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Lorrainelovesplants

Joined: 13 Oct 2006
Posts: 6521
Location: Dordogne

Posted: Thu Jul 24, 14 2:58 pm Post subject:

Okay - polite wording please , as I can be a bit abrupt. (No I can - just ask my daughter)

Acceptance of any item of machinery implies that you have entered into a contract with us. As will have been explained to you, if you are a new customer, we will charge a minimum of ï¿½15 to examine any piece of machinery, whether it can be repaired or not. In the event it cannot be repaired - either it is uneconomical to repair or too old and we cannot source parts, we will ask you to collect the item and pay the examination fee of ï¿½15. If you fail to pay within 7 days you agree that the item is now ours to dispose of.
Any item repaired/serviced must be paid for on completion of work, unless specifically agreed beforehand.
In certain circumstances we will give you 7 days grace to pay an invoice. After this time, you will be liable to a storage fee of ï¿½10 per week, and interest on the outstanding amount of 6%.

As a small business we cannot afford to have unpaid items affecting our cash flow nor taking up space in the workshop. Thanksfully, most of our customers are brilliant and pay on collection, but these T&C's are for the very few.
If we have to start chasing you, we will not do any further work for you.

BahamaMama

Joined: 21 Sep 2006
Posts: 2315
Location: Away with the fairies

Posted: Thu Jul 24, 14 3:08 pm Post subject:

Suggested amendments, slightly less threatening

and Ts & Cs apply to all customers:-

We will charge a minimum of ï¿½15 to examine any piece of machinery. In the event it cannot be repaired we will ask you to collect the item (within xx days) and pay the examination fee of ï¿½15. If you fail to pay within 7 days, you agree that the item is now ours to dispose of.
Any item repaired/serviced must be paid for on completion of work, unless specifically agreed beforehand.
Any delay in payment must be mutually agreed, in advance and is restricted to a maximum of 7 days.
After this time, you will be liable to a storage fee of ï¿½10 per week, and interest on the outstanding amount at a rate of 6% per day/week/month?

As a small business we cannot afford to have unpaid items affecting our cash flow nor taking up space in the workshop.

Pilsbury

Joined: 13 Dec 2004
Posts: 5645
Location: East london/Essex

Posted: Thu Jul 24, 14 3:32 pm Post subject:
Agree with bahamamama, t&c apply to all customers, wetyer you enforce them is down to your customer relationship, do you charge a call out fee in the example of the tractor in the field? I would suggest you do even if you count it as payment to the final balance on the invoice.

Lorrainelovesplants

Joined: 13 Oct 2006
Posts: 6521
Location: Dordogne

Posted: Thu Jul 24, 14 5:15 pm Post subject:

thanks guys.

Im very warm/crabby and need a stiff pint of G&T.

I will take your amended bits and copy and paste onto the website.

I cant charge the person a callout fee, but may write this in to the T&C as well. We had another 'call out' person (she'd call at 5pm on a Sunday DEMANDING that John go out to her immediately. We told her no and stopped returning her calls. I thought she's got the message last year (till last week, when she did it again).

Pilsbury

Joined: 13 Dec 2004
Posts: 5645
Location: East london/Essex

Posted: Thu Jul 24, 14 6:12 pm Post subject:
Yep, out of hours, emergency, off site can all attract a premium especially if you have more work than you can handle and you only need to apply it to the people you think deserve it. You might be surprised how many people can wait until 9 am tomorrow mornimg rather than 9 pm tonight if its goimg to cost an extra ï¿½20 to them.

RichardW

Joined: 24 Aug 2006
Posts: 8443
Location: Llyn Peninsular North Wales

Posted: Thu Jul 24, 14 8:01 pm Post subject:
T&C's on the back of invoices & on websites (where they dont have to read them to complete the online purchase or enter into a contract) will not be enforceable. The customer needs to have a copy prior to entering into an agreement with you. You can add conditions after the fact. Preferably you need a signed copy.

Lorrainelovesplants

Joined: 13 Oct 2006
Posts: 6521
Location: Dordogne

Posted: Fri Jul 25, 14 1:11 am Post subject:
so, its a waste of time having them on the website? Do many people have a list of T&C's they hand out to customers on accepting garden machinery for servicing? Ive never heard of this? In this particular case I think I will send the invoice with a note and when/if paid will just inform that we no longer wish his business.

Mistress Rose

Joined: 21 Jul 2011
Posts: 15967

Posted: Fri Jul 25, 14 6:34 am Post subject:

In places where people take their appliances for repair I have seen the T&Cs stuck up on the wall behind the counter, or even stuck on the counter. If you go out to people you need to have them on the website and possibly hand out a sheet with them on. Could you include in your website 'Acceptance of equipment for repair is dependant upon the owner accepting our terms and conditions' directly above your phone number?

Lorrainelovesplants

Joined: 13 Oct 2006
Posts: 6521
Location: Dordogne

Posted: Fri Jul 25, 14 8:18 am Post subject:
Thats a good idea. I will do this today, thanks.

Lorrainelovesplants

Joined: 13 Oct 2006
Posts: 6521
Location: Dordogne

Posted: Fri Jul 25, 14 12:16 pm Post subject:
On website, on invoices and on workshop door. Thanks all. Ill need to educate John.....that going to be much harder.

BahamaMama

Joined: 21 Sep 2006
Posts: 2315
Location: Away with the fairies

Posted: Fri Jul 25, 14 1:05 pm Post subject:
Well done and good luck

pollyanna

Joined: 03 Nov 2012
Posts: 221

Posted: Fri Jul 25, 14 1:30 pm Post subject:
Be careful about telling anybody you don't want their business, especially in writing. You have no control over the spin he will put on it talking to other people. He certainly won't admit he is a bad payer. The simplest thing is just to tell him you are 'snowed under' and put him at the back of the queue. Maybe even recommend someone else to do his work.

vegplot

Joined: 19 Apr 2007
Posts: 21301
Location: Bethesda, Gwynedd

Posted: Fri Jul 25, 14 1:45 pm Post subject:
If you're claiming unpaid items as your property after 7 days how can you justify charging a weekly storage fee? Have you checked the legality of your T&C's? Misspelling of 'ask' in first clause.

stumbling goat

Joined: 20 Jan 2009
Posts: 1990

Posted: Fri Jul 25, 14 1:49 pm Post subject:

Lorrainelovesplants wrote:

so, its a waste of time having them on the website?

Do many people have a list of T&C's they hand out to customers on accepting garden machinery for servicing? Ive never heard of this?

In this particular case I think I will send the invoice with a note and when/if paid will just inform that we no longer wish his business.

What will this achieve? A thank you for your payment would suffice. Think about how it would look to outsiders looking in?

My view, take it or leave it, is that any communication should be to the point but not abrupt, informative, IE makes the point, but without leaving the other side feeling aggrieved or hard done by, even if there behaviour warrants it.

Again, just my view but communication should ideally always start as softly as you can and then be ramped up as and when timing and circumstances make it necessary.

It may be your "business", but you may not necessarily be the best person to communicate with errant customers. She may be your daughter but you may not be the best person to teach her to drive etc. And re your daughter, you have created and nurtured that particular monster!

Good luck with both those issues LLP.

sg

Ty Gwyn

Joined: 22 Sep 2010
Posts: 4613
Location: Lampeter

Posted: Fri Jul 25, 14 2:07 pm Post subject:
Always thought it was either 21 or 30 days one should give to claim item or sold to defray expenses.

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