[lee_dewing]

Hi
just wondering how many of you out there don't collect and ask customer to post a cheque if not in?

Had a few customers lately forgeting to post cheques, they started out fine.
Are some customers like fruit? given enough time they go bad!

When i pick up new customers i always say if your not in i leave a bill + envelope to post me a cheque i'd say 90% do this, i drop the customers that can't take this on board after i got my money of course.
I've now drafted up a note i will now put through the customers letter box explaining that your windows have not been cleaned this time because of out standing balance.

I try to run a 3 strikes and your out policy!

Perhaps i am not emphasising the payment policy enough to the customer and wonder how you lot word it when talking to a new customer or an old one for that matter about payment I don't want to come across to aggressive.
I'm a good w/c but not a good salesman.
P.s i don't put stamps on envelopes, i know some of you will say that is wrong but i tried that in the past it's an extra expense and it didn't make any difference that late payers still paid late!

Lee

[Jon T.C.]

Hi Lee,

I run mine like you. Is there any chance you could e-mail me the note you send about not cleaning them 'cos of outstanding money - good idea.

Kind regards Jon

[mark f]

do  you run that policy on householders?? All my customers send a cheque but im more than happy for them to leave it 2 or 3 cleans before sending the cheque. This gives them another chance to see me before sending the money. Mind you i have had my customers for years and i know i will get the money. Any im not sure about then i definitly wouldnt let it go more than 2 cleans.

[steve k]

Jon, this is what I send when I haven`t received a cheque. If I still do not get payment, I go round and get it and use the visit to gauge what the customers motives are...if they are genuinely apologetic and have a valid reason, then no problems...but if they are just arrogant about it with no valid excuse...I never clean them again. Honestly, even if its the first clean...I get my money and do not go back.
         
ABC/XYZ
WINDOW CLEANING

0151 4xx xxxx / MOBILE: 07xx xxxx xxx

Thank you for your continuing custom.

I carried out your scheduled window clean over 7 days ago but have yet to receive payment due.
I appreciate this may be due to an oversight, or you may have misplaced the addressed envelope left at your property on the day of cleaning.

I have enclosed another addressed envelope for you to use for payment.

Payment due: £20.00

Please make cheque payable to: ABC/XYZ cleaning

If you would prefer me to call for payment, please call me on 0151 4xx xxxx / mob: 07xx xxxx xxx

Thank you.



Steve Kinsella

[lee_dewing]

hi jon
if you text me your adress i'l post u one i use net at library when i get chance.

I will make a note to email it to you but wouldn't be as quick mob 07769 905728.

mark i do let some customer's run up bill but never no more than £10.

thanks for your replies lee

[Paul Coleman]

Hi
just wondering how many of you out there don't collect and ask customer to post a cheque if not in?

Had a few customers lately forgeting to post cheques, they started out fine.
Are some customers like fruit? given enough time they go bad!

When i pick up new customers i always say if your not in i leave a bill + envelope to post me a cheque i'd say 90% do this, i drop the customers that can't take this on board after i got my money of course.
I've now drafted up a note i will now put through the customers letter box explaining that your windows have not been cleaned this time because of out standing balance.

I try to run a 3 strikes and your out policy!

Perhaps i am not emphasising the payment policy enough to the customer and wonder how you lot word it when talking to a new customer or an old one for that matter about payment I don't want to come across to aggressive.
I'm a good w/c but not a good salesman.
P.s i don't put stamps on envelopes, i know some of you will say that is wrong but i tried that in the past it's an extra expense and it didn't make any difference that late payers still paid late!

Lee

You don't bother with stamps.  I don't even bother with the envelopes 
Like you say.  Someone who is going to be a persistently late payer will be so whether I supply the stationery or not.  I found this out to my cost.  Even large companies (such as credit card companies) will supply an envelope but they won't pay the postage.  If I supplied the envelope and stamp, I would be covering it with my prices across the board anyway.

[Chris - CBWC]

I'm the same.  No stamp, no envelope.  Right from the start (1 year ago this coming Thursday!) I tell every customer I don't come out collecting (usually because I'm out knocking on doors - 146 customers and I'm only at half capacity) and I ask if it's ok to post a cheque if they aren't in.  Everytime they've said yes no problem.  One of my customers doesn't have a cheque book so they drop the cash round my mum's house which is just round the corner - as do a couple of other customers.  I have maybe 3 or 4 who don't pay every time, but I'll wait until 3 cleans not paid for before I ring them up and remind them.  I tell them I won't clean the house again until the balance is cleared as 'I don't want the amount due to get too big to be paid in one go' and arrange to clean their house when someone is in, or they leave the payment somewhere for me.  No payment, no clean but I'll ring them again - though this hasn't happened yet.

Furthest back my outstanding payments go is Nov 06 and that's one customer that owes me £30 now is due a phonecall, as soon as they get back from holiday that is.....!

Chris

[Paul Coleman]

I'm the same.  No stamp, no envelope.  Right from the start (1 year ago this coming Thursday!) I tell every customer I don't come out collecting (usually because I'm out knocking on doors - 146 customers and I'm only at half capacity) and I ask if it's ok to post a cheque if they aren't in.  Everytime they've said yes no problem.  One of my customers doesn't have a cheque book so they drop the cash round my mum's house which is just round the corner - as do a couple of other customers.  I have maybe 3 or 4 who don't pay every time, but I'll wait until 3 cleans not paid for before I ring them up and remind them.  I tell them I won't clean the house again until the balance is cleared as 'I don't want the amount due to get too big to be paid in one go' and arrange to clean their house when someone is in, or they leave the payment somewhere for me.  No payment, no clean but I'll ring them again - though this hasn't happened yet.

