[Dean Taberner]

Hi all,

Do any of you on here use debt collection agencies?

Im getting really sick of people trying to rip me off.

Today I had an incident that made me consider using one whilst I was collecting.

It went like this:

Me- morning, window cleaner
Custie- I called your boss ages ago and cancelled.
Me- You couldnt have done as im the boss and you owe 3 lots of £8 ive not been able to catch you in.
Custie- Well I cancelled months ago.

Its at that point when I tried a new approach as I knew she was lying.

Me- We are getting alot of this at the moment due to the current climate, so Ive decided to use the services of a national debt collecting company. I know and you know that you did not cancel the service so im going to pass your details over to them.
Custie- Ill get the £24 and cancel from now then.
Me- Ok thank you.

As ive said im sick of people constantly deciding that theyre not going to pay me.

Any thoughts?

Dean

[pingu]

Good ridance to bad rubbish...you do an honest job and expect to be paid as agreed and people like this think it is all well and good to try and have one over...

It's sad but just part of our job...I have now made it a point that nobody gets a 2nd clean without the previous one being paid for...it's seems only fair.

Bet these people would complain if their wages were a day late into their accounts.

Cheers
Dave.

[seandyer2003]

Hi all,

Do any of you on here use debt collection agencies?

Im getting really sick of people trying to rip me off.

Today I had an incident that made me consider using one whilst I was collecting.

It went like this:

Me- morning, window cleaner
Custie- I called your boss ages ago and cancelled.
Me- You couldnt have done as im the boss and you owe 3 lots of £8 ive not been able to catch you in.
Custie- Well I cancelled months ago.

Its at that point when I tried a new approach as I knew she was lying.

Me- We are getting alot of this at the moment due to the current climate, so Ive decided to use the services of a national debt collecting company. I know and you know that you did not cancel the service so im going to pass your details over to them.
Custie- Ill get the £24 and cancel from now then.
Me- Ok thank you.

As ive said im sick of people constantly deciding that theyre not going to pay me.

Any thoughts?

Dean

just keep blagging them like you did it seems to work , and youre not being dishonest as if they continued to dodge you would pass it on

[martinsadie]

ive had a few that owe me twice and cant get paid,i have just stopped cleaning them,i am out of pocket but i dont have the same hassle every time i clean them,and they dont expect me back like they would after eventally paying,the odd time they ask me back i remind them of the debt and i have been paid and not messed about again 

[johnny_h]

just had someone pay me the £10 she owes owed me since last year now she wants me to start her again funny now all of a sudden my books are closed and another customer asked me back to re do his windows a week after i did them as he'd had cavity wall insulation and they were now in a mess he send one payment so i wonder does he think i did the second clean for free? hes due tuesday so he paid nearly a month late i wont bother to do him again

[martinsadie]

just had someone pay me the £10 she owes owed me since last year now she wants me to start her again funny now all of a sudden my books are closed and another customer asked me back to re do his windows a week after i did them as he'd had cavity wall insulation and they were now in a mess he send one payment so i wonder does he think i did the second clean for free? hes due tuesday so he paid nearly a month late i wont bother to do him again

id do the first women again i find they have learnt they cant mess you about and become model customers,dont forget to put them up to £11 

[sparklebright]

I had a customer who kept me waiting for my money.
So I started knocking every time I passed, even at night. They didn't do it again.

On new customers I will not do the second clean until the first is paid for.
And if someone is consistently slow paying I put the price up.

[dave0123]

Ive had one customer not pay for three cleans and the third one was the last i was going to clean. comes 33.00 and they sent a cheque so went through bank and came back as cheque stopped.

I havent contacted them i have used solictors who send a letter damanding payment within 7 days this usally scares them! if not i will go ahead and take them to court.

Everyone will say its not worth it for the amount but why should they get away of it  you would't if it was your leccy or your gas or bt! so why should it be any diffrent with us! even if i only end up with a tenner at the end of all the deal after court proceedings i still think you should do it just 2 prove the point.

[sparklebright]

Ive had one customer not pay for three cleans and the third one was the last i was going to clean. comes 33.00 and they sent a cheque so went through bank and came back as cheque stopped.

I havent contacted them i have used solictors who send a letter damanding payment within 7 days this usally scares them! if not i will go ahead and take them to court.

