[paul alan]

Will spare you all the details but have been had over today with £20.00, a small sum but enough to hack me off on principle!

Also agreed a price of £250.00 for another job if certain conditions were met, that weren't met which meant my £40.00 per hour turned into £25.00 per hour by the end of the day. The job still isn't finished and I must return next Friday, I told the manager that its £40.00 per hour whatever.


I have a few customers that dont pay on time and when I contact them asking for payment they dont respond, or pay. Eventually they do and It usually doesn't bother me but tonight it does.


I am full up workwise but still like taking on the new because Thats what its all about right, building a business? But I feel like its time for some new ground rules.


For those stern members on the forum that take no bullshiv off the general public customers, what are your ground rules concerning new customers, payments, late payments etc. Plus anything else you care to mention?

[CleanClear]

I don't have late payments. Just ex customers who paid late.................. I just take new customers and keep the good ones. I take any bullpoop off customers, i aint that stern, but i do not go back. I wouldn't do a £250 job without accertaining how i was getting paid and when. Its amazing what can happen when you insist upon part payment in advance (if unknown customer) , or full cash on completion and stress the point. But you won't know until you ask...................

Ultimatley no one can tell you why you are running round chasing money and provide you an antidote , only yourself.

[Shrek]

I’m in the same position as you Paul , and I just can’t be arsed with late payers anymore.
I had one who didn’t pay when I left my card , not even when I sent reminders every month. I then txt asking her to set up a standing order , her response was oh I’m really sorry I keep forgetting and I don’t mind you sending me reminders every month as I will pay eventually- I’m a nurse and Iv just got a busy life.
I can’t be dealing with people like this and sacked her off, we are all busy but I never ever owe people money and never have anyone sending me reminders to pay after Iv asked them to do a job for me.
Sometimes you just need to cut them loose mate and your life will instantly improve!!

[the king]

im also at this point to late payers are a real kick in the balls

[alank]

Keep taking on new work but remember to keep shedding the dross. Every few months I sit down and look long and hard at my customer list then do the sums. Then it's out with the red pen, get in all money owed from bad payers etc then dump the dross you can't carry those types of customer they will only weigh you down the time you waste chasing small debts etc could be spent doing other stuff.

[dazmond]

I just see debt as part of running a business TBH....

BUT persistent late payers who don't pay/reply despite several reminders over the course of a month or so EVERY TIME I PUT A BILL THROUGH THEIR DOOR get dumped esp when they see you and just ignore you!(most customers would feel guilty owing me)....

Remember though lads it's coming to the end of the month.a lot of working people get paid at the start of the month.i find payments often higher during the first week of a new month....

Let's be honest now window cleaning is NOT a priority bill compared to all the others people have to pay.we are often way down the list!

I stipulate payment within 14 days on a bill/invoice and most will adhere to that....some occasionally forget and need a reminder....others will persistently forget and will have to go on standing order or dumped....but Its less than 1% that ever reach that point....

I find most customers pay me in a reasonable time without any issues.just how it should be.

[dazmond]

How big is your debt list on average lads?mines usually between £500-£1500 at any one time....I can live with that....

Currently it's just over £700.I see it as money in the bank.....

Getting ahead with finances and not needing every single payment come in straight away to pay bills and stuff helps . debt then doesn't bother me as much as it did when finances were much tighter...

[John Mart]

I don't worry overly about late payments. It's part of running a business. Currently it's £6,000. But much of that will be from this week. Real aged debt (over 21 days say ) is probably a few hundred. I think those that moan about it still think of their business as a job and expect a wage packet on a Friday. That said, I'm constantly pondering Gocardless but the problem is that in the majority of cases I'd just be paying for old rope in the sense that debt isn't really a problem. The real benefit would be in if it affected retention rates and credit control errors.

[deeege]

Domestic debt is currently £181.00.

Commercial is currently slightly above £11000.00 but none of that is overdue, will reduce to £6000.00 on the 8th July.

Having money owed is part of running a business.

[Stoots]

Well just to ease your mind Paul.

Since I started I have lost almost £1500 in non payers.

I get customers all the time who just don't pay despite reminder after reminder.

My rule is that of that haven't paid for the first clean they don't get another. So if it comes to next clean I will skip them and if it happens more than once or twice I will dump them.

I don't mind people paying late but what I don't like is having to send someone 5-6 text reminders over a number of weeks to finally get paid. I think it's ignorant and pretty disgusting that someone can decide weeks later to finally pay you if they must (if you didn't hound these people they would be happy not to pay)

What can you do apart from drop them and keep looking for better customers.

