Dealing with ignored phone calls

[scottymc]

 Aw, mate that's how conversations go, one thing leads to another, gets off the subject leads into another one, it's all good. :)

[kodydog]

If you made it to page 2 without going off topic your actually doing really good. I'm surprised Sofa hasn't steered this thread to "rouge Nauges" under the Golden Gate Bridge. The trick is to keep us ADD's on top... hay lets go ride bikes.

[Mojo]

I apologize for that. I should have kept my big mouth shut. But I am passionate about seeing sick people be able to get and afford medical care.

I am off this topic now. :)

Chris

[sofadoc]

If you made it to page 2 without going off topic your actually doing really good. I'm surprised Sofa hasn't steered this thread to "rouge Nauges" under the Golden Gate Bridge. The trick is to keep us ADD's on top... hay lets go ride bikes.

Yes JD. You should consider it a "badge of honor" when we take your topic, and steer it straight into the ditch! It's not that we have A.D.D., it's just that we ............wait........what were we talking about again?..........Oh yeah......naugs.

Speaking of Naugs. I think those varmints have tracked me down again. And apparently, they collect men's clothing to build their coccoons. Because every time I come home early, there's a strange pair of  pants on my bedroom floor. I don't mind though. Some of them have wallets!

[JDUpholstery]

no worries, I am passionate about health care in the US myself, as a person with an incurable debilitating disease, finding health insurance is a challenge...they dont want to underwrite someone that will continue to take medicine that costs $10,000/month...I just hope one day they get it straightened out!

OK so back on topic.....the customer says they will be in tomorrow to get their stuff...I would hold my breath but I cant remember what for!

[JDUpholstery]

still no show and no call, today is the 60 day mark and honestly getting pretty ticked off. I left my first strongly opinionated phone call and let them know that as of today it is officially for sale...things like this make me wonder why I even try....I should just go back to retirement and watch TV all day, at least then I dont have the stress of dealing with this!

[sofadoc]

I left my first strongly opinionated phone call and let them know that as of today it is officially for sale

I don't know if it was a good idea to threaten them with selling the item just yet. Sometimes, when they hear that, they just breathe a sigh of relief and say "Whew! At least I don't have to worry about that anymore".

[JDUpholstery]

you are probably right, but I am honestly sick of waiting, I listed it for sale and if they come before I sell it fine, if not, fine...I will not stress on it anymore, by giving this last phone call, I am done with them....I just do not need the added stress and 2 months is ridiculous!

[Mojo]

The one thing I learned in business is that patience is a virtue. I have had people I wanted to throttle and choke to death but always took a deep breath and considered my options and worked through it.

The one thing people need to remember is once you make a threat to another you put them into a position to defend themselves, even if they are wrong. My son has a rule with his corporation - if some threatens to sue them he immediately suspends their services and then puts them on a blackball list. He refuses to deal with them again after that point.

Threatening action of some sort typically brings about nothing but bad feelings. Myself I would hold onto their property for as long as it takes. Unless you sent them a registered letter or some other official communication letting them know your going to sell their property, you could end up being on the hook if they do come back. You need proof they got notified.

I know your frustrated but have some patience with this situation. Making the wrong move could end up costing you more money then your already out. I would wait till their return and then collect from them and explain to them at that time not to come to you again for any work.

Chris

[JDUpholstery]

I have been very patient...60 days is a ridiculous amount of time to wait for someone and it is a clearly posted policy that I will sell any items left over 60 days to cover repairs...it is only 300 bucks, but it is the principle of it....basically if I had an employer who took 60 days to pay me, I would definitely take some form of action to collect....

in the same sense, if you get known as a pushover others will try and take advantage of you as well, I gave them more than enough time and many notifications...

I started this as a hobby that I enjoy, but this kind of stuff makes it no fun!

