Unpaid customer invoices

[cornwell40]

What do you do when a chargeable call doesn’t pay up. Got one at the moment that every time we contact them laughs and says it’ll be in the post tomorrow :evil:. Have we any clout to get the parts back at least, or is it just another lesson learned.

Tony C

[admin]

Re: Unpaid customer invoices

In a way its a lesson learned.

We now insist on payment upon completion or a deposit as spares are ordered. This way you can remove the parts or not order them. However over the years we know who we can leave a bill for and where not to.

Best way is to call at their door around 6pm and demand payment, let them know that you will call again at 9am saturday in full view of the neighbours.

After that write it off.

on the positive side at least there arn’t too many arse’oles out there

Kevin

[Martin]

Re: Unpaid customer invoices

Tony,

It hurts at first doesn’t it? To think someone who entrusted you to fix it, then would knowingly intend never to pay for the job in the first place 👿

We have ALL suffered that loss many times, a hazard of the business I’m afraid and little we can do to get over it except…….

…..The only way to positively counteract that from becoming an issue is to first ensure you have ALL possible means of getting money off them in the first place :tup: . If they pay by cheque INSIST on a bankers card guarantee, NO CARD, NO DO JOB. If that card is UNDER the price limit of the bill, then get them to write 2 or more cheques within their card limit value.

So very often we are invited into ‘customers’ homes and without thinking, get stuck in and fix the machine without first sussing out the situation we have walked into. Look out for DODGY signs around you 😉 Flats and bedsits are a definate caution. Pubs and clubs where the caretaker lets you in. Even big posh houses where the gardener has the key are all places to insist on the dosh up front.

Assurances like… “I know where you live and will drop the money round this afternoon!”….”Sorry mate, don’t have a Bankers Card but the money will be alright, I just got paid!”…”Oh I didn’t realise you needed the money now, can’t you send a bill?”….”Damn, must have left my credit card back at the office!…”Pop back later today when my husband gets home from work!”….”Please send in your bill and our accountant will deal with it!”……..BULLS***T!

Your local Small Claims Court will at least be on your side and issue a ‘Summons’ in your favour no doubt. It will cost you £25 for the privilege of knowing that and your ‘customer’ has had their ‘credit reference’ buggered but that doesn’t mean you will get your money at all, so little point 🙁

So, my advice based on the same sad experiences as you is to check the job out, and BEFORE you FIX the machine. Point out your recommendations as to the likely cost to fix (without giving away the specific fault 😉 ) and then find out first HOW they are going to pay. Remembering not to be too specific as to what the fault is otherwise they will say NO THANKS and fix it themselves for FREE!!!

Martin

P.S. The golden rule is : – IF YOU CAN’T AFFORD TO LOSE IT…THEN CHOOSE IT!!!! Plus always place the ‘Genuine Folding Money into YOUR wallet with Her Majestys Face smiling at you.
:lol2:

[Dave_Conway]

Re: Unpaid customer invoices

Another little point I often bring up when phoning unpaid customers is the fact that by accepting your services after you have laid out the likely costs involved is once they have booked a call they have entered in to a legally binding contract, albeit a verbal one. I have verified this to be the case with Trading Standards officers on more than one occasion.

Sometimes it works, more often though the customer had little or no intention of paying you in the first place.

I also pass the cusomer’s info to any other trade guys I know in our area so they don’t get caught out as well.

Dave.

[clivejameson]

Re: Unpaid customer invoices

…indeed…and to my mind requesting and accepting a service (whether or not spares are fitted) with no intention of paying is as good as theft…a view a court would take too no doubt. The problems arise when the ‘customer’ (alternative names come to mind 😉 ) starts to pick at the service provided with spurious complaints to avoid payment or at the very least to ‘negotiate’ a lower payment.
This has only happened to me on two occasions but is galling nonetheless, but at the end of the day life has enough hassles and the cost in time and money of persuing it through the courts is high with the likelyhood of full recompense low.
I have become philosophical about these instances after making a good effort to get payment, and like you Dave I let my local network know all about it…at least you get the satisfaction that if that customer requires a repair they will find it extremely difficult to get a local engineer to their door 🙂
Clive

[Penguin45]

Small point chaps, I trust that you have told your assorted colleagues that these unfavourable customers shouldn’t be serviced because they are never in and timewasters? Because you are not allowed to pass on a blacklist based on debt……….

