[pylofm]

Did a job yesterday and the back gate was locked so unable to clean...all customers get t&c's at the quotation and in addition we stress that if access is not avaiable we'll have to charge the full price.

Now t&c'S are great but and here is the but...this lady rings and says you did not clean the back...we advise that gate is locked...she say I am not paying as you did not clean the whole house...

Now t&c' are great when everything is going well but when it comes to a dispute they would appear to mean nothing and I mean nothing...the customer would appear just to say fine..I am not paying...full stop..knowing full well that there is nothing that I can do. We even suggested that she might pay for the work I had done...but no was the answer.

Going to small claims for 13.50 is just not worth it here in Holland...

I have had this same scenario twice now....and it just annoys me...

What do you do....? before anyone says go round and tear their head off...thats just not me but I do get down knowing I am right and that I have worked and they will not even pay for the work I have done.

The lady even said that they were pleased with my work...this job is 15 miles away...

Also in your starting years did you find you had a steady turn over of either being dropped or dropping customers?

Thanks for being here once again...

[Majestic]

I would just forget it , its not worth getting worked up about

[colley614]

In my personal opinion I would have asked her for half the money and asked if she would leave the gate open in future.

Just my opinion though.

[simon knight]

She's a dishonest old bag! If I were you I'd let it go but insist on up-front payment in the future. If she agrees to that, take her money and don't do 'em!

And in answer to your penultiment sentence....yes!

[colley614]

It was the last sentence that made me give my opinion. If your round was established and you could afford to drop a funny custy then go for it. But if you are just setting out and need all the work you can get one bad apple sometimes spoils the cart. I remember we did wfp on an apartment block and one woman nearly lost us the contract in the end we had to take ladders and trad her 2nd floor windows when we finished. 

[xxmattyxx]

And in answer to your penultiment sentence....yes!

Its penultimate 

sorry, couldn't resist, it was gagging to be corrected 

As for custy, TBH I think what I'd actually do is get real fed up with her and resentful and just wouldn't go back. I couldn't work for someone who had got one over on me to be honest. I might if the circumstances warranted it need to go back fo reconomics sake, but would find it hard to look her in the eye, you might try putting the cost up to cover it over a period of time, Id find it hard.

I lost a shop by them screwing me around, it was possibly my first post on here where I was asking advice about it, someone suggested just put the price up, but I wanted to break the twots legs, I spoke to his boss and didnt do them again.

Matt

[Paul Coleman]

Did a job yesterday and the back gate was locked so unable to clean...all customers get t&c's at the quotation and in addition we stress that if access is not avaiable we'll have to charge the full price.

Now t&c'S are great but and here is the but...this lady rings and says you did not clean the back...we advise that gate is locked...she say I am not paying as you did not clean the whole house...

Now t&c' are great when everything is going well but when it comes to a dispute they would appear to mean nothing and I mean nothing...the customer would appear just to say fine..I am not paying...full stop..knowing full well that there is nothing that I can do. We even suggested that she might pay for the work I had done...but no was the answer.

Going to small claims for 13.50 is just not worth it here in Holland...

I have had this same scenario twice now....and it just annoys me...

What do you do....? before anyone says go round and tear their head off...thats just not me but I do get down knowing I am right and that I have worked and they will not even pay for the work I have done.

The lady even said that they were pleased with my work...this job is 15 miles away...

Also in your starting years did you find you had a steady turn over of either being dropped or dropping customers?

Thanks for being here once again...

I have recently compiled T & Cs so that 75% is payable if no access to the back.  I haven't needed to put it to the test yet.  I am only introducing the T & Cs to new customers or to existing customers who start messing about.  The vast majority of my customers don't mess me about so might feel insulted at being given T & Cs when it's not necessary.
The T & Cs for me are more about filtering out potential customers who aren't really serious about having a regular service over the long term.  Someone who doesn't really want what I'm offering would probably read them and not start with me in the first place.  That's fine.  As for actually implementing them, that could be tricky if the customer wishes to go back on what they've previously agreed to.  A customer such as you describe would probably be an ex customer for me even though I would like to get more work.  You have cleaned half her house.  You couldn't clean it all due to customer error.  She has not only welched on the deal, but she even refuses to pay you for work you have done.  Although legally that is a civil matter, as far as I'm concerned it is theft.  I run an honest business.  I don't work for thieves.

[EasyClean]

I have never used T & C's although I have sometimes considered it but realised it would be hard to enforce payment through disputes. Instead I'll give my customers the benefit of doubt and after the third time of being inconvenienced I tell the customer/s I'm changing my prices to reflect the inconveniences like gates locked when they shouldn't be with no key issued, etc. If they don't accept my 'inconvenienced' additional price I drop them because they tend to be more hassle than their worth. Does anybody else do similar to me just out of interest?

[edd]

t&cs are a load of bullocks when you have been doing this job for 24 years
you might just realise this AND charge people for WHAT they have had 
[1] front clean half price after all you have only done half a job!!! umm
I or you would be cheesed off if someone who did half a job tried to charge
you the full price , she's probably thinking stuff you Ill just get someone else
I know we hear this kind of thing from new custy all the time

[2] I don't do custys with shut gates saves the stress
[3] Its easier to go on to the next probably they are in and you get paid!!

