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I have never not been paid for a job, I’ve often panicked about it though, I think on the whole people are good and do pay up. John’s comment about enquiring if everything is ok can open up problems for you- if they are avoiding payment, giving them a chance to find fault may open a can of worms
Send a simple reminder by their preferred contact method along the lines of ;
’In respect of recents works ‘blah blah’, we look forward to receiving full payment by dd/mm/yy’
You’ve set your expectations, gives them a chance to respond and leaves an ‘implicitness’ about what happens next.
I’m quite hard on this; if they’ve not raised any issues then make next step clear : small claims court / money claim online and don’t be scared of following it through.
We/you are not a Charity ......
I would send them a reminder for non payment. I use Quick Book which is simple to use and there is a invoice reminder on there if not paid within 7 days. I assume the client is a privately customer and not a business?
Thanks for all the helpful advice - fingers crossed!
Let us know how you get on.
Hi Mike,
Your issue stresses the need for Terms & Conditions for all our work. I know a lot of landscapers that don't have paperwork to backup what is agreed. With plants it is especially difficult as we have no control once we walk away. I had a client that didn't water three large bamboos and then demanded that we replace them when they died even though we had told him to water and had sent instructions. Thankfully 99% of clients are great but there are those that will try it on.
I would ring them but make sure that you follow up with an email. If you ever end up in court it is what you can prove and not what was said.
I hope they pay up as people forget that this is what we live on!!!
A polite reminder then a statement of overdue moneys and if all else fails the small claims court.
Hi guys,
client has now paid in full after an invoice with due date, he had in fact gone off to India for a couple of weeks, hence the lack of irrigation. Grass is looking better after an overseed and a bit of the wet stuff that we’ve been having.
I’ve also got my act together and draughted up some T&C!
graeme, did you have to pay for the replacement bamboos?