Everyone will say its not worth it for the amount but why should they get away of it  you would't if it was your leccy or your gas or bt! so why should it be any diffrent with us! even if i only end up with a tenner at the end of all the deal after court proceedings i still think you should do it just 2 prove the point.

If you sue and have to go to court, you can have costs, including some amount for lost earnings. Leastwise you could when I used to be a solicitors clerk, 17 years ago...

[dave0123]

loss of earnings its worth it to see there faces! WHY should we just right it off as if any other companys would do that NO CHANCE just charge intrest as it ads up.

Anyway solictors letters usally scares them even when court proceedings have been placed they never end up going as ive done it before and they know there in the wrong.

[Mr H]

TRy these guys http://www.thomashiggins.com/ only £2 +vat for a scare letter. Also remember that you must inform the customer in writting BEFORE you can start adding extra costs.

Send them a final demand stating if payment not received by a certain date that a charge of £15 will be added for late payment and a further charge of £100 will be added on the same day to cover costs in instructing your debt collection agency to start legal proceddings. If they don't pay on the day then get thomas higgins to send them a nasty letter including those charges but if payment made with another 7 days that the debt collection charge would be reduced to only £25. You will soon have your money or an an amount outstanding that is well worth going further to get....

Regards
Mr H

[dai]

I have had loads that have moved owing me money, I now make sure I get their mobile numbers when I take them on, I can at least harass them if they don't pay.
I sometimes despair of people, I found out last week that I had been cleaning a window for the house next door for 6 years, I only noticed because this house had been re pebble dashed. Ok it was in the price for the house that I was doing, but you would think that the house next door would have mentioned it wouldn't you, they have had one window cleaned free for 6 years and they don't have a window cleaner. If that is not taking advantage, what is?

[tomy jackson]

i had that on a barn conversion till thay moved ,thay dident get to much benift as it wos frosted 

[martinsadie]

i used to clean 2 houses next to each other,and the extension on the back, the bottom was 1 house and the top the other house

[HIGH LEVEL WINDOW CLEANERS (scrimmy)]

i like the link Mr H gave, i would use something like that if i had to.

if its a smallish debt, say 20 quid then i think its more hassle than its worth to go down the debt collection agency road ( just make your own wee letter up saying you need paid as you carried out the work and expect payment just as they expect wages from their job) if they dont pay then mark it off as a loss at the end of the tax year.

[Londoner]

No customer of mine ever gets to owing for three cleans. If they owe you for that much it starts to look to then like a lot of money.

[Bonzer]

TRy these guys http://www.thomashiggins.com/ only £2 +vat for a scare letter. Also remember that you must inform the customer in writting BEFORE you can start adding extra costs.

If you go down the solicitor's letter or court case route, would it be a problem that you don't know the customer's name? I very rarely know a customer's name.

I currently have a guy who's intend on taking me for £50. I've held back on using moneyclaimonline etc because I don't know where I would stand about not knowing the guy's name.

[dave0123]

TRy these guys http://www.thomashiggins.com/ only £2 +vat for a scare letter. Also remember that you must inform the customer in writting BEFORE you can start adding extra costs.

This is who i use! its even better for me as there only around 10 mins drive from mine so it looks like i have contacted a local solictors.

There a big firm well known in the industry too 

[mark dew]

TRy these guys http://www.thomashiggins.com/ only £2 +vat for a scare letter. Also remember that you must inform the customer in writting BEFORE you can start adding extra costs.

If you go down the solicitor's letter or court case route, would it be a problem that you don't know the customer's name? I very rarely know a customer's name.

I currently have a guy who's intend on taking me for £50. I've held back on using moneyclaimonline etc because I don't know where I would stand about not knowing the guy's name.

www.192.com and register. Then buy some search credits for a tenner. Then type in the address of the person you want to know the name of.
These records aren't always up to date so better to double check the name in a phone book.

[Mr H]

TRy these guys http://www.thomashiggins.com/ only £2 +vat for a scare letter. Also remember that you must inform the customer in writting BEFORE you can start adding extra costs.

If you go down the solicitor's letter or court case route, would it be a problem that you don't know the customer's name? I very rarely know a customer's name.

I currently have a guy who's intend on taking me for £50. I've held back on using moneyclaimonline etc because I don't know where I would stand about not knowing the guy's name.

Take a trip to the local library and check the electrol roll for that address...... It could help you find it.......