Easyclean got it right just drop the dross

[Paul Coleman]

t&cs are a load of bullocks when you have been doing this job for 24 years
you might just realise this AND charge people for WHAT they have had 
[1] front clean half price after all you have only done half a job!!! umm
I or you would be cheesed off if someone who did half a job tried to charge
you the full price , she's probably thinking stuff you Ill just get someone else
I know we hear this kind of thing from new custy all the time

[2] I don't do custys with shut gates saves the stress
[3] Its easier to go on to the next probably they are in and you get paid!!

Easyclean got it right just drop the dross

My preferred option is number 2.  Saves a load of hassle.

[pylofm]

Thanks for the replies....

Well as we all could expect many different replies....

Now...in future any customer complaints/issues will not be answered until the next working day...this gives me time not to go off half cocked and indignant....whether I am right or wrong.

Handled differently...yes.....previous history of customer should have been taken into account...was she a late payer = no, buggered me around before = no....

What I should have done is just agree to disagree about the gate being locked and just charged her the 10 and then cleaned as 'normal'on the next clean (8 weekly). So for the sake of 10...I have lost future amounts...

In the event that she proves herself less than honest or late with payments then I will raise her price, if she accepts ok, if not pity, good luck in the future.

Now as you can see, I am a little more straight 'thinking' now.

Am I still annoyed about being 'done' = yes but what is the benefit in winding myself up? = none....

Lesson to self.....stop, think....wait, think again...wait until tommorow, act 

Thanks for the replies....good to hear another view point.

[excelcrewe]

egg her windows at the back

[tacky]

well if i went 15 mile to do one house .for 13.50 .n she didnt pay full amount because gate was locked .she would have known what a VERBALL mouthfull was .cheeky bitch

[pylofm]

I had a full days work in that area....

[marcus hopkins]

Well, what more can i say 
If i cant access the rear of a house i charge half price. After all if someone half filled your tank of diesel and charged for a full one what would you say?
I do agree that recently i have weeded out the crap custys but i am fair and have not lost any customers in my 2 years of trading. That is an honest statement.
Logic not greed im afraid.

Marcus

[pylofm]

Whats greedy Marcus? arranging a specific day to clean and then arriving and the gate being locked..

Dave.

[Russell Macdonald]

I don't see where greed comes into it. It's arranged when he is going so the gate should be unlocked for access.

How will he pay the bill if he looses say 15% turn over each day?

Pylofm, i would still bill full ammount if its pre arranged & i cant get access.

Macc

[marcus hopkins]

appologies
If prior arrangements have been made then i agree with you.
Its just that there are cleaners in my area who charge full price when they just turn up ad lib and cant access the rear, that is where greed comes into it rather than looking after the customer. So dont take it personally i just dont like cleaners like that.

Marcus

[AuRavelling79]

Pylofm - you're setting up a more professional business from the outset than I have now after ten years! But ...

IMO - While t and c are good for larger customers and useful when they can be enforced or used for leverage for hundreds of £££'s, for £13.50 (or E13.50) they seem over the top to me.

However, you were right, she was wrong. And in this case, after the escalation of the situation that has occured and her refusing to pay I would definitely drop her by politely sending a firm letter stating she has broken T&C, not paid and owes you for the job. You have offered a "generous solution" which she has refused, leaving her in your debt and you will drop her.

Me? Gate locked as a rarity on a good custy (I don't phone before) I charge a little over half the job. E.g - I had a £9 house - semi - the other day, did front and one accessible side window and put a bill for £6 explaining that rear access was not possible.

[pylofm]

Thanks for all the replies and comments...

Lessons I have learnt....I could have dealt with this 'dispute' a whole lot more smarter than I did...at the end of the day were not talking about alot of money and I could have given the benefit of the doubt and just agreed to disagree and note it for future reference.

What I should have done is agreed to disagree just charge for the work I did and let it slide...the customer had always paid and never caused be any problems...cleaned for them 4 times previously. I chose to get all 'high and mighty' and lets face it were not talking about 300 quid here....they say you learn alot in the first couple of years...well I am and hope that others may learn from this very small incident that time to cool off regardless of the situation will in most cases help lift the spirits and will allow 'you' to think about it without the anger.

My mistake was taking it personally, this is just business, the lady did not insult me, yes she has declined to pay anything and yes this does 'annoy' me.  Had I chose to be a little more leniant with a customer who had been a model one upto that time...well I would not be writing this.

Now terms and condition are all well and good but being smart I should have used discretion and not a hot head.

I am not even thinking about this in a financial frame of mind as I am after 50 weeks in the game able to pay my dues without using savings and have this morning calculated that I have aprox 46% spare capacity in my round which means there is pleanty of scope to grow how I would like this business to....work smarter has so many meanings...so for any newbies like me....If there is anything to learn....cool off before any decisions or comments are made.

To Marcus....Sorry to get all defensive last night, was still licking my wounds...I was stupid to have jumped at your comments when they were clearly trying to help...

Cheers Dave.