2 replies to this topic

[WiredbyWilson]

Sorry to do this again.

 

As I make bespoke looms I always quote, then make the product then request payment before dispatch. Seems fair to me.

 

However I've been in dialogue with a customer for nearly two months, I was sent his dials, he wouldn't / couldn't sign order form and it even got lost in the post from him to me?

So the product is made after a 50% deposit due to these problems and me not wanting to be completely out of pocket (had to order items specifically for this order).

 

I've mailed the guy 3 times saying its ready and to request payment, the pm's on here have been read. The invoice was sent by email too. Yesterday I sent a paypal request as well in case he'd forgotten the email address to pay.

 

I can see he's been on here and read my pm's yet he still hasn't paid and is seemingly avoiding me. He's also "ordering" things from other traders but I have no idea if he's paying them either. He's also approached a trader to replicate a product I offer.

 

Bottom line is im totally hacked off.

At what point can I just sell his gauges and my wiring to re-coup my costs and time because I'm fed up with being messed about by him.

 

I also think admin should consider blocking this noobie from buying....?

[Jordie]

I would give the customer a written email / PM which states that payment must be recieved by X date (give a reasonable amount of time, 10 working days for example) then state if payment is not recieved, the product will be sold to recoup costs. The 50% deposit would not be refundable. That gives them plenty of notice to make payment and/or let you know if they want the product or not.

[roberts]

I know it doesn't help in this situation, but here at Optimsie we only offer deposits on work that is being dropped off and/or collected once complete. For everything else we take the full amount of money upfront.

 

It saves chasing money as the customer simply then pays the remaining balance when they come to collect - if they don't, they don't get the item (that's yet to happen, hopefully it never will).

 

We also make sure that the deposit covers our material costs and a bit more (our deposits are 60%), in case of a situation like your having - that way, we in theory could write it off and move on, knowing we haven't lost too much on the job.

 

Unfortunately, I think the occasional hit is simply called "being the guy who owns the business" - every so often things happen and it used to really piss me off (as it's never our fault, genuinely it never is), but I have learnt to just brush it aside and move on (despite it coming out of my pocket).

Edited by roberts, 18 November 2014 - 08:55 PM.