Small Claims Court - how to.

[Pjj]

It’s also worth considering a debt collection agency I personally find this route a lot easier , and has far better results ,for example you might win the court case and the person may get to pay by instalments , they might make one payment if you are lucky then stop , you then have to go back to court it’s a right old pain and simply not worth it unless it’s a considerable amount of money , I currently am owed £725 by a company near Peterborough, if I take them to court as we are both buisness the court will be half way between Cornwall and  Peterborough, it would cost me a days loss of earnings + travel expenses etc you can never claim all your expenses back either , so it’s not worth pursuing from my point of view , however the debt collection service I use will recover all the funds owed in one hit and charge me 20% it galls me that I have to pay that but Ime better off doing it this way rather than court action , all the letters you have to do before court action take time and effort I would rather put into earning more money not chasing debt , most will also work on a no win no fee basis so you have nothing to loose , they will also take court proceedings on my behalf if that becomes nessasary but so far they have had a 100% success rate in recovering what is owed , I personally think taking someone to court for £22:50 is a waist of time by the time you have written the before action letters , filed the claim attended court etc you could have easily earnt £250 minimum, I do however totaly agree with you they shouldn’t be allowed to rip people off , I know it’s hard and totaly alien to a hard working guy but sometimes it’s just better to walk away and write it off against tax , I hope you get your money keep us posted on how it all goes 

 

[scottish cleaning service]

I'm lucky, because all my customers are not far away and I am getting them through an old lady in the church. Did a nice first clean today and the woman told me a former cleaner tried to come back. She went out and spoke to him and he gave here total verbal abuse. Looks like I may pick up the whole street with the way he is behaving but he has issues. Doesn't cost a cent to smile and carry on but can cost a great deal behaving like that especially in today's fast moving social media. world.

 

[Cheshire kev]

It’s also worth considering a debt collection agency I personally find this route a lot easier , and has far better results ,for example you might win the court case and the person may get to pay by instalments , they might make one payment if you are lucky then stop , you then have to go back to court it’s a right old pain and simply not worth it unless it’s a considerable amount of money , I currently am owed £725 by a company near Peterborough, if I take them to court as we are both buisness the court will be half way between Cornwall and  Peterborough, it would cost me a days loss of earnings + travel expenses etc you can never claim all your expenses back either , so it’s not worth pursuing from my point of view , however the debt collection service I use will recover all the funds owed in one hit and charge me 20% it galls me that I have to pay that but Ime better off doing it this way rather than court action , all the letters you have to do before court action take time and effort I would rather put into earning more money not chasing debt , most will also work on a no win no fee basis so you have nothing to loose , they will also take court proceedings on my behalf if that becomes nessasary but so far they have had a 100% success rate in recovering what is owed , I personally think taking someone to court for £22:50 is a waist of time by the time you have written the before action letters , filed the claim attended court etc you could have easily earnt £250 minimum, I do however totaly agree with you they shouldn’t be allowed to rip people off , I know it’s hard and totaly alien to a hard working guy but sometimes it’s just better to walk away and write it off against tax , I hope you get your money keep us posted on how it all goes 

Thanks I will, interesting point you have made and your probably right tbh. If this doesn't work which it's looking likely as I've heard nothing from her and Monday is D day. It just winds the hell out of me how many rotten people there are who think nothing of ripping us off but I'm sure would be the first to complain if we didn't turn up to do the agreed job. 

 

[RWCleaning]

Just to add to this for anyone who's unfortunate enough to only have a first name for a non payer; I've used this electoral roll search twice and it's worked to get a surname.  

https://t2a.io/products/people/search-the-electoral-roll

Wow brilliant, I’ve been causality trying to find out the surname of a one off clean I did last November!!

found it! Thank you.

* causally haha

 

[ks789]

long ago, and im not proud, but I did go back and cover the windows in mud. Only the one customer out of 100s and it was over 15 years ago when was younger and foolish. if today, would just walk away ( I think) though I find after reminder texts theres no problem.

