# Rude Awakening



## tiedeman (Dec 17, 2003)

Well, some customers are going to get a rude awakening on Sunday morning, if we receive the snow that they are calling for. Forecasts are saying around 1-6" total by tomorow morning. 

I have two customers in particular, that missed the schedule due date today for invoices, now unless I receive a payment in the mail today (Saturday), they are going to find themselves shoveling to get out of their driveway.

I am putting my foot down. Usually in the past I have been very forgiving for people that are behind with payments, but not anymore. My contract also states, that service will be stopped without notice for any past due accounts.

This should be fun


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## Joe D (Oct 2, 2005)

I would do a phone call or mail a reminder before doing that. I know it's the right thing to do and they should just pay the bill when it's due.


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## tiedeman (Dec 17, 2003)

Ya, I thought about that. But the one particular customer I have had problems with past due, late fees, etc. the last 3 years. 

I have gone the extra mile and sent them a past due notices before and they actually send me back letters basically stating that I am lying, or they never received the invoice, or I am mistaken. 

Sure they are not horribley past due, usually around a week to two weeks, but that is still bad in my books. What I don't understand is how a doctor (which is him) can not pay my bills before the due date, yet a woman on limited income social security can pay my bills within 5 days of me sending out the invoice. 

The only reason that I keep on maintaining the customer is because it is only two houses away from another customer. But I am just through. I can't wait for the phone call in which they call and ask where I am at and I will tell them, "I will come and do the snow removal, once I get a check in my hand."


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## Sawboy (Dec 18, 2005)

Your last sentence is my thought exactly. When I show up, you hand me a check, and I plow it. payup


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## tiedeman (Dec 17, 2003)

I am just at the point of zero tolerance.


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## gene gls (Dec 24, 1999)

With the cost of every thing going up its getting harder for lots of folks to keep up with every day needs.


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## tiedeman (Dec 17, 2003)

gene gls said:


> With the cost of every thing going up its getting harder for lots of folks to keep up with every day needs.


Do you feel that I should stop service all together then?


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## Plowlikehell (Nov 29, 2004)

Good for you!! 

If everyone else can pay thier bills on time, why should a DOCTOR slide. Last time I was at the Doc's office they had a sign saying payment due after services rendered.

My Buddy who landscapes had one customer who always stayed one month behind on his bill. Then he would have to chase them all winter long for his money. They would pay right before the season started again, so they would still stay one month behind. He finally kissed them off. Now they are on the cash first, lawn later.


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## tiedeman (Dec 17, 2003)

Ok, here is the situation....I caved in, I did the places.:crying: 

But I already have mailed letters in the mail stating that no more services will be provided to past due accounts. I figure that the contract is the first warning, and now the letter is the finaly warning.


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## DESTEFANO3782 (Aug 8, 2005)

I Have A Customer Who Owed Me 1400 Dollars In Landscape Maintenace. He Didnt Answer His Phone Or Return My Calls For 3 Months. As Soon As He Had A Foot Of Snow In His Driveway And He Couldnt Get His Brand New Cadillac Out Whod He Call? And What Did I Tell Him? Im Sorry But I Have To Attend To My Paying Customers First And Then After That And I Get Some Rest Id Be Happy To Get To Your House. One Last Thing, Before My Blade Touches Your Driveway I Need To Be Paid In Full For All Outstanding Invoices. The ***** Wrote Me A Post Dated Check And Canceled It By The Time I Got To The Bank. Got To Love These Big Fonys With The Nice House And No Furniture In It And Only Pay The Bill S On There Credit Report.


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## tiedeman (Dec 17, 2003)

DESTEFANO3782 said:


> I Have A Customer Who Owed Me 1400 Dollars In Landscape Maintenace. He Didnt Answer His Phone Or Return My Calls For 3 Months. As Soon As He Had A Foot Of Snow In His Driveway And He Couldnt Get His Brand New Cadillac Out Whod He Call? And What Did I Tell Him? Im Sorry But I Have To Attend To My Paying Customers First And Then After That And I Get Some Rest Id Be Happy To Get To Your House. One Last Thing, Before My Blade Touches Your Driveway I Need To Be Paid In Full For All Outstanding Invoices. The ***** Wrote Me A Post Dated Check And Canceled It By The Time I Got To The Bank. Got To Love These Big Fonys With The Nice House And No Furniture In It And Only Pay The Bill S On There Credit Report.


I would have told him to walk to the bank through the snow, get me some cash, and then you would remove the snow for he could get out with his car.


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## KCAPXIS (Jan 7, 2006)

If you are willing to do a job and not get paid, then you should be willing to take the food off of your kids plate . in my eyes its the same thing.


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## NJ Plowman (Dec 10, 2003)

Stop the services cold. They will call you, when they do and you explain that you no longer service delinquent accounts without payment up front, then tell them to have a check waiting for you with both the past due amount and also payment for this plowing. Then when the storm is over call them and tell the thay they will have to send you a check with a deposit amount in preparation for the next snowfall and at the end of the season you will return any unused portion of the balance. That is what we do and most of them will settle up and never pay late again...


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## Makndust (Feb 6, 2004)

So I get a call to go sand our local "county owned" hospital in December. I go sand and send them the bill due January 15th. I get no payment until yesterday. In the process, about 2 weeks ago I get a notice in the mail that the hospital expects a $60.00 per month payment, on our hospital bill, by the 20th of every month or they will turn us over to collections. Yes we had a kid spend the night there 3 months ago due to a concussion in football. We have always sent the local clinic $50.00 per month and the local hospital $50.00 per month after insurance made thier payments to our accounts. We have enough Dr office visits and hospital stays in our family, that we always have some form of a balance with both so we just budget 50 for each every month. What pisses me off is thier threat to send us to collections if we don't send $60.00 per month. I have a sneeking hunch to send their sanding bill to a collection agency the next time that they are late just to prove a point. Any time that we have owed them $$ that we couldn't pay off we have been very religious about sending them a payment every month. What's good for the goose should be good for the gander, right?


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## T-MAN (Jan 9, 2001)

Tideman be professional. Give them a reminder call before the next storm stating they are behind and you must receive payment before anymore service. Tell them you will swing by and pick up a check. Dont be a fool and get yourself into trouble.

Destafano what the guy did was illegal, it is called fraud. People go to jail for this. 
You cannot legally write a check for services rendered and then cancel it period. If you have invoices, and the canceled check take him to small claims. It does not matter if there is a dispute, you cannot write a check and cancel it period ! 
Todd


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## THE BOSS 1975 (Nov 16, 2005)

tiedeman said:


> Ya, I thought about that. But the one particular customer I have had problems with past due, late fees, etc. the last 3 years.
> 
> I have gone the extra mile and sent them a past due notices before and they actually send me back letters basically stating that I am lying, or they never received the invoice, or I am mistaken.
> 
> ...


I am in the same boat its the lawyers ,doctors that dont pay their bills on time !!!!wonder if their mortgage or payment on their jag/bmw is ever late ?


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