[Ian101]

Bought a large round late last year which had never been door to door collecting 100% post cheque / pay online if out during day.

95% of em good payers other 5% seem to think its ok to pay when they feel like it and this was annoying me ... same names at top of debtors list last few months.

so being of the vein i want paying for the work ive done and thinking along lines of my overdraft is not there to fund my customers way of life i decided to do some door to door collecting today  

i was polite and just said when they answered door ... Hi just here to collect the money outstanding for the window cleaning ...... they were all ok and paid no problem but u could tell they were a little thrown off balance as some of these had never seen their windie for over 3 years ...... one bloke called his missus to deal with me and she said "oh we normally post a cheque" so firmly but politely i pointed out that they hadn't paid for 2 months and this months clean is due Monday which would make it 3 months and I was concerned that they had moved out without telling us to stop calling  

another said along lines of "we always send a cheque" not for 8 weeks you havent "it slipped my mind" was her reply and another asked if it was our new way of getting paid ..... only for those in arrears I replied .. dont think she was happy with that reply but dont care with slow payers ... telling them how it is these days  

[Jackal]

i had 1 lastnite been to try collect a couple of times 'she wernt in' she eventually texed me saying i can  call any nite after 4pm so i went round but she spent the money on electric so she said  : she then says can i call back friday,i said yes after 5pm,she says can i call around 12ish,no il be working luv,ok i will leave the money under recycling bin if im not in,thats great i said,so i go round friday and just as i thought she aint left it and nobody answered the door so got me book out a rubbed her address out the book,10 mins later i get a text,hi i forgot leave the money out il be in all nite if you want call for the money sorry mess you about,so she must of been in but didnt dare answer the door and went nip the bank,got my money had a talk to tell her i carnt keep calling round 10 times to get the money,so i had a long think and thought i will give her 1 more chance,im pretty sure the next time i clean them will be the last

[Steve_c]

well done mate, i hate chasing bad payers. I had one this week who bounced a cheque and then gave excuse after excuse. Arranged a 10 o clock appointment to pick up the money and a i suspected not in. went on to do a couple of quotes and thought i will call back as they were not expecting me. As i pull up they were unloading the car from shopping "oh sorry forgot you were coming". Got my money and dumped them.

[Ian101]

i had 1 lastnite been to try collect a couple of times 'she wernt in' she eventually texed me saying i can  call any nite after 4pm so i went round but she spent the money on electric so she said  : she then says can i call back friday,i said yes after 5pm,she says can i call around 12ish,no il be working luv,ok i will leave the money under recycling bin if im not in,thats great i said,so i go round friday and just as i thought she aint left it and nobody answered the door so got me book out a rubbed her address out the book,10 mins later i get a text,hi i forgot leave the money out il be in all nite if you want call for the money sorry mess you about,so she must of been in but didnt dare answer the door and went nip the bank,got my money had a talk to tell her i carnt keep calling round 10 times to get the money,so i had a long think and thought i will give her 1 more chance,im pretty sure the next time i clean them will be the last

as Mr Gav Camm says "I dont do double diesel" 

[cozy]

It's the oposite with us collecting. Only about 5 or 10% are on bank transfer, no cheques here. They all pay on time that way, the other 90 to 95% we have to collect. About every 6 months we replace the bad payers and always chase debt through the M.O.D. if it's over 30 quid. I think collecting is good contact to custies who are normally out when we clean, but I would like half on Bank transfer to save time.

Have to wait and see if the Army is staying here before we can plan anything different with the collecting system.

[Neil Gornall]

I told all of my customers in december that from their next clean I would be charging 50p for cheques.

It has dramatically increased the amount paying online, also they are paying quicker.

95% of those still sending cheques are happily adding the 50p.  

[Sean Dyer]

i caught someone who owes £35 yesterday, been avoiding me for over 9 months, apparently she'd moved to london but kept the property on and while away someone told the social she wasnt living there so when she moved back they were trying to do her as a squator or something, anyway i said im sorry about that but you dd have me cleaning the windows and you owe me 35,,,,,, she carried on with her sob story about having no money etc, just said im gonna call everytime im in the area, (i do the neighbours either side)and so she can pay a bit each time ..

[cozy]

Yeah, and you didn't notice she was gone while you cleaned them!! The worst one I had last year was a "Lady" who owed 3 cleans. She ignored the door bell. The notes we left with bank transfer details etc etc. Eventually, she paid by bank and sent a messege saying she had "other priorities"  If you can't afford a window cleaner, then cancel!!

[LWC]

Alright Ian, thanks for the tank today mate. Ive sorted out my collecting this year to, some people do think that they can pay when they feel like it!

The PAY WITHIN 7 DAYS, LATE PAYMENTS WILL INCUR A £2.50 in big bold letter seems to be hitting home now, ive always had that on it but hardly noticeable

Anyway, heres my van i was telling you about...


http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v441/VWSaxon/front-side.jpg
http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v441/VWSaxon/back-side.jpg
http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v441/VWSaxon/back-open.jpg

Thanks again.

[bobby p]

thing is ,its so expensive now  in fuel just driving to these bad payers.

£1.33 a litre of diesel i paid the other day

[Sean Dyer]

Yeah, and you didn't notice she was gone while you cleaned them!! The worst one I had last year was a "Lady" who owed 3 cleans. She ignored the door bell. The notes we left with bank transfer details etc etc. Eventually, she paid by bank and sent a messege saying she had "other priorities"  If you can't afford a window cleaner, then cancel!!

No, everything was the same, she was just staying with family somewhere, but never told me, but i used to not see for a while and she would always pay.... just went weird this tme !

[Ian101]

Alright Ian, thanks for the tank today mate. Ive sorted out my collecting this year to, some people do think that they can pay when they feel like it!

The PAY WITHIN 7 DAYS, LATE PAYMENTS WILL INCUR A £2.50 in big bold letter seems to be hitting home now, ive always had that on it but hardly noticeable

Anyway, heres my van i was telling you about...


http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v441/VWSaxon/front-side.jpg
http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v441/VWSaxon/back-side.jpg
http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v441/VWSaxon/back-open.jpg

Thanks again.

No problem mate always good to meet a fellow professional ... like the photo's ...makes mine look a little rough around the edges 

[Ian101]

thing is ,its so expensive now  in fuel just driving to these bad payers.

£1.33 a litre of diesel i paid the other day

in Chester yesterday seen city centre one charging £1.38.9 a litre 

Asda Queensferry still charging £1.29.9 a litre though

[Sean Dyer]

5p off a litre with tokens from tesco at minute, which is equivalent to the vat and duty rise taken off

Still expensive though

All we do is sit back and moan , no one can do anything about it?

[Jackal]

i heard that if you stay away from bp and esso altogether that eventually it could drive prices down as these are the biggest companys,would proberly work if the majority avoided them

[LWC]

i heard that if you stay away from bp and esso altogether that eventually it could drive prices down as these are the biggest companys,would proberly work if the majority avoided them

http://www.cleanitup.co.uk/smf/index.php?topic=118444.0


i copyed this from another website which had similar reaction...everyone says it wont work...so they dont do it...hence why it doesnt work...or even give it a chance

[Jackal]

i honestly dont understand why anyone unless your on the moterway and in the red and got no choice would use bp anyway, there prices are always higher,i drive past and pretend they dont exist