client owes me money

[grassdaddy]

how long do you wait to take action if aclient does not pay ?
i have a client who owes me 360.00 since oct . 18 2002 .
i have invoiced twice with no reply ! this client has always
paid promptly . now that the season is over i am concerned
about payment . does anyone else have this trouble at the end of the season ?what steps do you recomend ?:dizzy:

[LAWNS AND MOWER]

Send him one more invoice and include in it a statement like, "If payment is not received by so and so date, I'm left with no choice but to turn this over to a collection agency".

[MOOSE]

Do it the way LAWS & MOWER said...

But send it certified, that way u can know if someone recieved it.

[KLR]

he is still under 60 days overdue (for now anyway) since you say he has always been prompt, maybe you need to give him a call or better yet drop by when you know hes home. just say you were concerned for his health since he hasnt made payment for an invoice that is getting old (might he have a health problem that you dont know about, hospitalized??).

i always stay on top of collections, but even more so this time of year....i did the work this year and i want to be paid this year

[Stonehenge]

Do what the others have said here. But certainly, call first. All you need to say is "I'm calling to check the status of your payment."

Many times it's difficult to remember in these situations, but it's best to follow Daulton's advice (from the movie 'Roadhouse'): Be Nice. Until it's time to not be nice.

Once you cross over and make this an antagonistic relationship, you've written off: the customers good will, any future biz with that customer, any positive PR/word of mouth from that customer. And you can't un-ring that bell.

[devildog]

Why have'nt you picked up the phone? with regards... devildog

[LAWNGODFATHER]

Originally posted by Stonehenge
Many times it's difficult to remember in these situations, but it's best to follow Daulton's advice (from the movie 'Roadhouse'): Be Nice. Until it's time to not be nice.

Wehn collecting bills, you must always be nice, federal law.

When it's time to not be nice the vocabulary changes but still be nice.

When it's time to not me so nice, you will be looking accross a court room at them.

[Stonehenge]

LGF, I hope nobody misunderstood....the reference to Roadhouse was not to suggest that the time to 'not be nice' meant time to open a can of whoopass.

It simply meant that you need to preserve a good relationship until it's clear that it can't be preserved, or that preserving it does not benefit you.

Once you've reached that point you need to make it clear that you will pursue every avenue to collect funds.

[LakeSide Lawn and Landscape]

Heck if they dont pay you can take a lein out on there house:D

[grassdaddy]

thank you for all the comments and advice . this is the part i leave
to the wife . perhaps we will open a can together ! it is hard to believe that you do a service for someone and they are too sorry to pay or they put you last on the bill list ! i do have round -up ,and i am not afraid to use it ! :angry: :cry: :cool:

[LAWNGODFATHER]

Originally posted by Stonehenge
LGF, I hope nobody misunderstood....

Well you know how so many misread things on here.:D

[Nebraska]

Having customers that pay late is part of business. How you handle them is part of your business success or otherwise.

[Lanelle]

Re: Round-up. Just say NO. It is not professional--could even cause some good customers to fire you or get you into legal trouble. Also, Round-up isn't very effective in the winter anyway. Take the level headed advice offered and remember that $360.00 isn't the end of the world. A sense of calm pleasantness is a better tack to take with this client at the moment. Take a deep breath and smile while you talk to the customer on the phone. Good Luck with it.

[bubble boy]

Originally posted by grassdaddy
how long do you wait to take action if aclient does not pay ?


depends on your terms of payment. i'll asume he is over, so you can take action now.

[boohoo]

Ever heard of night-seeding...... Spread a boatload of tall fescue seed on his property and wait til spring when some of it germinates. (assuming he doesnt already have a Tall fescue lawn of course). O and in the nicest possible way..we are professionals.

[LAWNGODFATHER]

Crabgrass or Nutsedge seed works even better.

Some wild flower seeds too.

Just a thought.

[devildog]

Originally posted by Lanelle
Re: Round-up. Just say NO. It is not professional--could even cause some good customers to fire you or get you into legal trouble. Also, Round-up isn't very effective in the winter anyway. Take the level headed advice offered and remember that $360.00 isn't the end of the world. A sense of calm pleasantness is a better tack to take with this client at the moment. Take a deep breath and smile while you talk to the customer on the phone. Good Luck with it.

Pick-up the phone.......! EVERYBODY has cash-flow issues from time to time. People find it easier to ignore the problem, THAN PICK-UP THE PHONE. With Regards... devildog

[turfproinc]

Two words: rock salt.

[grassdaddy]

Thank you guys for all the great advice ! we learned alot
and enjoyed the fun comments about round-up , rock salt ect .
Good news ! they sent the check today !Now maybe we can save the round -up for the weeds instead of the deadbeats ! :angel: