So much this. "Due to issues with back payment problems on previous transactions, before this work begins, there will be upfront payment. Once the payment has been received, we will commence with clearing your drains."
100% agree….you need to charge him a large premium or service charge above what you usually charge for the time and effort you have to expend to get him to pay!
With a customer like "Mr X" I'd double the cost of the job to begin with and add a $100 a day every time he refuses to pay, and he receives ONE reminder that it would be in the hands of the small claim courts, and after that put the guy on the 'black list', or do it cash on the day before you start, he is not worth the grief he’s causing you Gavin. Oh and I'd let other jetting/plumbing companies you know about him and his tricks.
2% discount in 10, net 30 really helped the business to business pay me quicker. The worst to pay were General Electric or any affiliated company or any oil company. Those went out from 90 days to 6 months.
Set up a contract. Have him pay the fee up front. What the contract stating that if there's any extras must be paid right away with $100 late fee for every week he's late. Have him sign it. Get paid upfront . Before the job starts.
Gavin, I don't know how it is in Australia, but here in the U.S. if someone doesn't pay on time, or is consistently behind in payments, this can be reported to the three credit reporting agencies, and that person's credit rating can be lowered. If enough business report this same person, the chances of them getting a loan, buying an automobile, or house, or getting a credit card are in jeopardy. You might want to check out your options in cases like this. Being consistently late is bad enough but not paying at all is taken very seriously. Thanks for the video. Jon
My uncle had a customer who never paid what the invoice total was. The customer said, about not paying the invoice total, you will have to pay that amount to take me to court, if you sue me for the balance. My uncle only smiled and walked away. My uncle got called for another job. He did the job, but when he gave him the bill, he added what he knew the customer would take off, plus a little more. As usual, the customer did not pay the total bill. In the end ,my uncle got what he wanted, and the customer thought he was getting a deal. A win win for both parties.
I don't like owing people money. I like to pay on the spot. I had tree service do $5,000 worth of work and I had to call them to get the bill afterward. Too many people are slow to pay and it's usually those with plenty of money.
The toad was giving you a bit of a roast Mr.P! 😂 as far as Mr.X Goes I think I’d be asking him to lose my number, you’re a good guy for still going out there and working for him!
If you think he is a good guy but not good with his ability to manage his finances, that is something that you have to make a judgment call on. Having a difficult adult conversation is the final stage to give someone the last chance before having to blacklist them. It is unfortunate as we never know what others have going on in their lives, but we each have a point of tolerance that has to be enforced , their hardships cannot constantly fall on you to bear. I hope Mr. X is aware of the graciousness you've extended him so far. You're a good guy, Gavin.... "life" does notice it. :)
I mentioned it before Gavin but you should have a valve between the inlet and the outlet on the pump so you don't have to go to the reel to release the pressure. Open the valve to start and close it once it's running. Many pressure pumps use a flow control valve that bypass water until there is flow so the pump doesn't deadhead when you aren't using the jetter.
Excellent job Gavin - your always so cheerful brightens my day :) I agree with all the others that say to have him pay in advance before U start work. Cash at the door would be best in this case. Then after work finished any left over $$ could be refunded to him with a company check or a bank cashiers check.. Also having his name and address put out to all other plumbing companies listing "as a very difficult to get payment from" would help them from getting the same treatment.
Not only are you awesome at what you do, you're a good sport. And funny. I'm no stalker but if I see the Ute parked in my travels I may have to get out and ask for your autograph.
Thanks for the video and silliness of the toad. His comments were fun to listen to. Although it made me sad to know that someone was causing you trouble. I hope things work out and other jobs are less troublesome.
Nice to see toad back…and with a sense of humor. By the way, I have a friend named Vito who is a very effective credit collector. I’ll send you his contact information if you’re interested. Mr. X would find him very convincing!
You give your customers 100%. jerks like this that do not deserve such good service but it has to be done. I guess 3 letter come to my mind sir. C.O.D. or at least a minimum payment before starting. Hope he pays this time sir. Great job as usual. Thank you from the US.
