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richywilts

  • Posts: 4261
can we charge customers for late payment
« on: December 17, 2012, 05:21:50 pm »
i know that we can add additional interest when invoicing commercial customers but is there a law we can add interest to domestic customers
Richard Wiltshire
Window Clean Direct

richardwiltshire36@yahoo.co.uk
www.windowcleandirect.co.uk
07894821844

R.C Property

  • Posts: 1599
Re: can we charge customers for late payment
« Reply #1 on: December 17, 2012, 05:25:05 pm »
i know that we can add additional interest when invoicing commercial customers but is there a law we can add interest to domestic customers

i have it on all my invoices that i give out:- payment to be made with in 14 days, late payment could incur a charge of £5.

also i like to say that i have never been out collecting from day one and have no outstanding money being owed, only outstanding money is the time it takes for some bank transfers to come into my bank or some of the commercials that i give one invoice a month even tho i do them each week.

richywilts

  • Posts: 4261
Re: can we charge customers for late payment
« Reply #2 on: December 17, 2012, 05:28:15 pm »
how do you word it on your invoice please richard
Richard Wiltshire
Window Clean Direct

richardwiltshire36@yahoo.co.uk
www.windowcleandirect.co.uk
07894821844

R.C Property

  • Posts: 1599
Re: can we charge customers for late payment
« Reply #3 on: December 17, 2012, 05:36:02 pm »
Payment Details

Cash or Cheque (made Payable to R.C Property Maintenance)
Online Bank Payment:- A/C:- 111111111  Sort:-11-11-11 
Please use address as reference.

Payment to be made with-in 14 days of invoice.
Late payment could incur a £5 charge

gavinb

Re: can we charge customers for late payment
« Reply #4 on: December 17, 2012, 07:01:07 pm »
I need to get some payment terms sorted myself I'm getting really ped off with people thinking they can just fob me off all the time .
It's getting to the stage now where I just think I should pack up because cash flow is that bad l

Banbury Window Cleaning

  • Posts: 236
Re: can we charge customers for late payment
« Reply #5 on: December 17, 2012, 07:48:00 pm »
collecting and peeps not paying us on time has really pi33ed me off this year to a point where we no longer collect
after weeks of collecting every night we now have a total of £40 of domestic payments outstanding and just over a grand for commercial (altho we have 30 day terms for commercial)
our customers are given 14 days to pay altho ALL are either txt or called the night before now so payment can be left out  ;D ;D
if they have not paid in 14 days we also add a £5 charged then dump em once payment has been made  ;) there are too many decent customers out there who want a decent window cleaner and will pay for it
In the struggle for survival, the fittest win out at the expense of their rivals because they succeed in adapting themselves best to their environment."

ronnie paton

  • Posts: 3245
Re: can we charge customers for late payment
« Reply #6 on: December 18, 2012, 12:24:25 am »
you would do well to make a customer pay a lte payment charge unless you actually had a signed agreement!

richywilts

  • Posts: 4261
Re: can we charge customers for late payment
« Reply #7 on: December 18, 2012, 12:27:18 am »
we used to do it ronnie and to be honest most paid it £2.50 id rather not use it to be honest but more of a scare tactic to get prompt payments
Richard Wiltshire
Window Clean Direct

richardwiltshire36@yahoo.co.uk
www.windowcleandirect.co.uk
07894821844

R.C Property

  • Posts: 1599
Re: can we charge customers for late payment
« Reply #8 on: December 18, 2012, 12:29:00 am »
you would do well to make a customer pay a lte payment charge unless you actually had a signed agreement!

i have done it once! and they paid it!

i did a clean for them, and a week later they complained about it. so i gave them 50% off, 2 weeks later still waiting for money.

sent invoice reminder, and a warning that the late payment charge will be added if not paid with in 14 days.

14 days later no payment, sent final notice with the late payment charge on and a warning that if not paid with in 14 days court action will be taken

2 days later the whole amount and late payment fee was paid into my bank!  if they paid the first invoice they would of only paid £6! in the end they paid £17!

hotsteam

  • Posts: 425
Re: can we charge customers for late payment
« Reply #9 on: December 18, 2012, 01:03:38 am »
I clean carpets now,but anyone I am not sure about gets a price of say £80 discounted to £60 if paid within 14 days,most pay straight away just incase they forget to pay it.  ::)

Mike #1

  • Posts: 4668
Re: can we charge customers for late payment
« Reply #10 on: December 18, 2012, 05:39:12 am »
I have just amended my payment slips to say i will add a 10% surcharge if payment is not made within 3 days but might change that to  £2:50 late payment charge .

Which will spook the late payers into of which i only have 2 at the minute but they never pay in good time even recently adding a request for payment in 3 days on payment slips 2 wks later still no payment from one custy

Then i have custys who dont use online banking but dont bother to phone me to arrange to collect payment so i am chasing them for weeks if they are not in when i do my 3 hrs collecting a week.
                                                         
                                                                     Mike

p1w1

  • Posts: 3873
Re: can we charge customers for late payment
« Reply #11 on: December 18, 2012, 07:50:24 am »
3 days, so they have to pay a surcharge then if they were away on holiday when you cleaned them and they didn't, get back in time..

Mike #1

  • Posts: 4668
Re: can we charge customers for late payment
« Reply #12 on: December 18, 2012, 08:05:37 am »
If they are a decent custy and explain that they were away i will waiver the surcharge , It is the custys who when i have to go back to their house and collect money and say .

Sorry meant to do it straight away

Partner has paid it (which they have not)

Sorry forgot to pay online will do it now as have no money ( 3-4 days later still no payment so i have to go back again )

It is the my time they are wasting and my money that i am due for services rendered the idea of payment slips is to avoid as much collecting as possible because i dont charge £2.50 more for the cleaning of the windows in order to cover for the cost of collecting . Mike



roundbuilder

Re: can we charge customers for late payment
« Reply #13 on: December 18, 2012, 08:20:14 am »
See, whats the point in making out its a good thing not having to collect when it shows so may are having probs getting money in. its the worst part about the job is collecting. I find that roughly 50% pay on the day, 25% online/cheque and the last 25% i either double up next time or now wait untill they owe 3 or more cleans to make it worth collecting from. By doing this my debt list reasonbly low and i have 1200+customers.
Not all customers want to pay anyother way than cash.. Who a. I to argue.

formb

Re: can we charge customers for late payment
« Reply #14 on: December 18, 2012, 09:00:21 am »
I have just amended my payment slips to say i will add a 10% surcharge if payment is not made within 3 days but might change that to  £2:50 late payment charge .

Which will spook the late payers into of which i only have 2 at the minute but they never pay in good time even recently adding a request for payment in 3 days on payment slips 2 wks later still no payment from one custy

Then i have custys who dont use online banking but dont bother to phone me to arrange to collect payment so i am chasing them for weeks if they are not in when i do my 3 hrs collecting a week.
                                                         
                                                                     Mike

3 days?

That's a bit harsh.

Do you have a credit account anywhere that is less than 30 days?

Mike #1

  • Posts: 4668
Re: can we charge customers for late payment
« Reply #15 on: December 18, 2012, 12:29:07 pm »
It is defo harsh but that is to push the lazy folk into paying up 99% of custys who pay online pay on the sameday or within 2 days .

The good custys who have just forgot the once or twice I will waiver the fee.

But when my debt list is in the hundreds you got to push the lazy ones. Mike