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I really hate collections.......REALLY!!

Green Pro Clean Ltd

Well-known member
Messages
8,103
Location
Nottingham & Derbyshire
Since the beginning of time the window cleaners lot has been to clean the windows and then if customer is not home to have to call back another time to collect their earnings.

Really is the part of the game I hate the most, I like my evenings, chilling, drinking a beer and watching the telly, I hate come 6pm or so thinking 'oh, I must go collect from Mrs Jones'

These days I accept cash on the day, Paypal or GoCardless but when signing a new customer most seem a little weary of paying by GoCardless obviously a natural hman distrust of persons you have only just met, especially when asking you to put their bank details into a computer on your behalf.

For some time now my minimum price for any regular job has been £10 that's just the way it goes, I have been planning a price rise for spring of next year with a new minimum price of £12, I know my round can take it and the customers wont object to the rise as I have already weeded out the sort of moaners that would.

So what I am thinking is using the new price rise come spring to eliminate collections altogether.

'Ah yes Mrs Thompson, the price is going up next month to £12 to help cover running costs, however if you pay by GoCardless the price will still be just £10 per month, in effect giving you two free cleans each year'

Same for new customer, price is £12 sir, if you pay GoCardless I can do that for £10 per year for you.

Of course not all are £10 / £12 jobs, but the general idea of a £2 per month should work well enough as it is basically a get a free clean on all jobs up to £24 in value each year. Anything above that and they will most likely be paying BACS or GoCardless already.

Just my thoughts on how I will attempt to eliminate the pain in the butt collections.

 
Good on you green. I gave up collecting 6 years ago. Anything around a tenner, I just put, see you next time, sends cheque or pay online. I hated collecting especially in winter, so pleased I knocked it on the head

 
I never collected from the start. I couldnt imagine driving about in the evening knocking on doors for my money, fk that. In this day and age why would anyone. I don't even drive to quote, its all done online and it very rarely catches me out.

 
Google streetview mate. I can't see the back so I just assume there will be french doors, and I ask about connies/externsions and the like. Easy. I stress that the price is just a rough one, and the extra I charge for a first clean more than covers me if I am wrong, but I rarely get it wrong as I know what questions to ask.

 
best thing ever about this job giving up collecting...its pay up online leave it out or...

get some one else...

now in a position to drop the non payers..

I did used to like collecting as I didnt mind chatting to em in the evening and used to razz around in my little soft top...

but these days its the sooner I can get back to my chair the better.../emoticons/biggrin.png

 
I hate collecting. I go out once a month for a few hours at the most. Only have 7 that have not paid and need visits tonight..

 
I only have a handfull of custys (pensioners) who i collect from as they don't understand even how to pay online lol..i just pop round when i get the chance

 
Ive minimized collecting since the start of this year because of threads like this where i have read some window cleaners never collect, amazing i thought at the time.

Some people still owe me like 5% on average which is fine as they double or tripple up, i collect after or before work on nearby work only if they have forgotton to leave and text that they left it now.

I used to collect loads on the night time, every week without fail, now i text instead, of course u get the back lash of people potentially cancelling but i take that in my stride now and just keep saying yes to new custies and expect a couple cancellations every week

 
my first year i thought i could do the collecting "cash only round" thang -i wouldnt even accept a cheque! how wrong was i ! these days i never collect after hours and if someone new wont go along with it ,well theyre off the round

 
As you know for a long time I have not sought out commercial work just domestic due to the issues of getting paid by commercial jobs, seems to have similarities in residential also as some residential customers seem to think they can have 30 days!

However the commercial side is growing having been awarded two recent mega contracts, another just awarded today (under me hat till mid September) but puts me in a position where collections really do have to go.

As most of my clients are sound I don't see why a quiet word with them shouldn't sort it all out.

Don't really want to loose any that I have right now as I have sorted the chaff as it were but if insisting on no more collections means one or two have to go well so be it.

 
I've never done evening collections ever. Double up next time or treble the following one or send a cheque. There's a windy near me who spends 4 hours every Friday collecting. That's 200 hours a year or a month that he spends collecting his wages. And loads of petrol!!

 
i have about 5% of my custies that insist on cash only, for those i simply collect when passing or double them up next time.

theres only 2 that i will collect on an evening and their on my street and on the way to the corner shop so ideal when nipping off for some beer or mars bars lol

i probably would reluctantly take on cash only custies at this stage as i want the work, if i was anyway near full i would bin them off and get some more custies

surely at the rate your picking up new work green you can just get rid of them?

 
i have about 5% of my custies that insist on cash only, for those i simply collect when passing or double them up next time.
theres only 2 that i will collect on an evening and their on my street and on the way to the corner shop so ideal when nipping off for some beer or mars bars lol

i probably would reluctantly take on cash only custies at this stage as i want the work, if i was anyway near full i would bin them off and get some more custies

surely at the rate your picking up new work green you can just get rid of them?
I am to f....d when i get home i cant be arsed to go collecting on a night

 
My bro in law has a very big round and he has to collect on all of it as he doesn't do online. He's probably collecting 4-5 evenings a week

 
@Markyboy 50 do you just do Swaffham or further out?

Just swaffham wouldn't be that bad to collect (although i only have 2 customers i collect from everyone else is bank transfer or paypal)

Once you start working a bigger area like in to Nacton and Marham you're talking serious mileage to go collecting

 
My bro in law has a very big round and he has to collect on all of it as he doesn't do online. He's probably collecting 4-5 evenings a week
Sod that. Had 2 customers out of my whole round (6weekly packed round) that insisted I collected. Dropped them and life is much easier now. Home by half 4 and its free time

 
Paypal annoys me as a 12 quid job will make you £11.60 ish but i would still rather lose a bit than collect

Only a few are on paypal..the ones who don't want to do bank transfer

 
Sod that. Had 2 customers out of my whole round (6weekly packed round) that insisted I collected. Dropped them and life is much easier now. Home by half 4 and its free time
Same, I do zero collecting now

 
Paypal annoys me as a 12 quid job will make you £11.60 ish but i would still rather lose a bit than collectOnly a few are on paypal..the ones who don't want to do bank transfer
Paypal for on-line payments is 3.4% of the transaction, if you process the card over the phone it is 3.4% plus 20 pence if you take it using a card reader at the door the charge is 2.75%

You cant really begrudge them taking a slice for getting the money for you from your customers wallet to your bank account. To be honest davey 40p versus having to go out again of an evening or weekend and spend my diesel and time to get £10 or £20 I will happily pay someone 40p to do it.

Only collections I do now are for P.I. Stakers! Then at their door I explain why I do not do collections and ask will it be bank transfer or GoCardless and get them set accordingly. If they still fail to comprehend and I need to collect next month I then tell them that repeat myself with the added point that I wont clean again without on line payments set up.

Last couple of weeks it has been working well for me.

 

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