Nice house, nice landscaping, nice van in the driveway and.... can't pay his bills, seems about right🤨😡😡 Hope this is the last time you answer client's call for help. I'd also tell other drain cleaners that Mr. X doesn't pay for services rendered! 😡😡😡 I hope you're not going to repair the pipe! I have a septic tank I get pumped out every 5 years. When I call for my appointment, I always ask what it will cost as the price has risen since Covid. When the truck arrives, I pay my servicer guy before he even gets the hose in the tank. Been using the same service for years.
Oh no, your a great plumber, I watch you every day, so if he doesn't pay tell him call someone else. You deserve to get paid for a job well done. You have other customers who need you. I'm sorry to see you being treated this way. But keep up the great work and get them ROOTS.
We just celebrated independence day here across the pond, we saw alot of colorful fountains then Gavin shows us a poooo fountain. 👏👏👏👏👏👏👏👏👏 💥💥😊😊😊 Your always a pleasure to watch Gavin, keep up the good work.
I like how you explain what and why you’re doing what you’re doing! I’ll never do that work, but I love learning about it! You always do such a great job, too! I’m in rural Wisconsin and have a private septic tank. Recent code now requires a check every 3 years and pumping if at a certain level.
I’m a roofer,retired. What I always did was tell them for instance: it will cost $300.00 but if you pay cash right away it will be $250.00 CASH. What I didn’t say is the job is really $ 250.00 but if someone thinks that I’m giving them a fifty dollar discount, they always go for the discount and they will run to the bank. Watching from Panama City Florida, USA. 🇺🇸🦅
I have to give you massive credit - I can barely stand to watch videos like this. I don't even want to think what it's like in person, having no choice but to deal with the excrement from other people. BTW, for customers like this, it may be beneficial to provide an estimate and require payment of at least 50% up front.
I have found what works for me is either 1) a service company that can bill an invoice directly to a virtual credit card (who never saves the credit card number - hackers can't steal what you don't have), or 2) can bill me on the spot. I just had some plumbing repairs done, and dude didn't start the work until I agreed to pay before he left. This works for me, as I have been known to misplace invoices (arrgh).
I used to do some contract work back in the day. I walked into one of the automotive plants and another contractor I knew was there as well. We had a quick friendly chat where he revealed the plant still owed him from the last time he was there. Realize, anything under $100K invoice is small potatoes to most auto companies and it usually takes the full 90 days (standard invoicing time for most big industrial places)...this was 6 MONTHS. What did he do? He sat down and put his credit card reader out and told the manager "Pay me my invoice from the last time, and a one day charge for today, and I'll get right to work". After about 20 minutes of scrambling and yelling, the Plant Manger tossed over his corporate credit card and charged the bill to it. Lesson learned? DON'T MESS WITH SOMEBODY'S LIVELYHOOD!
As many of the others have said, late payment should be an additional fee per day with a limited number of days then legal action. If this does not work NO MORE WORKING for them, they are put off the local ‘Bad Payment List’. You are working to support your family, not other people.
@ 7:26 ----> "X marks the spot" ..... "last of the big spenders" 🤣🤣🤣🤣 @ 11:07 ----> Mr X's chocolate factory @ 31:36 -----> Mr X has a "valley" at the end of his sidewalk too !!
Gavin you have to be more assertive if you want them to pay on time, Mr X would be walking in crap right now if it were not for your generous help!. Great video, tell the ladies I said Hi!
*** Just a suggestion for a video**** How about showing the items you have - each nozzle, hose reel, etc. , what they are used for and estimated cost for each. I did a little search on two jetter nozzles and 1 was $2500 and 1 was $1000. This might give your viewers some insight into your operating costs and would help understand why you use a certain nozzle or piece of equipment.
you are fantastic ,i love your site ,it is very sad apathetic how certain people try to cheat people out paying their bills , i owned a automotive repair business for 45 years and your story hits home with me of people not paying their bills,thank you very much
If he keeps dragging it out, then have him pay before you do the job so if he doesn't pay, you don't do the job. It's that simple. Some people who have a pattern, you just know that you have to get the money upfront.
Small claims court is more effective. When you win he will pay the entire bill plus late fees and the cost of filing the court case against him. Bill collectors take a percentage of money collected.
Oh hell no. Nope not doing another job for him. And hell no to picking up poo poo with my hands and putting it down the drain. You are one good man Gavin. Cheers🇨🇦❤️
Hey Mr.P you're doing this guy a great favour after he's made you chase for payment too many times, but you're the bigger person for goin back for more. I'm a gr8 believer in karma, oneday Mr X may just block the wrong pipe!
