Cancellation Fee

[Griff93]

Do you guys do a cancellation fee? I showed up to a job with my chip truck, chipper, and an employee to do an already approved job then the customer decided to cancel after we were already there. The customer wasn't there in person and called on the phone. He basically hung up on me after telling me he didn't want the work done. I had previously spoken with the customer earlier that day when I was heading out to go to his job. My view is the guy at least owes me some gas money as I made a 40 mile round trip on his behalf with my chipper truck. Any reason I shouldn't send him a bill with a small cancellation fee?

 

[HuskStihl]

That's a **** move on his part for sure. I'd send him a gas bill, but wouldn't expect to see a dime from it (cause it's been established that he's a ****)

 

[TheJollyLogger]

+1 on that. Good luck getting money from a guy like that. I usually just drop a tree on their house and get on with my life.

 

[Toddppm]

I've got a $150.00 cancellation fee in my contract, haven't had to use it since I added it in. I always get a signed contract.

 

[redoakneck]

Let me get this correct, you spoke with him while you were going to the job he wanted done, and 40 miles later he cancels???

...any reason given??? I would charge $150 or more for wasting 2 hrs. of yer time and gas to boot.

If he had cancelled before you showed up, maybe cut him some slack.

Is this a regular customer you do a lot of work for??? If not, then charge him!!

 

[Griff93]

Yeah I figure I may never see a dime. I kinda want to do it just on principal to maybe show the guy he was being a ****. Some people are just oblivious. The reason he gave me is he decided he didn't want to spend that much on the job. It was a $400 job. I've never met the guy face to face. I try to get a signed contract but sometimes it's hard to do. This guy was at work and unable to meet me when I was in the area. Taking another 40 mile trip just to get a signature on my contract costs quite a bit more in time and fuel for a $400 job. On bigger jobs if customers are unable to meet with me, I mail them a contract before hand. I get them to sign it and leave it for me so I have it in hand once I'm at the job site before any work is started. I didn't have time to do that with this guy as he called me Wednesday and we had the job scheduled for Friday as the customer was in a hurry to get it done. Other than pissing this guy off, I don't really see a downside to sending him a bill with a cancellation fee on it. This is not the first time I've had a customer do this. I'm just getting tired of it. I wouldn't do this to someone with a family emergency.

To be clear, yes I talked to the customer on my way out to his house and 20 miles later he changes his mind. It was 40 miles round trip to the guys house.

 

[ChoppyChoppy]

I have thought about it, but in the end it just would be a headache.

I have had a few people cancel their firewood orders as I was on the way to deliver, or at their house.
Had one guy not answer the door and I had talked to him not even an hr prior. Pretty sure he was home, lights were one, TV on, cars in the driveway.
He called me a few days later wanting the wood again, told him he could come to the shop and pay first, otherwise it wasn't going to happen.

And it's not like I just show up... "surprise". I call them as I'm loading the truck, so it might be several days/week out to make sure it's a go and setup a time for dropoff.

The ones that worry me are custom orders, like 12" lengths or really big/small splits. If they would cancel I would be stuck with the wood and not easy to resell it compared to the normal 16" lengths or split size.

 

[BC WetCoast]

An authorization email, text message, emailed contract photo or fax is as effective as a signature. Lots of ways to get authorization without physically being there.

Now you have a place to dump a free load of chips.

 

[bigremovals]

Not as bad as showing up to a job and theres another company already doing the work. I now make them sign the contract haha

 

[DLCRL]

If you have signed contract there's no reason you couldn't do the work, and take him to court if he refuses to pay, if litigation is your style.

 

[Zale]

Just because you have a signed contract doesn't mean he wouldn't be trespassing. Let it go, life is too short.

 

[mckeetree]

+1 on that. Good luck getting money from a guy like that. I usually just drop a tree on their house and get on with my life.

Yep. If you can figure out someway to get their ass good is the best solution. A well placed load of chips can speak volumes.

 

[Griff93]

I'm not mad or vindictive. I'd just like to figure out a way to try to recoup some of my costs when people pull a **** move like this guy. I certainly understand I probably won't see a dime from most of them. It only takes me a minute to generate an invoice and send it to them. I mainly just want to make sure this won't bite me in the ass other than possibly pissing off the potential customer that has already shown they aren't the kind of client that I want. I'm not wanting to do anything that potentially gets me in trouble or draws a bunch of negative publicity to my business.

 

[Groundman One]

A phone call or a letter, painfully polite, asking for a small amount to cover expenses for the drive out there. Explain that it was your pleasure to offer a good service, you are sorry the job was canceled, but if he would be kind enough to reimburse you at least for trip so you don't actually lose money, it would be greatly appreciated. At worst he says no.

More flies with honey than vinegar, and all that. It works for us.

 

[bigremovals]

drop a load of chips off on his drive way haha

 

[Del_]

I'm not mad or vindictive. I'd just like to figure out a way to try to recoup some of my costs when people pull a **** move like this guy. I certainly understand I probably won't see a dime from most of them. It only takes me a minute to generate an invoice and send it to them. I mainly just want to make sure this won't bite me in the ass other than possibly pissing off the potential customer that has already shown they aren't the kind of client that I want. I'm not wanting to do anything that potentially gets me in trouble or draws a bunch of negative publicity to my business.

Forget about it.

You are going to see very, very few people who tell you to do the job and then change their mind while you are on you way to their place.

I've not had it happen even once in 25 years.

 

[Knobby57]

Flaming bag of dog poop on his porch !!!


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[jefflovstrom]

Whiner,,,,,
Jeff

 

[mckeetree]

A phone call or a letter, painfully polite, asking for a small amount to cover expenses for the drive out there.

First off, we don't even fool with $400 jobs anymore. That being said, I can guarantee you that ******* is not going to pay for gas or anything else. That's just the kind of jackrag that guy is. I've seen dozens of them in my 29 years in business.

 

[Knobby57]

I agree you will never see a penny from him . I would not even give him the satisfaction of a letter . Keep his number and address in your contacts . You may hear from him when he has an emergency . You then tell him calm down I'll be over ASAP . Then you forget about him .


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