[stracey]

Is it worth going to the small claims court for £48 owed? Anybody got experience of this? Or do I just let it go. 

[Fin Clearview]

It'll cost you £25 to issue a summons to find out. Call their bluff, i did recently and got my chq for £200 shortly after the summons landed on their doorstep. The only one I've had to do ever thank god.

[stracey]

Called their bluff, no result, how did you go about it?

[Fin Clearview]

https://www.gov.uk/make-money-claim-online

You'll need there full name and address and your £25 payment. I gave my messer a text to say the summons was going to be issued in 7 days prior to me filling the form out above. This might save you the £25 or it may not but its worth a try.

[slap bash]

Send them three letters of warning to pursue them in court with costs and by the third they always paid. As soon as they see you mean business they pay up. I also had 3 pound per month late payment admin fee on the invoice. This added up to quite a bit.His 25 quid came to 75 pound by the time he paid.I will not write off debt.

[shina]

Let it go. I was owed £350 and knew that even if I took to court I wouldnt get paid as the custy had a lot of people after him. He had been a good custy for nearly 20 years and paid me even when he never paid other trades.
£48.00 I wouldnt worry about

[Rob@Blast off]

Send a £2 debt collectors letter

[NWH]

Put the dirt back on em lol

[The Jester of Wibbly]

Never let them get away with it.  Principle at stake, and will make them think twice when moving to his next victim.

Let them know that you are selling the debt on to a recovery company and this will happen on ??/??/2015  and this will also incur a handling charge of £60 if the bill remains unpaid by this date.

[Joey Eastwood]

Put the dirt back on em lol

agree,  i would. sounds childish but they deserve it. learn from it, set a clean limit and dont go above it, if im not payed the 2nd time i wont clean it a 3rd until payment is made

[David lingard]

Send a £2 debt collectors letter

agree, + 3 x invoices then write off and forget.

[trippyboy]

Actually today I managed to get £20 out of a customer who had been ducking me since last summer with no intention of paying.
Despite several invoices, several visits face to face and plenty of promises to pay I never received a bean.
Today I managed to catch her, again it was blah blah blah, after the third blah I chipped in and said I would now give her 7 days in which  to pay the full amount otherwise it would be passed over to , lets say mickey mouse debt agency. And that once it was passed over to them then it was out of my hands.
With this she got in her car drove to the bank and was back in a flash with a score whilst I was still cleaning next door.
She never once apoligised but did mention she and her partner were finding it tough and were being chased left right and centre by other debt agencies , she has my sympathy there as I in the past have been there , but what I cant understand is why the heck did she ask me to clean her windows every two months back in the summer, knowing that they were up the creek without a paddle financially?
I too have gas elec, mortgage, insurance, income tax food etc etc etc to pay.
Rant over lol

[LWC]

Im currently owed a couple of cleans by 4 customers, it is bugging me but i think i am going to have to let them go. I dont think they have any intentions of paying, even after texts, emails and calls.

Its not even about the money to me now, its the fact that they think its fine to just not pay. Really does wind me up. Ive been pretty lucky in my time of window cleaning and not had many messers. I guess cleaning a lot more houses these days so i will come into more problems. 

[Bart Olin]

leave it a few weeks then ram bamboo into her door lock

[Clever Forum Name]

Im currently owed a couple of cleans by 4 customers, it is bugging me but i think i am going to have to let them go. I dont think they have any intentions of paying, even after texts, emails and calls.

Its not even about the money to me now, its the fact that they think its fine to just not pay. Really does wind me up. Ive been pretty lucky in my time of window cleaning and not had many messers. I guess cleaning a lot more houses these days so i will come into more problems. 

Thats why i gave you my letter, you big gay bear.

[Dave Willis]

leave it a few weeks then ram bamboo into her door lock

That'll make her eyes water.

[LWC]

Im currently owed a couple of cleans by 4 customers, it is bugging me but i think i am going to have to let them go. I dont think they have any intentions of paying, even after texts, emails and calls.

Its not even about the money to me now, its the fact that they think its fine to just not pay. Really does wind me up. Ive been pretty lucky in my time of window cleaning and not had many messers. I guess cleaning a lot more houses these days so i will come into more problems. 

Thats why i gave you my letter, you big gay bear.

