customers unhappy with a quote/bill.

Carl, in all seriousness,

We get requests for quote all the time on the phone. Its pretty easy to sort out the tyre kickers and the price shoppers. For them I have a standard price list, eg "Art is $120 per hour, 200 colour clicks are 55c inc GST". If they are really interested it gets easier after that. If they are not I tell them to go to the opposition and give them the phone number.

For a customer I dont know a 50% deposit to commence work. No money no work. Ive gotten a bit ruthless about it, I do it to major companies as well now. Ive also got a directors guarantee I insist on getting signed before I extend credit to help if things go belly up. The credit worthy dont mind, the objectors are usually trouble, its another sorting mechanism.

I reckon retailers are on to the right idea, you pay and then you get the goods. For those who dont like it tough. Try asking for a 30 day account at Maccas......

Still companies go belly up, my write off this year will be >30K, mostly from companies that have failed, less from thieving rip off artists than last year. I use a Solicitor and have tried recovery agencies (useless as t!ts on a Bull), well published T&C's etc.

I hate bring ripped off! It is personal as well you know. Id rather lose a sale now than be ripped off. When it comes to money humanity is the lowest species on the planet.

It may be worth adding on the bottom of your quotes something to the effect that all materials remain the property of you until fully paid for.

donna

Hells Angels debt collection agency. ? :roll::;

Carl,
not sure about rural fencing, but for domestic type fencing it's classified as building work and comes under QBSA legislation. I presume you have a license. You can download contract documents from QBSA's website and these include documents for additions and variations which should be signed by both parties before commencing any additions or variations. You can set a payment scehdule (you can't get more than 5% deposit) but you can get payments that are directly linked to work/materials deliverd. Ie 5% deposit, 30% when material are on site but before any further work will take place, 20% when all holes are dug and payable before posts will be placed, etc etc etc. At least this way if you've got a scumball customer they can't sting you for too much before you can legally walk off the job. There is a building industry tribunal which makes legally binding judgements in the case of a dispute.

Mick

happens with everything brother and i set up a shop doing video transfer etc 1st wk had woman in for small job swapping photos to dvd then grew to can we do a slide show for her sons brithday anyway long story short after 3 wks work took slide show after lots of changes , and a lot of our time , small bill about $300 but said she would pay on monday after the sons birthday of cousre no show monday called week later said death in family had to go away for a week and of course still waiting for the money so now we have a new policy of a deposite up front of at least a 3rd of the estimate and also no goods till paid was a good lesson to learn when you are starting up a business!

Quote:

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Originally Posted by weisyboy

gday

im on a bit of a rant here so bear with me.

i am a fencing cotractor. and have struck a lot of dificult customers.

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The most successfull fencing contractor I know who has made a LOT of money has a unique method of payment. He does a quote and if accepted he then orders the material and when delivered the customer pays for it COD to the supplier not him. He then arrives on site and puts up the fence collecting just the labour and concrete/fixing costs etc. By doing this they are hooked into the job and can't back out and if they make things too difficult he tells them where to shove it and they have to find someone else to erect what they have already paid for.