Sometimes I feel people think we have no costs for business, like when they don't pay we aren't missing it. For me, I'm usually $400 out of pocket before 7am.
Seriously, if you have to deal with that sort of crap then you should charge him double. Also, he needs to fix the other pipe work otherwise this is just going to keep on happening!! 🙁 Great work Gavin!! You are a ⭐!!
Acronym "SHIT" = "S"hip "H"igh "I"n "T"ransport. This acronym originated in old England back when "goods" were transported by sailing ships. Manure was a commodity transported by sailing ships and if the manure got wet...it made a stinking mess. So they hung the manure bags from the ceilings and walls to keep the manure dry. Who knew?
Fantastic short beginn!!, then make You a introduction before the Video Start. Open a Drain from Toilet and begin with Nozzle to wash. A great Dung 💩 come out. But You clear farther. Then the Dung 💩💩 back in the Drain. Camera Picture Roots. Farther cut Roots. Next Picture, Drain free. Workplace and Equipment wash. Perfect Work.
a lot of my relatives who worked in the trades had a type of customer like this. The english translation for their Italian slang was something like "decent people who eventually pay in full" which is why they always did work for them.
You mentioned Mr.x had pipe issues, kind of like the job you're doing now,I'm thinking that this is Mr x's house and your introduction was some foreshadowing
Charge interest on overdue payments... it was always a rule of mine... 3 strikes and your out, if they continue to not meet the agreed payment arrangements!! It just plain rude to expect you to do a brilliant job, as always and then not uphold their end of the deal. You are a very patient man Mr P🙂 man
I would make him pay cash upfront if you work for him again. People like that aren’t worthwhile customers. It seems in the US, you have to hand over a check right when they finish the work or you will have an instant confrontation.
Sounds like you should ask for a call-out fee to be paid to ensure you turn up. In my line of business, since covid, we require that the first appointment is only secured with pre payment. It’s amazing how well this works.
Your a lovely person Gavin and Mr X is one of those who treats civilitie as stupidity and I bet he wouldn't like it done to him😠 Me I would give him a glesga handshake 😂 as others have said Money Up Front 👍 Great job Gavin 👍🏆 it was 👍to see/hear 🐸😂 Love you improvising 💩 scooper for a traffic cone and dustpan👍brilliant 😂🤗❤
Gavin, I assume there are collection agencies in Australia! Turn your bills over to them, you get less, but he has the fun of getting all of his credit cards blocked and his credit score goes down because he does not pay his bills!
can you demand payment up front for the job before you even start? no pay, no work. Maybe if the price isn't certain yet, demand a deposit you know will cover the job and refund the difference at the end? I don't know but that seems reasonable with a difficult client like this that has proven time and time again that they WILL NOT pay on time. Thanks for the videos, I really enjoy watching and always appreciate the top notch and professional work you do.
Well here in the States we call them slouchers! I used to apply the thre strikes and your out philosophy! Then put a mechanics lean on their property for failure to pay! So if they try to sell or they die, the property goes into probate and I got my money!
I'm curious to have an update at some point to hear if he's learned his lesson and actually paid on time. If not, I definitely agree with charging him a premium in the future.
Those big companies actually MAKE MONEY by not paying tradesmen fast as they keep their 5-50 million dollars they owe to collect interest monthly for themselves. A what-is, but your guaranteed work and they'll pay you eventually.
Fast Forward Gavin, Don't clean his drains or Cash up front, if not walk away from it it's just that easy ,Dead beats I hate people like that .Low flush toilets and not the correct fall on the piping creates these problems ,Who's the character ?
Gavin your customers should learn to respect your work u have done and pay u on time u have a business to run. But u did a good job of clearing the problem for the customer right o mate si u on the next one 👍👍👍👍👍
As a fellow small business owner payment on time is extremely important. Mr X is a customer you do not want and do not NEED. My strategy for poor payers is to charge extra with a discount for payment on time and this has worked well for me. Try this to see if it works, if not Mr X needs to be an ex customer.
Does AUS allow “mechanics liens” - ability to place a lien on the guy’s property? He then could never sell it without settling his debt to you first. That is the practice they allow here in the US to force payment from deadbeat homeowners.
