[Sean Dyer]

I haven't either.

I'm currently chasing a £70 debt.

So far i've paid out £208.90 in legal fees and court costs. She will be forced to reimburse me all but around £20 or £30 of this,s o it's really going to cost her.

It's a long story but to cut it short she ignored my fone calls, home visits, a red letter, a letter before action from my solicitors (Thos Higgins - excellent), a summons and the court appearance. She got issued a CCJ, but then, after the deadline wrote to the court asking if i'd accept £20/month - I said I would. Then, before making a payment, she asked to increase to £30/month. Again I accepted.

The first payment was supposed to be made on 31st Oct, with a second on 16th Nov, then monthly thereafter. Guess what... Nothing, nada.

So, back to the solicitors and now the bailiffs will be calling. It's pity because she lost her father the month before I did the job (July) and I know she's bringing up her son (she's a single parent) and helping fund her two sisters. If she'd have come to me and said, "Look, i'm having problems and can you bear with me?" i'd have said yes and sorted something out on a monthly basis. But what p'd me off was that she sent me one message after my first visit to collect the late bill saying she'd been on holiday in Lazarote and that she'd posted the cheque "the day before" (later on the court form she stated she didn't have a cheque book...) and then another a bit later saying she'd pay "at the end of the month" (this was back in September).

I might never get the money, but for me it's the principle. People can't - generally - be allowed to get away with it.

if i had known all that about her situation i would have just dropped it myself. 

not worth the bad karma

i probably would too

but thats a personal choice

anyone who pursues it i respect ,i avoid the court action because i'm lazy :)but  if someone has the energy to pursue it then good on them , they are entitled to their money -its the customer at fault

you think british gas would drop your gas bill because of a few personal hardships??

[richard jagger]

 I don`t want any one to even think I am talking down at any one. But the problem with our industry is so many don`t see us as worthy of payment and its our  understanding of our industry that lets us down in the eyes of the public its a shame as we are all just trying to make a living in these difficult financial times.Every time we walk away from a person owing us money we are just entrenching the none payment culture of our industry. There must be thousands out there owed to window cleaners.

[Carl2009]

Hi Carl sorry if i'm asking silly questions.

1) say i set thomas higgins after someone for £10; first thing is a £2 letter before payment.

If custie still doesn't pay £10, i suppose i then have the option to chase at a further cost to myself.

Think someone said on here a statistic 70-80% of people pay on getting letter befor payment.


2) Not trying to be akward just wondered how you prove in court that you've cleaned someone's windows,
not trying to make fun Carl genuinely intrested as i could be in your shoes one day and want to know i've done everything by the book.

I suppose point 2) could be said of a lot of services proofing the custie has had mentioned service.

Thanks for your replies Carl as said not trying to have fun with you I want to be ready for this situation as i have walked away from a few depts over the years i 8 years on my own as a windie probably amounts to £150

Use to get a lot of xmas tips so used to see it as that cancelled out p'takers.

(wrong i know) and now not getting xmas tips

No problemo. The way it works is that you only need to take action as and when, at each stage. They won't do anything without your say so.

So, you can send the Letter Before Action and if s/he pays all well and good. Your next step is then Court Action. This is where you have to seriously think about the cost, cos some are unrecoverable (their website has the details). Less than £30-ish and its gonna get expensive to stick to your principles.

Re. 2. Remember you are going to court - you better be damned sure that what you say - even on forms - is the truth.

[Carl2009]

I had a custie that asked me to clean her brothers' place. I looked at the job - £15 for a one-off. Phoned him, he gave me the OK. Did the clean and left the prepaid envelope. Didn't get paid. Called and called - yep we'll send a cheque.

30 Dec 2011 the cheque arrives. Happy days. Banked it. It bounced. Sent Letter Before Action - nada. Didn't pursue it as it was small cost and I admire how hard his sister and her hubbie work, and I like them.

Sooooo... last month am talking to his sister and asked her how her brother was - fine she says. Did he pay you she asks. Nope, cheque bounced but I didn't pursue it cos I value your business and didn't want to cause a problem between us. Right, don't worry she says, i'll pay you and i'll get it from him, and she paid me there and then.

In the end all worked out OK.

[keyser soze]

I had a custie that asked me to clean her brothers' place. I looked at the job - £15 for a one-off. Phoned him, he gave me the OK. Did the clean and left the prepaid envelope. Didn't get paid. Called and called - yep we'll send a cheque.

30 Dec 2011 the cheque arrives. Happy days. Banked it. It bounced. Sent Letter Before Action - nada. Didn't pursue it as it was small cost and I admire how hard his sister and her hubbie work, and I like them.

Sooooo... last month am talking to his sister and asked her how her brother was - fine she says. Did he pay you she asks. Nope, cheque bounced but I didn't pursue it cos I value your business and didn't want to cause a problem between us. Right, don't worry she says, i'll pay you and i'll get it from him, and she paid me there and the

In the end all worked out OK.

I ADMIRE YOUR STANCE... TOO MANY THINK WINDIES ARE A SOFT TOUCH (SORRY ABOUT CAPS)

[Moderator David@stives]

I have sent 2 solicitors letters this week one for £500 one for £2500, i dont mind people owing me that amount, but there payments were none existent, and I  have phoned the accounts departments umpteen times, only to be fobbed off each time.

thought I had got somewhere with one of them only to be told "Andrew" has now left the accounts department, and we have no records of your invoices and can you now send again, even got past that hurdle and I was supposed to be on a payment run this week, when i chased the payment this week, there was no-one in accounts or management available to speak to me this last few days.

[lee_dewing]

Thanks Carl

[Johnny B]

I have a fair few debts on my run. I leave the customers on my books, but suspend them until they pay me.

I have one as an example who I did a first clean for in May. She and her hubby kept sending me away and telling me to come back another day, always promising to pay. I called back several times to no avail, so I left it ...

... Until last week when lady sees me across the road and asks me to clean hers on Tuesday next week (4th December). I remind her that she still owes for last clean. She is insistent that I don't let her down (ha! ha!). I tell her that when she has the money I will oblige. She then promises to pay me for both cleans before I start on Tuesday ...

... I will let you know what happens.

John
  

[Carl2009]

Jeez David - that's a lot of money to be so relaxed about 

[Moderator David@stives]

Hi Carl

The 2.5k is 6 months money I cleaned for a chain of banks, can't wait for them to ignore the solicitors letter. Then they get charged interest as well as a ccj

[Carl2009]

A bank with a CCJ. How the hell are they gonna get a mortgage after that?