How long do you wait on a customer?

[Stihlproincky]

Hi guys, this is about a stihl 261 I've repaired for a customer. I was finished with the saw on June 5th, I notified the customer that his saw was fixed and ready for pickup. That's been over a month now, I did reach out to him at the 1 month mark just to see if he was gonna pay me and get his saw, he said he would, that was 10 days ago. I know that some shops have a 30 day policy, some have 60 day policy, if you don't pick it up then it's considered theirs. No a huge problem that he ain't picked it up, I'm just out $160 in parts, and $150 in labor. My thing is, I need to know if he's gonna pick it up, cuz it's sitting in my shop, full of gas, I would glad run it if it was mine.

How would you guys handle this situation??

To be fair I didn't tell him that there was a time limit on picking it up, but any reasonable person would know I can't sit on it forever. Any input or advice would be appreciated, thanks.

Also, what are most of you charging an hour? Is $40 per hr too much?

 

[Vintage Engine Repairs]

You need to find out what the laws are in your state with how to proceed on claiming back your lossed revenue via selling it.

 

[Stihlproincky]

You need to find out what the laws are in your state with how to proceed on claiming back your lossed revenue via selling it.

I'd keep it if he don't get back with me, never hurts to have another saw.

 

[lone wolf]

I'd keep it if he don't get back with me, never hurts to have another saw.

Keep a record of your contacts, hopefully texts after so many and a month or so I would say hell with him.

 

[Bob Hedgecutter]

If you are 6'5" 250lbs, built like Mike Tyson and can fight as well as he- send him a message stating in X ammount of days the saw, if not collected and paid in full, becomes your property.
If you a 5'1"and 125lb wringing wet- keep waiting and hoping.

 

[woodchuckcanuck]

It may depend on your local laws, but with no set terms of pick up / payment terms in place at the time the client brought the work to you, you basically have an open ended contract with the client. So you may have to sit on this work order until the customer is ready to pick it up. Moving forward, set up those terms on all future work that comes in your door so that your clients have a clear understanding.
As for hourly rate, chose a price that works best for you when factoring in your time invested, workshop tools investment, insurance, etc.

 

[stihltech]

You need to post a sign saying the limit (30, 60, 90 days, etc.) Without that you are indefinite.

 

[ZeroJunk]

I have a TS420 that I had rebuilt for a guy on June 16.
New OEM piston , bearings and seal kit.
Plus, I put a new OEM air filter on it. Told him $200 .
Haven't heard from him and pray I don't. I'll give him another month. If he doesn't show up I'll take it to the store and sell it for $500.

As far as legality, there is no paperwork.

I'm thinking a couple of months is a gracious plenty.

 

[Stihlproincky]

If you are 6'5" 250lbs, built like Mike Tyson and can fight as well as he- send him a message stating in X ammount of days the saw, if not collected and paid in full, becomes your property.
If you a 5'1"and 125lb wringing wet- keep waiting and hoping.

6'2" 180lbs, but he's got some on me, lol

 

[Mad Professor]

Is there a small claims court? You could start a suit for free.

 

[Stihlproincky]

Is there a small claims court? You could start a suit for free.

This guy is my neighbor, not a preferred neighbor, but still my neighbor, I don't wanna cause problems, so I guess I'll wait him out a little longer

 

[lone wolf]

This guy is my neighbor, not a preferred neighbor, but still my neighbor, I don't wanna cause problems, so I guess I'll wait him out a little longer

Keep dogging him, the more time that passes, the worse off you will be.

 

[dboyd351]

Maybe you should tell him now that you have a policy of picking up within 30 days. Can hurt to send another reminder and let him know there is a definite time period. Keep a record of it.

 

[Franny K]

Is there a small claims court? You could start a suit for free.

It used to be in Ct that you had to hire a sheriff to serve the papers. It was one of the few things that went by county In Ct. Not sure how it works now. Also, in Ct to do repair work and charge money will necessitate registering with the consumer protection dept and buying a license to do so. This was not discussed in posts prior. If you don't have the license and the guy comes to pick it up, does not pay and takes it chances are you will legally be out of luck.

 

[ZeroJunk]

It used to be in Ct that you had to hire a sheriff to serve the papers. It was one of the few things that went by county In Ct. Not sure how it works now. Also, in Ct to do repair work and charge money will necessitate registering with the consumer protection dept and buying a license to do so. This was not discussed in posts prior. If you don't have the license and the guy comes to pick it up, does not pay and takes it chances are you will legally be out of luck.

Personally, I never do any work for anybody at home that I don't know.
I have has a lot of really nice equipment left over the years that is a real curiosity to me.

MS660 rebuilt with OEM top end. BR600, BR700. Three FS56 trimmers,etc.

Beats me.

 

[Woody912]

Hi guys, this is about a stihl 261 I've repaired for a customer. I was finished with the saw on June 5th, I notified the customer that his saw was fixed and ready for pickup. That's been over a month now, I did reach out to him at the 1 month mark just to see if he was gonna pay me and get his saw, he said he would, that was 10 days ago. I know that some shops have a 30 day policy, some have 60 day policy, if you don't pick it up then it's considered theirs. No a huge problem that he ain't picked it up, I'm just out $160 in parts, and $150 in labor. My thing is, I need to know if he's gonna pick it up, cuz it's sitting in my shop, full of gas, I would glad run it if it was mine.

How would you guys handle this situation??

To be fair I didn't tell him that there was a time limit on picking it up, but any reasonable person would know I can't sit on it forever. Any input or advice would be appreciated, thanks.

Also, what are most of you charging an hour? Is $40 per hr too much?

I don't know the local law but I would send him a registered letter that if he does not pick up in 30 days you will consider it to be abandoned property.

 

[lone wolf]

Just go over there today and make a deal, any deal keep it, trade, some cash what ever and be done before this goes on too long. Don't make a Federal case out of it he's your neighbor, try to be diplomatic at first. You still have to live near him.

 

[Breckinridge Elkins]

I have this problem all the time. What I do is donate the equipment to a non-profit. That way no one can ever come back and accuse me of profiting from the item. I do this because of quirks with my employer. The RIGHT WAY to handle the situation (going forward) is this: Clearly post a time limit at the counter, mention it during check in. Get the customer's email, phone, and mailing address. If an item has been left with you past the deadline you can sell it on what's called a "Mechanic's Lien". Laws will vary state by state. Here, you have to send a certified letter, wait X number of days, then you can sell the item for whatever you have into it. You might find with your $160 parts + $150 labor you might still take a loss on some repairs. This is why some mechanics will flat out decline certain repairs when the estimate exceeds the replacement value. Another strategy is to have customer pay for parts up front before you do any work.
Ideally all of this would be in the form of a written agreement the customer signs at drop-off.

For your current situation I would call the guy every two weeks for 90 days then sell it on eBay. Don't have it out for sale in your own shop. That could just lead to an unnecessary confrontation. I personally would not keep it for myself but that's just my opinion.

Also, you need to keep a log of all correspondence. Calls, emails, texts, etc. I get people all the time who say, "You never called me!". So I look up the work order and it says we called you every week for two months. Goes straight to voicemail and the mailbox is full, etc.

 

[Breckinridge Elkins]

This guy is my neighbor, not a preferred neighbor, but still my neighbor, I don't wanna cause problems, so I guess I'll wait him out a little longer

Oh, I missed this part. Go knock on his door. Don't let him haggle you, either.

 

[Stihlproincky]

Oh, I missed this part. Go knock on his door. Don't let him haggle you, either.

That's what I'm going to do