Be careful. I’ve only got one significant bad debt, and he can’t get ANYTHING fixed at a sensible price. Funny that……

Chris.

[Alex]

Re: Unpaid customer invoices

Might be worth getting registered with the Bureau of Credit Management.

They will send you a pack and then support every claim you have, and you get all the money, there is no rake off for them, It will cost a couple of hundred to register, but it works.

They aren’t a collection company but they will provide you with all the paperwork that will send shivers down the punters spine. It looks very official but you instigate it yourself.

http://www.bcmnet.com

Alex

[kwatt]

Looks nice Alex and perhaps worth a whirl.

Whilst browsing about I found http://www.payontime.co.uk/ which looks to be very useful as well. I haven’t got time to go through it right now, but I will! 😈

K.

[mbdas]

Re: Unpaid customer invoices

Hi, I,m new to ukwg and I’ve just started working for myself after 15yrs
with same employer in appliance repair trade,Ive not had a bad debt
YET BUT EARLY DAYS!! but going back to kevins comments knocking on a door at 9 and 6AM daily is that call demanding money with menaces and
elegal so even if you do the repair and leave without being paid or customer gives you a cheque made from rubber on leaving premises
and refuses to pay how the hell do we get our money also I thought a cheque guarantee card ment that the cheque could not be cancelled and does not mean it will be honour any thoughts? apart from my grammer..

[Alex]

Re: Unpaid customer invoices

They say possession is 90{e5d1b7155a01ef1f3b9c9968eaba33524ee81600d00d4be2b4d93ac2e58cec2d} of the law.

Legally once you fit a part, you cannot reclaim it.

If a customer fails to pay or a cheque is dishonoured, it is a criminal offence, called “Bilking”. Trouble is once the repair is complete, you have a hell of a struggle to get anything back to cover the losses. As with insurance claims, it is left to the good honest customers to subsidise the losses.

We always go the route of the Bureau of Credit Management if that fails, County court summons no matter what. I know in some cases it is a waste of time/money but the success rate makes it viable. We had 3 last summer, 1 was nearly £200 the others about £70 – £80. The £200 one paid up once the bailiffs arrived, that went some way towards easing the pain on the other 2. So it does help.

Alex

[APG]

Re: Unpaid customer invoices

Hi Guys

At the end of the day, non paying customers we can all do without.
Contact this company, they have never let us down and always made the customer cough-up.

LPL COMMERCIAL INVESTIGATIONS
Newbury House
890-900 Eastern Avenue
Newbury Park
Ilford Essex
IG2 7HH

Enquiries: 02085972229
Fax : 02085971180

Hope this is of some help

Andy G

[Taff]

Re: Unpaid customer invoices

Don’t prat about, give them one written warning and then issue a County Court Summons. This can be done on line at http://WWW.moneyclaim.gov.uk

You can have a County Court Summons issued within 24hours. This cost £50 but is then added to the ammount repayable. You can also add interest for the time the invoice has been outstanding.

I have only had to use the service once and I would have no bother using it again. The Baliffs got my cash in two installments. The bill started at £310 for electrical work they ended up paying £423.00.

What a result. It really screwed up the customer because they could’t get a mortgage as they had a County Court Action outstandind.!!

[eastlmark]

Re: Unpaid customer invoices

Taff wrote:Don’t prat about, give them one written warning and then issue a County Court Summons. This can be done on line at http://WWW.moneyclaim.gov.uk

I agree this is a very easy way of issueing a county court summons, far easier than filling in the form longhand and the cost is infact only £30.

[Dave_Conway]

Re: Unpaid customer invoices

Thanks for the link 😀

Added to the weblinks section:

http://tinyurl.com/5pxdj

Dave.

[Jonah]

Re: Unpaid customer invoices

I have got so fed up with this problem that I do not even attend a cash call now without the customer supplying a valid credit or debit card details so we can authorise it before we even go there, I do not accept cheques anymore, mainly due to the Bank charges paying them in but also the ‘rubber’ ones even with a cheque card, taking the card details is the only way we can control the situation.

Most customers are quite happy with this, I can’t really see any other way of completely covering yourself but generally as has been said you can suss out a dodgy call most of the time.

Dave

[Author]

Posts