Hi there,
Thanks for all the helpful advice about working from a small space. I have decided to rack my van and give it another go from here, doing just the small jobs. I'll have to advertise. Friend of mine reckons even Gumtree worked for him, so I stand encouraged.
On another note, I have a #~@-head customer who obviously thinks it isn't a problem that my (30-day) invoice from early September hasn't been settled. Sadly the work wasn't at his own house, so I can't chase him that easily. He has had a valid invoice, and he emailed back to let me know he was pleased with my work and looked forward to using my services again. He also sent me a text to let me know a cheque had been posted (a bit late, but okay, except I haven't received it). It's only £120, so not a huge problem, but it is the principle. He has a reputation for slowness, and it was mostly a labour charge, so I can wait, but I do want to get paid eventually. He runs a small building firm in Essex, which will remain nameless on this open forum, but it isn't Colchester-based.
A fortnight ago, I sent a Recorded (which he signed for) letter to let him know I had not received his cheque and he hasn't replied. This was, for his benefit, written evidence that I had not recieved the cheque.
What would you do next? Should I ring him and politely ask how he sees things in the light of my letter? Should I give him x days notice and then initiate a small claims Court Claim?
If I thought he'd definitely pay eventually, I'd be happy to wait it out in the knowledge that one day he's going to ring me desperate for a plumber to finish a job off and I'll be able to say yes, come round my house by 8 with £500 cash and I'll do the job and you can have the change when I've written the invoice.
(Believe it or not, one of my customers likes to work that way round. I know who I'd rather work for.)
Any ideas? thank you!
Thanks for all the helpful advice about working from a small space. I have decided to rack my van and give it another go from here, doing just the small jobs. I'll have to advertise. Friend of mine reckons even Gumtree worked for him, so I stand encouraged.
On another note, I have a #~@-head customer who obviously thinks it isn't a problem that my (30-day) invoice from early September hasn't been settled. Sadly the work wasn't at his own house, so I can't chase him that easily. He has had a valid invoice, and he emailed back to let me know he was pleased with my work and looked forward to using my services again. He also sent me a text to let me know a cheque had been posted (a bit late, but okay, except I haven't received it). It's only £120, so not a huge problem, but it is the principle. He has a reputation for slowness, and it was mostly a labour charge, so I can wait, but I do want to get paid eventually. He runs a small building firm in Essex, which will remain nameless on this open forum, but it isn't Colchester-based.
A fortnight ago, I sent a Recorded (which he signed for) letter to let him know I had not received his cheque and he hasn't replied. This was, for his benefit, written evidence that I had not recieved the cheque.
What would you do next? Should I ring him and politely ask how he sees things in the light of my letter? Should I give him x days notice and then initiate a small claims Court Claim?
If I thought he'd definitely pay eventually, I'd be happy to wait it out in the knowledge that one day he's going to ring me desperate for a plumber to finish a job off and I'll be able to say yes, come round my house by 8 with £500 cash and I'll do the job and you can have the change when I've written the invoice.
(Believe it or not, one of my customers likes to work that way round. I know who I'd rather work for.)
Any ideas? thank you!
