TruthIsTaboo
Member
- Location
- Mexico City #2 (Houston)
Good day all.
I'm a small (licensed and insured) part timer of low voltage equipment (PLC's, Fire Alarm, some mechanical). I live in Houston, TX, have a good full time job and do this to keep me out of trouble (use to be an outlaw in former life). We mainly attract inspections services, trouble calls, and some light upgrades/retrofit work, my question is: How do you make sure the client will pay? I deal with A LOT of foreign run business's (restaurants, parlors, strip mall type stuff usually not covered by a landlord), a lot of the owners can barely speak English so communication is not always easy, also their business culture might not be the same as ours here in America. I usually gauge an owner and make a decision on the spot if I will bill him later (net 30) or demand payment via credit card (iphone swipe thing) on the spot, but lately some have been missing when it comes time for payment.
How do you all protect yourself when it comes to this? This is a business friendly state and dragging a business owner to court to duke out a $500.00 dollar bill often takes 9-12 months. Is this just part of doing business?
I'm a small (licensed and insured) part timer of low voltage equipment (PLC's, Fire Alarm, some mechanical). I live in Houston, TX, have a good full time job and do this to keep me out of trouble (use to be an outlaw in former life). We mainly attract inspections services, trouble calls, and some light upgrades/retrofit work, my question is: How do you make sure the client will pay? I deal with A LOT of foreign run business's (restaurants, parlors, strip mall type stuff usually not covered by a landlord), a lot of the owners can barely speak English so communication is not always easy, also their business culture might not be the same as ours here in America. I usually gauge an owner and make a decision on the spot if I will bill him later (net 30) or demand payment via credit card (iphone swipe thing) on the spot, but lately some have been missing when it comes time for payment.
How do you all protect yourself when it comes to this? This is a business friendly state and dragging a business owner to court to duke out a $500.00 dollar bill often takes 9-12 months. Is this just part of doing business?