# It's my money and I want it now!



## PeteThePoolGuy (Oct 30, 2012)

I'm sooo tired of trying to collect from all of these deadbeats. Most of the 90+ days accounts I have is under $500 so I could take it to small claims but what a waste of time to sit in court and wait. And to pay a filing fee that you don't get back when you win is ridiculous.

I've tried collection letters from attorneys. All that did was drain even more money I didn't have. 

Has anyone used a collection agency with good results? 

In this day in age with internet reviews I am also worried about a customer leaving a bad review just because we're pressing them to pay us as agreed.


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## Inner10 (Mar 12, 2009)

Show up at their door.


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## tedanderson (May 19, 2010)

I wouldn't worry about a bad review. People who don't pay lack credibility anyhow.


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## Big Shoe (Jun 16, 2008)

I could see how you guys get screwed. Your cleaning their pools every week. Bill monthly . And then it;s three months before you realize you have a deadbeat.

Have you tried ''payment due on _ day of month'' or I'm not showing up to clean you pool until it's paid.

Good luck


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## woodchuck2 (Feb 27, 2008)

Inner10 said:


> Show up at their door.


My invoice states right on it payment is due upon receipt and a $32 late charge will be applied every 30 days afterwards. During this time i have no issue stopping by and knocking on the door. I chased one fella for 3 months for a $300 invoice which i sent him a copy every month. When i finally caught him at his "$1mil camp on the lake" i charged him an extra $100 for late fees and an extra $200 for the 4 times i stopped by looking for him. He paid me cash with no issue and apologized repeatedly. No one likes to be confronted about money issues, especially a stranger who is doing it in person.


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## J F (Dec 3, 2005)

Inner10 said:


> Show up at their door.


In swim trunks and water wings.


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## ohiohomedoctor (Dec 26, 2010)

tedanderson said:


> I wouldn't worry about a bad review. People who don't pay lack credibility anyhow.


I get your point but in reality one bad review will do much more damage than the $500 bills will do good. The dum masses have ya by the short hairs, just the way it is..


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## The Coastal Craftsman (Jun 29, 2009)

ohiohomedoctor said:


> I get your point but in reality one bad review will do much more damage than the $500 bills will do good. The dum masses have ya by the short hairs, just the way it is..


Guess the customers reviews will be something like "This guy is the worst pool cleaner ever, he showed up and cleaned the pool so I could use it everyday and expected to get paid for it! What's this world coming too."


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## Elyrain (Dec 17, 2007)

Waste of time to sit in court and wait? How long would it take? 5hr's? That's 100 an hour...


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## Joasis (Mar 28, 2006)

I know a guy who runs a full service pool company. He gets an upfront fee that equals 2 months of service. If they do not pay the bill, then he is pad for the last house call. Works every time he told me. If they don't pay, then he isn't out a dime.


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## Oconomowoc (Oct 13, 2011)

PeteThePoolGuy said:


> I'm sooo tired of trying to collect from all of these deadbeats. Most of the 90+ days accounts I have is under $500 so I could take it to small claims but what a waste of time to sit in court and wait. And to pay a filing fee that you don't get back when you win is ridiculous.
> 
> I've tried collection letters from attorneys. All that did was drain even more money I didn't have.
> 
> ...


This is 100% your fault and has nothing to do with deadbeat customers. Payment terms and conditions are set and implemented by the business owner. 

I use to have this problem, I changed my requirements. I no longer have this problem.


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## JHC (Jun 4, 2010)

ohiohomedoctor said:


> I get your point but in reality one bad review will do much more damage than the $500 bills will do good. The dum masses have ya by the short hairs, just the way it is..


As long as you can reply to the review I wouldn't loose to much sleep over it. Something like this person is a deadbeat and never paid me, so I really don't care what they think, nor should you should suffice.


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## Inner10 (Mar 12, 2009)

I bill out my alarm monitoring 6 months at a time in advance.:thumbsup:


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## gastek (Mar 29, 2011)

I clean pools as well, not many though, and when a customer is one month behind I leave them a note saying if there is not a payment waiting for me next week I will suspend their service until their account is paid in full. Then if they pay and it happens a second time, I stop taking care of their pools. Don't keep servicing the pools if they aren't paying. Unless you have a contract, you really don't have a leg to stand on if you tried to take them to court. No contract usually means you will not win. Verbal contracts are difficult to enforce.

So do yourself a favor and stop taking care of their pools and if you are always having to hound your customer(s) for payment, drop them all together and don't go back not matter how much they beg you.


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## Spike7 (May 18, 2012)

Oconomowoc said:


> This is 100% your fault and has nothing to do with deadbeat customers. Payment terms and conditions are set and implemented by the business owner.
> 
> I use to have this problem, I changed my requirements. I no longer have this problem.


i agree .
why wait 90 days ??
if your a small company that can`t wait 90 days , own it . be it .
if you have to explain , let clients know " i`m all about good service , fair price , but i don`t have a large over-head , and i cannot wait months for payment . i need to be paid each week( or month).


