Sick of dealing with BS customers this time of year

[Classified]

What about reporting to the credit agency? I just thought of this now so i have not researched this but in each aggrement thats signed you can have a clause saying that we report to credit agency after say 60 days of no payment.

then when you approach the 60 day mark send one last letter saying that this will be on thier credit if they do not pay immediately.

[coolbreeze]

Originally Posted by Jpocket

I have another guy we laid mulch for in AUGUST...he says he doesn't understand my invoices thats why he hasn't paid yet. Here again this guy BEGGED me to do this job...i had no interest we were already working 6 days a week with a backlog. Now he wants to see the contract he signed back in AUGUST, I can't find it . So now im in a rock and a hard place with him.

too late for this situation, but get a scanner if you don't have one already. i scan all of my contracts, just in case i misplace them.

what's so hard to understand about your invoice? he agreed to the price (even though you can't find the contract). i imagine that everything is simply stated and easy to understand. did he call you to get an explanation or just didn't pay and said he didn't understand after you contacted him?

at any rate i would still try to get all of my money or no less that 75% if i settled.

GOOD LUCK!!!

[VMcNeill]

Originally Posted by rodfather

This is commonplace in our industry because we are considered "non-secure creditors" meaning we are not holding paper, title, etc., and won't have any difference or say to their credit report for the most part. It sucks, but that is life. Bad Debt expense is something on my year end P & L every year that I estimate for.

I was wondering about this what percentage would be a good estimate?

[indy2tall]

Originally Posted by MarcSmith

in once instance I did just the Lein paperwok and no SC court and once i delivered, byhand, the notice of lien, i recieved a check promptly... espcially wnhen i outlined the intrest rate (18%) and term (21 years) did they reconsider.

HOLY CRAP Marc !!! 18%?, that is awesome. Is that interest rate set by the state of Florida or is it in your contract? I would bet almost everybody moves once within 21 years!

I would almost rather some didn't pay if I knew I was going to get 18% a year on that debt.

[MarcSmith]

set by the state of florida... My late fees, as spelled out in the contract were $25 bucks or 18% APR, which ever is greater....I figured if the state of FLorida could dictate that high of a rate, why couldn't I...

I wish I had the paper work from TGLC they had a formula which graded bad debt. and assigned odd as to how much of it they would recover.

like
0-60 100% recovered
61-90 -80% recovered
90-120 60% recovered
120-180 50% recovered
180- 0% recovered

this way they could accuratly capture it on a monthly basis. recovering a debt in full from beyond 180 days was usuallymuch casue for celebration as that amount was written off the books totally and we got it back which meant for extra $$ in budgets for the purposes of Bonus tabulation...

Marc

[mojob]

I had a similar experience late in the season. Some guy that I did some sprinkler work for called me wanting me to do some work for his mother that just moved into town. The shrubs were totally overgrown, the beds needed to be weeded and remulched among other things. They wanted a price for everything that I mentioned plus weekly lawn maintenance. I worked up a price, they agreed to it, I completed the work and mowed for a couple of weeks. Then she tells me that she got an estimate for lawn maintenance from some mownblow jerks that was a few $ cheaper and told me if I didn't lower my price she'd go with the jerks. I gave her a pretty good deal on all the extra work with the idea that I'd make it up on weekly maintenance. She had the nerve to call me after she went with the other guys and ask if I'd cut down some dead aspen trees. Haha let Mr. Mownblow do it. Thing is they don't do that sort of stuff. They're too busy from lowballing mownblow jobs.

[topsites]

Same here, for many years I frustrated myself with the nonsense...

For big jobs, what I do is split it into manageable bits and bill for each little piece...
It doesn't matter what the amount, I decide what is the most I can swallow not being paid for (usually it's $100).