 

[RWCleaning]

Actually guys I’d just like your opinion guys, so as I mentioned I did a clean back in November. It’s the next door neighbor to a regular customer, hence why I maybe need to think again before taking action. 

Ages ago as I was reeling up she pulled up at home briefly, she was in some kind of care/nurse outfit (not like that guys) and asked how much I charge, I said this one is £15 every 8 weeks, she said ok

that sounds reasonable, I replied yep but for either a first clean or one off clean for you, it will have to be £25, she understood & agreed. (her windows were really dirty looking back £30 at least but doesn’t matter now)

I said when were you looking to have them done by, she said just do them when you’re next here. So the day before it was due I texted her to leave side gate unlocked. Here’s the bit that sticks in my mind : I don’t have any cash in the house at the moment, I can either get some later or can I bank transfer?” I said bank transfer is fine I’ll pop a ticket through.

Did the clean. Popped ticket through. Then came a long 4-6 week period of excuses of why she can’t pay. 

When I first saw her she pulled up in a 03 or 04 plate focus, but looked old & batterd, I could see evidence of young children while cleaning the windows.

All of her excuses were reasons why she can’t afford it. I started to think I’ll leave it, I can’t demand money which is only small to me from a struggling mum just before Xmas (call me too soft if you like)

Then my next door regular customer asked me out of the blue on the next clean ‘did she pay you ok?’ I knew they didn’t really know each other or ever talk, so told her everything. 

My regular customer said that her neighbors smoke weed a lot, and her & her boyfriend work full time. So now I had a different slightly bitter feeling towards the neighbors. I rang her just after new year, she answered, I offered her a payment of £12.50 next week, £12.50 the week after. She thanked me, apologised and said she’ll do it. 2 weeks later she hadn’t paid anything. Sent her another text she didn’t reply. 

I have no no idea what kind of guy the boy boyfriend is. And it’s such a shame it’s right next door to a regular good customer. 

Thankfully it’s not about the money, if it was a gutter clear & clean as well totalling £150 or something then I would of genuinely needed that money. But it’s been 4 months now, what would you guys do? All things considering. I change my mind a lot. 

 

[Part Timer]

I just send them a text and say unless I'm paid within 7 days I will have to escalate it to debt collection. The 3 I've had, 2 paid straight away and the other paid when I handed her a letter 8 days later threatening Small Claims Court 

 

[Pjj]

Actually guys I’d just like your opinion guys, so as I mentioned I did a clean back in November. It’s the next door neighbor to a regular customer, hence why I maybe need to think again before taking action. 

Ages ago as I was reeling up she pulled up at home briefly, she was in some kind of care/nurse outfit (not like that guys) and asked how much I charge, I said this one is £15 every 8 weeks, she said ok

that sounds reasonable, I replied yep but for either a first clean or one off clean for you, it will have to be £25, she understood & agreed. (her windows were really dirty looking back £30 at least but doesn’t matter now)

I said when were you looking to have them done by, she said just do them when you’re next here. So the day before it was due I texted her to leave side gate unlocked. Here’s the bit that sticks in my mind : I don’t have any cash in the house at the moment, I can either get some later or can I bank transfer?” I said bank transfer is fine I’ll pop a ticket through.

Did the clean. Popped ticket through. Then came a long 4-6 week period of excuses of why she can’t pay. 

When I first saw her she pulled up in a 03 or 04 plate focus, but looked old & batterd, I could see evidence of young children while cleaning the windows.

All of her excuses were reasons why she can’t afford it. I started to think I’ll leave it, I can’t demand money which is only small to me from a struggling mum just before Xmas (call me too soft if you like)

Then my next door regular customer asked me out of the blue on the next clean ‘did she pay you ok?’ I knew they didn’t really know each other or ever talk, so told her everything. 

My regular customer said that her neighbors smoke weed a lot, and her & her boyfriend work full time. So now I had a different slightly bitter feeling towards the neighbors. I rang her just after new year, she answered, I offered her a payment of £12.50 next week, £12.50 the week after. She thanked me, apologised and said she’ll do it. 2 weeks later she hadn’t paid anything. Sent her another text she didn’t reply. 