[Mojo]

I agree, 60 days is long enough but you do not want to set yourself up for future litigation because you sold their stuff. Sending a registered letter would protect you. It would also give you legal standing if you decide to take them to small claims court or if they take YOU to court.

This business can be tough. If you stay in it long enough you will run into the occasional headaches. I had so many when I first got started that I nearly said screw it and looked for something else to do. But I had alot of encouragement from the veteran stitchers here so I held on.

I had to re-invent myself several times and really narrow my focus. Actually you are one of the very few on here who is spread across several niches - furniture, RV's and Marine. Most of us specialize and then work our individual markets to perfection. If nothing else your gaining a whole lot of experience. :)

Your customer is from the RV society and within that market segment there exists different classes of customers. Unfortunately you got a customer from a segment that is known to cause problems. I know the RV industry backwards and forwards and I have carved my niche in the segment of the RV industry that I knew meant better profits, fast payments and less headaches. I have strict guidelines I follow just for my own sanity and to protect me as much as possible from situations such as yours. I have adopted payment policies that also protect me. The customer you got came from the RV segment that I avoid like the plaque. Been there, got burnt and will not take any business whatsoever from that segment.

I had to suffer a few knocks to the head in order to get to this point. In time you will learn and adopt your own strategies. You will know what segments of each industry to go after and which ones to avoid. It will get better as you get more experience. Hang in there and do not let one customer get you down.

Chris

[Grebo]

Excellent example of why I get a deposit up front.

I put the project back in a corner somewhere and cover it to protect it, then I go on with my life.

I learned years ago that I was always making assumptions about everything, and my assumptions were always "worse case scenarios", and just in making these assumptions I would spend a lot of miserable time worrying and all stressed out.

And of course the "worse case" never happened.

With your example JD, I tell myself that the homeowner is on vacation, or there was an emergency in their family and I hope they are OK, or that other things are taking up their time, and they will get back to me as soon as they can. Everyone who eventually does call back always has had an excuse like the ones I mentioned.

I can't get customers to call me back, but I can go on with my life without being upset or stressed that they did not.

gene

I do the same thing, 50% deposit covers my costs & a tad, depending on the job.  60 days is no biggee when 90% of your customers don't live in the same country. I get some lean times when more than one or two change their plans & not turn up when they say, then they might need a push to pay by bank transfer.  A large percent of my work in the current climate is repeat business so it pays me to be patient.
I also remember it may be bread on my table, but the boats are their play things not their mortgage.

Suzi

[Mojo]

I think that over time you get to the point where you can feel when you need a deposit and when to worry about someones ability to pay.

Maybe it has been from my past experiences and years in the corporate world but I can typically get a warm fuzzy or a caution feeling inside on people.

With that said I just did something I have never done before. I sent out a large order to an individual without a deposit or payment. I just told them to send me a check. I do this all the time with the dealers I work with. They pay 30 days net but it is the first time I have ever done it with an individual. Will I get burnt ? Nahhh. This individual is a nice old senior citizen from the upper crust of the RV market and I will probably have a check here quickly. Besides this guy contacted me twice stressed out over who to make the check out to. He was more concerned about paying me then he was over his order. :)

Would I do this all the time ? Oh Hell No. I just had that feeling about this person and most of the time my feelings are spot on.

Chris

[JDUpholstery]

I did get a deposit, that covers costs on materials and such, and is it hurting me not to get paid....not really, it is just the principle now, I just am frustrated that people think they can go 60 days without paying their bill. if I did not pay the cable bill, it gets shut off..same with the lights...but someone working for a living does not warrant timely payment, and thats just uncool!

[Mojo]

I can understand JD. It really does piss you off when you get stiffed like that. When I got stiffed doing solar screens for that gas MH that was parked in a shitty campground I was livid. For about one day. Then I realized it was my fault AND the time and energy spent worrying about them was not worth it.

I know a little about your disease and I can say stress is not good for you. Just chalk it up as a learning experience and move on. Smile and be happy.

Chris