been had for a couple of hundred...

[danny7299]

Hi there

I am having an office day, and I am looking at the way I issue invoices, quotes etc ... as I have just been taken for a couple of hundred and have no way of proving I did the work for this.... "Idiot

 

[Badger]

Hi there I am having an office day, and I am looking at the way I issue invoices, quotes etc ... as I have just been taken for a couple of hundred and have no way of proving I did the work for this.... "Idiot

 

[danny7299]

no ... it was only to fix a storage heater...

why what where you getting at? don't give them certs untill they pay?

 

[Lurch]

So I was wondering, do people get customers to sign a copy of quotes, on small job do you make a job sheet up there and then and get them to sign it?

I don't always meet my customers as they are random customers and company owners from all over the country. Luckily I haven;t been had for too much over the years, more luck than judgement, although I am chasing a couple of k ATM from someone doing a dissapearing act.

Proving you did the work is technically quite difficult, but you should ideally have something in place before you start work as without a contract of works between you and the customer it can all get a bit pushy shovey in the event of any non-payment\accusations of work not done etc... We had an issue years ago where someone decided not to pay for a minor job we did and this was brought up at the time, and also another client told us without a contract of works signed before commencement of works they would not only not pay, but sue for damage to the property.

Putting contracts and forms into practice depends on your works and pricing structure, if all your work is quoted then it's fairly easy. If not then you need to quote, or work for a fixed price and price every job before starting.

 

[ianmacd]

no ... it was only to fix a storage heater... why what where you getting at? don't give them certs untill they pay?

Unfortunatly you are not able to do that. You have to suppy the certs. They can not be witheld due to lack of payment.

How did the mistake happen? Did you bill incorrectly or not at all?

I would write to him advising how much he owes you and then explain you will refer the bad debt to a credit collection agency and thay may affect his credit rateing.

Ian.

 

[ianmacd]

I don't always meet my customers as they are random customers and company owners from all over the country. Luckily I haven;t been had for too much over the years, more luck than judgement, although I am chasing a couple of k ATM from someone doing a dissapearing act.Proving you did the work is technically quite difficult, but you should ideally have something in place before you start work as without a contract of works between you and the customer it can all get a bit pushy shovey in the event of any non-payment\accusations of work not done etc... We had an issue years ago where someone decided not to pay for a minor job we did and this was brought up at the time, and also another client told us without a contract of works signed before commencement of works they would not only not pay, but sue for damage to the property.

Putting contracts and forms into practice depends on your works and pricing structure, if all your work is quoted then it's fairly easy. If not then you need to quote, or work for a fixed price and price every job before starting.

Elecsa wanted minor works quotes/contracts for my assessment.

Ian.

 

[danny7299]

Unfortunatly you are not able to do that. You have to suppy the certs. They can not be witheld due to lack of payment.How did the mistake happen? Did you bill incorrectly or not at all?

Ian.

I went to the job and did it and they bloke said send me a bill , seemed like a ok bloke , now i am just chasing his answer phone...

i will send some "official Letter" telling him the usuak about how i will pass and his debt to a debt collaecting agency etc,...

just if push comes to shove and he says ... never heard of him! i have nothing to prove anything!

I guess you live and learn luckly it was only time and no materials. !

 

[m4tty]

I heard 1000V across his TV ariel does help your situation a little bit. Doesnt help the money but makes you feel better.

 

[danny7299]

I heard 1000V across his TV ariel does help your situation a little bit. Doesnt help the money but makes you feel better.

HA HA Brill , Never heard of That .... But that is pure Brilliance!

 

[a1]

Exactly how long ago are we talking here?

 

[danny7299]

coming up to 3 months now...

 

[Lurch]

I went to the job and did it and they bloke said send me a bill , seemed like a ok bloke , now i am just chasing his answer phone... i will send some "official Letter" telling him the usuak about how i will pass and his debt to a debt collaecting agency etc,...

Send him letter with interest added on (google statutory interest calculator) and allow him to pay the original invoice immediately with no interest within x days otherwise the debt, plus interest, plus recovery charges will be chased. Then head for the moneyclaim site after x days and start the ball rolling. Most pay after the initial letter.

 

[NozSpark]

I went to the job and did it and they bloke said send me a bill , seemed like a ok bloke , now i am just chasing his answer phone... i will send some "official Letter" telling him the usuak about how i will pass and his debt to a debt collaecting agency etc,...

just if push comes to shove and he says ... never heard of him! i have nothing to prove anything!

I guess you live and learn luckly it was only time and no materials. !

This is where NCR invoice pads come in handy..

Whenever someone says that to me I say "Oh, I'll go and get you one now from my van." then you usually get payment in one way or other there and then..... commercial or industrial customer are different though!

If you don't mind me asking?? How did a NSH repair cost a couple of hundred pounds??

Could it be that he's in dispute about the amount??

 

[Lurch]

Could it be that he's in dispute about the amount??

Doesn;t sound like he's in dispute if he isn;t answering calls and has made no contact since the invoice went out. You lose all rights to dispute the invoice by ignoring calls and not paying.

 

[danny7299]

If you don't mind me asking?? How did a NSH repair cost a couple of hundred pounds??

because the day after he asked me to go back round a do a could of other small bits and add it onto the bill....

 

[ianmacd]

Premeditated?

 

[Bez]

As Lurch stated, a bill with interest usually gets the original paid. I got had for the thick end of

 

[Blue Fox]

Regrading what we do with proving we have done work what I do is on the bottom of my quote is somewhere for the customer to sign to say they agree to the price and for me to do the work then after I have finished on the same quote sheet next to the signiture before starting is another place for the customer to sign to say they are happy with all the work completed. This way they can't complain afterwards about the price or paying.

 

[Evans Electric]

Unfortunatly you are not able to do that. You have to suppy the certs. They can not be witheld due to lack of payment.How did the mistake happen? Did you bill incorrectly or not at all?

I would write to him advising how much he owes you and then explain you will refer the bad debt to a credit collection agency and thay may affect his credit rateing.

Ian.

I have that kitchen fitter not paying me from that job before Christmas, I was there on Christmas Eve at 7PM wiring the cooker 'cos he said it was a plug-in jobby and it wasn't. Customer is sueing them for bad workmanship , I'll be suing for non payment , but I won't be dashing round there to test and certify it , bugger that for a game .

 

[Andy™]

I have that kitchen fitter not paying me from that job before Christmas, I was there on Christmas Eve at 7PM wiring the cooker 'cos he said it was a plug-in jobby and it wasn't. Customer is sueing them for bad workmanship , I'll be suing for non payment , but I won't be dashing round there to test and certify it , bugger that for a game .

you left a job without testing it?