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People who just won't pay

James Turner

New member
Messages
18
Location
Scotland
I have 3 customers who just won't pay. It has been going on for 5 months now. They always come up with an excuse like they forgot I was coming or its the banks fault. I have given them different opportunities and ways to pay but I am getting sick fed up of it now. How does everyone  else deal with this, barring anthing viewed as "antisocial". Do you just call it a loss and save the stress or do you keep on it till they get fed up? I have stopped doing their windows so the cost isn't accumulating. 

 
Put the ******* through or get dog **** and wipe it all over them mate! It's your wages/lively hood it's how you put food on the table, cut your losses mate


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Had a shop change owner without them telling me, they owed £120 when I found out, and neither the new or old owner wanted to pay.

I could spend hours trying to track down the previous owner and lay awake at night thinking about it, but I just shrug it off. No amount of stress is worth £120, and I'd rather make it back cleaning than discussing.

It's up to you of course, but my life has improved since I stopped trying to shake down every last penny. You write it off anyway, and sleep better at night.  :1f609:

 
@Green Pro Clean Ltd had a document on here but it has disappeared, it went something like this.

Dear Customer,

This is a final request for the £?? outstanding since January 19th. On February 13th you said you would pay me my bank transfer and took my bank details. If payment is not received by March 3rd 2017 an administration charge of £40 will be added to your current bill and a claim will be filed in the Small Claims Court, which will incur a further £25 charge.

Just in case you have misplaced my bank details, they are

Very effective to people that try to call your bluff, if they're skint it probably won't make much difference

 
Had one years ago who kept making excuses . Saw them talking in the street walked straight up to him and asked in front of his friend when I was going to get my money . . Could tell he was very embarrassed but got my money next day .

 
i now work on a new stile pay,ment on return unless i no the custmer and i no ill get payed , if someone comes up to me in the street saying quoet : im looking for a window cleaner can u give me a price but i have no money !! i price the job give them my card and say give me a shout when u have the money and ill clean them most never call as there trying to pull a fast one lol 

 
Starting this month we are GoCardless only. 

Conversions already begun and anyone that don't want to get on board don't have to.... they can go else where. 

So far not one complaint. I will let you know the drop out rate at the end of the month. I'm sure there will be a couple. 

 
Ive had a couple of crackers hadnt paid for months, but just text them often to get paid, one has done it. One is still to pay, and said they will transfer, tick tock, only due one clean thankfully.

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yeah annoying isn't it, so bad that we can do very little legally unless its a big amount, but even a 30 quid job is still 30 quid they have stolen from you effectively. The down side of window cleaning i guess

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Thanks for all the advice. Seems to be an occupational hazard. I'm becoming more inclined to let it go as @nudel said as I'd just like to let go of the stress of worrying about it. 


 
i had one who asked me to clean her full house,     i said i havent done them for 6 months because she owed £7.50.    I told her i tried a few times but got no answer,     i just gave up,    i could not be arsed to keep knocking,      She came back out ,  gave me  money saying i should have knocked for it.       i could  not be bothered getting into a blaming match,        I hope she comes back out when im next door ,   Join Go Cardless as your neighbour i will say.  End of

The sad thing is i sometimes forget to get payments from GC.     ill put it off then forget if ive taken payment out.LOL

 
Starting this month we are GoCardless only. 

Conversions already begun and anyone that don't want to get on board don't have to.... they can go else where. 

So far not one complaint. I will let you know the drop out rate at the end of the month. I'm sure there will be a couple. 
I'll be watching with interest then. I've been pushing it for a while but only forced it with one customer so far who was a bad payer and subsequently decided not to have their windows done. My work is very compact (90% of a given street are customers) so losing customers would devalue the rest of the work.

 
Starting this month we are GoCardless only. 
Conversions already begun and anyone that don't want to get on board don't have to.... they can go else where. 
 
So far not one complaint. I will let you know the drop out rate at the end of the month. I'm sure there will be a couple. 
 
 
I’m very keen to do this, what are you saying to your customers to get them on board?
What about older customers who don’t have the internet? Are you just dropping them?
Thanks


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It is such a rare thing to find someone without the internet these days.  Grannies are better at it than us cause they sit home on their tablets watching countdown. 

I run fully automated now through Cleaner Planer.  They all get a text the night before so I have no gates to climb.

Now customer database is critical here..  you should have in the least: First and last name. Address and mobile number.  Without a mobile running a successful text service is a ball ache. 

Once cleaned they get their bill by text as well: 

Dear customer. Your windows were cleaned today. Your current balance is £20.  Please visit the following link  https://pay.gocardless.com/AL00006567VJPV to make a payment. We thank you for your business. Kind regards. Darren. Green Pro Clean Ltd.

The link is specific to my account so don't use it.  Goto GoCardless and get your own link.  

That text is all they get. No alternative. No cash option..  just GoCardless. 

So far they all love it as no need to worry about owing the window cleaner. I love it cause no collections. 

If I am quoting someone and th ey don't want to go on it then I simply won't add them to my round.  It is after all my round and although I provide a service I do not let them dictate to me how they will pay.. 

Everyone has online banking.  They pay their Sky tv bill, car payments and insurance, mobile phone etc all via D.D. and I am a company just like those so they can pay me the same way. 

 
You will only lose the odd client because of a hardline switch to GC some clients think you should be running around after them to collect money because it has always been the way of the window cleaner and apparently a firm they have never heard off they wouldn't trust. 

As for devaluing your work running around collecting hours every week is already devaluing your work if that's what you are doing, I was in a street the other day were I had 12 out of 14 houses I now only have 5, The ones I lost were either slow payers and wouldn't accept a switch from cash to bacs or GC or became non payers. I have gained better work and clients who will happily sign up to GC without issue current count is 206 clients paying via GC

 
Had one on the books since April, out of the way job so I did keep forgetting. 

Emailed an text but after first reply. Sorry will bacs later. Stopped replying. 

Passing yesterday an knocked the door. 

Cheeky sod tryed to deny the whole thing. Lost it for a second an called him a **** when he told me to take him to court an prove it. (smirk on his face that got me). 

Pulled myself together and said OK sir no problem. I must inform you that I will be adding a £40 administration charge to your account. Then sending it to court. Or you could just pay the £30 outstanding. He said good luck proving anything. 

My turn to smirk. I have all our emails saved sir see you in court. 

Payment received 8.20am this morning. 

Dont give up that's the thing. These people seam to think it's only small amounts so we won't chase it. I always will. 

 
if i had one like that i would clean his windows but with a dirty  mucky cloth over brush head,    let that dry on there windows.

then i would be satisfied.

when they are out of course

 
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