poor paying customers

Hi

I have a new facebook customer ( I mean she contacted me through a local facebook group) for some handyman works

I did a job for her, only £25, quite a low cost price job

I had to text her days later to pay me by paypal, said she forgot

usually my customers pay me on completion of works, she took me by surprise by saying she would wire the money across

the rub is, there are a few more small jobs to do there at her place, but she is very poor at communicating, and seems poor at paying

I just feel this aint worth the hassle for a few more quid. Plus I would not depend on her as a reliable source for spreading the word to new customers, she seems very disorganized

would you not bother with these sort of customers (poor payers + poor communications ) ?

probably not, but get payment on completion of the job if you do more work for her.

What did you do for £25?

Andy

Lol. Have to laugh at OP's question considering his forum name. Looks like he already has!

Mottie said:

Lol. Have to laugh at OP's question considering his forum name. Looks like he already has!

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HaHa. I had to Google it.

£25? must be a mate

I’ll happily take payment on completion if offered, but otherwise will raise an invoice and ask for payment in 7 days. That gives the Customer a chance to make sure they’re happy with what I’ve done, and so once I’ve been paid I can forget about it.

Late payers are a pet hate. I might give a new customer the benefit of the doubt the first time, particularly if it looked like the £25 job was going to lead to something bigger, but otherwise they go on a block list.
I’ve had some Customers who are lovely people, but having to fight for payment every time means they get blocked.

It’s business, and having to spend time chasing up your £25 means you’ve earnt next to nothing.

A writer of software got so fed up with bad payers that he put a time out function into some projects. After so many days of no payment a message would pop up warning that the software would, due to overlooked payment, cease to function in a few days time. This counted down day by day. On receiving payment he provided a release code to remove the time-out function.

As I recall only one project did actually time out before the payment was made.

Not really an option with domestic electrical work. or is it ?

£25 - 1 hours work? If they aren't paying that amount immediately on completion then raising an invoice or being paid later raises the price in my book.

Hopefully you weren't offered payment in 'kind' (as happened to my father, he didn't didn't take up the offer but never did get paid!)

jono_h said:

I’ll happily take payment on completion if offered, but otherwise will raise an invoice and ask for payment in 7 days. That gives the Customer a chance to make sure they’re happy with what I’ve done, and so once I’ve been paid I can forget about it.

Late payers are a pet hate. I might give a new customer the benefit of the doubt the first time, particularly if it looked like the £25 job was going to lead to something bigger, but otherwise they go on a block list.
I’ve had some Customers who are lovely people, but having to fight for payment every time means they get blocked.

It’s business, and having to spend time chasing up your £25 means you’ve earnt next to nothing.

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I do the same, block them or don't rush back

A new customer once asked to put blinds up.
Being 5 minutes away I agreed a £20 end of day job, just to pay for beer for me and my then labourer.
Went in, did the job, then she said she would've paid me next time she needed something done the following week, but didn't know what.
I took her oak coffee table, loaded into the van with her threatening to call the police and went to the pub.
I didn't answer her calls.
A couple of days later a very apologetic gentleman called to say that he was the unfortunate husband of that lady (his words).
He wanted to pay and get his table back which cost a lot more than £20.
Being a professional pee taker at the time I told him I'd sold the table to our local pub for the £20 his wife owed me.
He went down the pub and asked for it
The landlady called me to tell me off
A few days later, after a bank holiday weekend, I got a copper at my door at 7pm.
He had £40 in his hand and said the lady wanted her table back.
I took the £40 (I guess the extra score was for my trouble) and gave the table to the copper who struggled with it to the corner where the husband was waiting.
I waved at him and I'm sure he said "sorry".
Never attended a small job again, never.

needy women with no money. normally single , middle aged. there’s a reason they’re single. give her a wide berth.

johnny2007 said:

A new customer once asked to put blinds up.
Being 5 minutes away I agreed a £20 end of day job, just to pay for beer for me and my then labourer.
Went in, did the job, then she said she would've paid me next time she needed something done the following week, but didn't know what.
I took her oak coffee table, loaded into the van with her threatening to call the police and went to the pub.
I didn't answer her calls.
A couple of days later a very apologetic gentleman called to say that he was the unfortunate husband of that lady (his words).
He wanted to pay and get his table back which cost a lot more than £20.
Being a professional pee taker at the time I told him I'd sold the table to our local pub for the £20 his wife owed me.
He went down the pub and asked for it
The landlady called me to tell me off
A few days later, after a bank holiday weekend, I got a copper at my door at 7pm.
He had £40 in his hand and said the lady wanted her table back.
I took the £40 (I guess the extra score was for my trouble) and gave the table to the copper who struggled with it to the corner where the husband was waiting.
I waved at him and I'm sure he said "sorry".
Never attended a small job again, never.

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I don't believe a word of that, the policeman would have arrested you for theft.

EddieM said:

I don't believe a word of that, the policeman would have arrested you for theft.

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Unless you kill someone or offend a protected character the police will say "civil matter" and at best will pay you a visit.
I reported a knife incident and could've identified the culprit as he's always in my area.
No call whatsoever.
I could give dozens of other examples, but surely you won't believe me.
You're either a copper, linked to one or never reported a crime.
BTW, i'm in London, so possibly other forces are better than the met.

johnny2007 said:

Unless you kill someone or offend a protected character the police will say "civil matter" and at best will pay you a visit.
I reported a knife incident and could've identified the culprit as he's always in my area.
No call whatsoever.
I could give dozens of other examples, but surely you won't believe me.
You're either a copper, linked to one or never reported a crime.
BTW, i'm in London, so possibly other forces are better than the met.

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Or actually you're just a ****.

Nobody knocked me! When I was an apprentice mechanic, I had an evening job working for another garage that did overflow work for the AA. I’d get £2 for being on call from 6.00pm to midnight and £1 per breakdown. The good jobs were chargeable jobs not covered by AA membership for AA members, normally punctures or accidents. If we attended an accident and towed it back (and I’m talking about towing it with a Land Rover with just a winch and chain on the back as below) we got an extra £1.50. If we could get it driveable we still got the £1.50 but we had to charge the customer £10 plus vat (£10.80). No £10.80, no £1.50 bonus. Anyway, some nob was coming out of the inner Temple on the embankment in a Rolls Royce, someone crashed into him and the wing was on the front wheel. He didn’t want it towed back to East London so I tried to get the wing off the wheel with a bar but no luck. He then suggested I put the hook under the wing and give it a few tugs! Anyway, I did that, he sat in it with his foot on the brake and I put the hook under the arch and pulled away fast a few times, pulled the front off the wheel and got him driveable. When I said thats £10.80 he said he had no money on him and to send the invoice to his office. I could see my £1.50 disappearing fast so I said no way, £10.80 or I take the motor. He offered me his watch as a deposit but I refused it and made him get out of the car and give me the keys. I left him standing there calling me all sorts, lifted the car and took the it back. Anyway, next day he sent someone to our garage to pay the £10.80 and take the car. I’ll never forget the address of his office either - 26 Buckingham Palace Road. Oh, and our firm got a right *******ing from the AA and nearly lost the contract. The *******ing was passed on to me. I didn’t care, I got my £1.50

Would you want your motor lifted by one of these - if you were lucky you got an old rear seat base to protect your front valance from chain damage!