Bad or late payers

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What do you do when your client is either refusing to pay or making excuses as to why they cant pay yet?
 
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Did you provide a written estimate before you started

How long after you sent your invoice did you chase

Maybe they are waiting to be paid before paying you
 
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What do you do when your client is either refusing to pay or making excuses as to why they cant pay yet?
You have to go down the legal route "small claims court"

This element of self employment is the most stressful aspect, I can no longer be bothered with late payers or people that refuse to pay, it winds me up to much.

I now do payment for materials in advance and on bigger contracts stage payments.

If people don't pay take the legal route, ignore all telephone calls from them and insist all communication is via email.
 
There seems to be a whole shopping list of reasons as to why. Thankfully they tend not to be with the quality pf the work. Usually just delays
 
There seems to be a whole shopping list of reasons as to why. Thankfully they tend not to be with the quality pf the work. Usually just delays
are you invoicing promptly?

tell them at the start your payment terms are on day of completion, remind them before the job finishes and give them the invoice on the day of completion

if you do jobs where there are often extras make sure they are quoted in writing before the start, do not wait until the final bill is presented


I have a mobile mechanic do my car, he has a printer in his van and gives me the invoice when he leaves, I pay it within the hour because they way I look at it if I took it to a garage I would have to pay before taking the car

Same as I had a new gas boiler donelast year........I had to push the plumber for the invoice on the day it was finished, and I paid that day
 
What do you do when your client is either refusing to pay or making excuses as to why they cant pay yet?
Is it won't pay, or can't pay.

I think they need to be handled differently.

If it's can't pay, but you can get the money eventually, don't do any more work for them, or on different terms.

If it's won't pay, you need the reasons and if it's not your problem then go down the legal route as others have said
 
Is it won't pay, or can't pay.

I think they need to be handled differently.

If it's can't pay, but you can get the money eventually, don't do any more work for them, or on different terms.
Can't pay is different variation of won't pay.

When I have accepted a quotation I can only accept that quotation if I have the spare funds to pay that bill once the works are completed.

You can't ask a tradesperson to wait to be paid because, "oh I'm waiting to be paid myself" or "oh I haven't had a chance to go to the bank" or "oh I need to move money between accounts" and the rest of the flannel invented to delay paying.

We can't be expected to be empathetic unless the circumstances really are extenuating - illness/Death. We aren't creditors.

I extinguish these problems at the quoting stage with written quotes, t&c's covering both the customer & myself and a contract.
 
Can't pay is different variation of won't pay.

When I have accepted a quotation I can only accept that quotation if I have the spare funds to pay that bill once the works are completed.

You can't ask a tradesperson to wait to be paid because, "oh I'm waiting to be paid myself" or "oh I haven't had a chance to go to the bank" or "oh I need to move money between accounts" and the rest of the flannel invented to delay paying.

We can't be expected to be empathetic unless the circumstances really are extenuating - illness/Death. We aren't creditors.

I extinguish these problems at the quoting stage with written quotes, t&c's covering both the customer & myself and a contract.
What I meant was.

Is it a trade type person that has hit cash flow issues himself and will pay asap. Or somebody who won't pay for whatever reason ?

Neither is good but they are different.
 
On a couple of occasions I marched the smartarses down the bank to get the money.
Once, 2o years ago, I was told by this guy that he didn't have any money after I finish refurbishing his 35m² oak floor.
I got his wife on the blower and she told me he was on £150k/year.
I passed the phone to him and all of a sudden he found the cash...
 
On a couple of occasions I marched the smartarses down the bank to get the money.
Once, 2o years ago, I was told by this guy that he didn't have any money after I finish refurbishing his 35m² oak floor.
I got his wife on the blower and she told me he was on £150k/year.
I passed the phone to him and all of a sudden he found the cash...
I quoted a job, customer accepted quote, kitchen and utility kitchen. I fitted them both customers were over the moon very complimentary to my face. Invoice sent....customer rang complaining that the invoice wasn't relative to days worked.

I went into great detail explaining why kitchens aren't fitted on day rate and I don't work on day rate, preferring price which they accepted. He then stated a carpenters day rate in his opinion should be no more than £200 a day and was happy to pay on this basis with a reduction in material cost as he felt it was exaggerated, but would also be happy to mediate face to face if I wasn't happy with his proposal.

I told him to go F Himself and pay whatever he deemed fit then issued legal proceedings, eventually he paid the balance.

Mrs Chirpy deals with invoices and payments now, she is more tolerant than I.
 
Yes, we've all been there.
Customer who thinks that our hourly rate is too high.
Who the hell quoted by the hour?
I'm not a rent boy!
I sell my skills and experience to give you a final product of excellence.
That's worth £1000/hour.
That's what I said a couple of times.
 
I used to know a few like that; it was nothing to do with being unable or even unwilling to pay, it was a "point of honour" in their minds to pay less than the agreed price.
They used to brag about any "success" stories, which they seemed to think proved what smart cookies they were.
They did later puzzle about how hard it was to get anybody out to do anything for them......

(Come to think of it, they also took long haul holidays to areas that were desperately poor and came back boasting how good they were at haggling the local traders down from $2 to $1 or even 50c, completely oblivious to the fact that that $1 could make a difference to somebody eating or not eating).
 
Yes, we've all been there.
Customer who thinks that our hourly rate is too high.
Who the hell quoted by the hour?
I'm not a rent boy!
I sell my skills and experience to give you a final product of excellence.
That's worth £1000/hour.
That's what I said a couple of times.
My comeback is always the same.

You are not paying for my time You are paying for my experience.

"I'm not a Rent Boy" :LOL:
 
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