[mgba_78]

Its the nature of the beast the more you do the more owed there seems to be 

From the last 2 days we're owed over £500  but a steady stream of cheques 7/8 per day and regular BACS payments help. We should see most of this in the bank next week though.

TBH collecting for us although gets the owed list down its the time and fuel driving round. We get it all in the end so not major and 99% of our customers apologize and promise prompt payment next month 

If we do go out collecting if they are not in when we knock we now leave a "We came to collect Window Cleaning monies and missed you, please send a cheque or pay via BACS to......."

[deeege]

Our is usually £500-£700 but at the moment is closer to £5500   

A figure that I'm not particularly comfortable with tbh but the bulk of that is just 1 invoice to a large blue chip company who pay 21 days on the dot.

[keyser soze]

i need to pluck up the courage to check the debt list. im easily traumatised

[easy clean]

Ours is about 2.5k at the minute just on residential which is only due to a lot of collecting over the last week to 10 days!  Normally stands at about 5k! Gonna try and do online payments

[Carl2009]

I'm residential only, or at least 99%. I've just checked as I keep a record of it month to month. Looking at the last 15 months i've averaged £432 owed at the end of the month with a high of £818 in July 2012 and a low of £135 in July 2011. Right now i'm owed £673, of which just £56 is over 21 days old. Most people pay withing 21 days, but I know the ones who are always late. Usually its not deliberate - they just forget or think it's ok to roll it to the next time. The smaller the amount, the more they roll.

I do chase by phone. I don't collect in person. I've moved all but one PayPal-payers to BACS (with no complaints).

Hope this helps.

[Neil Gornall]

As your business grows so does your debt list. Its something that you can do little about other than keep on top of those who don't pay on time on a regular basis.

You should have a feel for your customers so its unlikely you will ever lose too much if they don't pay.

My debt list is usually around 5k but I don't worry as its spread out between so many people. Its unlikely they will all default.

I think we are very lucky in this business (residential anyway) that we never take a huge hit unlike other trades.

[dazmond]

my debt list has got higher over the last few years but i always seem to get the same or a bit more in takings every month than i earn due to "rolling debt".

SAE and online payments help but the best way for me to is go out collecting esp on very compact estate work.most of this work is within 6 miles from home and i can park up and walk round both estates.its good for cashflow.

i send text reminders or phone some customers up after 14 days without payment on the accounts i leave SAE or bank details.usually theyve forgot or have been away on holiday.


regards


dazmond

[Nathanael Jones]

My debt list usually stands between €1200 and €2000 - mostly commercial within the usual payment timeframe (Most 21 days, one is 60 days) and about 20% residential.

A couple of years back my debt list was climbing & reached nearly €4k, and a lot of that was residential - I had to seriously clamp down, start sending text reminders after 7 days, a couple of threats of legal action to the real messers & then dumped a load of the worst payers,.. I even went collecting for the first (and last) time ever!

I learned my lesson though - business is business, no matter how friendly you might be with the custies.

[Deangsi]

iv bin putting payment slips out for paying online or by cheque and the twats never do 

[Deangsi]

im going to take a list of numbers i think and start chasing up the debts soon

[PAUL ERITH]

My debts list is at 17% of my 5 weekly turnover 

Paul

[Roy Harding]

I generate a email like the following.

Please do not reply to this email as it is automatically generated by our window cleaning software

You have received this email as your account has fallen outside our credit terms.
To avoid a late payment charge, please make immediate payment.

You can pay by bank transfer using the following information.

Account name : The big fat one.

Account no  : xxxxx  xxxxx 666

Sort : 36 24 36

I find doing it this way, if the customer takes offense. You can say that when any account falls out side our credit terms, a email is automatically generated and sent.

In other words the computer has done it  

Roy

[CLEANCARE WC]

I generate a email like the following.

Please do not reply to this email as it is automatically generated by our window cleaning software

You have received this email as your account has fallen outside our credit terms.
To avoid a late payment charge, please make immediate payment.

You can pay by bank transfer using the following information.

Account name : The big fat one.

Account no  : xxxxx  xxxxx 666

Sort : 36 24 36

I find doing it this way, if the customer takes offense. You can say that when any account falls out side our credit terms, a email is automatically generated and sent.

In other words the computer has done it  Roy

the computor has generated it, after being told to by your fingertips!