Clean It Up

UK Window Cleaning Forum => Window Cleaning Forum => Topic started by: giftedk on June 04, 2008, 11:05:44 pm

Title: anyone still collecting ?
Post by: giftedk on June 04, 2008, 11:05:44 pm
Hi all,  i really need to make a decision and need to do it soon
at present i am collecting all my window cleaning payments 3 times a week, but its become too costly and too time consuming.
I am gonna change too customers sending in payments and paying online, but am just worried that they  will not comply paying within seven days.
Has anyone else just done similar of late, and gave up collecting?.
I need to type up a  flyer letting them all know, any advice on how to word it?

Any advice appreciated
Title: Re: anyone still collecting ?
Post by: Jason Atwell on June 04, 2008, 11:09:51 pm
I still collect but eventually plan to do what you want to do!

I think it would be best to do it in stages, therefore your not losing too many at once, as im sure your bound to lose some, but you will still be better off! Hopefully!!
Title: Re: anyone still collecting ?
Post by: steve.ternent on June 04, 2008, 11:29:10 pm
 ;D Oh you'll get a lot of advice on this, don't you worry!  :D

I always leave a payment slip and envelope (NOT STAMPED)

I have no problems, people seem to prefer it!
Having said that only this evening quoted a customer,
got the job, do it Friday...
Told him how to pay if not in...
No cheque book... "never had one, not likely to get one!"  :-\
Title: Re: anyone still collecting ?
Post by: Wayne Thomas on June 04, 2008, 11:32:14 pm
Just a tip. Some customers are monthly paid instead of weekly so they would find it easier to pay at the beginning of each month rather than within 7days from clean. Beginning of my month is like a big pay day from the postie.
Title: Re: anyone still collecting ?
Post by: Paul Coleman on June 05, 2008, 04:08:33 am
Hi all,  i really need to make a decision and need to do it soon
at present i am collecting all my window cleaning payments 3 times a week, but its become too costly and too time consuming.
I am gonna change too customers sending in payments and paying online, but am just worried that they  will not comply paying within seven days.
Has anyone else just done similar of late, and gave up collecting?.
I need to type up a  flyer letting them all know, any advice on how to word it?

Any advice appreciated

I set 14 days as the payment time and it seems to work OK.  Sometimes a few might take rather longer but I do a 6 weekly round mostly so they have usually paid before the next clean.  When I first stopped collecting, I did have to go through a sorting process though as some customers just didn't adapt.  There was a higher level of bad debt for a brief period too which I found too much hassle to chase.
Title: Re: anyone still collecting ?
Post by: Dean Taberner on June 05, 2008, 07:03:41 am
Im leaving for work in a minute, working all day and then staying out and collecting until 8pmish :( :(
Title: Re: anyone still collecting ?
Post by: MSTAV on June 05, 2008, 07:09:48 am
iv recently changed over thanks to paul grifins advice. i havnt looked back since ..the odd time i have to do a collect but on a whole has been good and saved me loads of time.
Title: Re: anyone still collecting ?
Post by: kirky on June 05, 2008, 07:28:52 am
put on your flyer your switching to help the envoirment (car off the road no emmisions) the do gooding lefty bridgade love it ;)
Title: Re: anyone still collecting ?
Post by: Paul Coleman on June 05, 2008, 09:16:52 am
put on your flyer your switching to help the envoirment (car off the road no emmisions) the do gooding lefty bridgade love it ;)

Yep.  Instead of pumping car fumes into the atmosphere, you will let Royal Mail pump their's instead  :)  .  Also, contribute to deforestation with all those envelopes and cheques.  And just for good measure, add the postage to their outgoings   :)  .
Title: Re: anyone still collecting ?
Post by: RPCCS on June 05, 2008, 09:29:24 am
What about your" little bit to 1 side for a rainy day", how can that be acheived if  every payment is cheque or bacs? nudge nudge wink wink!!!!!!! ;) ;) ;) ;) ;) ;) ;)
Title: Re: anyone still collecting ?
Post by: Dean Taberner on June 05, 2008, 10:22:43 am
What about your" little bit to 1 side for a rainy day", how can that be acheived if  every payment is cheque or bacs? nudge nudge wink wink!!!!!!! ;) ;) ;) ;) ;) ;) ;)

What do you mean ??? ;)
Title: Re: anyone still collecting ?
Post by: chrismroberts on June 05, 2008, 10:34:26 am
;D Oh you'll get a lot of advice on this, don't you worry!  :D

I always leave a payment slip and envelope (NOT STAMPED)

I have no problems, people seem to prefer it!
Having said that only this evening quoted a customer,
got the job, do it Friday...
Told him how to pay if not in...
No cheque book... "never had one, not likely to get one!"  :-\

I have a few customers without cheque books, these just tend to transfer via online banking or send Paypal payments.

Didn't have any trouble changing over, not collected for about 3 months now :) I guess problems could come... but most customers I told about it said something along the lines of "oh it must be a terrible hassle collecting in the evenings... yes thats fine, thats more convenient for us anyway" :)

Hi all,  i really need to make a decision and need to do it soon
at present i am collecting all my window cleaning payments 3 times a week, but its become too costly and too time consuming.
I am gonna change too customers sending in payments and paying online, but am just worried that they  will not comply paying within seven days.
Has anyone else just done similar of late, and gave up collecting?.
I need to type up a  flyer letting them all know, any advice on how to word it?

