[lee_dewing]

My concerns are with new customers for at least the first three months

  hemski, that's exactly how i feel, first few goes i've always got an eye on custy, pull em up politely if they forget.

new one recently didn't post cheque, so left windows next time and payment reminder,

which basically says no clean this time as you haven't paid last one (custy out)

next clean they were out but got cheque in 3 days.

so as you say if they start off bad and don't learn i do tend to leave.
wether this is petty on my part i'm not quite sure.

some seem to think this is bad business.

Not saying who's right or wrong here, it's intresting to see how others do things.

good tip about capex.
was wondering how you chase up window cleaning debt, thought it would be hard to prove have.

i cleaned your windows.
no you never.
but i'm sure that can be said about most things

[Rob.Hall]

Hi Lee.

The way I do it is this.
If custies have not paid me on the second clean they get put on the back burner until they do.

I dont bin them incase they are going through a hard time, however they just dont get cleaned full stop.

Reminders or a call are done with my intentions before hand so custie knows where I and they stand.

[The Jester of Wibbly]

My concerns are with new customers for at least the first three months

  hemski, that's exactly how i feel, first few goes i've always got an eye on custy, pull em up politely if they forget.

new one recently didn't post cheque, so left windows next time and payment reminder,

which basically says no clean this time as you haven't paid last one (custy out)

next clean they were out but got cheque in 3 days.

so as you say if they start off bad and don't learn i do tend to leave.
wether this is petty on my part i'm not quite sure.

some seem to think this is bad business.

Not saying who's right or wrong here, it's intresting to see how others do things.

good tip about capex.
was wondering how you chase up window cleaning debt, thought it would be hard to prove have.

i cleaned your windows.
no you never.
but i'm sure that can be said about most things

Never really have a issue with having to prove i cleaned.  If you have a good rep, then this is not an issue to Capex.  As long as yo signed his form to say you did clean them, it is ggod enough for them to press there tatics to get the money.  hope this helps, but i do keep track of all letters i send out and the dates i send them out on.

[prestige cleaners]

whats the lowest amount capex will take on?

[The Jester of Wibbly]

also on another note, the bad payers think they are on a winner.  They move from window cleaner to another.  But when they are faced with a huge legal bill, they soon stop messing with us

[The Jester of Wibbly]

whats the lowest amount capex will take on?

I tend to get the bill up to at a min of £40.  i.e 2 cleans plus a late payment charges plus costs to cover every time I visited the house to try and collect.

[prestige cleaners]

would capex take a £20 debt? i refuse to clean more than once if they havent paid, pestering has usually worked, then i dump them after that. ive only lost about £20 in 3 yrs to bad payers. spose thats good, and thats cos they moved.

[Paul Coleman]

3 or 4 weeks to pay would not be a dumping offence in my book but the messing around with access probably would be.  Last week, for the first time in months, my debt list dropped below £1,000.  It's back above it now.  I've always been owed more since I stopped collecting some years ago.  Also, since using WFP, I do more commercial work than I used to so that often takes a bit longer for payment.  I don't mind so long as I can cover my bills.

[The Jester of Wibbly]

Not sure Mogsy, not tried it.  As they take full responsibility for dept, meaning they will never call on you for evidence, other that you signing the dept to them they only tend yo pay you 25 to 35% of the dept.  So if I get the dept to £40, then at least I get £10 to £15 quid back, which is better than nothing, and you get a win over the customer messing you about.  

I have in the past included in the final letter to the customer that the dept is being passed over to Capex if full payment is not recieved in 7 days.  Most times this is enough to get them to cough up stright away giving me a grovelling apology and a pathetic excuse for the delay.

[prestige cleaners]

ha ha nice one hermski, just passing them on to a debt collector would make me happy! thieving scumbags! might just use the capex contact details to scare them next time, at least if they check up on you to see if your bluffing they can see their website online 

that might be enough to see the chq in the post.

i did save one womans sort code/account no details off her chq just in case she cancelled it, dont know what i could have done with the details mind you, ive heard even having their chq guarantee card details doesnt guarantee the bank will give you the money!

i was contemplating egging their house, but the husband looked a right psycho 

it did clear btw, after calling over about 3 times, 10 calls, 5 msgs.. thank goodness.

[The Jester of Wibbly]

hehe good one Mogsy, Always wanted to egg the windows, but someone once pointed out to me, that would put me on the wrong side of the law, hay ho!  hehehe

Don't forget to put a warning on the letter that Capex will add anyting upto a £125 extra charge on the bill the moment they take it on.  Put their web address and mail address on the letter too to prove it is no bluff !

What even better is they wont try it with the next wondow cleaner either.

[prestige cleaners]

nice one hermski, good tip mate.

i was going to leave that last one go, but my wife wouldnt let it go, and got a chq off the woman.

when i called around the last time, same excuse ive sent it, i asked can i have another one in case that one doesnt turn up again, no was the reply, come back here if it doesnt turn up!

it didnt turn up, but as i said wife managed to get it off her in the end.

people like that make my blood boil, how can you stand there and refuse to pay for work done for you!

i did make one cust give me cash once as he'd cancelled the last chq, as i took it off him i said "yoink" see you around matey!

[The Jester of Wibbly]

With you on that one Mogsy,  Glad she came clean

Oh, and if you do go down the road of egging the window, remembe eggs are not cheap.  So add the cost of the eggs on the customers final bill 

[prestige cleaners]

ha ha! 

another good one is knocking them up at 7am on a saturday morning! 

[lee_dewing]

thanks guys

Thanks hermski for that tip on capex, even though you may lose out and only get 35% if custy won't pay up the feeling of them having the debt collectors snapping at their heels is great

[The Jester of Wibbly]

Gald u like it chap.  That's why I always add on extra charges so when I get my split, I can at least cover the cleaning costs.  But usually the threat is enough to get them to pay in full anyway.