James Corbett Posted February 9, 2015 Report Share Posted February 9, 2015 Just wondering what people's terms and conditions are? As in deposit and payment terms. What have people put on quotes and how many customers sign before you start etc also How much deposit if any are people charging? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
premnayloon Posted February 9, 2015 Report Share Posted February 9, 2015 i take materials upfront, if they cant pay that then they certainly cant pay labour, my terms are 14 days, but i am considering offering a 5% discount for imediate payment, to be fair most customers pay upon completion of work and i always get asked back my motto is Prompt payment recieves prompt attention. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Charliehub Posted February 9, 2015 Report Share Posted February 9, 2015 We only ask for a deposit if it's a very large job and we have never delt with them before .. Or if I get the feeling they are dodgee ..! But our terms on our quotes are simply payment required on completion and generally most do pay within a week or so... We've had the odd bad one over the years but once Julie gets on their case the Glasgow side of her pops into force and they soon give in... For a small redhead she can be quite menacing. And as a bit of a heads up for you all our insurers have today told us that we have to include in our quotes for security fencing that we don't guarantee that the fence will prevent people from breaking in so to cover us incase a company try to sue us if this happens ..! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Frontrowfencing Posted February 9, 2015 Report Share Posted February 9, 2015 I agree, prompt payment gets us to go back to jobs much quicker. I don't generally charge materials upfront unless it's a big job we can't afford or we don't know the customer. Luckily around us, most people know everyone else, if not related. We generally ask for payment when the customer is happy with the job. We have 14 days written on the invoice, but I don't think anyone adheres to this. So very rarely get chased up until after about a month, we have some customers that are great payers and these are the ones that you will go and do a small repair job for quickly. We do have terms and conditions, but never get them signed and most times we forget to send them with a quote again how many people take notice of them Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
James Corbett Posted February 9, 2015 Author Report Share Posted February 9, 2015 Thanks for that.same as me really. Just nice to know what everyone's at and if I'm anywhere near. Don't think anyone read terms etc but handy to have them. Agree tho the better the customer the more we try and help. What goes around comes around. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Robbell Posted February 9, 2015 Report Share Posted February 9, 2015 term are 28 days but we had one recently that told me after a month their terms are 90 days, buggers owed me 15K, ill be ready for them next time Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
D A MacDougall Fencing Posted February 9, 2015 Report Share Posted February 9, 2015 Something that I need to sort out am to soft on people always get paid but the wife reckons they take the ****. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
RED STAG Posted February 10, 2015 Report Share Posted February 10, 2015 New customer’s materials up front repeat customer’s payment on completion. Now started to take card payments while mobile that should F**k the ones that can’t find the cheque book. To be honest bad payers are few but don’t like people taking the **** you do get the od one Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Robbell Posted February 10, 2015 Report Share Posted February 10, 2015 a successful business man ones spelled it out to me like this A customer is only a customer when they give you an order, once you have done the work they go from customer to Debtor Once they have paid they are then a potential customer Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Haydn Gleave Fencing Posted February 11, 2015 Report Share Posted February 11, 2015 I get them to sign a piece of paper now saying they agree to pay etc, upfront for new customers and 14 days for my usual customers. Had the p*** taken out of me too many times now and certainly don't trust your friends in young farmers! Been screwed over on one job, supplied materials etc and erected the high tensile stock fence and waited on payment. 14 days had past and no sign of the payment, had local supplier chomping at the bit. Gave them a reminder invoice, then received an abusive call to say I wasn't up to contracting standard quoting; "I was f***ing s*** at fencing" and saying they'd only pay me for materials to which I told them that was ludicrous. Didn't even cover the cost of my diesel or running costs let alone my wages! They sent me photos of the wire and that which had snapped and posts that had moved, which I noticed which had been driven into by machinery. All I can say is the farm was a mess as it was I wasn't surprised the fencing was mess, a shed had fallen down where I was working and they expected me to drive over the twisted metal girders and rubbish with my tractor! In the end I paid the supplier of my own back to settle that as didn't want to become a bad payer. Taken them to court over it and will hopefully get the full invoice paid for. It's a real kick in the teeth when you squeeze there job in first as there needing it doing ASAP and they try and pull the wool over your eyes. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
