she faces owing me more than what she started with and a ccj. Good luck with it