franchise restaurant billing/payments

[Riograndeelectric]

got a call from a local franchise returnat wanting me to come out to fix out side lighting. thay want me to submitt my bill to corparate and wait 30 days to be paid. I have no probelm with net 30 billing but as this is first time working for this franchise I am a little leary of of this.
what is the bets way to handle this ? call the corpate and have them fax a credit application and then do a credit check and wait before doing the work ?

 

[bradleyelectric]

nothing personal, you might want to run your post through spell check. How big is the job? If it's small I just do it. If it's a few grand I do a job sheet and let Rexel do the credit check.

 

[Rewire]

I would call the corporate office to confirm they will accept the bill,we did a store and was told the corporate office paid for the sign install but when we called the corporate office they paid but only at a set amount we then went back to the franchise owner because the price eceeded what corporate paid and they agreed to the difference.

 

[Sparky555]

I did a small job in a similar situation & got a credit card number. They faxed a maximum charge form for something like $300. It worked for me.

Dave

 

[Riograndeelectric]

got a call from a local franchise returnat wanting me to come out to fix out side lighting. thay want me to submitt my bill to corparate and wait 30 days to be paid. I have no probelm with net 30 billing but as this is first time working for this franchise I am a little leary of of this.
what is the bets way to handle this ? call the corpate and have them fax a credit application and then do a credit check and wait before doing the work ?

Sorry about the spelling I was in a hurry

 

[480sparky]

Either you misspelled it twice, or it's a real word.

If it's the second, what's a returnat?

 

[roger]

I don't see any misspelling in the title of the thread

Roger

 

[boboelectric]

got a call from a local franchise returnat wanting me to come out to fix out side lighting. thay want me to submitt my bill to corparate and wait 30 days to be paid. I have no probelm with net 30 billing but as this is first time working for this franchise I am a little leary of of this.
what is the bets way to handle this ? call the corpate and have them fax a credit application and then do a credit check and wait before doing the work ?

The bigger Corps (which I want) want You to do a 1099 IRS form and pay you Direct Deposit in your Bank account,

 

[tmbrk]

Definitely talk to corporate before the job as they are the ones paying and may have protocol to follow.(contractor registeration, copy of insurance, P.O. number, authorization, etc....) Do The work and wait for the check.:smile:

 

[tmbrk]

Like boboelectric said, expect a 1099 next year.

 

[GUNNING]

the list

the list

I have a list on my white board. Go where the money is, complete projects, be reliable, and NO RESTRAUNTS. If your gut says its OK do it. You will just have to decide if its going to be on your own list. Remember to get something signed by the responsible party. If its not in writing, it didn't happen.

 

[satcom]

The bigger Corps (which I want) want You to do a 1099 IRS form and pay you Direct Deposit in your Bank account,

Anyone in a ligit business, who bills with an invoice, is not required to give anyone 1099 information, the 1099 is for independent contractors, someone not in business.

If you do not provide the company with an invoice, they will require a 1099 file, and withould taxes.

 

[mdshunk]

I don't have any problem telling you how Denny's stiffed me. 500 watt quartz floods on the building and several 400 watt metal halide shoeboxes needed repair, along with a bunch of 100 watt metal halide recessed in the overhang all around. Manager said to send the bill to corporate. Corporate said that the manager wasn't allowed to authorize those repairs. Manager claimed he never ordered those repairs and that half of them that I actually did he claimed weren't done. (does he think I just ambush restaurants, fixing lights willy-nilly?) Moral of the story, check with corporate.

 

[growler]

Anyone in a ligit business, who bills with an invoice, is not required to give anyone 1099 information, the 1099 is for independent contractors, someone not in business.

The IRS doesn't require a 1099 but the do require that the company get a signed Form W-9. This gives them your tax information so they can set you up as a vendor and pay you. To get a speedy payment I alway include and Form W-9 with the first invoice.

Some companies want a newly signed form W-9 each year as they are constantly changing it. I down load it from the IRS Web Site for free.

It's true that some companies will accept an invoice with company letter head but they are not supposed to. They are required to have a W-9 on file.

 

[satcom]

The IRS doesn't require a 1099 but the do require that the company get a signed Form W-9. This gives them your tax information so they can set you up as a vendor and pay you. To get a speedy payment I alway include and Form W-9 with the first invoice.

Some companies want a newly signed form W-9 each year as they are constantly changing it. I down load it from the IRS Web Site for free.

It's true that some companies will accept an invoice with company letter head but they are not supposed to. They are required to have a W-9 on file.

And be carefull when sending out W9's "Those who freelance may fill out a W-9 for companies who pay for their services but do not consider freelancers employees."

Where back again to where the company requesting the W9 is assuming your not in business but a independent contractor.

 

[macmikeman]

I work with purchase orders from commercial customers for service calls. If it is going to be above two grand or so then a proposal is sent and an authorized company officers sig is required along with a deposit before I purchany material or start any work. Commercial smaller jobs- send me a signed P.O or pay with a credit card in advance. Bottom line.

Airlines are risky, even more than resturant chains by far. There is one big airline that flies in the north and west. For the last 10 years I have made sure to get a large deposit before doing anything for them.

 

[hardworkingstiff]

Anyone in a ligit business, who bills with an invoice, is not required to give anyone 1099 information, the 1099 is for independent contractors, someone not in business.

If you do not provide the company with an invoice, they will require a 1099 file, and withould taxes.

My understanding is if the check is made out to a Corporation you did not need a 1099. If the check is made out to a business that is not a Corporation, then a 1099 is in order whether it is a 'ligit' business or not.

 

[iwire]

We do a lot of work with chain restaurants and stores.

I was on the site of a Bob's Store having a disagreement with the manager about a repair I was to do. I called corporate and here is what they told me.

"The manager is not authorized to tie his own shoe without approval. Do what you think needs to be done"

Also as has been pointed out deal with corporate to find out all their rules, many have "PNE's" (Price Not to Exceed) for every work order and if your work is going to exceed that you had better get prior approval or you will be donating your time and material to the customer.

One of our chain accounts requires the service guys to punch in and out using the stores time clock, then you need a managers signature on that time card along with the T&M slip. The time must match the time on the card, no card, or a card missing anything and its again a donation.

 

[emahler]

just want to point out...franchises will rarely have corporate pay for anything...they are independently owned...what you will get is a company who owns multiple franchise locations (especially in fast food)...a good example is McDonald's...very few McDonald's franchisees own only 1 location...typically they own 4+ locations and the managers will refer to them as "corporate". But I assure you, send an invoice to Oak Park, IL and they will ignore it...not their problem.

chains are a different situation...restaurants like Chili's or Red Lobster, most retail locations, etc are all owned by corporate. They aren't franchised. These will almost always have all invoices paid by corporate.

make sure of the circumstances...in most cases Franchisee's are the same small business owner that have always looked to beat service companies...

 

[emahler]

One of our chain accounts requires the service guys to punch in and out using the stores time clock, then you need a managers signature on that time card along with the T&M slip. The time must match the time on the card, no card, or a card missing anything and its again a donation.

unless they agree to a higher rate, this isn't happening with us.