Non payers. What do you do?

CeeVee

CeeVee

Well-Known Member
What do you do with a non payer?
I'm not sure you can give em a hiding anymore...or can you?
Pester em?
Bombard them with calls/texts?
Court action?
Revenge on feedback sites?
Vandalism?
Write it off?
 
as zombie says...
have they said wont pay or just taking their time.

you can start court proceedings 28 days after invoice date as long as they havent issued a payless notice.
 
Small domestic job, £600, first started making excuses now they dont answer texts or phone.

Not a massive amount of money I know but I live up Norf so its more to us than down South.

They've put £1 in my bank....told me to check if it was there so they knew they'd got the right account.
This was a week ago and theyve been making excuses since. Now they wont answer.
Ive been polite up to now...
 
Call me old fashioned but I don't think an initial polite knock on the door would do any harm.

Then gauge response 2nd & 3rd knock wouldn't be very polite from myself though!

In all honesty I'm often owed dough for a few days so wouldn't bother me, but the no contact back would if that makes sense!
 
Why dont you go and knock on the door and and ask why they havent paid.. cant avoid you then just be civil and if they still avoid just tell them youll send a high court baliff if they arent willing.were they happy with the works?? I think after a week there taking the piss a little.
 
Rock up with your estwing, tell them the materials are still your property till they settle the invoice and you've come to take the materials back
 
Arti said:
Rock up with your estwing, tell them the materials are still your property till they settle the invoice and you've come to take the materials back
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You cannot do that legally, you barge in un invited they call police to remove you. Its a civil dispute. Old school stuff will get you lifted.
 
Cornelius said:
So you can’t smash teeth in like my man @Tinytom ?
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Small claims court,,,,
You might feel better but if they are smart the damage to your business will be greater, put your name out on social media that that your violent it would end up a mess. Seen it before.
 
Donzo said:
Small claims court,,,,
You might feel better but if they are smart the damage to your business will be greater, put your name out on social media that that your violent it would end up a mess. Seen it before.
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I know thats my thinking too...much as I'd like to smash teeth its just not an option. FFS you get locked up now for just hurling abuse at someone.

Just concerned about the small claims...I dabbled in lending a few years ago and they never...ever worked.

Its a bummer.
 
CeeVee said:
They've put £1 in my bank....
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ok this is a common thing for people who dont have any money do... I have seen it before and it is a way of buying time.... I would approach it a different way now as I would almost put money on the point they dont actually have it.
 
offer them a payment plan.. because they have paid "something" they are showing willing... small claims wont do sod all in these cases as the chances are they literally dont have it and not doing it to be a complete c**t
 
Danny said:
offer them a payment plan.. because they have paid "something" they are showing willing... small claims wont do sod all in these cases as the chances are they literally dont have it and not doing it to be a complete c**t
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This is what I wondered. Why the one pound...is it some legal crap...
 
CeeVee said:
This is what I wondered. Why the one pound...is it some legal crap...
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Nope normally it because it buys them more time and are too proud to say they are skint... It happens and I have seen it with friends before....

Me personally I will tell people straight when I run out of money :D It happened when I was doing my place... it turned out everybody that came in at the end were happy to wait a few months for payment... I told them before I started though and they were fine with it (they had known me for a few years prior)
 
Did they send the £1 AFTER work was completed? if so, this will work in your favour if you do go down the court route. As they would struggle to argue how they suddenly became so unhappy enough to not pay, AFTER being happy enough to pay and even starting the process.

Don't send a threatening text as they will then twist the whole situation and start threatening police action. Be stern but smart. They are 100% chancing it, utter scum. If you are comminicating via text maybe send something like:

"I'm struggling to get in contact with you and I'm worried perhaps your phone is broken. So WE will pop around in a few days to see you and settle the balance in person, Thanks."

Hopefully you will get a response "Sorry! phone was in for repair, just sent the payment!"

Just be smart with it, but don't give up. The longer this goes on the more chance they have of getting a freebie and the more your stance will weaken as you can't be bothered anymore. Get it done
 
i got arrested 2 years ago cee vee, 184.00 quid fine,all the stress/worry that goes with it,...and all i did was grab him no violence nothing ,but i was charged with common assault,so do not go down that road,........i know 2 painters who had not got paid after decorating an I****n reastaurant,...they turned up on a saturday night when place was packed,overalls on scrapers at the ready ,told owner they had come for there money or the wallpaper was coming off right now,..he got paid there and then,.........also know a fellow plasterer who was paid 30.00 short on his bill,..another I****n restaurant,.....so a few month later him and his wife went for a meal there, bill came to 29.00 ,and just refused to pay ,all sorted......great believer in karma i am what goes round comes round,good luck getting your money
 
hector said:
i got arrested 2 years ago cee vee, 184.00 quid fine,all the stress/worry that goes with it,...and all i did was grab him no violence nothing ,but i was charged with common assault,so do not go down that road,........i know 2 painters who had not got paid after decorating an I****n reastaurant,...they turned up on a saturday night when place was packed,overalls on scrapers at the ready ,told owner they had come for there money or the wallpaper was coming off right now,..he got paid there and then,.........also know a fellow plasterer who was paid 30.00 short on his bill,..another I****n restaurant,.....so a few month later him and his wife went for a meal there, bill came to 29.00 ,and just refused to pay ,all sorted......great believer in karma i am what goes round comes round,good luck getting your money
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Definitely, what goes around comes around. Korma!
 
Only had it once... annoyingly, it was a job I did cheap and in a hurry because they guy had a baby on the way and he wanted the 2nd bedroom finished for when the time came.

I just went and politely knocked on his door on my way home from work, nodded when I heard his excuse and did it again the very next night.
A few days and various excuses later, it was becoming obvious to him that he'd have to put up with me knocking on his door every single night for the rest of his life or fight me to make me go away if he wasn't going to pay.

I'm bigger than him so he paid up after a week - or maybe a bit more, I can't remember. It was a long time ago.
 
lurpak said:
Did they send the £1 AFTER work was completed? if so, this will work in your favour if you do go down the court route. As they would struggle to argue how they suddenly became so unhappy enough to not pay, AFTER being happy enough to pay and even starting the process.

Don't send a threatening text as they will then twist the whole situation and start threatening police action. Be stern but smart. They are 100% chancing it, utter scum. If you are comminicating via text maybe send something like:

"I'm struggling to get in contact with you and I'm worried perhaps your phone is broken. So WE will pop around in a few days to see you and settle the balance in person, Thanks."

Hopefully you will get a response "Sorry! phone was in for repair, just sent the payment!"

Just be smart with it, but don't give up. The longer this goes on the more chance they have of getting a freebie and the more your stance will weaken as you can't be bothered anymore. Get it done
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Further to what I said above, I've adopted this strategy with other business difficulties in the past.

I pretend to be a numbskull and send a hopeful text every day.

Hi, did you get a chance to look at that thing for me?
Hi Mate, any luck today?
Hi Mate. I'm in the area later, will pop in and see you.
Hi Mate. No luck today but am in the area again shortly. I'll knock on.
Hi Mate. Just rang you. Try you again tomorrow, maybe.

I know that I'm being ignored and he knows that I'm willfully not taking the hint that he hopes I'll just go away but because I don't acknowledge that or escalate it my end, then he can't either.

I'm sure it's annoying in the extreme but there's not a lot they can do about it except sort it out.
 
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