I have no no idea what kind of guy the boy boyfriend is. And it’s such a shame it’s right next door to a regular good customer. 

Thankfully it’s not about the money, if it was a gutter clear & clean as well totalling £150 or something then I would of genuinely needed that money. But it’s been 4 months now, what would you guys do? All things considering. I change my mind a lot. 

I hate to say it but it’s not really worth the hassle and cost in time and effort to get that amount of money , just right it off : not that you should but sometimes you have to cut your losses

 

[P4dstar]

I personally think taking someone to court for £22:50 is a waist of time by the time you have written the before action letters , filed the claim attended court etc you could have easily earnt £250 minimum, I do however totaly agree with you they shouldn’t be allowed to rip people off , I know it’s hard and totaly alien to a hard working guy but sometimes it’s just better to walk away and write it off against tax , I hope you get your money keep us posted on how it all goes 

It pains me to admit it but I agree. There are no circumstances where it is acceptable for someone to book services and then not pay for them. I think when lads don't send reminders the night before they're asking for trouble (With the exception of long standing guys who have been going for years).

There are debt collectors who would take on the debt on your behalf, some charge a fee and in some cases the debtor can be charged. The thing is they would know the law inside out. They would send letters and make phone calls and you just sit back and relax. Let's be 100% honest, the bulk of the time it is just a principal thing. We don't ''need'' the £20 we just feel hard done to and ripped off. If you break down what its actually cost you it's around 50p and your time. While i'm not saying this is ideal i'm just trying to add perspective to maybe make it easier to walk away sometimes.

For me there are 2 dilemmas.

Firstly there is nothing stopping the customer going online and publicly ruining your business on social media etc. They could get friends and family etc to do the same and before you know if any reputation you've built up is gone.

Second problem is if you let one person get away with it they may tell friends and family and that can spread. Before you know it you will be writing off an entire area incase you end up working for free.

 

[P4dstar]

Actually guys I’d just like your opinion guys, so as I mentioned I did a clean back in November. It’s the next door neighbor to a regular customer, hence why I maybe need to think again before taking action. 

Ages ago as I was reeling up she pulled up at home briefly, she was in some kind of care/nurse outfit (not like that guys) and asked how much I charge, I said this one is £15 every 8 weeks, she said ok

that sounds reasonable, I replied yep but for either a first clean or one off clean for you, it will have to be £25, she understood & agreed. (her windows were really dirty looking back £30 at least but doesn’t matter now)

I said when were you looking to have them done by, she said just do them when you’re next here. So the day before it was due I texted her to leave side gate unlocked. Here’s the bit that sticks in my mind : I don’t have any cash in the house at the moment, I can either get some later or can I bank transfer?” I said bank transfer is fine I’ll pop a ticket through.

Did the clean. Popped ticket through. Then came a long 4-6 week period of excuses of why she can’t pay. 

When I first saw her she pulled up in a 03 or 04 plate focus, but looked old & batterd, I could see evidence of young children while cleaning the windows.

All of her excuses were reasons why she can’t afford it. I started to think I’ll leave it, I can’t demand money which is only small to me from a struggling mum just before Xmas (call me too soft if you like)

Then my next door regular customer asked me out of the blue on the next clean ‘did she pay you ok?’ I knew they didn’t really know each other or ever talk, so told her everything. 

My regular customer said that her neighbors smoke weed a lot, and her & her boyfriend work full time. So now I had a different slightly bitter feeling towards the neighbors. I rang her just after new year, she answered, I offered her a payment of £12.50 next week, £12.50 the week after. She thanked me, apologised and said she’ll do it. 2 weeks later she hadn’t paid anything. Sent her another text she didn’t reply. 

I have no no idea what kind of guy the boy boyfriend is. And it’s such a shame it’s right next door to a regular good customer. 

