Am I being reasonable on late payments?

[K in Kent]

Can’t see people paying £3 fine and keeping you on tbf. If like you say you’re in the early stages of your business and every penny counts I think you might find you’ll be losing customers faster than you get them. Yes, you can suspend cleaning if they haven’t paid but fining them would be a no no in my book.

I agree and it's totally unenforceable anyway, unless clearly stated in a written agreement / contract they have signed..

I don't know if you ever visit the other forum - it's like Jackanory meets La La Land at times with a fave philosophy r.e. bad payers of "drop 'em and replace with 2 new better customers". What nonsense. As I felt obliged to point out once to a regular user of this phrase, by definition he should have a round twice as big and more than twice as profitable on that basis.

The real world doesn't work like that.

Don't let people take liberties but show a bit of tolerance while you build a round and could be legitimate reasons why they haven't paid you or just forgot.

And no point making demands you can't enforce cos you'll just look a plonker and lose their custom.

 

[steve garwood]

After a few years experience you get a nose for who is a messer and who is ok.

I have several customers who I haven’t seen for years as they work long hours in the city.

They sometimes get 3-4 payments behind, but then bax it over with a couple of credit payments, showing trust both ways.

As I said though, these are long standing customers of over 20 years. If I started saying ‘pay up after two cleans or I’ll charge you £3’, I won’t be ‘steve’ no more, just ‘the window cleaner’ that could easily be replaced. 

In over all these years, I’ve had only two people knock me for money, so this system works ok for me ?

 

[Green Pro Clean Ltd]

What's this cash you talk of? 

But seriously.... If you bill £3 penalties they won't have you back.  

Just stand there with th GoCardless page open on your phone and put their info in right there and then for them.  Then it's done. No sodding about and everyone's happy. 

 

[J and S]

Bit like Elliot here....I have customers who go 4 or 5 times but all eventually pay, they don't do online banking.

Never sacked off a customer for late payments and never had a problem getting money owed.

Still do a bit of collecting but 80% of my work is virtually on my doorstep and I like cash.

Having said that only ever have 2 or 3 at any one time who owe more than double.

 

[mike007]

2 cleans unpaid gets put on hold with me and I won't clean again until its paid up

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Same here, 2 clean rule, except I just walk away after...can,t be ar**d about the hassle,lifes too short....let them have dirty windows.

 

[J and S]

Or maybe a new window cleaner who then starts to eat into your round once he has his foot in.

 

[mike007]

Or maybe a new window cleaner who then starts to eat into your round once he has his foot in.

Same can be said if undercuts you pricewise,,,then what...price war...end up working for nothing?

Two way street....do not need or ar**d about poor payers.......my onus on doing good/reasonable job for which I am rewarded by payment........I look after customers who pay on time.....I must be a mercenary!!!!

 

[Neilmnwc]

I’ve had a couple of customers recently that had been late/non payers.
One couple who are either always out or working prefer to pay cash...(they didn’t want any more direct debits).
Long and short of this one is they’re finally on GC, albeit reluctantly, but they could see my point and the difficulty collecting.
The second have always preferred to pay by BAC, not by any regular method just seemingly as and when they remembered which was often never. I lose count of the amount of reminders I sent through the door or by email. They refused any other payment system including GC. I’ve decided to drop them. I hung on as they weren’t bad people just awful payers. As others have said though it’s not voluntary work and the incentive to go and clean the windows wanes when you know you’ve got a battle each time.
As for collecting, I don’t do it unless there’s a problem. I think I offer enough ways to pay to negate having to collect.
Each to their own though.



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