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people that dont pay bills
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Lorrainelovesplants



Joined: 13 Oct 2006
Posts: 6521
Location: Dordogne
PostPosted: Thu Nov 08, 12 12:16 pm    Post subject: Reply with quote
    

I just think its really cheeky.

We always try and help local businesses, we dont charge vast amounts and because we know they rely on machinery we turn machinery around really quickly.

PPH Hire in wadebridge..shame on you. (also in Bude)

Rob R



Joined: 28 Oct 2004
Posts: 31902
Location: York
PostPosted: Thu Nov 08, 12 12:43 pm    Post subject: Reply with quote
    

Perhaps they're having the same problems you are, ie waiting for customers to pay them before they can pay you, rather than being purposefully cheeky.

12Bore



Joined: 15 Jun 2008
Posts: 9089
Location: Paddling in the Mersey
PostPosted: Thu Nov 08, 12 12:52 pm    Post subject: Reply with quote
    

Chez wrote:
I'd pop round with it. You might embarrass them in to giving you the cash.

This might work, but if it doesn't you'll have no proof or record of the letter being received should you need it later. Royal Mail Special Delivery will give you that proof with an on-line proof of delivery record.

gardening-girl



Joined: 25 Feb 2009
Posts: 6024
Location: Somerset.
PostPosted: Thu Nov 08, 12 12:55 pm    Post subject: Reply with quote
    

Go to the branch, and ask for your money,preferably when the sho-p has other customers.

mark



Joined: 14 Jul 2005
Posts: 2191
Location: Leeds
PostPosted: Thu Nov 08, 12 1:25 pm    Post subject: Re: people that dont pay bills Reply with quote
    

Lorrainelovesplants wrote:
We did some servicing/repair work for a local hire firm, and gave them an invoice on the day we returned their stuff. This was over a month ago - still not paid.

I sent them a reminder 6 days ago and despite a promise of cash the next day - still not paid.

Its for £81 - not a lot of money, but Im cross about it.

Ideas? Realistic ones (I dont really want to be jailed for threatening)


The most important thing is to learn for the future even if you get this sorted out.
Make sure you giver future customers a copy of your terms and conditions with your initially quotation/estimate. Include penalties for late payment.
You can still take action to rev=cover money with interest if you don't do this but it does make life a lot easier.
It also give you something easy to refer rather than disputing law ..

Lorrainelovesplants



Joined: 13 Oct 2006
Posts: 6521
Location: Dordogne
PostPosted: Thu Nov 08, 12 1:47 pm    Post subject: Reply with quote
    

We will not do work for this company again.

Giving a quotation is problematic.

Most people who bring in something for repair dont know what is wrong with it. neither do we until we take it apart. Depending on the problem and age we may or may not be able to track down spares, so unless it is going to be horrendous (in which case we phone them to advise on costs and await their decision to go ahead) we cant know what something is going to cost.

All our exising customers know this, and are happy with this. If they phone we explain this to them, and they are happy with this.

mark



Joined: 14 Jul 2005
Posts: 2191
Location: Leeds
PostPosted: Thu Nov 08, 12 2:17 pm    Post subject: Reply with quote
    

Lorrainelovesplants wrote:
We will not do work for this company again.

Giving a quotation is problematic.

Most people who bring in something for repair dont know what is wrong with it. neither do we until we take it apart. Depending on the problem and age we may or may not be able to track down spares, so unless it is going to be horrendous (in which case we phone them to advise on costs and await their decision to go ahead) we cant know what something is going to cost.

All our exising customers know this, and are happy with this. If they phone we explain this to them, and they are happy with this.


You can still give them terms and conditions even without a quote .. there is never any harm about being clear about expected payment dates etc. and even the procedure you outline above.
eg 14 days after work is completed.
You can also publish terms and conditions on a website and send them a link in an email or put it on your card etc etc.

chez



Joined: 13 Aug 2006
Posts: 35934
Location: The Hive of the Uberbee, Quantock Hills, Somerset
PostPosted: Thu Nov 08, 12 2:22 pm    Post subject: Reply with quote
    

Lorrainelovesplants wrote:
We will not do work for this company again.