Thankfully it’s not about the money, if it was a gutter clear & clean as well totalling £150 or something then I would of genuinely needed that money. But it’s been 4 months now, what would you guys do? All things considering. I change my mind a lot. 

It depends how you've built your business. If you have a strong online presence this is the kind of scumbag who will ruin your business. In which case just suck it up and move on.

If not and you've a good strong community reputation then pass it to debt collectors and potentially take her to court. Sod what her boyfriend is like scumbags like this need to learn the rest of us ain't gonna pay everything for them so they can sit around and smoke weed ?

 

[Iron Giant]

Which is why I only offer GoCardless if they are going to be a non-payer or a messer then they won't sign up, so I don't have to go through the palaver of chasing money. 

 

[P4dstar]

Which is why I only offer GoCardless if they are going to be a non-payer or a messer then they won't sign up, so I don't have to go through the palaver of chasing money. 

I've increased my standing on GC this year. I've just started saying ''we usually collect via Direct debit'' and nothing else. If they ask if they can pay Cash on the day I tell them yes, bank transfer and card payment also fine but not for the first clean. I have mastered not talking about these things and just using some spiel you taught me.

Instead of the short direct debit invite they usually get I had a lengthy piece I used to send that said direct debit was optional in the small print so to speak. I found a couple of customers I picked up this year were all good for DD at the quote but never filled in the sign up. In the past I had one chap set up a standing order as he didn't understand what I was on about....

Now I make it simple. I say ''we usually collect via DD, it's all dealt with through our payment provider GoCardless'' and they normally look at me puzzled or ask if they have to contact the bank or sometimes just say ''yeah ok'' but none of them tend to understand what i'm on about. I just explain what GC is, who they work with and that they will get 2 emails, one with the quote and one with the GC sign up. I explain they have to sign up before the first clean.

So far this year 95% uptake on it this year. I'm not going to drop my BACS customers or the ones who want to pay card or cash as I find that a little one dimensional (No offence, just doesn't work for me)

This is the body of the email I send to each one...

Hi CUSTOMER NAME

For our customers convenience we now offer a direct debit system. A brief overview of the FAQ’s are below;

• All financial transactions are handled by GoCardless
  
• Amounts are taken around 5 days after the invoice is generated
  
• You receive the invoice via email when it is generated
  
• All transactions are backed by the direct debit guarantee
  

If you have any questions regarding GoCardless just give us a call. More information is available on our website WWW.WEBADDRESS.CO.UK

Please note unless we have agreed alternative arrangements you will need to be fully set up on GoCardless before the first clean.

Kindest Regards,

Patrick

 

[Iron Giant]

I've increased my standing on GC this year. I've just started saying ''we usually collect via Direct debit'' and nothing else. If they ask if they can pay Cash on the day I tell them yes, bank transfer and card payment also fine but not for the first clean. I have mastered not talking about these things and just using some spiel you taught me.

Instead of the short direct debit invite they usually get I had a lengthy piece I used to send that said direct debit was optional in the small print so to speak. I found a couple of customers I picked up this year were all good for DD at the quote but never filled in the sign up. In the past I had one chap set up a standing order as he didn't understand what I was on about....

Now I make it simple. I say ''we usually collect via DD, it's all dealt with through our payment provider GoCardless'' and they normally look at me puzzled or ask if they have to contact the bank or sometimes just say ''yeah ok'' but none of them tend to understand what i'm on about. I just explain what GC is, who they work with and that they will get 2 emails, one with the quote and one with the GC sign up. I explain they have to sign up before the first clean.

So far this year 95% uptake on it this year. I'm not going to drop my BACS customers or the ones who want to pay card or cash as I find that a little one dimensional (No offence, just doesn't work for me)

This is the body of the email I send to each one...

