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Just wondering how you all get your T&C’s to customers and confirm they have understood them? We boringly read out a set piece of our charges, arrival time windows and payment conditions to every customer who books but more and more customers are denying this and questioning charges while we are in the house despite already being told them when booking as well as claiming they were told exact arrival times and not knowing they need to pay on the spot and even unaware we take cards for payment despite that being part of what was read to them too.
These are too long to text (and no good for those who give a home number only) and collecting correct email addresses over the phone is a nightmare while posting the terms to them is out due to time constraints as we are usually at the customers house before the letter arrives.
If we direct customers to a t&c’s web page there is no confirmation they have read and understood them.
Just wondering how others get along?Re: Getting your T&C’s through to customers
Keep it very short, from the sounds of it you may be giving so much info, that they just zone out and say that they understand just to get off the phone.
With ours, we basically make sure they know they will have to pay at least the call out charge. Once this is understood then they either go elsewhere looking for free call outs (suits me) or confirm that it’s not too bad a charge compared with others and sort out the booking details.
Re: Getting your T&C’s through to customers
“Our charges are…….”
“We will call at your address between blah and blah”
“We accept payment from all major card companies”Re: Getting your T&C’s through to customers
It’s amazing how many customers still think that it should be no call out fee and a free estimate. Dream on
Sent from my iPad using Tapatalk HDRe: Getting your T&C’s through to customers
Maybe I gave the impression ours are too long, not the case, as Martin pointed out it is just the bare minimum really, ideally there should be a lot more;
To Summarise then:
You have booked a service call for day/date between start time/end time. Please note that this is an arrival time and we will not know how long the job will take to complete.
Our service charge will be £****/£**** including vat which will cover the labour charge to complete your job but parts will need to be paid for in addition.
If you decide not to go ahead with the repair then we will instead charge £**** which is our minimum charge.
We accept cash, cheques and cards but do need to be paid at the time of our visit.
If you need to cancel your appointment, please allow at least 12 hours notice, we may charge our minimum rate if this is not the case.
(cookers only)
Please do not use any part of your cooker at least 3 hours before our earliest quoted arrival time.We also have modified versions for warranty and re call jobs.
The fact is that folks will swear blind we never even read that so I get to the house find a nanny looking after the kids with no payment left out and cooking on the top oven of the cooker we are supposed to be repairing!Re: Getting your T&C’s through to customers
What your T&Cs say. What your T&Cs exclude or include. Whether they even exist.
Mean nothing.
People don’t read them and, when they do, which would be right around the time they have a beef are what they say that they think/assume/twist them to be.
Which is precisely the reason to have them. Strangely enough.
Yes, a bitter lesson learned the hard way a long time ago, a lesson that still pays off today.
They are there to protect you when it all goes South, not the customer so much.
It shields you from the likes of Trading Standards among other nasties and as Jackal and I among others have said many, many times till we’re blue in the face, you *NEED* them in the world we live in now. It it not optional.
I could cite you examples where warranty terms or trading T&Cs have saved my a**e on numerous occasions from grief doled out by punters or TC, even solicitors who thanks to a couple of friends (thanks Jackal, Eric and Adam) I no longer fear, even slightly.
Having T&Cs in place and with the advice and assistance afforded me by those most gracious people has saved me tens of thousands of pounds over the years. I jest not, one dispute alone was worth North of £60K to me.
You’ve done the right thing Mark, you have T&Cs, the fact that the other party in the contract doesn’t see the relevance or, don’t bother to read them really isn’t your problem.
The trick is to get to an amicable solution without having resort to them or enforce them if at all possible. If not, well, it is what it is really and having it tipped in your favour from the get go isn’t a bad thing at all.
K.
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