Clean It Up
UK Window Cleaning Forum => Window Cleaning Forum => Topic started by: ronaldo on August 21, 2006, 10:38:02 pm
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Do you think this will help with my collecting nightmare, when i have finished the clean i have changed my note to..............
Your windows have been cleaned today and your custom is much appreciated.
We will be round to collect the money on Thursday evening between 6pm / 8pm.
If this is inconvenient or you wish to leave it somewhere incase your out please ring me on TEL...................
What do you think my fellow window cleaning brothers good idea or waste of time??
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It can't hurt, just come back from 90 mins collecting myself tonight, hate it with a passion!!
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It didn't work too well for me, but you might find it ok.
I have printed on mine................................
I have called and cleaned your windows today Date.......... Price £.......
Due to customer commitments i will no longer be collecting.
Any problems please contact me.
Please can you send a cheque or postal oeder within 7 days.
I will also except payment through internet banking.
I have only just added the Internet banking bit.
I got fed up of people been out when i went out collecting so i just stopped.
So far it hasn't been too bad and i haven't been out for over 2 - 3 months now.
Craig
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how many cleans do you do without payment? Does anyone work on a pre-payment basis?
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I only call at about 4 houses now as all the rest use sae or pay on the day.
I got fed up of going out collecting as I had priced to clean the windows not run around after payment.
What I did was to tell all my customers that I am no longer calling to collect payment . I will clean there windows twice then leave a sae for payment .
If I have not had the payment by the time I am due to clean there windows I dont do them.
You will be surprised how they find the money to pay you , and the ones that are not in call around to my house and post the payment.
Also any new customers now are told that I dont collect and require payment on the day of cleaning.
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Usually 3 cleans but nearly all pay up before.
I have maybe 3 or 4 which still are slow to pay but will probably be dropping them once i have been paid.
I had 1 that owed my £160 for 4 cleans but i only did this because i knew i would get payment.
You will get to know who's good and who isn't.
I've dropped quite a few jobs lately because of bad payment but replaced them with with good.
Craig
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I'd put one saying "I've cleaned your windows today, if I'm not round within a few days to collect it, could you possibly send a cheque, thankyou"
Then don't collect it and see what happens!
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Good evening everyone
I do not collect for the simple reason time is money.
I provide all my clients with an invoice and self-addressed envelopes with a first class stamp on. This is far more cost effective than driving all around the rounds and getting out of the car/ van and knocking etc.
I also offer a pre-pay service. The customer can pay three months in advance and for this, they receive a discount. I also operate strict terms on this and the payment has to be made 7 days prior to the first clean of that payment. Currently about 25% of my clients utilise this service.
Hope that helps
Many Thanks
Andrew
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What discount do you give Andrew?
I am going to a new customer (1st clean) tomorrow who wants to pay 6 months up front.
I was thinking of 10%
Craig
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I hate people paying in advance, and generally I won't let them.
The reason being that when you come to it, it feels like a free clean when the money's long been spent. :(
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I hate people paying in advance, and generally I won't let them.
The reason being that when you come to it, it feels like a free clean when the money's long been spent. :(
I,m with you there thats exactly how i feel.
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Know what your saying , but at least you don't have to worry collecting that account in.
This is the 1st one who has asked to pay up for this length of time.
Craig
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Hi Craig,
you hit the nail on the head 10%. I use to offer 15% but i was loosing to much money ;D
I do have to agree with u and squeaky though, i have four days each month that it feels i work for nothing (yesterday was one of them). But I still prefer to get the cheques in and know the money is in the bank.
Andrew
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I hate people paying in advance, and generally I won't let them.
The reason being that when you come to it, it feels like a free clean when the money's long been spent. :(
Right there with you Squeaky
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I don't think I've ever had so many people agree with me..... :o
By the way......wfp is crap. ;D
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Must be the only thing they have agreed with you on ;D ;D
Apart from wfp ;D
Craig
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we just put a sae in the door, if they are at home we will collect but if not then its up to them to post it, if payment is not received within a month the next time we will put a reminder that payment is due for two months, only once has it gone to 3 months the rest of the time there's no problem, fingers crossed it will stay like that.
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I've been thinking of approaching some shops in town to see if i can set up some sort of payment point for my customers.
Does anybody else do this.
Everyone goes into town at some point during the week.
Just been thinking of making payment easier for my customers if they don't want to post payment for whatever reason.
Craig
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I know I am new to this 'game' but I either take cash at the time of clean or accept internet/bank transfer. The response from them is good, it is almost that by doing bank transfer...they remain in control....
After each clean each customer recieves a A6 Card with my details, bank details, next visit date. I am hoping that this will serve to keep my customers informed...
I have to admit that I like the vast majority of people here (assumption) love my free time and the idea of going out after work to collect does not make me jump for joy...so it's cash or bank transfer.
Cheers
Dave.
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me i have not collected in years, ;D but made a big mistake in saying '' i like to be paid asap, but if wait 2 or even 3 cleans will be ok but the sooner the better!! '' what a muppet i was, am i mad!! ??? but i have just started putting please pay within 30 days, i am still a bit iffy about bank transfer, my details out there and all that,
this is my ticket
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A lot of people use the internet these days. How about giving the option to pay by Paypal?
You can send out invoices via email which customers can pay online using their credit card. I think the customer can even set up automatic recurring payments.
www.paypal.co.uk
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it all well using pay pal but your prices have to be right, so that the charges dont eat your profit so much, more than driving around or waiting that bit longer for a cheque in the post.
i have been thinking on top of what all have said here about asking customers for 12 cheque's and cashing them in with each clean, thats the basic idea any way
any thoughts on that?? ???
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When you leave an envelope always write the address on the inside of it, people are terrible at putting the correct details on the front of the cheque, let alone on the back!!
Marc
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When someone sends you a cheque keep a record of the account number (allow for 2 accounts per customer) and address in a spreadsheet. That way if you receive a cheque and you don't know who it's from, when you enter the first few digits on a spreadsheet 'search', the address will automatically pop up. I always write the address & date of clean on the inside of the SAE I leave for each customer as it keeps the bookwork simple.
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paypal........ then you give them a percentage to transfer the money into a bank account which takes upto 5 days no thanks
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Usually 3 cleans but nearly all pay up before.
I have maybe 3 or 4 which still are slow to pay but will probably be dropping them once i have been paid.
I had 1 that owed my £160 for 4 cleans but i only did this because i knew i would get payment.
You will get to know who's good and who isn't.
I've dropped quite a few jobs lately because of bad payment but replaced them with with good.
Craig
Same as Craig. You will get to know your customers. Ive some that ive been doing years, i know if there not in i wont get a cheque sent but as soon as i see them settled & get a bottle of Scotch or Vodka for xmas ;D.
Bad payers you will get to know that wont send if there out & never have any money when there in drop them. My attitude is iou's dont pay the bills.
Macc