What would you do?

[DFW Area Landscaper]

I already know what I am going to do, but I am curious to see of other LawnSite'ers would do the same thing.

This lady does in-home day care and we hired her to watch our kids. She then hired me to mow the lawn. I took her on as a client three years ago. She has never paid on time, but she has always paid. Her phone is always getting disconnected and I have noticed the city leaving notes on her door for past due water bills.

Last week, when I picked up my 2 yr old boy, she was complaining about how hard it was to get a bankruptcy these days. Like, she had been through it before and the new laws were causing her more grief this time around.

The wife & I have been planning on pulling the boy out of her day care on this third birthday, which is a month away, but it would not bother us to pull him out early.

When we started with her, we agreed to give her two weeks notice. Two weeks worth of her day care service is $250. Currently the lawn bill is $191.60.

So what would you do?

Later,
DFW Area Landscaper

 

[1MajorTom]

Drop her as a client as soon as your son finishes daycare. Do the math and figure it out so that the amount you owe for daycare will be more than the lawnservice. Don't let her get ahead, meaning don't pay off the daycare bill while she still owes you for lawnservice.

 

[lawnguyland]

I would yoink the kid out of there today:blob3: :blob3:
and send her 59$ so she can pay her water bill!

 

[Jpocket]

I would hold out until she pays, or give her a partial payment of say like $60.00, You probably won't here from her again

 

[MDLawnman]

Get your son out of there now. Screw the money - it's your son! What the heck else is going on in there??? If she isn't taking care of her home, she may not be taking proper care of your child.

 

[topsites]

Simple problem, simple answer.

Cut off all services, mutual and otherwise.
2 week notice? Whatever, all bets are off when someone doesn't play nice, I switch to hardball and no more nice underhand softball pitch.

Far as the check?

You know what I do when I owe someone money after I've gotten a bit of a raw deal in return? I DO pay, but have no problem letting it sit 30-60 days. Your 59 bucks ain't gonna do much anyhow but I do know one thing: When I went through bankruptcy in 1998, I was TOLD (repeatedly) the laws are changing and this is NOT something you want to do again because companies and banks and corporations got tired of it (well it used to be kinda easy) so they made it hard and I was TOLD so I am sure she was TOLD this is not something you want to do but ONCE in your lifetime because it is a BAD thing. Guess she didn't listen, hey you know I been there and paid the price, tough lottery ticket for those who don't listen I don't got no more compassion left for sorry s.o.b.'s because I been there and nobody felt sorry for me so then I eventually made a better me out of myself so THEY can get off their sorry pitypot bums and do it, too ! I am SURE it's not like nobody ever told her, this one dug her own grave.

 

[tiedeman]

whats more important, the safety and well being of your kid, or getting paid?

 

[lawn_pro]

Drop her.....switch to another day-care....not to point out the obvious.

 

[Brianslawn]

yeah i heard about the new laws. lot of people around here were scrambling to file before they changed.

 

[stumper1620]

I would yoink the kid out of there today:blob3: :blob3:
and send her 59$ so she can pay her water bill!

I agree,
call it even and throw her a bone with the 59 bucks so she can pay something be it water or food for the other kids.
or you could end it and call it close enough to 2 weeks.