Should clients pay without a bill?

[DirtyDog]

If the customer is using a check.....Isn't that a receipt? Technically? I think I've written out only 2 receipts this year so far for cash customers.

 

[Groundman One]

Final questions: How many here get paid (by their employer) every day they work? How is this any different?

I've been getting paid daily for years. You get used to it reeeeeally quickly. It's like economic crack.

Now...if the contract said something like M.D. Vaden wrote up, you have every right to be a little annoyed - but don't make yourself look bad to a client over 16 whole hours.

Of course you're right. I didn't say a word to the customer. I just whined to my climber, it was his job, he did the estimate. But I'm a greedy mercenary. That's why the other guys like working my jobs, they know there's money at the end of the job guaranteed. We do a very good job so I expect a very good payment.

As for the check being a receipt; yes, it is. But the client needs to submit our provincial and federal tax numbers with the bill in order to be able to write off the expense, and those (long) numbers are in the bill book.

 

[ozzy42]

Have one solution for this sort of thing.

My estimates / contract forms have a line that says the page "becomes the billing upon completion" and that payment is due "upon" completion, not after completion.

Once they accept, and my work is done, they already have their billing and payment is due - according to the terms we both agreed upon.

I understand your frustration though - and we can't be perfect and remember to have all things at all times.

Yep .done deal

 

[KD57]

I got my tree down, you did the work, here's the 500.00, drop an invoice by tomorrow showing the bill has been paid. I'll call you again next time I need tree work. Have a nice day.

 

[Raymond]

I got my tree down, you did the work, here's the 500.00, drop an invoice by tomorrow showing the bill has been paid. I'll call you again next time I need tree work. Have a nice day.

I love those customers.

How 'bout the ones that say,
"In case I'm not home, I'll just put
the check in the grill on the patio,
unless you would rather have cash?"

That's fine, I'll put it in an envelope
and stick it in the grill.

 

[Huskybill]

I dumped a cord of wood and after it’s done the customer hands me a post dated check. He didn’t tell me before I dumped the wood.

Another one thought my price of $100 a cord was locked in forever. On my way to work I could get $150 no extra cost for gas I’m going to work anyway. I should sell it for $100 forever?

I had one guy tell me it’s not a cord on the second load. I asked him where’s the rest of the wood? He put it in the basement already.

We work so hard and some want to cheat us. Check off those phone numbers. Funny they call back in the fall. The wood guy gets no respect. But most are good honest people that are happy to get the wood.

 

[Dub11]

I dumped a cord of wood and after it’s done the customer hands me a post dated check. He didn’t tell me before I dumped the wood.

Another one thought my price of $100 a cord was locked in forever. On my way to work I could get $150 no extra cost for gas I’m going to work anyway. I should sell it for $100 forever?

I had one guy tell me it’s not a cord on the second load. I asked him where’s the rest of the wood? He put it in the basement already.

We work so hard and some want to cheat us. Check off those phone numbers. Funny they call back in the fall. The wood guy gets no respect. But most are good honest people that are happy to get the wood.

Holy dead thread revival batman!!!!

 

[Haironyourchest]

HO might have been stung in the past by guys coming back for more, and claiming they were never paid. It's a common scam, happens all the time. On the flip side, you did the job, presumably have pictures of the work, before, during and after, witnesses, etc. So there is no danger of you getting scammed - you have evidence. I'd want the bill too, if I didn't know you.

 

[Huskybill]

I had a garden tilling side business that was doing good, more and more work every springtime. Ok I had to the homeowner who was on welfare a receipt for garden tilling so she could show the state. I was charging $25 min for small gardens. I try to line up a few jobs together to save on gas in the truck.

I would buy up gravely tractors to restore and sell. I had a L8 8 speed with the rotary plow I put it to work.

 

[lone wolf]

We had a nice job today. A spruce, about 2' x 60'. By the house and wires, take down, take away, pass the rake, lovely.

At the end of the job we realized we didn't have our bill book. The guy said it would be fine and we could pass by in the morning. My climber asks if he can pay us now and we'll pass by in the morning with the bill like he asked. He says no, He doesn't want to pay without a bill in his hands.

