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Replies

• PRO

  Phil Voice February 24, 2014 at 6:06pm

  Hi Simon

  You must either publish your terms in advance (on your website) of to accompany your quotes or estimate. Send a copy every time you send new pricing paperwork.
• 

  Craig Brownlow February 24, 2014 at 6:07pm
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  Craig Brownlow February 24, 2014 at 6:11pm

  I normally do regular visits from march to the end of October so I have sent terms and conditions through the post which include that they stick to their regular visits during these months or give me a weeks notice if cancelling. As I start regular in march ive sent them all a letter as a lot of my customers are elderly and don't use email or internet and stated that if they agree to them just sign and give me them back during their first visit.
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  Eugene Baston February 24, 2014 at 8:25pm

  Hi Simon

  I think you have to make a judgement when it comes to T&C's depending on the client and the nature of the job/project.

  If it's someone new and a one-off project (at this stage) - send T&C's by email along with the quotation. If it's regular garden maintenance - verbally express the important bits when you meet in the garden and (if gut instinct says so) follow them up with an amended version of your T&C's along with confirmation of your monthly contract fee.

  Of course, one-off projects can lead to further work so supplying your T&C's outright can cut down on anyone saying you had a ''nasty surprise'' later on. I have the T-shirt........

  It does depend on your scope of work: if maintenance only or a mix of both hard and soft landscaping attributes, it is down to 'Horses for Courses' as to whether T&C's are issued. For landscape only there is a necessary deposit and depending on the cost to the business there is a pre-payment expected for larger projects where soft landscaping is involved.

  Cheers, Eugene
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  Thermo February 24, 2014 at 8:56pm

  every quote every time in advance and get them signed before you do work....every time. and don't forget the part about cooling off period and right to cancel to comply with latest regulations
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  John Baker February 24, 2014 at 11:17pm

  I think you can use your judgement...take care not to scare the nervous horses. I believe a payment is as good as a signature, as it confirms the contract, so long as you can prove the Ts and Cs were given to the customer. Insisting on a signature from some customers might scare them off.
  
  Thermo said:

  every quote every time in advance and get them signed before you do work....every time. and don't forget the part about cooling off period and right to cancel to comply with latest regulations
• PRO Supplier

  Acacia Groundcare Hire February 25, 2014 at 8:38am

  We have our terms and conditions printed on the back of the initial document the customer signs - that way people have them in front of them and can look over them as they wish, as well as having to sign against the T's & C's. It also saves paper with it printed on the back!

  If they are only online, the customer could argue that they do not have internet access or something similar.

  - The Acacia Team

  01273 494939 | www.acaciarental.com | hire@acaciarental.com
• PRO

  Simon Land February 26, 2014 at 10:58pm

  Gentlemen thank you very much for all your replies. It seems you all operate on similar lines with some small variations in between, and has certainly pointed me in the right direction on what I need to do to make it work for me.
  
  Many thanks
• PRO

  Robbie February 27, 2014 at 12:04am

  I believe that is called Offer and acceptance
  
  Adrian Noble said:

  You must place your terms and conditions in a place which is available for any potential customer to be able to access them BEFORE entering into an agreement / contract with you. So placing them on your website is a legitimate place, as long as they are easy to find. However, you must stipulate on any quote / estimate / contract exactly where these T&C's can be found, and this should be in an obvious place and not hidden away. For example, a small statement directly above the customer signature line would be an ideal place.

  A contract does not have to have a signature. For example, you may enter into a contract with an internet company such as Amazon, but you don't sign anything, but Amazon must have their T&C's available for you to see.

  So, you could operate your business the same way without getting signatures, as long as you ensure that you notify the potential customer where your T&C's are. More and more companies are working on this basis these days, where no signature is required to form a contract.