[dave0123]

also not everyone has online bank accounts and send cheques to you in post. the direct debit for them would be i deal. Takes around 10 odd days to get the cheque and stick it in the bank and wait for it to clear anyway.

[Alistair@AWC]

I quite like the idea of it, especially only initiating payment once the windows have been cleaned, biggest problem I see is if you take money at a bad time of the month, they get bank charges and cancel there windows!

[supernova77]

biggest problem I see is if you take money at a bad time of the month, they get bank charges and cancel there windows!

Yeah that's a fair point... However the customers who have set it up so far love the idea - They don't have to do anything, they get their windows cleaned and payment is taken automatically.

Andy

[dazmond]

we all have "rolling debt".if your ahead of yourself financially its not a problem.

[Alistair@AWC]

Andy,

Don't get me wrong, I think its brilliant and if I hadn't thought of that issue I'd be signing up right now, I may still do it as it does say payment will be taken approx 5 days after clean which gives them plenty of time to make sure there are funds or to contact you!

You'll have to let us know how you get on

Al

[formb]

I looked into direct debits a while back. I decided it wasn't for me. Mainly because it was considerably more than 1% at the time.

You are in control. That is what you want. Forget about cash flow problems. If all your customers payments are clear within a week its hardly an issue is it? Control is what you want.

[supernova77]

You are in control. That is what you want. Forget about cash flow problems. If all your customers payments are clear within a week its hardly an issue is it? Control is what you want.

That's why it appealed to me... Obviously I have the odd customer who pays cash on the day because they are in every time I clean their windows... And I also have some customers that I know for sure will pay by bank transfer the same night - These kind of people I probably won't move to Direct Debit... But all slow payers / cheque payers and new customers I am going to move on to it - As you say it then puts me in control.

Andy 

[dave0123]

biggest problem I see is if you take money at a bad time of the month, they get bank charges and cancel there windows!

Thing is most people have a time limit for them to pay weather it be bacs or cheque like within 5 days or 14 days, So it wouldn't really matter.

However maybe you could arrange with some people who are skint in the month and get paid monthly to take it at the end of each month?

i duno.... i think its a good idea though it really would solve a lot of problems in this business with cash flow... no 1 likes to miss a DD coming out

[Mike #1]

If they cant afford a window cleaner then should not have one , Late payers need calling on at 7:30-8 am

And tell them bluntly that you are their to collect payment if that does not prompt them to make prompt payment in future then they get sacked .

I am getting new payment cards done which are postcard size and i am telling custys that payment must be made within 3 days of clean , Any late payments will incur a £1.00 charge on the next clean .

This to ensure i get my money as fast as possible as you can guarantee while they are dragging their heels paying the window cleaner ,  They are paying all their other bills going to shop and pub and paying upfront and thinking that they can string the window cleaner along . Mike

[8weekly]

With the really slow payers I can see the use, but I am not sure I could be arrised for half a dozenslow payers. Better to cull them than the extra work.

[Ian101]

They are paying all their other bills going to shop and pub and paying upfront and thinking that they can string the window cleaner along . Mike

u only got to see the empty bottles of booze and wine in the recycling to know their not that skint.

[Mike #1]

Totally agree Ian ,  It seems that  a lot of custys think it is perfectly acceptable not to pay their windy but they also think that they are the only person who owes you money .

But have no clear idea that you  have another 40 + custys also owing money . Mike

[richard jagger]

I have gone to remind customers of none payment and they tell me they have paid. This dries me up the wall because they seam to think we have no right to ash for the payment.At this point you just know this is a problem.The worst is they are often long standing customers.

[Ian101]

we all have "rolling debt".if your ahead of yourself financially its not a problem.

agree with you on that but why should you wait ages for your money ... like you fortunately all dipsticks eliminated from round ages ago but slightly irks me when certain customers keep forgetting to pay - i know it comes with job but still  

[Ian101]

i think slow payers fall into 2 catergories.

ones that just dont want to pay (avoid at all costs) or cant run a household budget ... think they ought to have a window cleaner but when wages come in and bills go out and only enough left over for kids lunch monies / fAgs / booze / petrol to get to work / etc etc they see your "we called to clean today" slip and think oh well he's not getting paid this month.

and

the ones that are genuinely mad busy people who get no time off work and always doing headless chicken impressions ............ these are ideal for standing orders or 6 months in advance payments.


however the trick is guessing which catergory your slow payers fall into hence my reminder letter offering standing orders. 

[dave0123]

up to now texting the customer about 4/5 days after the clean reminding them is working great!

very tempted to go with this direct debit thing for people who are constantly slow paying or still send cheque cus they dont have online accounts.

[Pete Thompson]

If I were a customer, I would never agree to a direct debit for window cleaning.  Standing order yes, direct debit, no.

I'd agree for a big company like british gas or whatever, but basically saying "I trust you to take money from my bank account" to a window cleaner?  no way.

And the ever-so-amazing "direct debit guarantee" would not give me any comfort at all.  I once got charged twice for my car insurance by direct debit, it was about £500 over.  Despite the 'direct debit guarantee' it was a nightmare to get refunded - the bank simply didn't want to know and didn't see it as their problem.

Eventually I got the insurance company to refund the money, but it took months of wrangling and I never got the bank fees back for going overdrawn even though it was their fault.

I got the distinct impression that if they'd never acknowleddged their mistake (which they didn't for a long time) then there would simply be nothing I could have done.

Since then I'm extremely wary of what direct debits I allow, and only do it if there's absolutely no alternative.

But maybe thats just me.