My climber says it's ok, but I'm pretty POd. I don't say anything to the guy but I let loose in the truck on the way home. Why couldn't the guy have paid us? We did $500 worth of work without a deposit, without anything but the guy asking us to do it, and we did a perfect job, no damage, nice clean up, everyone's happy, but he won't pay until he gets his little piece of paper. It's like he doesn't trust us to come back with a bill. Maybe he thinks if he doesn't get a bill the tree will grow back, I don't know.

Is it just me or was the guy (and guys like him) an anal retentive little :censored:?

I would have hand written one on a piece of paper as long as the pertinent data is all there it is 100 percent legal and he should have no qualm! and stayed there till he paid! Sounds like BS to me!

 

[lone wolf]

Write up a little something on a piece of notebook paper or something...No?

Plus one brother!

 

[ATH]

10 years later and I haven't changed much. Invoice is due 30 days after billing. I don't always get the invoice written up right away either...but that is on me.

I've been typing up and mailing. But I get behind on that. To help with that, last year I ordered customized invoice pages from https://printpps.com/

They have my logo, address, ect... I got rid of the "quantity" column because that doesn't fit what I do well - I just want to write what we did and a price. Added a line at the bottom where I can write in the sales tax rate and total. Then I have 3 boxes: "Estimate", "Invoice - due in 30 days" and "Receipt of Payment". If the owner is home when we wrap up (maybe a 50/50 deal there), I write it up and go to them with the book "I can either leave you an invoice or check "paid" if you want to write a check now - just let me know which box to check." Most of the time they pay on the spot. Sometimes they don't. That is fine with me as the deal is to pay within 30 days...

I had a generic receipt book before, but I thought it looked crappy and I wouldn't use it unless somebody wanted to pay on the spot and wanted a receipt. Having this, makes it look a lot more professional and saves me a lot of computer time later while shortening turnaround time for getting paid.

 

[rarefish383]

Holy dead thread revival batman!!!!

Thanks for pointing that out, I was just getting ready to reply. Now I'll go eat left over Chinese instead.

 

[Ryan'smilling]

Holy dead thread revival batman!!!!

Have you met our friend huskybill? It's his MO. The guy's like an internet necromancer.

 

[gary courtney]

due "upon" completion, not after completion.

once you are finished you are "complete". so in effect he writes after completion unless I am missing something.

 

[CT arborist]

Don't worry. I go through that all the time. It's like they dont want to be asked "job is done how would you like to pay?" So I say "would you like to pay us today or do you want me to email you an invoice?" They usually will say email me an invoice and I do that and get paid 1 to 2 weeks later. Sometimes even longer but the money gets there which I think is ok as long as I can cover all the expenses.

 

[Dub11]

Have you met our friend huskybill? It's his MO. The guy's like an internet necromancer.

 

[Dub11]

Have you met our friend huskybill? It's his MO. The guy's like an internet necromancer.

 

[rarefish383]

Before I realized this was a dead thread, and had my left over Chinese, I was going to say, I would never dream of going to a customers door with out a bill, expecting payment. When I got new tires, I got a bill, oil change, bill, the guy power washed the house, a bill. I know other guys that have their estimate sheets written that it becomes the bill upon acceptance of the work, a contract. Most of our work went through our billing dept. Too often folks would ask for additional work to be done and wanted that on the bill too. The foreman would get in and tell the boss the customer asked to pole clip around the gutters, add $50. Did you give the estimate? If the customer knew you, I guess it's OK to ask for payment. But, in the 50 plus years I've been around the tree business, 30 days is reasonable and customary. The other thing, if the customer didn't know you, with out a bill or receipt, they don't know if the money made it back to the office. Being in business for four generations we just expected most billing to go out, and payment come in, 30 days after completion. It's how the business world works.

 

[rarefish383]

If I counted right, 9 people that responded to this thread haven't been here in 3 or more years, probably wouldn't take their advice anyway.