payment plans

[Treebeard]

Ever have potential clients that don't have the cashflow to pay you in one chunk? I've been doing a number of estimates for elderly folks that I really believe don't have $500.00 on hand to pay me in one lump but I'm leery of getting bogged down chasing my money later. So far I've negotiated work & pay as we go plans so that I'm never on the hook for unpaid work but I can see limits on that....hard to remove half a tree & finish later Anybody got experience with this? Contract forms they use? Horror stories?

 

[Reed]

Payments

I've practice a few different methods for muhla.

Many of my clients are old, infirm, vegetative, or else just poor. To these, the bigger companies stay away from or bid high to get out of working them. We're in the middle of a die-off epidemic so most work here is removals, many hazardous at that.

I always feel sorry for the people who have a dying giant over their homes, especially when they are poor, the tree's getting more rotten by the day, and someone has to do it. Some of these I can compel friends to work together for cash, mostly on a weekend. Even the big crews can get the equipment (off the clock) and welcome the money in twenties, fifties, etc.

I also believe in barter. Does the old couple have a fishing boat they haven't used for twenty years? How about cooking skills? They have a garden, would they trade some of those beans or watermelons? How about setting them down and going thru the homeowner's policy? It's cheaper to remove a tree now than replace a roof later.

I've quit working for the wealthy - many of whom I've had problems billing in the past (probably how they got wealthy in the first place).

 

[John Paul Sanborn]

I've done payment plans. I've also done cash jobs to reduce cost. Cash is off payroll so it saves you more then just in taxes. Get the boys together have the customer grill up lunch...

First I ask myself if I realy want the work. I have a soft spot for seniors so I usualy bid low anyways. Do i want it bad enough to take a chance on having to dunn someone?

The least number of payments possible, Usualy two or three.

I always want the first payment the day the work is to be done, preferably prior to starting. (I have had cyclycle accounts (srubs) where I would not do the work unless I got paid first due to collection problems)

Then due the same day next month.

I would give them self addressed envelopes also.

 

[Shespen]

Are you set up to accept credit cards? Thats the best way to handle these type of accounts. It's also a good selling point. Most people have a credit card to pay for unexpected expenses such as a blown engine, dead furnace, bail bondsman, tree fell on the house or whatever... These merchant accounts can be quite costly going through your local bank so shop carefully! The best deals are on the net.

 

[budroe69moni]

i agree w/ oakwilt, the barter system is alive and well in america!!!
monday i did a job for an old couple down the street (cleaned out a
10 x 10 stand of palmettos and trimmed up 8 washingtonians and a couple of white birds) he told me that he was strapped for cash from the get. i asked him if he had anything to barter so we took a look in his tool shed. i ended up getting a 5000lb winch for the jeep, an echo cs3000 chainsaw, and a set of snap on tools w/ the chest and 200 cash for a 4 hour job!!!!! not bad for 1/2 a days work. ive been pricing out winches and they have all been around 5-6 honey bucks!!!!
peace out,
budroe

 

[DDM]

Budroe, Now all you have to do is Tie the jeep in and pull it to the top and you can
prune in comfort

 

[Pgtree]

Since I dont do credit checks on my customers, if they want a payment plan I require the following:

Half when the work is completed.

The other half can be spread over two months, but both checks must be post-dated, signed and presented at the completion of the job.

Also, add 5% for payment plans.

I accept credit cards, that cuts into my profit by about 4%.

 

[budroe69moni]

good one dave, smart ass!
got the winch hooked up today!!! awesome!!!!!
i yanked out a few crappy azalea bushes like nobodys
business!!!!! now i need to figure out how to hook up a
swing arm so i can pick up b&b palms and drive'em to the
hole, drop'em in and plant'em!!!!!!
later,
budroe

 

[John Paul Sanborn]

If you do use the winch to plant trees, sling from the ball, not the stem. The weight of the ball on the roots can cause damage, and the sling can cause compression damage to the cambium.

 

[budroe69moni]

jp,
i plan on using the sling arm and tree strap
to move around palms (mostly pygmy dates
and adonidias and some coconuts) the root
ball is so small on these palms i dont see how
the weight effect the roots. moving palms w/
a tree strap is standard practice in these parts
and the palms all seem to tollerate this. now how
could i hook up a sling arm???????
peace,
budroe
p.s. good $ in planting b&b palms!!!!!!!

 

[John Paul Sanborn]

Samll dolly like trailer with an engine snatch like arm set on it comes to mind.

 

[DDM]

Budroe,You need a Frontend loader for the jeep, Ive seen them they are cool!
ive seen them with a 3 point hitch and PTO on the back so you could bush hog
with them.

 

[budroe69moni]

that sound exactly what i need!!!!! where did you see that set-up????? let me know!!!! it's better than trying to dolly those suckers around the yard!!!! i don't know what's worse, the st. augustine grass or that ???? sugar sand!!!
budroe

 

[DDM]

Budroe, Check this out http://www.film.queensu.ca/CJ3B/FarmJeep2.html

 

[budroe69moni]

david,
that page is way cool. now i know what i need to get!!!!!
i've got to put pencil to paper to see how cost effective this
is going to be, but it looks like a sweet set up!!!!!!!
thanks bro,
budroe