chasing late invoices

[Spazz]

Out of interest what way has everyone found is the best way to chance late invoices?

I have tried phoning them, sending letters, sending emails, texting and I always get a not so good reply from the customer which results in them not using me anymore.
These invoices I usually chance are between 2 weeks and 2 months late.

Any ideas would be great, also for those using letters can you attach the letter you use that you find gives the best result.


Thanks all in advance

 

[Spazz]

The reason I said that was 4/5 times they pay me within 1hr of having the invoice, just the odd one here and there it takes months. Theres 2 of them in the office - 1 is really good, other is slow.

I think they might have another spark to be honest as I have had 1 job in last month - dont believe nothing has gone wrong in 1 month (after seeing the state of some of these electrical systems)

I issued a EDN for no bonding 2 months ago and they still not asked me to sort it, so not sure whats happening there.


It might be time to move on Im thinking but we will see.

 

[Dale200bhp]

Depends what sort of character you are but I tend to go round there house and get hold of them if I have to, I always get paid then!
Sometime you just have to get nasty, onebody in the construction industry made monet through being nice.

 

[Rockingit]

I am considering using owens Property Development as the mother company but then having Owen Electrical as the electrical side - just incase I am scaring people off with having to many eggs in 1 basket

As you wish, but it still won't make getting invoices paid on time any easier!!

 

[Spazz]

I was thinking of doing it on an advertising basis only. I was thinking that having electrical in the name or electrician it would be easier to search on google, more customers less need to rely on these agents for work when payments are slow.

The problem I have is if you search Electrician Pembrokeshire on Google I don't come up on the first 10 pages (gave up after that), on the map Im a little dot - nothing bigger, yell - Im top of the free listings (top on the mobile app)

I have a few joe public customers now and they all pay before I leave. Most of these companies around here expect credit and credit is not one I can afford especially when I have to pay for parts on purchase (poor credit rating)

 

[Guest111]

If you can afford to let people pay when they feel like then you can,t be that short of money,sorry to sound harsh but at the end of the day you lay out for materials and fuel to get to the job and then they walk all over you.Ok you,re new to the game and say you are frightened these "customers" will go elsewhere, well have you not thought that maybe they,ve been elsewhere already?you can only shaft so many people before you get a bad rep maybe everyone else knows they are bad payers and nobody else will do the work so to them you,re the only mug left tell them you want payment on completion of job in future, if you want to work for nothing then there is loads of work out there.Problem is you are supposed to be running a business not a charity.

 

[Spazz]

Thanks Phil

I was thinking last night - I been looking after every other F***er and not me!
It stops here.

All future invoices will undergo pay on receipt of invoice (usually before I leave).

The 1st agent has just paid me - just waiting for the 2nd now.

If they don't like then I will tell them to pass my details onto the landlord or find someone else. Im going up to see the 1st agent on Monday so Im not sure how thats going to go.

Im also increasing my prices back to what they should be - I have had enough of doing favors for people

 

[Guest111]

Thanks Phil

I was thinking last night - I been looking after every other F***er and not me!
It stops here.

All future invoices will undergo pay on receipt of invoice (usually before I leave).

The 1st agent has just paid me - just waiting for the 2nd now.

If they don't like then I will tell them to pass my details onto the landlord or find someone else. Im going up to see the 1st agent on Monday so Im not sure how thats going to go.

Im also increasing my prices back to what they should be - I have had enough of doing favors for people

Yes well done mate now make sure you stand on it! when I was doing the job I used to call myself Dirty Harry,people asked why and I replied well I get all the crap jobs.Need a spark to come out cheap at 10pm friday? phone Phil,need a spark to crawl through a filthy sub floor? call Phil, need a spark to do a live joint in the rain? call Phil.Need a spark to do a nice bit of pat testing and pay him up front? oh yes we,ll ring Tommy down the road! been there done it mate just made me ill if you,re a decent spark they should pay when jobs done, if you dont want to sound funny next time someone rings up tell them its strictly payment on completion with no exceptions as you had someone not pay up and you can,t risk it happening again. best of luck with the job just keep going and you will get there.

