While I'm in the mood to rant I thought I would rant a little about a service call I went on the other day.
This woman calls me and says I just bought a couple of new baseboard heaters to replace my old ones and when I tried to install them I blew out my TV and microwave. I don't have any money to pay you but can you get someone out today.
I tell her we need to collect at the end of each call and that she would need to pay that day.
She said she doesn't get paid until tomorrow.
I tell her we could come out tomorrow when she gets paid and she says that won't work because she has to work tomorrow and her next day off won't be until next week.
I ask if she could write us a check today and explain we won't be going to the bank to deposit reciepts until later in the week. She tells me she doesn't have a checking account. I ask her if she could pay with a credit card and she says no because they're all maxed out.
I tell her we can schedule this for next week and that will give her time to get paid and have the money available. She agrees and I set up the appointment for next week.
I call her the morning of her appointment and confirm she still wants us to come out and she says yes. Like an idiot I didn't think to ask if she had the money. I get out there, look the situation over and give her a price for installing the baseboard heaters and she looks at me and says I don't have any money.
You don't have any money at all I ask. She say no but I get paid in a couple of days can you wait until then to get paid. I tell her no I will need the money upfront before I'll do any work. She asks me if her brother that lives in another state can send me the money later. Again I tell her no that I'll need payment today.
So now she wants me to come back next week when she claims she'll have the money. I asked her if she could pay the dispatch fee for me to come out today and she said she couldn't and that she had no money at all.
I told her I'll give her one more chance and that she can call and schedule the appointment when she has the money but we will not start the work without getting the payment in cash before we start.
I doubt she will call back because I think she's trying to pull a fast one and get the work done without paying for it. I've decided if she does call I'm going to tell her to mail us the payment and once it is deposited in our account we will come out and do the work.
Since I've been in business I've only had one customer that didn't pay me. After completing the job she told me she didn't have any money. She told me I would have to send the bill to her father who lived in another state. I never got paid. I now make it clear that they need to pay at the end of the call and we will not bill someone else. They will have to pay and get reimbursed for the amount.
This woman calls me and says I just bought a couple of new baseboard heaters to replace my old ones and when I tried to install them I blew out my TV and microwave. I don't have any money to pay you but can you get someone out today.
I tell her we need to collect at the end of each call and that she would need to pay that day.
She said she doesn't get paid until tomorrow.
I tell her we could come out tomorrow when she gets paid and she says that won't work because she has to work tomorrow and her next day off won't be until next week.
I ask if she could write us a check today and explain we won't be going to the bank to deposit reciepts until later in the week. She tells me she doesn't have a checking account. I ask her if she could pay with a credit card and she says no because they're all maxed out.
I tell her we can schedule this for next week and that will give her time to get paid and have the money available. She agrees and I set up the appointment for next week.
I call her the morning of her appointment and confirm she still wants us to come out and she says yes. Like an idiot I didn't think to ask if she had the money. I get out there, look the situation over and give her a price for installing the baseboard heaters and she looks at me and says I don't have any money.
You don't have any money at all I ask. She say no but I get paid in a couple of days can you wait until then to get paid. I tell her no I will need the money upfront before I'll do any work. She asks me if her brother that lives in another state can send me the money later. Again I tell her no that I'll need payment today.
So now she wants me to come back next week when she claims she'll have the money. I asked her if she could pay the dispatch fee for me to come out today and she said she couldn't and that she had no money at all.
I told her I'll give her one more chance and that she can call and schedule the appointment when she has the money but we will not start the work without getting the payment in cash before we start.
I doubt she will call back because I think she's trying to pull a fast one and get the work done without paying for it. I've decided if she does call I'm going to tell her to mail us the payment and once it is deposited in our account we will come out and do the work.
Since I've been in business I've only had one customer that didn't pay me. After completing the job she told me she didn't have any money. She told me I would have to send the bill to her father who lived in another state. I never got paid. I now make it clear that they need to pay at the end of the call and we will not bill someone else. They will have to pay and get reimbursed for the amount.