Worked on 1 of them lol. Not heard anything off others. It is good tho 

[Joey Eastwood]

pull up on their drive, fill the back of your van with plant pots, paving slabs, roll the lawn up, garden gnome, bird table, fence panel, take it all to the local dump, go to bed smiling lol

[Plankton]

pull up on their drive, fill the back of your van with plant pots, paving slabs, roll the lawn up, garden gnome, bird table, fence panel, take it all to the local dump, go to bed smiling lol

like it

[G Griffin]

Egg their locks and a sliver of bamboo all over their windows.
Sorted.

[LT carpet cleaning]

To joey eastm0ng that's the differance between living in a ditch or his caravan  

[dave f]

why do you let it get that much in the first place.i have a limit of 2 cleans.if after 2 cleans if  not paid i stop until paid in full then resume.for any cleans over 20 quid its one  clean.i make this clear at the start that way your not chasing large amounts.and still retain a custy,  i feel that some people resent paying us because they dont look at it as a proper job.imo

[duncan h]

Put the dirt back on em lol

box of eggs £1 

[windowswashed]

If your best priced work don't pay then they ain't a customer of yours but a bad debt. I never go more than twice without payment. Inform them if they haven't paid the second clean that I'm temporarily stopping their window cleaning until payment received in full and then they will be slotted back on the round when I'm next due in their area.

[Joey Eastwood]

To joey eastm0ng that's the differance between living in a ditch or his caravan  

grow up c@nt

[heath verrall]

Is it worth going to the small claims court for £48 owed? Anybody got experience of this? Or do I just let it go. 

Just forget it Stracey and move on, I get loads of these type. Plenty more out there you know.

[PoleKing]

Is it worth going to the small claims court for £48 owed? Anybody got experience of this? Or do I just let it go. 

Just forget it Stracey and move on, I get loads of these type. Plenty more out there you know.

Really? Sure you're being strict enough Middsy?

[LT carpet cleaning]

To joey eastm0ng that's the differance between living in a ditch or his caravan  

grow up c@nt

 For someone so intelligent, that's not very witty. 

[Joey Eastwood]

To joey eastm0ng that's the differance between living in a ditch or his caravan  

grow up c@nt

 For someone so intelligent, that's not very witty. 

im not the one making myself look an idiot looking for arguments on a forum, grow up c@nt

[Joey Eastwood]

To joey eastm0ng that's the differance between living in a ditch or his caravan  

i think you meant DIFFERENCE. brightspark

[LT carpet cleaning]

To joey eastm0ng that's the differance between living in a ditch or his caravan  

grow up c@nt

 For someone so intelligent, that's not very witty. 

im not the one making myself look an idiot looking for arguments on a forum, grow up c@nt

Don't cry, they're only words on a forum. Boo hoo you. 

[Joey Eastwood]

To joey eastm0ng that's the differance between living in a ditch or his caravan  

grow up c@nt

 For someone so intelligent, that's not very witty. 

im not the one making myself look an idiot looking for arguments on a forum, grow up c@nt

Don't cry, they're only words on a forum. Boo hoo you. 

and again, poor lonely bumer

[NBwcs]

so how much bad debt do you all have to write off in a year (residential not commercial)? Mine works out to roughly £30 a year which is nothing really but still does my head in. If anyone knows the secret to just writing it off and simply forgetting about it then please pass it on, i take it way too personally.

[PoleKing]

so how much bad debt do you all have to write off in a year (residential not commercial)? Mine works out to roughly £30 a year which is nothing really but still does my head in. If anyone knows the secret to just writing it off and simply forgetting about it then please pass it on, i take it way too personally.

Nothing last year.
Nothing this year.

Year before...a hundred.
Year before 2 or 3 hundred.

I think there's always gonna be a slight risk bud.
It's the nature of the game.

£30 last year. I'd be happy at that...

[LT carpet cleaning]

To joey eastm0ng that's the differance between living in a ditch or his caravan  

grow up c@nt

 For someone so intelligent, that's not very witty. 

im not the one making myself look an idiot looking for arguments on a forum, grow up c@nt

Don't cry, they're only words on a forum. Boo hoo you. 

and again, poor lonely bumer

I think you meant BUMMER bright spark 

[Johnny B]

so how much bad debt do you all have to write off in a year (residential not commercial)? Mine works out to roughly £30 a year which is nothing really but still does my head in. If anyone knows the secret to just writing it off and simply forgetting about it then please pass it on, i take it way too personally.