Do you think they are genuinely trying to avoid paying, or are they just dateless and a bit crap? I agree, I wouldn't want to work for them again.

yummersetter



Joined: 26 Jan 2008
Posts: 3241
Location: Somerset
PostPosted: Thu Nov 08, 12 2:37 pm    Post subject: Reply with quote
    

Chez wrote:


It does vary from industry to industry, so widely. We invoice on 30 days, expect to get paid around 45 days and start getting slightly snitty at 60. And if they don't pay by 90 days we don't work for them again without payment up front.


Those are our terms but the reality is that our client's clients are multinational large magazines who pay on publication, whenever they deem that to be, sometimes six to twelve months on, and we get paid after they do. Often a winter fashion shoot will be done in January for the November edition which is edited in August . And any strop from anyone in the chain means the work goes elsewhere.

I would say that virtually all my incoming invoices are with terms as Chez's, and the usual expected time of payment is the end of the month following the invoice date, so it's possible that your customer uses the same timescale.

Lorrainelovesplants



Joined: 13 Oct 2006
Posts: 6521
Location: Dordogne
PostPosted: Thu Nov 08, 12 2:48 pm    Post subject: Reply with quote
    

No, he was told on collection of the machinery that its cash on completion. I think he's trying it on, not just dozy....I mean you dont promise to come up in 20 min and then dont........(he's said this twice now).

Putting the terms and conditions on the website is a good idea though - Ill do this.

Rob R



Joined: 28 Oct 2004
Posts: 31902
Location: York
PostPosted: Thu Nov 08, 12 2:51 pm    Post subject: Reply with quote
    

Lorrainelovesplants wrote:
No, he was told on collection of the machinery that its cash on completion.


Therein lies your problem - saying one thing yet allowing him to go away without paying.

chez



Joined: 13 Aug 2006
Posts: 35934
Location: The Hive of the Uberbee, Quantock Hills, Somerset
PostPosted: Thu Nov 08, 12 2:56 pm    Post subject: Reply with quote
    

Lorrainelovesplants wrote:
I think he's trying it on, not just dozy....I mean you dont promise to come up in 20 min and then dont........(he's said this twice now).


Definitely fobbing you off, then. I'd pop down to the shop with a folding chair and pretend you're Gardening Girl.

I loathe customers who lie about when they're going to pay - the only times it's happened to me, the companies have folded soon afterwards - in the second case taking us with it. A valuable lesson. I'd much rather they said 'we can't pay you this week, we're waiting for someone to pay us'. As Jean describes, our industry tends to be infinite chains of sub-contractors, too.

Lorrainelovesplants



Joined: 13 Oct 2006
Posts: 6521
Location: Dordogne
PostPosted: Thu Nov 08, 12 5:01 pm    Post subject: Reply with quote
    

Had an email from Shelley, his book-keeper, asking for bank details to do a BACS transfer as they dont have a cheque book and arent allowed to deal with cash because, and I quote, "its untraceable" and she "cant tie it up with her book-keeping".

Words fail me.

I have emailed back basically a copy of the letter I delivered round there this afternoon.


...........and we still have some of his equipment, and will be keeping same until full payment has been made.

Rob R



Joined: 28 Oct 2004
Posts: 31902
Location: York
PostPosted: Thu Nov 08, 12 5:09 pm    Post subject: Reply with quote
    

The debt aside, I can see where she's coming form on the cash front, it also costs more to bank. At least you have some security if they don't pay, though.

Nick



Joined: 02 Nov 2004
Posts: 34535
Location: Hereford
PostPosted: Thu Nov 08, 12 5:11 pm    Post subject: Reply with quote
    

How have they paid you in the past?

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