Give a customer and inch and they will take a mile

So we have a customer who asked us if we could hold off billing him for the months of January and February because money was tight but he could pay us in March. Sent out the bills for the three months 2 weeks ago and nothing returned. Called him last Wednesday and no answer at the house so I make it a point to go back out of my way in the evening to hand deliver the bill Wednesday night, two cars in front of the garage and lights are on. No answer at the door.

Fast forward to yesterday I call and still no answer, I'm in his neighborhood at 7am so I knock again hoping to be just a little annoying. No answer, both cars out front but no lights on this morning. Original bill isn't wedged into the door anymore.

I drive by again about an hour ago because this guy has been dodging my calls and my visits and I don't want him to say he never received the bills. Red car parked on the street, never seen it at the house before because I'm not in the neighborhood on Tuesday. I knock and I get an answer, it's the maid.... I ask about where Mr. G is and she tells me he won't be back till Thursday morning, he left on a cruise with Mrs. G Monday night...

Wow, a maid and cruises, but can't pay bills.

Wow, that's some dickish chutzpah on the customer's part.

We have a client that owes up about 20 grand. He kept making and breaking promises. We sent him to collections and now he's having to deal with a collections firm in Court. We'll get our money eventually and have let someone else deal with it.

Wow.

Do you need his business? That's not a person I would want to do business with.

You should have charged him "deferred interest".

JetSmooth said:

Wow.

Do you need his business? That's not a person I would want to do business with.

You should have charged him "deferred interest".

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I like this idea. Maybe get some kind of signed delivery with a note that he will be charged "deferred interest" if he doesn't pay up by X date. Don't know if that's legal or not, but I'm sure its a whole lot more legal than a sledgehammer to his two cars parked out front.

Maybe they'll both come down with norovirus, I hope they do. In the meantime, sounds like it's lawsuit/collection agency time to me. Good luck getting you money out of these deadbeats. Regards, GF.

What business are you in?

My dad had his woods thinned out in January of 2001. We kept waiting for the check throughout winter/spring. Dad started making more and more frequent calls in the summertime. One excuse he used was that the lumber market was kinda tight so he needed to move some wood before he could pay us but with the market, things were really tough with him. A few weeks later Dad drove over to his place. Found guys adult son and asked where his dad was: In alaska. On a cruise. ******. We got paid eventually.

gratus fermentatio said:

Maybe they'll both come down with norovirus, I hope they do. In the meantime, sounds like it's lawsuit/collection agency time to me. Good luck getting you money out of these deadbeats. Regards, GF.

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Thing is, he can't really take the guy to collections because the customer wasn't billed until just recently. He's not in violation of any legal committments. The OP here just got taken advantage of, which sucks.

OP can certainly cease doing business with him, and let others in his field know what a realy "stand up guy" the customer is.

But I don't think there's any room for legal recourse.

Of course, IAmNAL.

Sounds like a reality tv show.

JetSmooth said:

Thing is, he can't really take the guy to collections because the customer wasn't billed until just recently. He's not in violation of any legal committments. The OP here just got taken advantage of, which sucks.

OP can certainly cease doing business with him, and let others in his field know what a realy "stand up guy" the customer is.

But I don't think there's any room for legal recourse.

Of course, IAmNAL.

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Yeah I didn't expect it considering he's been a customer since 08 and blindsided us on this one. I might start addressing the bills to his wife, maybe the embarrassment will get to him.

you could include a hand written note saying something to the effect of "you hope he enjoyed his cruise" along with the bill.

Hugh_Jass said:

you could include a hand written note saying something to the effect of "you hope he enjoyed his cruise" along with the bill.

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This!!

Hugh_Jass said:

you could include a hand written note saying something to the effect of "you hope he enjoyed his cruise" along with the bill.

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THIS! I'm going to get one of those cruise brochures and send it inside the bill. The extra postage will be worth it.

Well, it's kind of dickish to ask to defer payments and then go off on a cruise, but consider that perhaps his wife was really pushing for a cruise and he felt the need to do this for her in order to keep their marriage. It could very well be a desperate act by a desperate man.

SwampassJ said:

THIS! I'm going to get one of those cruise brochures and send it inside the bill. The extra postage will be worth it.

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You know, I wouldn't go overboard. Just a note. If this person were my customer, I'd let him know I know about the cruise. I don't think I'd go beyond that. I mean, you really don't know HOW that cruise was paid for. He may have won it in a raffle, had it paid for by his in-laws, or his wife may have inherited some money and she decided to take the family on a cruise. The fact is you know he's on a cruise, but you don't know how that cruise was paid for. Maybe, just maybe, he had the cruise paid for by a different supplier for his business paying the bills extra early .

If he's a good enough customer to extend his terms, he's a customer good enough to treat with some deference to retain his business, slow pay or not.

JM2C

Hugh, that is a good point to consider.

Though, he has been unreachable for several weeks after being invoiced, then left town without contacting Mr. Swampass.

Wow I had no idea you guys were on HBT. The cruise was lots of fun, and Matilda, the maid, works for very cheap. money is just really tight right now I'll get it to you soon.

i also have to agree with mr. jass. cruise could've been paid for a year or two ago. maid could also be on deferred pay. of course the maid could be overpaid and the cruise could've been paid cash last week. who knows. but if he was a good enough customer for an extension, i'd guess he's good enough to hear out....

I never take my customers to collections. I just report them to the credit bureaus. The people that are really hurting and truly can't pay will never even know, so I just write it off as a bad debt. But the people that have the money and are just jerking you around, well, the next time they try and get a loan for a new car/home/boat, they come running to pay you so you will take it off of their credit report.

Well still no response so we'll see how long till he calls to complain about the pool being green.