premnayloon Posted February 11, 2015 Report Share Posted February 11, 2015 Sounds like total s%¥thouses! Though if I had pulled in about and seen the place in that state, then alarm bells would start to ring, Im lucky in that I work part time at an auction Mart, and I can do some covert due diligence on potential customers and so far I've not had fingers burnt. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Haydn Gleave Fencing Posted February 11, 2015 Report Share Posted February 11, 2015 Yeh that's true, I know for next time though! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Robbell Posted February 11, 2015 Report Share Posted February 11, 2015 I get them to sign a piece of paper now saying they agree to pay etc, upfront for new customers and 14 days for my usual customers. Had the p*** taken out of me too many times now and certainly don't trust your friends in young farmers! Been screwed over on one job, supplied materials etc and erected the high tensile stock fence and waited on payment. 14 days had past and no sign of the payment, had local supplier chomping at the bit. Gave them a reminder invoice, then received an abusive call to say I wasn't up to contracting standard quoting; "I was f***ing s*** at fencing" and saying they'd only pay me for materials to which I told them that was ludicrous. Didn't even cover the cost of my diesel or running costs let alone my wages! They sent me photos of the wire and that which had snapped and posts that had moved, which I noticed which had been driven into by machinery. All I can say is the farm was a mess as it was I wasn't surprised the fencing was mess, a shed had fallen down where I was working and they expected me to drive over the twisted metal girders and rubbish with my tractor! In the end I paid the supplier of my own back to settle that as didn't want to become a bad payer. Taken them to court over it and will hopefully get the full invoice paid for. It's a real kick in the teeth when you squeeze there job in first as there needing it doing ASAP and they try and pull the wool over your eyes. Haydn, you may notice im always posting pics of things off my fone, If i have any doubts, pics before during and as we leave site. Its paid off more than once Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
MikeW Posted February 11, 2015 Report Share Posted February 11, 2015 I would have gone straight back in there and taken the fence back down and told them where to poke it! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Frontrowfencing Posted February 11, 2015 Report Share Posted February 11, 2015 And billed him for taking it down too. Ha Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Haydn Gleave Fencing Posted February 11, 2015 Report Share Posted February 11, 2015 I would have gone straight back in there and taken the fence back down and told them where to poke it! You get done for criminal damage then unforts Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Haydn Gleave Fencing Posted February 11, 2015 Report Share Posted February 11, 2015 Haydn, you may notice im always posting pics of things off my fone, If i have any doubts, pics before during and as we leave site. Its paid off more than once That particular day I was pulled and didn't even take a lunch break let alone take any photos haha. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Frontrowfencing Posted February 11, 2015 Report Share Posted February 11, 2015 We do put on our invoices all materials belong to us until paid for in full and we reserve the right to remove if not aid for. You can't be done for taking something you own. Not even in this mad world we live in. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Haydn Gleave Fencing Posted February 11, 2015 Report Share Posted February 11, 2015 We do put on our invoices all materials belong to us until paid for in full and we reserve the right to remove if not aid for. You can't be done for taking something you own. Not even in this mad world we live in. It's a grey area because another contractor round me got done for removing even though he owned the materials. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Frontrowfencing Posted February 11, 2015 Report Share Posted February 11, 2015 Crazy, ridiculous and just unbelievable. I feel sorry for the chap near you. The country seems to be upside down and backwards.the harder you work the more tax you pay to look after others. Then someone takes you for a ride and you can't ven take what is rightly yours. Mad. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Haydn Gleave Fencing Posted February 12, 2015 Report Share Posted February 12, 2015 I know makes you curse, wonder why people are going out of business because someone hasn't got the decency to pay the bill. People seem to think they can get everything for free. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
James Corbett Posted February 12, 2015 Author Report Share Posted February 12, 2015 I put the same thing as you always have Charlie but have been told it wouldn't stand in court I would be done for trespass and damage if it's on there property but I leave it on there hopefully might make people think!! If it ever happened probably would smash it done if I can't have money your not having a fence one way or another. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
stevew Posted February 13, 2015 Report Share Posted February 13, 2015 Always have a written quote including spec and approximate distance including terms of payment always get them to email or write to you agreeing to the price and giving you authority to proceed always have retention of title on your invoice, if they don't pay download the county court papers putting there details and your claim including costs send it to them by registered post informing them that they have 14 days to settle or you will file the claim if they don't pay in 14 days then file it, they then have a further 14 days before you can apply for judgment. Very seldom do we have trouble getting paid but on the odd occasion we have always been paid when they get the court papers as it frightens them to death as they don't want CJs Had the conversation with a commercial litigation lawyer about T@Cs and they said they are not worth the paper they are written on if they are not going to pay then they won't , but the above dose work. Don't argue with them don't fall out with them don't make threats just tell them what you are going to do and do it.! It's like a game of tennis you take the ball away then it's game over. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
ffencing Posted May 9, 2015 Report Share Posted May 9, 2015 Interesting topic this, often paying for materials upfront, spending weeks of hard graft installing said materials, to hopefully be paid about a month later, whilst carrying the risk of not getting paid at all. I've often thought I should really take 50% up front or 50% on delivery of materials to site with the balance on completion, but I guess like others have worried that if those were my terms than I would stand less chance of getting the job. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Robbell Posted May 10, 2015 Report Share Posted May 10, 2015 i had a 15k job with 6k of subies pain at month end only to find THEIR TERMS were 90 days Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Recommended Posts
Archived
This topic is now archived and is closed to further replies.