[Lesley J]

we quoted a price for 3 hrs domestic cleaning, to include
kitchen and bathroom,all surfaces, windows and floors
and 1 bedroom hoover and dust,(place was minging)
client wanted this done for Easter, advised client that on the initial clean that we would not be able to do eveything that she wanted, however on the subsequent visits we would incorporate the extra
cleaning she wanted. 2 girls worked on this did more than the allotted time to try and do a good job and create a good impression, we turned up for the 2nd weeks clean and client complained that she was not happy with the 1st clean and turned girls away,  she had taken 7 days to complain and has refused to pay the bill, I have telephoned her to try and resolve the problem, she will not negotiate, I feel that she was looking for a free clean for her visitors over Easter, we have not come across this problem before, what should we do?

[woodman]

On your estimate does it have your Terms & Conditions?
(it should have)

If not issue a seven day notice on her NOW explaining you will add interest and a compensation fine plus any costs involved in the collection of the overdue amount if it's not paid immediately.

You have offered to discuss any grievance and put any problems right she has refused and did not make any contact regarding the quality of the work until you turned up under the contract as agreed for the second week.

She is in breach of contract,simple as that.

[Mike_Boxall]

Hi Lesley

Yes, I agree with Woodman. Assuming you wouldn't want to deal with the client again and you don't think she will be reasonable about it I would send something like this:


Notice of intended legal proceedings

Despite our request for immediate settlement of your overdue account, the debt as detailed below remains unpaid.

If full payment is not received within 7 days of this letter we shall take legal action to recover the debt. Interest and legal costs will be accrued as of todays date should legal action be necessary.

NO FURTHER WARNINGS WILL BE GIVEN

Personally, I would also send her a stamped addressed envelope and see what happens!

Regards

Mike Boxall

[Musicman]

And send it Recorded Delivery.

[replacement]

This got me thinking this one, it has not happened to me yet.

Anyway i do alot of conservatory cleans and they start from £100 to over £200 per clean, its always verbal agreement with the client. Now would i be best off with some sort of contract for them to sign and what kind of Terms & Conditions should i have. Ie Payment time, if there not happy etc etc? Should i have Terms & Conditisons on the back of the invoice so they can read after the job has been carried out?

Cheers ill await the replys.

Justin

[Lesley J]

thank you all  for the advice, yes we do have terms and conditions on our contracts which our clients sign before any cleaning commences, I will now take further steps
to collect the payment, however it does very little to compensate our ladies who did the cleaning and gave their all,I guess you cannot win them all.

lesley

[BeeClean]

Justin im sure many people dont have formal terms and conditions. maybe it would be a good idea to start a topic where everyone could add anything they use. that way we could pick and choose the ones we al wanted to use

[Fox]

Terms and conditions are all very well and good but there are ways and means of getting around any contract!  

How many cases have you seen go through CC just to be turned out because no other evidence?  Terms and conditions are good in their own right but what about follow on paperwork to prove the work has actually been carried out?

I think you will find you have no case if there is no audit, time sheets from the cleaners may do it but is the client a b***er - maybe they have pre-emted you and sorted out their own agenda/paperwork as to why they thought the work was not up to standard.

Either way if you can prove that something was carried out you will be fine - you won't get the full costs asked for but at least you will have made a point.

Good luck

[The Great One]

Hi Guys

Thought i would a my 2 pence worth.

Going to court may prove a point but will the costs be more expensive than the return?

Is it better to walk away with lesson learnt and greater experience of the problems we can encounter?

at the end of the day only you or each one of us can decide wether to take it further or not.

I am owed for a carpet job and have put in a few calls to get paid (builder called me in) it was my fault for not getting his address to send an invoice to (rush job by phone).

For me lesson learnt, never work like this again. If i don't get paid the lesson cost me £84 but the future savings will be in the thousands.

Thoughts?

Regards

Martin

[Len Gribble]

Simon

Wish it was that easy picking and choosing T & C.  Too ensure you backside is covered you will need to run it past a solicitor who deals with that law that costs, then as Fox states an audit trail.

Martin

The job you done for the builder any chance going back to the job and asking them who the builder was and there address?

Len

[The Great One]

Hi

yes i fully intend to go to the address and ask either for payment from the owner or address of the builder. Wether i get it or not is a different matter!

Regards

martin

[guru]

Iyt is worth putting in your T & C that unless a written complaint is recieved within 48 hours then it is assumed that the job is done satisfactorily. Then it is down to the client to prove the job was not done properly.  
For smaller jobs I would always try and reach a compromise as some money is better than no money at all.

[Ian Gourlay]

I am a little concerned about the words it does little to compensate our ladies,.


I hope that they were paid for the work done.

Some Carpet Cleaners Offer a Satisafaction Guarantee as a way of propmoting their business.

Words like if you are not completley satisfied you do not have to pay as one penny are used/


Regards

Ian

[Lesley J]

of course my ladies were paid for the work done, but they alway try and do a little extra on a 1st time visit, bless em, however I have now been fully paid, thanks to the advice I have received.
lesley

[anneandresen]

On the plus side I have only just registered here, and only started in business sept 03, like you I and the girls have stayed longer to do a good job etc etc, but no matter what we have done for certain customers, they find something to complain about, there is no pleasing such people and yes they have refused to pay me too.
With the stress such people cause, I have decided to cut my losses and hope not to get caught to often.
On the plus side I have had some wonderful customers.
I wish you well ::)

[Lesley J]

thanks for your best wishes, we also have some  very good customers who are alway extremely grateful for whatever we do, and we try and look after them as they bring us in more business, but you are right you cannot please them all,
I was recently mortifield because I thought I had broken an old fellas tooth brush holder, it was plastic and just fell off the wall when I was cleaning the sink, he moaned and groaned said it had been there years etc, I promised I would get a new one fixed on for him, so I took it home to try and find an identical one only to find that it had already been glued together before, "crafty old devil " I will still get him a new one though.
regards
Lesley