Clean It Up
UK Window Cleaning Forum => Window Cleaning Forum => Topic started by: geefree on September 12, 2008, 01:09:39 pm
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Had a customer swear she paid me last month by cheque... not a large amount.. but all the same, i am sure she was not in... and my sheets tell me she owes..
without going to the bank (i may have to this time)...
do you all write cheque numbers down... against payment.
or do you simply put them in the bank.
just want a better way of doing this so i can pinpoint it straight away should it arise again.
Thanks.
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ask her for cheque ref no, then check your statement, or go to bank. if still not resolved ask her to check money has gone out of her account, and ref no.
daz
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I record cheque number, sort code, account number address and name for every cheque i recieve it takes a bit of getting used to but it is well worth it as i have been able to prove to a customer that she had not paid by quoting the last cheque number she gave me. Also if someone sends a cheque with no address on it you can check your records to see who it from.
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I have taken a couple of cheques but thankfully not many, just prefer the cash. But I just mark any none payers and record it on the system, generally because I go by on a scheduling system, I always catch my custies in and collect payment at the same time.
So I never have more than one or two that I have to collect from, so its not that hard to keep track off. But if I dont catch them in I just right on there next booking, owes...£.., then if I collect it before there next booking I just scrub i out.
You have to keep some sort of record though, its a must.
Gerard 8)
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keeping a record is called george or wcp
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keeping a record is called george or wcp
That doesnt stop a custy trying a fast one on with you.
It also doesnt stop you from FORGETTING to record it in George.
Anymore than forgetting to tick the card in your box that contains the details of customers that still owe for last visit.
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theres no way i could forget to mark off a payment as after each day i take my printed sheet and mark off all the jobs done, all the jobs paid and how they paid, also when i recieve payment from custy the slip they send with payment sits on keyboard till i next go on comp. Think you can prove her wrong if she has paid as its a cheque payment, vertuly impossible if she said it was cash.
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I have had this problem, i just ask them to give me the check number.It soon stops them from trying to pull a fast one !! ;D
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I pay mine into the bank using their machine. It agrees the cheques value with you, then prints a receipt out with a copy of the cheques on it. 8)
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I just record all cheques put in the bank on the paying in book stub, any problems and they are all recorded there, like jaykie says, tricky if it was cash.
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Buy a notebook.
Enter:-
Date
Customer name
Invoice No
Value £
When you paid in the cheque
On the back of the cheque enter your own pay in No. ( start with say 100 and increase with every pay in) - If by some chance the cheque is returned to you from the bank, you can then establish who sent you the cheque.
It's so easy !
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I had a cheque returned to me from the bank, went round a few days later and she paid cash, done her windows today and she paid cash straight away, i did think she was going to ask me not to come back.
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I have always logged every cheque ever received, simple if you have access or MS works equivalent just need to make colums and enter details, chq No, Date amount and address, I have experienced what you are now and when they try it, simply supply them with the last 5 cheque details, you'll never get it again from that custy.
Rob.
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Had a customer swear she paid me last month by cheque... not a large amount.. but all the same, i am sure she was not in... and my sheets tell me she owes..
without going to the bank (i may have to this time)...
do you all write cheque numbers down... against payment.
or do you simply put them in the bank.
just want a better way of doing this so i can pinpoint it straight away should it arise again.
Thanks.
I photocopy (on my scanner and printer) EVERY cheque just before I bank it. I get 6 on an A4 sheet (3 each side). There have been occasions when it's been really important to do this. I know it adds to the paperwork but it stops anyone fiddling me this way. It's also a very useful thing to do in case you ever get an IR investigation.
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I pay mine into the bank using their machine. It agrees the cheques value with you, then prints a receipt out with a copy of the cheques on it. 8)
HALIFAX BANK, very handy
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on line banking very easy,and you can check when ever you like,no time wasted
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(apart from George keeping track of debts)
Always take a photograph of your cheques along with the cheque deposit slip.
I'm only allowed to fit 10 in an envelope, so I lay em out on my desk, and take a high resolution picture. When the funds cleared (checked with Internet Banking), I delete the picture off my PC, and throw away the post office/bank receipt. Way to much work writing them all down.
I've learned my lesson.
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I pay mine into the bank using their machine. It agrees the cheques value with you, then prints a receipt out with a copy of the cheques on it. 8)
HALIFAX BANK, very handy
That's the one Chris. ;D
And welcome to the forum.
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I keep a book too, I make four columns.
date
cheque number
who from
how much
I make two columns on the opposite page, entering the total amount they come to
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Not very impressed.
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If they try it on and say they sent it just say to them can i have the cheque number from the cheque book stubb please,just watch them change there mind and make excuses for not sending it then.