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## Stephen H (Feb 18, 2011)

PeteThePoolGuy said:


> I'm sooo tired of trying to collect from all of these deadbeats. Most of the 90+ days accounts I have is under $500 so I could take it to small claims but what a waste of time to sit in court and wait. And to pay a filing fee that you don't get back when you win is ridiculous.
> 
> I've tried collection letters from attorneys. All that did was drain even more money I didn't have.
> 
> ...


 I don't have any answers for you- but I can tell you that you aren't alone in having this problem.

My neighbor has a successful landscaping business with one crew doing maintenance and 1-2 crews doing installs, plus they plow in the winter. He tells me that he has to wait sometimes untill JULY for some of the customers to pay for plowing and others drag out paying for mowing. Not every one mind you, but enough that it's seriously inconvenient----- almost all eventually pay up, he says 

stephen


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## Greg from K/W (Jan 28, 2010)

Send them all to your lawyer and let him handle it tell him to take em for all the legal costs in court and just let him do what he does best. Make sure he reports them to the credit agency as well. Mess em right over and wash your hands of it. While he is handling it your out making money instead of chasing dead beat Mass Holes!


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## A-1 Interiors (Oct 12, 2011)

Greg from K/W said:


> Send them all to your lawyer and let him handle it tell him to take em for all the legal costs in court and just let him do what he does best. Make sure he reports them to the credit agency as well. Mess em right over and wash your hands of it. While he is handling it your out making money instead of chasing dead beat Mass Holes!


I think the threat of bad credit will get you paid quicker that anything else as most people will try to protect their rating


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## Greg from K/W (Jan 28, 2010)

Yup i used to have 30 days and outlined it on my invoice immediate payment after completion. I changed it to 15 days. If I don't get payment with in 15 days bang off to collections it goes.


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## PeteThePoolGuy (Oct 30, 2012)

*Think I've found a winner*



woodchuck2 said:


> My invoice states right on it payment is due upon receipt and a $32 late charge will be applied every 30 days afterwards. During this time i have no issue stopping by and knocking on the door. I chased one fella for 3 months for a $300 invoice which i sent him a copy every month. When i finally caught him at his "$1mil camp on the lake" i charged him an extra $100 for late fees and an extra $200 for the 4 times i stopped by looking for him. He paid me cash with no issue and apologized repeatedly. No one likes to be confronted about money issues, especially a stranger who is doing it in person.


Thanks Woodchuck2. Looks like I will have to increase my late fees and start showing up at peoples doors. It's something I will implement for 2013 and send out a letter stating it this December. :thumbup:

I was also looking for a reply from someone that has used a collection agency that got them decent results. There are some people that live out of state and/or were renters that skipped out.


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## LCG (May 30, 2011)

I have the ability to run credit cards through my Quickbooks account. 

I am a roofer so my issue's are a bit different than your's, but...

If I were you,

1) I would send out letters informing your customers that you are taking credit/debit card payments. 

2) Inform your customers in your letter that, as of, 01/01/13credit/debit card payments will be the only source of payment recieved.

3) In order to recieve monthly service a re occuring debit will need to be placed on all monthly accounts.

4) All service calls will be paid on completion. 

You will need to get a smart phone, a mobile card reader, and credit/debit Authorization Contracts (These are available through quickbooks as well.) 

More importantly. You will need to have the guts to ask for their method of payment on "one time" service calls. Cash or Credit? It's simple. When you have set up the time of service, you ask how they prefer to pay. Cash or Credit "due on completion". 

If they ask to be billed. You inform them that you take payment on completion. If they would like your service than these are the terms set forth and it is your companiy policy and there is no deviation from company policy. 

Why deal with collections? It's YOUR business. It's YOUR livelyhood. If they don't like it they can walk. Period.

You may ruffle some feathers in the begining but if you do it in a polite manner most will understand. You tell your valued customers that you have spent to much time chasing money (not theirs). You were forced to make the change because you felt in order to provide the highest quality service you needed to get away from chasing money and focusing on the task at hand.

Think about it. If you go to Starbucks. Do they send you a bill? Hell no! They offer materials, labor, and a quality, CONSISTANT cup of joe. If you can't pay for it you don't get it. It's no different!


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## cabinetsnj (Jun 10, 2012)

PeteThePoolGuy said:


> I'm sooo tired of trying to collect from all of these deadbeats. Most of the 90+ days accounts I have is under $500 so I could take it to small claims but what a waste of time to sit in court and wait. And to pay a filing fee that you don't get back when you win is ridiculous.
> 
> I've tried collection letters from attorneys. All that did was drain even more money I didn't have.
> 
> ...


If they didnt pay you so far, I dont think a collection agency will help much. The best is to send a certified letter demanding payment or consider taking some sort of legal action.


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## GregS (Oct 1, 2006)

I had one major deadbeat. Owed me $3K for almost 9 months. As soon as I told him I was filing with EquiFax, he managed to find the money.

If you never plan on dealing with these people ever again, threaten their credit rating. Seems to work.


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