 

[Spazz]

Thanks Phil

I only have 3 customers who I gave credit to:
2 Agents and 1 multinational company

the multinational company was for pat testing - I know I will get my money from them - they work for power stations, but could not find a spark to PAT office equipment in a power station so I explained the problem with insurance and told them if they wanted to bring it down to the carpark where I would do them all in my van then happy days - they snapped at the offer - 80 items later and 6 hours Im happy - £200 in my pocket (with fuel) - dinner and drinks provided as well - easy job!

For everyone's info the items where computers, scanners, printers (small), electric radiators, phone chargers - all used in offices - so never out in the power station.

The company in question does the scaffolding in the power station.

My insurance was happy

 

[Guest111]

Just proves the agents are t****** then doesn,t it!

 

[Rockingit]

Thanks Phil

I only have 3 customers who I gave credit to:
2 Agents and 1 multinational company

the multinational company was for pat testing - I know I will get my money from them - they work for power stations, but could not find a spark to PAT office equipment in a power station so I explained the problem with insurance and told them if they wanted to bring it down to the carpark where I would do them all in my van then happy days - they snapped at the offer - 80 items later and 6 hours Im happy - £200 in my pocket (with fuel) - dinner and drinks provided as well - easy job!

For everyone's info the items where computers, scanners, printers (small), electric radiators, phone chargers - all used in offices - so never out in the power station.

The company in question does the scaffolding in the power station.

My insurance was happy

Did you ring the insurers first and explain the situation? They'd have probably OK'd that as you're not actually working 'on' a power station.

 

[Spazz]

They didn't want me onsite as there was a risk, and the underwriter was not to happy with it.
I put the carpark option to the client (under the insurance advice) and they where happy - so was I

 

[Spazz]

Out of interest what is everyone's opinion about quote charges - say you visit a premises to quote for work - charge them £20 + fuel) then if they accept the quote that charge comes off their quote?

Or should I think about free quote visits?


Opinions please

 

[Rockingit]

Insurers can be bloody stupid and ignorant sometimes!!

 

[Spazz]

The client is usually responsible for any fees like this, as the insures usually tell them to get 3 quotes.
If I get any insurance work then I will take that as it comes.

Also depends on who it is - if its a regular customer and I know they are going to use me (just getting other 2 to please insurance) then I might not charge - at my discretion!

 

[Plonker 3]

Out of interest what is everyone's opinion about quote charges - say you visit a premises to quote for work - charge them £20 + fuel) then if they accept the quote that charge comes off their quote?

Or should I think about free quote visits?


Opinions please

Can't see you even getting a quote if you were to that, especially when companies like mybuilder will quite happily make a tradesman pay just for a lead.

 

[Spazz]

The problem I have which Im sure everyone else has who lives in a rural area - you can travel between 50 - 100 miles round trip to quote for a job you might not get.

In London/Cardiff/Manchester/other cities most of the quotes, will be within 10-20 miles (round trip).

 

[Plonker 3]

Unfortunately, that's something you have to foot the cost for unless all the other local electricians in your area are doing a similar thing. How would you feel being told to get a quote for work on your home is going to cost money, people usually get 4 or 5 quotes for work which would lead to £100 outlay before anything is actually done if we all did that.

 

[RISElectrical]

IMO you cant charge for quotes, all you can do is build the price into your quote and then if the job is accepted youve covered your costs. Same as with building in the time to complete Operational manuals etc. Budget it into the quote.

 

[Geordie Spark]

Insurers can be bloody stupid and ignorant sometimes!!

Tell me about it ..... I've had quotes ranging from £220 all the way to £1,200 to insure my 22 year old Toyota MR2 GT !!!!