[jo5hm4n]

So all my customers are in a payment plan where all my payments get taken every 4 weeks automatically.  This means that there is virtually no admin for me.  All automated nice and easy.  Only thing i dont like is that, i've taken 2 weeks off since December so that means all customers are now paying roughly 2 weeks before clean is even due.  I'm not really happy about this.  I don't like having the added complication of some customers paying after clean by a week or 2 and then other customers paying 2 weeks in advance, due to taking time off or altering my work schedule.  It's just going to add more confusion to my life as more people sign up to GoCardless.  Atm i only have about a dozen on there so its fairly easy.

So i was thinking of just taking payment after each clean.  No Pi$$ing about then wondering whos paid and when they have paid.

What do yall reckon that use it?

[jo5hm4n]

Bump
 

[Arnold Palmer]

I run mine every Friday.

[Marc Stock]

So all my customers are in a payment plan where all my payments get taken every 4 weeks automatically.  This means that there is virtually no admin for me.  All automated nice and easy.  Only thing i dont like is that, i've taken 2 weeks off since December so that means all customers are now paying roughly 2 weeks before clean is even due.  I'm not really happy about this.  I don't like having the added complication of some customers paying after clean by a week or 2 and then other customers paying 2 weeks in advance, due to taking time off or altering my work schedule.  It's just going to add more confusion to my life as more people sign up to GoCardless.  Atm i only have about a dozen on there so its fairly easy.

So i was thinking of just taking payment after each clean.  No Pi$$ing about then wondering whos paid and when they have paid.

What do yall reckon that use it?

Yep exactly what i do.

I process all my payments automatically on or around the 26th of the month.

Dont need to do anything.

[jo5hm4n]

So all my customers are in a payment plan where all my payments get taken every 4 weeks automatically.  This means that there is virtually no admin for me.  All automated nice and easy.  Only thing i dont like is that, i've taken 2 weeks off since December so that means all customers are now paying roughly 2 weeks before clean is even due.  I'm not really happy about this.  I don't like having the added complication of some customers paying after clean by a week or 2 and then other customers paying 2 weeks in advance, due to taking time off or altering my work schedule.  It's just going to add more confusion to my life as more people sign up to GoCardless.  Atm i only have about a dozen on there so its fairly easy.

So i was thinking of just taking payment after each clean.  No Pi$$ing about then wondering whos paid and when they have paid.

What do yall reckon that use it?

Yep exactly what i do.

I process all my payments automatically on or around the 26th of the month.

Dont need to do anything.

Marc, are you saying though that all customers are in a plan where all payments get take automatically on 26th of each month, or do you manually click each customer on the 26th and then click add payment?

[brianbarber]

I prefer to manually request payments.
For the reason I don't want them paying for a clean that I am late on.
Maybe if you have hundreds on GC then payment plans are the way to go.

Mr B

[Stoots]

Take all mine manually after each clean as I'm quite often behind schedule.

Having said that I don't have all that many on GC maybe about 70 customers.. Tends to be about 3 a day. Doesn't take longer than a few minutes each day to process them.

[nathankaye]

End of the day, because I've that much going off I will probably forget otherwise

[jo5hm4n]

 Wow, so the day after i made this post about GoCardless i got an email from a customer, who wanted to cancel because payment had come out for February for window cleaning and there was bird muck on the windows so she knew we hadn't been!  (shes due later this week).  I apologised to her, and stated because of this issue we actually are going to change the way we take GoCardless Direct Debits moving forward, so that nobody is paying in advance for cleans.

So after this cancellation i cancelled about a dozen payment plans on GoCardless, then sent out emails to all customers explaining if they got an email for cancellation of direct debit it was nothing to worry about, we were simply changing the way we structure taking regular payments from our customers.  All customers were fine, but one customer then emailed me back wanting to cancel the service.  Shes been a customer for about 3 years, good as gold and now cancelled.

So i've lost 2 customers just because of the way i was taking payments or informing customers of new changes to payments, which doesn't really affect them personally at all!

Oh well, time to find 2 replacements 

[Lee Pryor]

We have nearly 4000 people on go cardless now or 92% of our customer base. We activate the payment process at the end of each day. I cant imagine why anyone would do this differently? Works been done, collect the money asap.

[Shrek]

Wow, so the day after i made this post about GoCardless i got an email from a customer, who wanted to cancel because payment had come out for February for window cleaning and there was bird muck on the windows so she knew we hadn't been!  (shes due later this week).  I apologised to her, and stated because of this issue we actually are going to change the way we take GoCardless Direct Debits moving forward, so that nobody is paying in advance for cleans.

So after this cancellation i cancelled about a dozen payment plans on GoCardless, then sent out emails to all customers explaining if they got an email for cancellation of direct debit it was nothing to worry about, we were simply changing the way we structure taking regular payments from our customers.  All customers were fine, but one customer then emailed me back wanting to cancel the service.  Shes been a customer for about 3 years, good as gold and now cancelled.

So i've lost 2 customers just because of the way i was taking payments or informing customers of new changes to payments, which doesn't really affect them personally at all!

Oh well, time to find 2 replacements 

They probably cancelled because they lost trust in you - by taking payment when the work hadn’t been done. I bet the selling point of go cardless is that payment is taken after the work has been done ....and you broke their trust. I’d cancel too if that was me

[nathankaye]

I've considered processing the payment the night before when I'm doing other work related administration but then I think what would happen if something crops up and prevents the clean. Your example backs this up.  Never take payment before the actual work is done,

[Marc Stock]

I make sure the work is done before the collection day.

[Marc Stock]

So all my customers are in a payment plan where all my payments get taken every 4 weeks automatically.  This means that there is virtually no admin for me.  All automated nice and easy.  Only thing i dont like is that, i've taken 2 weeks off since December so that means all customers are now paying roughly 2 weeks before clean is even due.  I'm not really happy about this.  I don't like having the added complication of some customers paying after clean by a week or 2 and then other customers paying 2 weeks in advance, due to taking time off or altering my work schedule.  It's just going to add more confusion to my life as more people sign up to GoCardless.  Atm i only have about a dozen on there so its fairly easy.

So i was thinking of just taking payment after each clean.  No Pi$$ing about then wondering whos paid and when they have paid.

What do yall reckon that use it?

Yep exactly what i do.

I process all my payments automatically on or around the 26th of the month.

Dont need to do anything.

Marc, are you saying though that all customers are in a plan where all payments get take automatically on 26th of each month, or do you manually click each customer on the 26th and then click add payment?

I only use go cardless for customers who do not pay me on time or forget as they are just too busy.

I clearly tell them that payment is taken on or around the 26th of the cleaning month regardless when its due, they agree to this.

Many prefer the 26th as it falls on or around the day they get paid.

For the majority of my go cardless customers, the work has already been carried out and or will be by the time the payment has left thier account. It clearly states this on each bill we leave.

They do not have to go to dd, its there for them should they wish to take advantage of it, or if they dont want constant payment reminders..my use of go cardless is completely passive, and i do not force them to do it.

It runs automatically. I dont need to do anything, just make sure the work is done beforehand.

I prefer collection by debit/credit card. For those who wish to pay on the day. BACS as its free, and as long as its paid within 24 hours they wont get a reminder. If they dont pay within 24 hours through BACS they can go on credit for dd.