Now this is for resis, dunno what to tell you about commercials, but:

So then I go out the first week and do $100 worth of work, and leave a bill.
7 days later (and it helps a LOT if they send the check for the first $100), I go out and do the next $100 of work.
By now, I need a check or I ain't coming out no more... Sometimes I won't even show the second time until I get my first check, so really I like it when I always get paid for the last $100, and thanks.
And so on, I keep doing $100 / week worth of work, no matter how much they keep yelling and screaming about they want it done yesterday, I learned $100 / week does take 2-4 weeks and sometimes longer, but sooner or later it slows them down, I ain't found too many can afford $100 / week indefinitely.

I'm sure I lose one here and there, but those who are SO impatient that they can't deal with this, it's either I make sure I get paid, or someone else can take the chance and face the potential headaches. Even if it's a grand or more worth of work, this spreads it out over 2-3 months which also helps the customer's budget, in addition to buffering and spreading out your potential losses.

Obviously one may have to make certain adjustments, such as if part of the job involves $200 of mulch... In this case, again do $100 worth of something else first and maybe another $100 then once you get your checks on time, go ahead and take a chance on the $200.

Hope that helps, for everything else there is Old Debts collection agency.

[HOOLIE]

Originally Posted by topsites

Same here, for many years I frustrated myself with the nonsense...

For big jobs, what I do is split it into manageable bits and bill for each little piece...
It doesn't matter what the amount, I decide what is the most I can swallow not being paid for (usually it's $100).

Now this is for resis, dunno what to tell you about commercials, but:

So then I go out the first week and do $100 worth of work, and leave a bill.
7 days later (and it helps a LOT if they send the check for the first $100), I go out and do the next $100 of work.
By now, I need a check or I ain't coming out no more... Sometimes I won't even show the second time until I get my first check, so really I like it when I always get paid for the last $100, and thanks.
And so on, I keep doing $100 / week worth of work, no matter how much they keep yelling and screaming about they want it done yesterday, I learned $100 / week does take 2-4 weeks and sometimes longer, but sooner or later it slows them down, I ain't found too many can afford $100 / week indefinitely.

I'm sure I lose one here and there, but those who are SO impatient that they can't deal with this, it's either I make sure I get paid, or someone else can take the chance and face the potential headaches. Even if it's a grand or more worth of work, this spreads it out over 2-3 months which also helps the customer's budget, in addition to buffering and spreading out your potential losses.

Obviously one may have to make certain adjustments, such as if part of the job involves $200 of mulch... In this case, again do $100 worth of something else first and maybe another $100 then once you get your checks on time, go ahead and take a chance on the $200.

Hope that helps, for everything else there is Old Debts collection agency.

I'm sure this all somehow makes sense to you but why not just ask for...like...$500 UPFRONT and be done with all that silliness????

[1PRO]

Originally Posted by MarcSmith

John

if you live in one state and work in another you would want to file the Mechanics lein on the property in the state were the work was done.

IE if you live CT and the work was done in RI you wan to to file in RI... As thats were the tax records for the property is. You might even need to go one stepo further anf file in the same county just to be safe....

Would I spend 2 hours out of my day to chase one 30 invoice. no.....but if you make a "day out of it" and do several at a time when they pile up... it make more sense.

If you do a landscape install and don't get paid, you cannot, at least not without police or court assistance, reposess your materials, and not that it would be cost effective...

I can see a new sho on Discovery--Landscape Repo Men....

I talked to this one lco and he had did a mulch install for a lady, and when she ignored him about the bill he back his truck into the drive way got a pick fork and started tossing mulch back in his truck dude ....then he said the lady came out and said WHAT ARE YOU DOING he said i'm repoing your mulch cause you haven't returned my calls...so she went in and stroked him a check man.

[1PRO]

Originally Posted by Fordsuvparts

I know a great way to get back at those no pay customers, you simply write off the balance of what they owe you as a gift and then send the paperwork to the IRS. Instant audit!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!
We did this 2 years ago and boy were they pissed off.

Dam thats cold man but a real good one i bet they will never forget that