Furthest back my outstanding payments go is Nov 06 and that's one customer that owes me £30 now is due a phonecall, as soon as they get back from holiday that is.....!

Chris

I do things similarly to you but I won't clean if two payments are outstanding.  I've been bitten a few times.  Occasionally, I won't clean if just one clean is outstsnding if my gut feeling is giving me warnings.  Usually my gut feeling is right about such matters.

[macmac]

no stamps & no envelopes here too. i've never not got paid although some customers are better than others at sending cheques. some go 2 or 3 times before sending payment (only a very few thankfully). the vast majority of my customers will send a cheque within a week so thats fine. i do make a point of really getting on with all of my customers though as i feel you get a better response from them when it comes to things like this.

tony

[Davew]

One of my neighbours dropped her cleaner because he couldn't be bothered to collect his money and wanted it posted!

[Paul Coleman]

One of my neighbours dropped her cleaner because he couldn't be bothered to collect his money and wanted it posted!

I've been dropped for that too.  It was either he dropped me for not collecting or I dropped him for not sending.  Same result either way.
A lot of customers don't seem to have any real concept of cashflow for others - only for themselves.  I can sometimes be owed close to £1,000 for mainly domestic window cleaning.  I realise this is a small deal for some window cleaners but it's a fair bit of dosh for me.  Often the largest individual debt will be only around £30 or £40 and each person probably feels that the bit they owe is no great shakes.  Bear in mind that cheques can take a week to become available funds within my account.
I'm currently owed rather less than a grand because I've just had a week off and the cheques have been trickling in without the debt level increasing from work done.
I do drop persistent non senders eventually - especially if it's not a particularly lucrative job.  I wish to branch out to get a bit more commercial work and they can take ages to pay therefore I need the domestic part of my business to pay within a reasonable time.  I give 14 days on my bills.  I think that's pretty fair.  Obviously I allow for the occasional late one as I appreciate that I will be cleaning some peoples windows just after they have gone on a two or three week holiday.

[SHINING EXAMPLE]

No stamps, no envelopes. Always comes eventually. True, some are habitually tardy when it comes to payment, but excellent customers would be lost if I were overly rigid.
Your gut always informs you of the genuinely dodgy.

[Davew]

She said she wanted the personal touch and liked to see the windowcleaner when he came to collect, if he couldn't be bothered to come round then she couldn't be bothered to post a cheque.

[AuRavelling79]

She said she wanted the personal touch and liked to see the windowcleaner when he came to collect, if he couldn't be bothered to come round then she couldn't be bothered to post a cheque.

Fine - so I wouldn't bother to clean her windows!

[mike richardson]

i had nearly 5000 customers 2 yrs ago i spent 5 nites a week collecting down sied to about a 1000 2 yrs ago. & dnt collect now they send the money or pay at the door or drop at my house. i allow 3 cleans but some go a little more,occasionely i collect if it suits me,but most are brill at paying,had a couple of bad debts that dissapeard, but that was when i empliyed loads of lads, now only 1 van i tend to know whos bad or not, if i think they dodgy i dnt clean till i get the last payment,

plenty of good customers out there without running round after the bad payers,

[simbag]

I don't use stamps or envelopes either, as I offer them the option of a bank transfer, therefore I don't feeel like I am forcing them to pay for postage because I am offering them a 'free option'. Saying that though noone is really that bothered about finding an envelope and stamp to post your cheque. Like most, I've had a few which the cleans have mounted up, but these were customers I had before I stopped collecting.

I just use a business card which has my payment details on the back, I made it up at www.vistaprint.co.uk only cost me £19.99 for 500 plus postage, even less when they have a deal on.

The back of the card looks like this:

[Davew]

Did a small semi yesterday £7 customer only had a tenner and I had no change so I said I would take a cheque. You must be joking! was his reply and could only muster up just over five. Think he will be the first one I drop when I get enough work.

[ronaldo]

Did a small semi yesterday £7 customer only had a tenner and I had no change so I said I would take a cheque. You must be joking! was his reply and could only muster up just over five. Think he will be the first one I drop when I get enough work.

Dave you should have just took his tenner and told him next clean will be £4 .

[lee_dewing]

thanks for all the response.
very intresting reading I'm gonna make sure I get all new customers mobile no's and text them a reminder if payment drifts over 2 weeks, won't clean again until paid.

Shiner thanks for verifying the stationary policy (no stamp no envelope)
the main reason i supply envelope is that inside the back of the envelope i write customers door no. and road name, I ask all customers to write their address on the back of cheque, but it's amazing how many don't, I have some use their works stationarey and franking machine then you have to try and work out who's paid.

Am i diss-organised do you lot have all your customers tel no.s and full names?
thanks all
Lee

[Paul Coleman]

thanks for all the response.
very intresting reading I'm gonna make sure I get all new customers mobile no's and text them a reminder if payment drifts over 2 weeks, won't clean again until paid.

Shiner thanks for verifying the stationary policy (no stamp no envelope)
the main reason i supply envelope is that inside the back of the envelope i write customers door no. and road name, I ask all customers to write their address on the back of cheque, but it's amazing how many don't, I have some use their works stationarey and franking machine then you have to try and work out who's paid.

Am i diss-organised do you lot have all your customers tel no.s and full names?
thanks all
Lee

I have some phone numbers and most names which I keep on my database along with any money owed, date last cleaned, email address etc.  If I receive a nameless cheque, I look the surname up on my database.  If no result, I then look up who owes that particular sum of money.  Sometimes it can be a case of four people owing me that sum of money but I don't have a name for one of them so that must be the one who sent the cheque. It would be pretty rare for me to be unable to figure it out from the database but I did once have a situation where it was one of two customers.  I resolved it by looking up the name in the telephone book and noting the address (luckily they weren't ex directory).  At least they didn't have the same surname at the two addresses.