The bigger you grow as a business the bigger these problems become. I think it's absolutely essential for anyone looking to grow beyond a one man band that you get go cardless In place.

[Johnny B]

I have got to know many of my customers, so I know who will pay promptly and those who take a little longer. They all pay in end so as long as my cashflow is ok, I'm ok with that.

John

[John Mart]

Well just to ease your mind Paul.

Since I started I have lost almost £1500 in non payers.

I get customers all the time who just don't pay despite reminder after reminder.

My rule is that of that haven't paid for the first clean they don't get another. So if it comes to next clean I will skip them and if it happens more than once or twice I will dump them.

I don't mind people paying late but what I don't like is having to send someone 5-6 text reminders over a number of weeks to finally get paid. I think it's ignorant and pretty disgusting that someone can decide weeks later to finally pay you if they must (if you didn't hound these people they would be happy not to pay)

What can you do apart from drop them and keep looking for better customers.

The bigger you grow as a business the bigger these problems become. I think it's absolutely essential for anyone looking to grow beyond a one man band that you get go cardless In place.

I don't agree. Your views are tainted by the amount of bad debt. Perhaps you need to be more selective in who you take on? I doubt I've had £500 lost in 8 years.  When I get a call I can usually tell straight away whether a prospect is in our "demographic". Accent, age and address tell me everything. If I don't like the address or the accent my tone is one of double first clean and contract (t&cs) and normally they just say "I'll get back to you".

I can see why if you've got 4,000 customers Gocardless is worthwhile (as Soupy pointed out he'd have to pay someone to credit control else), but if you're even moderately fussy about who you take on, you shouldn't have the problems you have. Up until this year we wouldn't leaflet council estates for example.

[dazmond]

Well just to ease your mind Paul.

Since I started I have lost almost £1500 in non payers.

I get customers all the time who just don't pay despite reminder after reminder.

My rule is that of that haven't paid for the first clean they don't get another. So if it comes to next clean I will skip them and if it happens more than once or twice I will dump them.

I don't mind people paying late but what I don't like is having to send someone 5-6 text reminders over a number of weeks to finally get paid. I think it's ignorant and pretty disgusting that someone can decide weeks later to finally pay you if they must (if you didn't hound these people they would be happy not to pay)

What can you do apart from drop them and keep looking for better customers.

The bigger you grow as a business the bigger these problems become. I think it's absolutely essential for anyone looking to grow beyond a one man band that you get go cardless In place.

5 or 6 text reminders is taking the p***.id try and get them to set up a standing order.if they wont then their dumped.....luckily for me this doesnt happens too often.....

[The Jester of Wibbly]

Implement the Yellow and Red Card rule to this game

[Thr-windowcleaning]

I'm in the same boat as many here (one man band). Not a massive issue, but something I probably should get on top of, if I can.

I was wondering if anyone would be kind enough to share their T&Cs, and generally, what is the response / uptake, compared to a word of mouth agreement? Thanks in advance!

[dazmond]

I'm in the same boat as many here (one man band). Not a massive issue, but something I probably should get on top of, if I can.

I was wondering if anyone would be kind enough to share their T&Cs, and generally, what is the response / uptake, compared to a word of mouth agreement? Thanks in advance!

payment within 14 days of clean(or bill through the door which could be up to 3 cleans owed)..... late payment after this time resulting in several text reminders that get ignored on a  persistent basis will result in dropping them from my round...THATS IT!

i dont think its reasonable to expect customers to pay on the day of clean(although a lot do!)in this day and age...14 days is reasonable IMO.......

[Thr-windowcleaning]

Agreed. Last year I changed my invoice to state 14 days instead of 28, and saw a good improvement for prompt payment.

[The Jester of Wibbly]

7 days for me. Simple.

[Susan Dean (1stclean)]

Late payers don't bother us as we're over that point of needing the money so we could carry on for 3 months with out any bodying paying it wouldn't bother us how ever it took years and years and a lot of hard work to get there and many a sleepless nights so it's something I don't worrie about until the 2nd clean

Rules for us are

No call a heads
No going thougt houses or garages
No oh I like the old way (can't be arsed telling them anymore )

Just simple pull up crack on and on to the next one

[P @ F]

I put 3 days on my slips , I  give them a week and drop a reminder slip in when next passing , which is pretty much every day which is lucky due to compact round , it then usaually comes in within 24hr .
I reckon i have half a dozen slackers who still dont act , it just rolls to next clean , which probably grips their poop more than mine  , they may learn one day !
As for non payment , apart from them dying which is fair enough , I reckon I have lost £60 in 13 years