Clean It Up

UK Window Cleaning Forum => Window Cleaning Forum => Topic started by: garry on November 23, 2005, 06:38:01 pm

Title: how long do you leave it
Post by: garry on November 23, 2005, 06:38:01 pm
just how long do we leave it till we get our money i was thinking on commercial no more than 30 days been waiting 47 days so far so cheessed of about it.
 >:(
Title: Re: how long do you leave it
Post by: windows_chepstow on November 23, 2005, 06:42:51 pm
It took five months to get paid from the Hilton!

With some large organisations, they have a central paying office.   This means you can be cleaning windows on a premises in Bristol, yet an office in Glasgow sends you the cheque.

Sounds simple enough, but often companies skimp on administration staff; and they go on holidays and stuff; and paying the window cleaner is never a high priority for some overweight office slouch.

So you end up waiting.

My advice is to wait 30 days and hassle them on a bi-weekly basis.

Also try and get the phone number of the person who writes the cheque.
Title: Re: how long do you leave it
Post by: garry on November 23, 2005, 06:48:57 pm
 5 months to get paid thats digusting.
problem with these commericals they pay good money but have to wait so b.l.o.o.d.y long for money.
Title: Re: how long do you leave it
Post by: matt on November 23, 2005, 07:36:24 pm
my longest has been 2 days short of 10 months
Title: Re: how long do you leave it
Post by: Moderator David@stives on November 23, 2005, 07:46:09 pm
14 months the lady nearly fell over when i knocked on the door one christmas and i said hello luv its 14 months please.
She asked me not to clean them anymore because she could not afford a big bill all at once .

I had posted a card every month .So she could have sent me a cheque at any time.
Title: Re: how long do you leave it
Post by: daniel b on November 23, 2005, 07:49:15 pm
we have a number of large contracts were 3 months is the norm to wait,the way i look at it is put up with it or dont do it.

Daniel
Title: Re: how long do you leave it
Post by: Paul Coleman on November 23, 2005, 10:27:08 pm
just how long do we leave it till we get our money i was thinking on commercial no more than 30 days been waiting 47 days so far so cheessed of about it.
 >:(

The longest I ever waited was on a small domestic job.  I waited about 3 years.  The guy rented his house out and went to the Middle East to work.  I had written it off long before.  One day, I was sitting near his house in my van having a sarnie when he tapped on the window and paid me.  My van was fairly distinctive I guess (dark blue Nissan Sunny) and had a ladder on.  I was gobsmacked that he even remembered as I had forgotten about it till he reminded me.
Title: Re: how long do you leave it
Post by: AuRavelling79 on November 23, 2005, 11:14:10 pm
I deal with two huge multinationals - they pay regular as clockwork 30 days straight into my account - and so do all my commercials. I find out the name of the accounts payable person, visit or phone and say " it's only (eg) £100, can you make sure it goes out on time cuz my kids need shoes." Usually this gets a light laugh and I get paid.

One domestic guy - after 3 months worth I put a note through saying my kids were starving, needed new shoes and even worse I was short of beer tokens, please pay up! (with a smiley) I was paid by return of post!

Be cheeky and chirpy to start with - and only then get heavy afterwards (if you need to).
Title: Re: how long do you leave it
Post by: Alex Gardiner on November 24, 2005, 04:29:18 pm
I do mainly commercial work for property management companies. Some are good some are not!

Several firms are about 3 months, my longest was 15 months of cleans, in the end I started charging interest.

They did pay up, the only reason I let them go on so long was that I had £2000 a month of other contracts with them.