Jerked around & lied to RE: payment...

[Bassman]

Question: You give great service, are reliable and give a fair price for work performed to a customer. The ONLY thing you require is to be paid for work performed in a prompt manner. Problem: Customers who jerk you around and outright lie about payment. I have two customers who I have had to play phone tag with numerous times for work that was done in October and November. "The checks in the mail" bull several times and then nothing shows up. I just went by one of these residences tonight and demanded payment. They came up with a part of it in cash, said come back tomorrow for the balance as they don't do checks and thats all the cash they had. The other one said check was forthcoming several times over the last month. NADA, nothing has shown up yet. I get steamed and my blood pressure goes up when I'm lied to over and over again. Both these customers think I will continue to maintain their property. WRONG. I discontinued service after they were over 30 days late. Once I receive the outstanding balance due me, I will consider them history. I'll send a professional notice informing them that I can no longer maintain their property. Life's to short to put up with dead beats. If they were up front and honost and said they were having financial problems and could I work with them that would be one thing, but intentionally not paying and then one lie after another about payment will come on such and such a day, (many times), and never anything! SEE YA. What a pain. Would any one continue to do business with liars who stiff you on your payment to the point you have to physically go over to their residence on the weekend to demand payment, (because they are never home when you do their work, and give you a crock when you call at night)?
Thanks for letting me vent and input appreciated.
Bassman

[Edited by Bassman on 01-05-2001 at 07:46 PM]

[Eric ELM]

There are too many good ones out there to put up with the bad ones. You are doing the right thing in my opinion.

[George777]

Bassman, I'm new in this business but if I was you I would use some of your frustration to go out and replace them with customers that will respect your service.
I think you have a few options
1. you can continue to hunt them down and continue to get angry when you get to the house and they don't open the door
2. you can drop it and replace them
3. if worth the time and effort small claims court
I feel that time is a precious thing we all have and your time is important.You need to be bigger than the problem and do the right thing....

[UrbanEarth]

Sounds like you are doing the right thing.

If the $ are enough consider sending it to a collection agency because that can affect their credit rating even if you do not get any money out of it.

Keep up the standards!

Alan

[cantoo]

I think what I would do is everytime I happen to be driving by the property and there are strange cars in the driveway I would stop in, knock on the door and ask for payment infront of their friends. You might never get paid but it will sure piss them off. Make sure that you sound sincere infront of their friends or it could backfire.

[awm]

I saw a fellow who owed me 25 in his yd so
turned around to go back an try an collect.
He was not in sight so i proceded up his drive
walking,when out he comes with a 38 and shaking
like a leaf.I turned around and just walked back
to the truck.Man i could feel a bullet every
step.So be careful if hes dumb enough to be
a deadbeat,he might be crazy enough to shoot you
about a few bucks.TM

[1MajorTom]

We definitely feel that it is not worth our time to deal with non-payers.

Since I am in charge of all billing, it is my responsibilty to make sure all payments are received.


There have been times in the past where I have had to practically hunt people down to get paid. Once I collect the money, that's it. No more service from us. I just don't need the hassle.


You will find that there are enough good customers to go around. Let your competition deal with the late payers :)


Jodi

[Tomslawncare1]

Bassman, If I were you. Get paid by them, then tell them HASTA LA VISTA BABY.I WON"T BE BACK ! ! ! ! ! !

[BIG D]

When I used to mow lawns and someone tried to stiff me. I first went to their home and asked for the money and if they jerked me around, I told them you can either pay me or get all the grass back that I took. If they didn't pay, the next day they had a huge pile of grass on their driveway. When they called the next day it was a $75 pick up charge, plus what they owed me. It worked fairly well. That is the american way. If that doesn't work maybe try finding someone in the Italian mofia.
I haven't found a good one if someone stiffs me on a piece of equipment (I'm a dealer) any good ones?

[Paradise Yard Service]

I know a good Polynesian (retired wrestler) collection agency that hates late payers. Most of his work involves servicing the client in the sugar cane fields and he is the only one that walks out! Just joking, although that happens around here from time to time. Move on and the law of cause and effect will remedy the situation. I know that won't satisfy your banker when equipment loans are due, but there is always the new client that will pay double and will be stoked that someone out still has pride in there profession.
Aloha,
P.Y.S.

[SJR Lawncare]

I have the same problems with a few of my customers, I think we all have a couple of them. Like others have said, try to get your money & move on, let them find someone else to put up with their CRAP.
SJR

[southside]

2 words,debt collectors. The company I use here take 25% of
the debt as their fee and send me the rest.They are very
effective. So go on,spoil yourself,call your local hired goons today.:)

[TJLC]

Bassman, I've had 3 people do this to me. I've tried to collect and have failed. People like that probally are not paying their other bills either. I still find it hard to believe that people can actually do this and sleep at night. They are scumbags plain and simple. A sad fact of life. My problem is how can you tell at first if someone is going to stiff you? They may seem ok, but turn out to be a loser. Part of doing business, I guess. Maybe I'm just too trusting. It's seems that no mater how fair you are there will always be that one person that takes advantage of you. Enough said, I guess.

[Charles]

In the 10 years i have been doing this I have collected all debts. Thats part of the business. There is an art to it. The art of intimidation, perserverence and dilligence. Using the telephone and mail to collect debts is not as nearly effective as physically going to see them. Timing is everything. There payday is usually friday or the first of the month. So stop by on saturday between 10 and 12 in the morning. Or in the evening if they work on saturday. People are usually in a good mood on saturday and you are more likely to catch them at home at that time.
As for forgiving debts and moving on is a way to ruining your business. Our very profitable hospital and local newspaper are very agressive a collecting debt and it has worked nicely for them. The paper will stop your ad after one cycle of a missed payment and turn you over to collection if payment is not paid immediatly. The hospital will come after you forever.
Give the people the idea that you will never give up harrassing them and they will fork over the money.

[jay]

I had a customer who owes me a couple hundred dollars tell me they sent two checks and both were stolen. I asked who was cashing them because I would like to know. The client told me that the dective wouldn't tell her, so I said well have him call me and I've never heard for the cops. I talked to her the other day shes still continuing on with her stories but there not getting me paid. I gave this customer the "Best liar emmy award for the 2000".

[cantoo]

jay, tell her you want to see a copy of the check from the bank if it has been cashed. Bottom line if she "knows" the checks were stolen then she knows you haven't been paid, so where is YOUR money?