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I keep a record of every transaction on George & every payment into the town banks or paypal
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Just wanted to say that you need to make sure you are complying with the rules of the Data Protection act if you are keeping any personal data. You are also required by law to notify the ICO how and for what purpose you process personal data if you store anything on any form of computer.
If you are only keeping manual records and do not have on personal data on a computer then you do not need to notify.
There is an online questionnaire (forms.informationcommissioner.gov.uk/notify/self/question1.html) that you can take to find out if you have to notify but I strongly suspect that anyone who has customers data and especially finanacil information on record will need to register.
We pay £35 per year to be on the register but you will have to check as I don't know if its gone up?
Hope that helps
Ian
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A couple of years ago i had a customer tell me she sent payment when i didn't think she did. I had to believe her though cos i wasn't 100% sure.
Ever since i ask for cheques to be posted.
I keep a separate spreadsheet called cheques received, with the date, name on cheque, address, cheque number, amount and date banked.
One thing i have noticed since i had cheques posted, is that royal mail have never been more than 4 days delivering from the postmark.
This allows me to privately chuckle when i chase a payment and get told it was posted a couple of weeks ago.
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Just wanted to say that you need to make sure you are complying with the rules of the Data Protection act if you are keeping any personal data. You are also required by law to notify the ICO how and for what purpose you process personal data if you store anything on any form of computer.
If you are only keeping manual records and do not have on personal data on a computer then you do not need to notify.
There is an online questionnaire (forms.informationcommissioner.gov.uk/notify/self/question1.html) that you can take to find out if you have to notify but I strongly suspect that anyone who has customers data and especially finanacil information on record will need to register.
We pay £35 per year to be on the register but you will have to check as I don't know if its gone up?
Hope that helps
Ian
Sorry, it might be the law, but that's just going too far.
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Just wanted to say that you need to make sure you are complying with the rules of the Data Protection act if you are keeping any personal data. You are also required by law to notify the ICO how and for what purpose you process personal data if you store anything on any form of computer.
If you are only keeping manual records and do not have on personal data on a computer then you do not need to notify.
There is an online questionnaire (forms.informationcommissioner.gov.uk/notify/self/question1.html) that you can take to find out if you have to notify but I strongly suspect that anyone who has customers data and especially finanacil information on record will need to register.
We pay £35 per year to be on the register but you will have to check as I don't know if its gone up?
Hope that helps
Ian
Sorry, it might be the law, but that's just going too far.
I was only offer some advice as I know a business (sole trader) that got 3 months cause they had not notified. I dont see why its too far?
Ian
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Oh it wasn't directed to you, I just think that that law is going a bit too far, I mean okay, for a big business, perhaps, but for a sole trader with a friendly customer round?! ??? :-\
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Oh it wasn't directed to you, I just think that that law is going a bit too far, I mean okay, for a big business, perhaps, but for a sole trader with a friendly customer round?! ??? :-\
Lol, I see where you were coming from now :-)
This guy was a builder and had a customer that wanted to know why he was holding financial information about her, i.e. photocopying her cheques. He told her it was to protect himself if the IR asked. She reported him to the ICO and he got found guilty of not notifying and got 3 months (reduced to 1 for good behaviour but its still crazy) - I agree that the law is far to harsh on the common man but its meant to be there to protect ??
Ian
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I have taken a couple of cheques but thankfully not many, just prefer the cash. But I just mark any none payers and record it on the system, generally because I go by on a scheduling system, I always catch my custies in and collect payment at the same time.
So I never have more than one or two that I have to collect from, so its not that hard to keep track off. But if I dont catch them in I just right on there next booking, owes...£.., then if I collect it before there next booking I just scrub i out.
You have to keep some sort of record though, its a must.
Gerard 8)
Hi Gerard, what scheduling system do you use?
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Oh it wasn't directed to you, I just think that that law is going a bit too far, I mean okay, for a big business, perhaps, but for a sole trader with a friendly customer round?! ??? :-\
Lol, I see where you were coming from now :-)
This guy was a builder and had a customer that wanted to know why he was holding financial information about her, i.e. photocopying her cheques. He told her it was to protect himself if the IR asked. She reported him to the ICO and he got found guilty of not notifying and got 3 months (reduced to 1 for good behaviour but its still crazy) - I agree that the law is far to harsh on the common man but its meant to be there to protect ??
Ian
That's an interesting story Ian and the punishment sounds very harsh (unless he had previous for something similar).
It looks like you only have to register if the data is held on computer. Making a photocopy of cheques is hard copy rather than storage on a computer so I wonder if it may be exempt. However, keeping records of dates when windows were cleaned and the prices charged (on a computer) along with a regularly updated list of who hasn't yet paid (also on a computer), do seem to fall within the Act. It seems like a sledgehammer for the proverbial nut and surely isn't the sort of stuff that the Act was designed to cover, but it does indeed look like registration is a legal requirement even just for that. The legislation wording seems complex for a layman such as myself so I intend to enquire about this further very shortly.