Hi CUSTOMER NAME

For our customers convenience we now offer a direct debit system. A brief overview of the FAQ’s are below;

• All financial transactions are handled by GoCardless
  
• Amounts are taken around 5 days after the invoice is generated
  
• You receive the invoice via email when it is generated
  
• All transactions are backed by the direct debit guarantee
  

If you have any questions regarding GoCardless just give us a call. More information is available on our website WWW.WEBADDRESS.CO.UK

Please note unless we have agreed alternative arrangements you will need to be fully set up on GoCardless before the first clean.

Kindest Regards,

Patrick

As you know mate most of mine is via FB so they get quoted and made aware that the only payment option is GC, more recently new enquires have asked for a price and if they can pay via dd, I have had 3 new sign-ups since Friday so all good, it is only retired that get offered a cash option but I have clients in there 70's who pay via GC 

 

[P4dstar]

As you know mate most of mine is via FB so they get quoted and made aware that the only payment option is GC, more recently new enquires have asked for a price and if they can pay via dd, I have had 3 new sign-ups since Friday so all good, it is only retired that get offered a cash option but I have clients in there 70's who pay via GC 

I've got an 86 year old who does mate, loves it. More full of life than some of the 60 year olds I go to as well haha.

Do you sign them up without seeing the property first hand? When they get in touch on FB I mean. I always try to go out and see the place and meet the customer first. This is partially because we have so many stupid places you can't get a van down round here.

 

[Iron Giant]

I've got an 86 year old who does mate, loves it. More full of life than some of the 60 year olds I go to as well haha.

Do you sign them up without seeing the property first hand? When they get in touch on FB I mean. I always try to go out and see the place and meet the customer first. This is partially because we have so many stupid places you can't get a van down round here.

No mate as typically new builds or straight forward estates, I thought you followed me on FB ? ? , so photo quotes my spiel is if you would be happy to provide photos of each side of your house with windows then I will be able to organise a quote for you asap. Best Regards Iron Giant

I have most likely only done a handful of quotes were I went to the house in the last 3-4 years I would guess, I find it so much easier and it's far quicker for a potential client and a quick google street view before providing a price can also help on the odd property I will also ask about access/parking if needed so literally every enquiry that comes in I can quote from my home on my pc or off my phone if at work. 

 

[P4dstar]

No mate as typically new builds or straight forward estates, I thought you followed me on FB ? ? , so photo quotes my spiel is if you would be happy to provide photos of each side of your house with windows then I will be able to organise a quote for you asap. Best Regards Iron Giant

I have most likely only done a handful of quotes were I went to the house in the last 3-4 years I would guess, I find it so much easier and it's far quicker for a potential client and a quick google street view before providing a price can also help on the odd property I will also ask about access/parking if needed so literally every enquiry that comes in I can quote from my home on my pc or off my phone if at work. 

Haha I don't log into FB much. I do follow you though. I saw your thanks post this morning for example. I removed the FB app from my phone a little while back. I still have the pages manager incase someone gets in touch directly. I found myself wasting hours scrolling through absolute drivel. Were it not for the business I would have dropped it all together.

I used FB a lot at first and got some good results this time last year. Some other cleaners in my area spotted the responses I was getting and did the same, all of a sudden FB was swamped with window cleaners but the area doesn't actually have many. Then a bunch of new guys started out and religiously post on there, I feel like i'm putting myself in that boat when I post on there. It's certainly a good resource but can't be the only one for me!

 

[Iron Giant]

Haha I don't log into FB much. I do follow you though. I saw your thanks post this morning for example. I removed the FB app from my phone a little while back. I still have the pages manager incase someone gets in touch directly. I found myself wasting hours scrolling through absolute drivel. Were it not for the business I would have dropped it all together.

I used FB a lot at first and got some good results this time last year. Some other cleaners in my area spotted the responses I was getting and did the same, all of a sudden FB was swamped with window cleaners but the area doesn't actually have many. Then a bunch of new guys started out and religiously post on there, I feel like i'm putting myself in that boat when I post on there. It's certainly a good resource but can't be the only one for me!

I don't bother with the personal side of FB can't be chewed, but I still have it, FB works a treat for me as I hammer it and the only local one that does my area so it's worked very well for me