Bad payers

[Covenant]

I have been self employed for about six months now and its not gone too badly but it really bugs me when people dont pay on time. I only have a few clients-I dont want to upset people who are regular customers by not being available.
One client who is supposed to pay on 28 days offered the excuse that he didn't submit his invoice (to his client) until two weeks after mine. Why should I have to listen to excuses about his business methods when my contract is with him?
Its really difficult to be pleasant to people who know you need them yet abuse your business relationship.
How can you get through to them without loosing their custom?

[smurfbrain]

The best way for me (not bulletproof) is to have set time(28days) clearly printed on an invoice(in which you are expected to be paid) followed by a statement that reminders will be send out in a third, fourth week. Direct phonecall asking if they had sent you a cheque after previous step is in order. Tbh over time some bad apples pop up. Its not unusual to wait up to three months to get paid.

[Rare Bird]

Drop Jerry him cos he'll do it all the time.

[Jonboy]

Some of my suppliers offer a discount for early payment say 5%, you need to lose this in the original price or quote, so you end up getting something back, it makes them feel good for getting a discount and you for getting a bit more either on the job or a bit of compensation for late payment.

It is very difficult to ruffle feathers chase money but I'm afraid some people take the piss and never pay on time, i always get my wife who runs the accounts to call them it saves me the stress and comes across better from a woman sometimes.

Always talk first and then start the letter writing i think ,don't bite the hand that feeds you.

[YNWaN]

Some companies offer a discount for prompt payment (or essentially a tariff for late payment).

(oops, that will teach me to read the thread - I see Jon has already made that point)

[The Grand Wazoo]

Jon's advice is good. Things are often so bad for a small business when they deal with a big one too - 30 days is nothing to them, some'll keep you hanging on for longer. But good payers can mean the difference between survival & disaster.

I often used to joke about a good friend who occasionally did some work for me, that one day he'd call me up & say, "Hi Chris, I'm just on my way back from the Post Office now. Have you got my invoice yet?"

[The Vinyl Adventure]

We give our customers "payment terms" like previously mentioned. For business customers it's a percentage added after 30 days. For non business it's the discount if paid within 30days ...

[Themis]

I guess payment delays is part of a normal business relationship. I almost never had a customer paying on time.

[John]

My brother is self employed and has similar issues most of the time. He told me one story of him building an extension and the person was refusing to pay just because they thought they could get away with it so he said he would take back all his materials which would mean taking apart the work, the guy said he call the police so my brother pointed out to him he had not paid for the goods the goods where still his so he could phone the police if he wished, once he understood what was going to happen he got out a whole load of cash and paid my brother

[The Vinyl Adventure]

i havea customer trying to get his money back at the moment claiming my work isnt what he paid me for, despite the fact my web site states in plain english the service i offer and that he refused to meet me before the day to talk about what he wanted... he also acused me of putting my middle finger up at him when i handed the cd with the images on. he has threatend to take me to court to reclaim the £200 he paid me.
he told me all this on the phone so i have writen to him asking him to provide details of his complaint in writing... so far i have had no response
some customers are just out to get something for nothing