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Oh it wasn't directed to you, I just think that that law is going a bit too far, I mean okay, for a big business, perhaps, but for a sole trader with a friendly customer round?! ??? :-\
Lol, I see where you were coming from now :-)
This guy was a builder and had a customer that wanted to know why he was holding financial information about her, i.e. photocopying her cheques. He told her it was to protect himself if the IR asked. She reported him to the ICO and he got found guilty of not notifying and got 3 months (reduced to 1 for good behaviour but its still crazy) - I agree that the law is far to harsh on the common man but its meant to be there to protect ??
Ian
That's an interesting story Ian and the punishment sounds very harsh (unless he had previous for something similar).
It looks like you only have to register if the data is held on computer. Making a photocopy of cheques is hard copy rather than storage on a computer so I wonder if it may be exempt. However, keeping records of dates when windows were cleaned and the prices charged (on a computer) along with a regularly updated list of who hasn't yet paid (also on a computer), do seem to fall within the Act. It seems like a sledgehammer for the proverbial nut and surely isn't the sort of stuff that the Act was designed to cover, but it does indeed look like registration is a legal requirement even just for that. The legislation wording seems complex for a layman such as myself so I intend to enquire about this further very shortly.
You are correct about only having to register if you hold any data on a computer.
The DPA 1998 actually has a reputation of being one of the most complex and perplexing acts ever put togehter.
Check it out and let us know how you get on.
Ian
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I enquired about this with the data commissioners office a few years ago (so things may have changed) regarding a different business.
They told me at the time, that if I was only keeping details like name and address and invoice info, then I would not need to register.
If anyone receives any concrete info, then please post it for everyone to see.
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FYI,
I have just checked with the ICO and they have said that you would not need to register if you are only keeping customer records for the purpose of running your business. However if you pass any of the details on to third parties i.e. Debt collection agencies then you would need to register.
Hope this helps
Thanks
Ian
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FYI,
I have just checked with the ICO and they have said that you would not need to register if you are only keeping customer records for the purpose of running your business. However if you pass any of the details on to third parties i.e. Debt collection agencies then you would need to register.
Hope this helps
Thanks
Ian
Okay, that makes much more sense, no worries. Thanks for checking that for us.
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write the customer name on the slip in the cheque book
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FYI,
I have just checked with the ICO and they have said that you would not need to register if you are only keeping customer records for the purpose of running your business. However if you pass any of the details on to third parties i.e. Debt collection agencies then you would need to register.
Hope this helps
Thanks
Ian
That's a great help Ian. I hadn't got around to making my own enquiries so I will rely on what you have posted.
I do wonder if there was a bit more involved concerning that builder you mentioned earlier in the thread.
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FYI,
I have just checked with the ICO and they have said that you would not need to register if you are only keeping customer records for the purpose of running your business. However if you pass any of the details on to third parties i.e. Debt collection agencies then you would need to register.
Hope this helps
Thanks
Ian
That's a great help Ian. I hadn't got around to making my own enquiries so I will rely on what you have posted.
I do wonder if there was a bit more involved concerning that builder you mentioned earlier in the thread.
Funny you should say that I have just come back from a run with him and asked him about it. He said the reason he was found guilty was because he sold details of contracts and customer to uPVC firm, which is why the customer got annoyed how they got her details.
Apologies if it worried anyone
Ian
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FYI,
I have just checked with the ICO and they have said that you would not need to register if you are only keeping customer records for the purpose of running your business. However if you pass any of the details on to third parties i.e. Debt collection agencies then you would need to register.
Hope this helps
Thanks
Ian
That's a great help Ian. I hadn't got around to making my own enquiries so I will rely on what you have posted.
I do wonder if there was a bit more involved concerning that builder you mentioned earlier in the thread.
Funny you should say that I have just come back from a run with him and asked him about it. He said the reason he was found guilty was because he sold details of contracts and customer to uPVC firm, which is why the customer got annoyed how they got her details.
Apologies if it worried anyone
Ian
Well that's a very big difference from just doing a bit of record keeping. Ta for posting that too. Glad to hear I'm staying the right side of the law.
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I pay mine into the bank using their machine. It agrees the cheques value with you, then prints a receipt out with a copy of the cheques on it. 8)
like that idea ... do all banks have this facility though ?
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Never had one bounce for window cleaning, 70% of my w/cleaning comes in by cheque. Sold 6000 items on ebay, most were paid by paypal but had maybe 5% cheques, only ever had one bounce and they sent me a replacement cheque and apology before I even contacted them.
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I pay mine into the bank using their machine. It agrees the cheques value with you, then prints a receipt out with a copy of the cheques on it. 8)
like that idea ... do all banks have this facility though ?