I don't write debts off, but I no longer waste time, energy or more money chasing them either. I've had quite a few who have stiffed me for the money, and then months or even years later they, thinking I have forgotten, ask me to start cleaning again. When I politely, but firmly remind them of their debt, and that as soon as they have paid in full and in advance for a fresh clean, I will happily continue, the look on their faces when they realize that they have had me over for the last time makes my day.

Like you Nick, I used to take it personally. Don't, because people like this do it to everyone with whom they can think they can get away with it.

John

[Fin Clearview]

What did you decide to do stracey?  I hope you didn't give up and let em off - you've done a good job which they requested so cough up.

[stracey]

They say will pay at end of month, if not then small claims court, saved all text from them, in which they admit to owing us £48. It's the principle .

[SeanK]

They say will pay at end of month, if not then small claims court, saved all text from them, in which they admit to owing us £48. It's the principle .

Small claims court is no guarantee of payment plus you could then be out the costs as well.
Another thing to remember is that you could sit all morning in the court waiting for your case to be heard and time is
money.
I took a guy to the small claims court and it was a hateful experience, I thought it would be in a room with just me the guy
I was chasing for money and the Judge but it was in front of everybody else waiting their turn.
There's no way I would go through it again for the money you are owed.
Use this experience as a lesson learned and never give a new customer more than one clean without payment and never more
than two for long term customers.

[Perfect Windows]

It's the principle .

Never, ever take anyone to court for "the principle".  Take them for the cash, if it's worth it.

You need to raise the claim, which will take time.  You could spend a day waiting for the court to get to you.  Then the customer could choose not to pay, at which point you're back again, wasting more time.

If the work you lose by chasing the debt is worth more than (or even close to) £48, you're better off doing the work instead, giving up the stress and hassle and writing it off to experience.

Vin

[slap bash]

Every windy needs at least 3 professionally written demand letter in three strengths from mild to a little rude and demanding with a threat of legal action. To drop off or  preferably  placed in there hands or signed for on receiving it. This will start showing them you mean business. The way you conduct your business is very important. If you arrive in casual clothes and drop a slip of paper with " I have cleaned written on it with 5 quid" them don`t expect to get paid. Because they sum you as having not power to chase them up.Get an Invoice book and mimic other profession businesses and payment will be better forth coming. Be on top of things.   
        Balance your books and don`t clean if they do not pay after a missed payment. At this point drop of a late payment reminder with an apology that you have not cleaned due to the fact that a payment is due. Try and make it lighthearted  . My slip has a man on his nee`s begging for a payment. I find this works most of the time. Prevention is always better than cure.
This is not for chap who have been around the block a few time its intended for the chaps having problems.   

[Fin Clearview]

It's the principle .

Never, ever take anyone to court for "the principle".  Take them for the cash, if it's worth it.

You need to raise the claim, which will take time.  You could spend a day waiting for the court to get to you.  Then the customer could choose not to pay, at which point you're back again, wasting more time.

If the work you lose by chasing the debt is worth more than (or even close to) £48, you're better off doing the work instead, giving up the stress and hassle and writing it off to experience.

Vin

Hi Vin, i raised my claim online in the evening in about 5 mins. Then its over to them to send the summons, which they do the next day. I think this is worth a try, most people will fear a summons and pay up, i know mine did but maybe i got lucky.

I would have had to reconsider the summons if it became apparent they had no intention to pay after this though and that the amount was less than my day spent in court..ive read many stories online of it ending very futile and expensive, so only after this would i write it off. 

[dazmond]

id write if off mate.its just not worth the hassle.you ll feel better for it when you do.shes no intention of paying you by the sounds of it.

i usually write off £50-£100 a year.

expect a bit of collateral damage from time to time.

[Fin Clearview]

id write if off mate.its just not worth the hassle.you ll feel better for it when you do.shes no intention of paying you by the sounds of it.

i usually write off £50-£100 a year.

expect a bit of collateral damage from time to time.

but she's sent him texts and says she'll pay at the end of the month Daz?

[dazmond]

all good then if she does!but never clean for her again!!