[Jeff Brimble]

David as you all know I am usual/unusual, I have £5k that customers owe me but I have no bad Debts ? just  the odd interest free loan here or there. At the end of the day I get paid. Usually before Christmas or in the street , but then they do pay well for the service.

[mark dew]

its as good as money in the bank.

That's a very relaxed way of looking at it.

But its money in someone elses bank and that would stress me out.

[Sarah Sarill]

Although I am ashamed to admitit we are very lazy on the collecting front.  We currently have £1055 worth of outstanding money with the oldest being from April.

Hubby only collects2 evenings per month now and then he targets only the customers who owe for  two cleans + or the bigger residential properties we clean.

In our 8 years of trading we have only written off two bad debt accounts and are quite relaxed about getting paid as we know we will at some point.

We get quite a lot of cheques sent without asking mainly due to the fact we ALWAYS leave one of our 'your windows have been cleaned cards ' which has our full postal  address on it.

There are exceptions to our relaxed style though.  We collect if we have been unable to work for a few weeks due to weather and just prior to going on our holidays (for the extra spending money !!!  )

Its all about what suits your finances and circumnstances though.  In the early days we collected most nights (and had to ).

Sarah

 

[P @ F]

I like to leave it for a while , or at least until the next clean is due , i like to do this cos my owed money book i look at as rainy day money , there is usually about 200 in it so its a bonus if things to get tight .

 Rich   P @ F

[Moderator David@stives]

bloody hell Rich your keen as mustard if you are only owed £200

What do you do shake them upside down on there doorstep   

Dave

[combat cleaning]

I have just started leaving a SAE and it works brilliantly.
The enclosed note states the address and amount owing.
I am using the smallest size of padded envelopes which together with the cost of the postage represent only a small percentage of the job.
Also time saved in revisiting is utilised more effectivley.
Its great to receive the envelopes in the post!
2 cleans maximum, then a visit, although todate everyone has paid up on time.
Regards.

[P @ F]

DAVE , 200 owing is probably a reflection on how much i do each day , Craig JWC will tell you how i like to chat !

 Rich  P @ F

[holland1945]

I leave a welcome letter with new customers and inform them that I leave a SAE for them to send a payment in. I've not had one person forget to send their cheque so it really does work.

And as someone else has pointed out the cost of an envelope and stamp, is quite small compared to the fuel and labour costs of going collecting.

If you really wanted to look professional you could set up a Freepost account with the Royal Mail and just leave a card with the amount owing and your Freepost address ... that way you don't even have the cost of the envelope to outlay.

[Mike George]

My system is similar to Jeff1's in the above post.  I only call once now and if they're not in, I leave a stamped, addressed envelope with an instruction sheet on how to pay and how much to pay.

It's easy enough to do.  You can print off your envelopes with your printer and the cost of the stamps are tax-deductable.

If I don't get a cheque, I don't worry, I carry it onto the next month.  Most customers cough up after three months by cheque if I don't catch them in.

That's the way I do it, except I only let it go one month.

I've got one customer who pays online with a card through Nochex and I'd like to get a few more doing it that way.

[semy]

Hi Guys,
I used to go collecting all the time until i asked the same question on this forum, now i never go out collecting.

I leave a "your wheelie bin has been cleaned" note though thier letter box. I give them 4 ways to pay
1. Pay on day leave money out under door mat / flower pot
2. Send by cheque ( address is on note )
3. Pay online using paypal.
4. this is going to be standing order or direct debit soonish


If it wasnt for this forum i would still be going out at nights trying to collect it all in, which i found to be a worse job than cleaning the bins in the first place.

I did start off by using envelopes but found that it was a waste as alot people just left the money out or pay online so now it is a small note.

Hope this helps

Regards

Semy

(yeah yeah whats a wheelie bin cleaner looking at the WC forum for ? ) Im just spying 

[D.Salkeld_Ltd]

I don't collect.

I leave an Invoice with payment options on the back:

1. Leave till next time (if below £7 - at my descresion!)

2. Send a Cheque to address at bottom of Invoice

3.Py the bill in person at a local Taxi Office (Who have a book and tin that I have a key to)

Works pretty well, although one or two do need a polite reminder now and then.

David