Any advice appreciated

This how I worded my letter:

Dear Customer,

To make my business more efficient and to make payment for your window cleaning service less intrusive, starting with your next clean, I will be changing to payment by one of the 3 following methods:-

Along with my card, I will leave an addressed envelope which you can use to send me a cheque. Please make cheques payable to ".........".

If you are online and have a PayPal account, you can send payment to xxxxxxxx@xxxxx.com. Please make a note of your house number/name and street in the subject field.

If you would like to pay by direct transfer into my account, please give me a call and we can arrange this.

In order to maintain a consistent service, in all cases, I would be grateful if you could send payment within 7 days of the clean if possible.

As always, if you have any problems with this or any aspect of my service, feel free to let me know.

Many thanks
Title: Re: anyone still collecting ?
Post by: Captain Scarlet on June 05, 2008, 08:26:06 pm
Whats collecting????!!!! Luke
Title: Re: anyone still collecting ?
Post by: windowwashers on June 05, 2008, 08:28:13 pm
Whats collecting????!!!! Luke
it is a waste of evening messing about and getting no answer sometimes and to top that off it costs money to collect and you dont even get paid for it.

Send the payment in the post I say.
Title: Re: anyone still collecting ?
Post by: windowwashers on June 05, 2008, 08:39:53 pm
been to over 100 houses tonight got most,wouldnt llike to pay out for all them stamps  or wait for the cheques to dribble in,also i bet its a right pain stood in the bank while they go through all the cheques,
not at all, I send a guy in to do it for me ;D
I dont pay for stamps as I do not have shares in the post office, cheques come in all the time. Saves me fuel and time.
Title: Re: anyone still collecting ?
Post by: chrismroberts on June 05, 2008, 08:51:13 pm
been to over 100 houses tonight got most,wouldnt llike to pay out for all them stamps  or wait for the cheques to dribble in,also i bet its a right pain stood in the bank while they go through all the cheques,

100 houses?! All on one estate? Wouldnt want to do that after work...!!

Cheques seem to come in thick and fast, and this last month I've got all my money in faster than I ever did collecting. But then again, I used to put off collecting as hated it with a passion  :-\

It doesnt really take much extra time at the bank, they just count them and key in the total value I put on the paying in slip, and my customers are fine with sticking a stamp on. A lot of them just frank the envelope at work.
Title: Re: anyone still collecting ?
Post by: sjm on June 05, 2008, 08:55:37 pm
Thing I love about leaving sae is getting them through the letterbox every day !  I like to guess who they are from and how much they are . . . .sad yes I know , but at my time of life you take your pleasure from anywhere you can find it !
Title: Re: anyone still collecting ?
Post by: pjulk on June 05, 2008, 09:02:34 pm
I have not collected in over 3 years,
I leave a stamped addressed envelope and they all pay ok.
I had a few that took there time but if i didn't get it by the second clean i would put a note through there door saying i could not clean there windows as they have not paid you soon get the money.

I used to collect on a friday evening but have always hated it.
Best thing i have done is change over to SAE
Title: Re: anyone still collecting ?
Post by: steve.ternent on June 05, 2008, 09:32:25 pm
Thing I love about leaving sae is getting them through the letterbox every day !  I like to guess who they are from and how much they are . . . .sad yes I know , but at my time of life you take your pleasure from anywhere you can find it !

 ;D  ;D  ;D
No, your not alone there, sad maybe, but that makes me sad as well!
Kind of satisfying isn't it!  ;D

I don't waste money on stamps though!  :o

As for queuing in bank... thats what the wife's for (goes to town every day for a walk anyway!)  8)

Title: Re: anyone still collecting ?
Post by: CM on June 05, 2008, 10:28:18 pm
There is a big change coming soon, that a company launching a payment platform for the home service industry.

Anyone else heard about it?

Title: Re: anyone still collecting ?
Post by: Clive McDonald on June 05, 2008, 10:52:07 pm
There is a big change coming soon, that a company launching a payment platform for the home service industry.

Anyone else heard about it?


Not heard of it, but it would be a winner.
Title: Re: anyone still collecting ?
Post by: RPCCS on June 06, 2008, 07:04:41 pm
What about your" little bit to 1 side for a rainy day", how can that be acheived if  every payment is cheque or bacs? nudge nudge wink wink!!!!!!! ;) ;) ;) ;) ;) ;) ;)
pocket money ;)
Title: Re: anyone still collecting ?
Post by: RPCCS on June 06, 2008, 07:09:14 pm
What about your" little bit to 1 side for a rainy day", how can that be acheived if  every payment is cheque or bacs? nudge nudge wink wink!!!!!!! ;) ;) ;) ;) ;) ;) ;)
:o
 :o
 :o
Really you will give w/c a bad name... that's naughty, it's wrong, what would your mother say! tut tut  ;) ;) ;)

Go on son,make sure you have a little rainy day fund ,but don't be greedy now!!,its only a little bit naughty and not THAT wrong.