Sick of dealing with BS customers this time of year

[1PRO]

I have a commercial account and i'm thinking of a number can you guess what it is ? Its your credit score going to SHI* LOL man all of us have to form some sort of repayment for work preformed 1 account is in Henrico County so to file a property lien what do they want past due balances proof of a enforceable agreement with intrest and all i need in 30-40 beans.Maybe they need to admend a new code called Landscape Lien.
ne input.
THX

[1PRO]

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.

Have you ever used the olddebts.com be fore and is it worth the fees they charge.

[Envy Lawn Service]

Originally Posted by Envy Lawn Service

I have one right now that owes me $4,060, another that owes me $1,450, and another that still lacks $550 of being paid up work performed through 10/1 much less 11/1.

All the above fall under the same situtation. Extra services performed and billed. The last one is a major account for me, but the farthest behind. I don't care if the base contract I have with them makes up a significant part of my income. I will suspend service for non-payment of the additional charges. Very likely one day next week if I do not recieve a check for a significant sum of money pretty shortly.

As much as anything, I am sick to death of their "corporate commercial accounting methodology" and the arrogance of the manner in which they do pay out when they finally send something. It's like they try to take as long to 'process' things as possible so they can hold on to the money as long as possible... and when they do cut a check, it's like they pay what they want when they want with no regard at all for what I've billed, how I've invoiced or anything else.

Sorry... I'm a lawn service, not a loan service.
If you want a loan or you are having financial issues of this sort, call a bank, don't call me.

Well, I suspended services on that account... contract and all. I got a message from the account manager saying that the accountant said two checks for over $1,300 were issued in October for payment..............

#1 - Not even anywhere near in relation to 'how/what' I billed them.
#2 - The statement simply is not TRUE, or I sure as heck haven't recieved them.

The truth is, the $1,300+ amount given was exactly the amount for the last 2 payments recieved... which both of them together totalled a bit more than $1,300. A check I recieved in September and a check I recieved in October.
(Sept Check + Oct Check = $1,300+)

Sorry... I'm no idiot, and I won't be running back due to a BS story. Not playing that game either. Going back, adding the last two checks together, then saying that was paid to me twice last month... not going to help you.

They are still past due for $550 on the extras for September, all extras in October, and one final extra in November.




Suspended a residential contract this week too.

[topsites]

Originally Posted by 1PRO

Have you ever used the olddebts.com be fore and is it worth the fees they charge.

It's all I use, thou it's also a last resort, meaning I figure they're not paying anyway.

What's it worth, that is a tough question I had to ask myself many times...

Taking them to court is a lot of hours involved AND I have to pay the cost of court upfront (another $40, cash works best), and the worst part is, it's civil court (translation: They STILL don't have to pay!)... Now, I can garnish wages / enact liens / etc,etc... but each piece of paper I file costs another fee AND another trip to the courthouse (at least another hour), so all in all we're talking investing 3-4 or 6-8 hours of time at $60 pmh, I'm better off working!

But I can't let it go... The LAST thing I want is some of these deadbeats bragging about it, so I have to do something to ensure word doesn't spread like that. And, a minimum of expense ($ + time), and it has to stay legal.

The only thing I have found is olddebts puts it on their credit record for +$3 regardless of consumer package (thou not for commercials), so pick the cheapest for all I care, I really don't think it matters at this point...
Should they pay in full (amount + late fee), I can at this point clear it off the record.
Should they pay the amount but no late fee, I would mark it satisfied but leave it on as a collection issue.
Should they never pay, it gets to a point in time where I can 'sell' the package to their parent agency for a 30% contingency fee (if they collect, they get 30% of the money collected) and this agency takes over and keeps on it... Interestingly enough, the deadbeat's credit record is out of my control, I can no longer touch it in any way.

I am still waiting on two deadbeats from spring to pay up, but what can you do?
All I can say is maybe 2-3 or 4-6 years down the road they go apply for a loan somewhere and are denied. They can then order a free copy of their credit record and oh geee whaddaya know, remember that lawn guy we stiffed? Yup.
Maybe I get a phonecall from one of them one day asking about if they pay now will I take it off the credit record.
That would satisfy me.

So the reason I like it is because I can rest fairly assured that it can and will come back on them, some kinda way, some time down the road. Just like it bugs the crap out of me now, it will hopefully bug the crap out of them later.
That to me is worth it, it's actually not enough but it takes the edge off so I can live with it.