Show up to do a job and it is already done....

[Sapling]

What do you guys (and gals) do when you show up to do a job for a customer and it has already been done. Obviously the customer didn't call to inform you. You have just wasted time in travel, wages, etc. What do you do to prevent people from doing this to you?
We always leave an invoice for a minimum charge but no one ever pays it. Now I try and have everyone sign their approved work proposal but that doesn't always get done either. Any ideas, suggestions?

 

[pdqdl]

You might try calling the day before you show up. Review the proposal, make sure you didn't forget anything, like dogs in the backyard, etc.

It's good customer relations as well as CoverYourA.

We screwed up today, couldn't reach the customer who had been bugging us for several days to show up. Nobody home, we went anyway. Ooops. It seems they were PO'd because they wanted to cover the fish pond with a tarp. Seems reasonable, so I have no leg to stand on.

 

[treemandan]

What do you guys (and gals) do when you show up to do a job for a customer and it has already been done. Obviously the customer didn't call to inform you. You have just wasted time in travel, wages, etc. What do you do to prevent people from doing this to you?
We always leave an invoice for a minimum charge but no one ever pays it. Now I try and have everyone sign their approved work proposal but that doesn't always get done either. Any ideas, suggestions?

Call them up and say you finished and that you are now sending out the bill, ask if they have any questions.
It happens a good bit but once when it happened to me I sent the dumb ##### a bill and she paid me, dumb #####.
But sometimes if I show up and the job was done by someone else I ring the doorbell, if no one answers I go in and rob them, at least I take the patio furniture. Why bother with a court case? Do you know what a good patio umbrella goes for? Something like 400, that should cover your loss fairly I think.

 

[TDunk]

I'm with Treemandan. If no ones home, rade the garage, steal the big rock in their front yard with there name and a picture of the ugly dog on it. And if they are home, force feed them some knuckle sandwitches.

Seriously though. If it's happening that often, have a clause in your contract that states that after it's signed and they decide to have "Axman Bubba" down the streat do it for $20, they still owe you the amount you quoted. That is if they didn't call, you forgot to do it etc. etc.

 

[ATH]

Did you have a written contract or just a verbal agreement? If verbal, how much was it for?

 

[Mikecutstrees]

I alwas send a contract once they give phone approval, then I call the night before to confirm. No problems so far.

 

[treemandan]

I'm with Treemandan. If no ones home, rade the garage, steal the big rock in their front yard with there name and a picture of the ugly dog on it. And if they are home, force feed them some knuckle sandwitches.

Seriously though. If it's happening that often, have a clause in your contract that states that after it's signed and they decide to have "Axman Bubba" down the streat do it for $20, they still owe you the amount you quoted. That is if they didn't call, you forgot to do it etc. etc.

I guess a signed contract means something somewhere but rarely do I get a signature. Last one I got was for 2 grand, the guy signed it but we were only supposed to do some of the work. I guess I could of done it all and banged him but I am not able to do so. We only did the part of the job we talked about.
I work like this : we talk, you say " yes do it". I might ask you for some money before I start for material if needed but the ammount coincides with the price of material. I do job( whatever it takes, just like I wrote it and plan to do extra for free), I send a bill which is usually paid in about 2 weeks. If someone complains I look at the paper then the job, if it adds up( which it always would) I get paid.
I take on jobs from 10 k to 50 bucks, some just for kicks. You will never find me in court fighting to get paid.

 

[tomtrees58]

it happens i get piss but get over it what gets me is wen you do and estimated and 2 other tree guys are their tom treesopcorn:

 

[Sapling]

You guys are funny. I nice lawn ornament or some solar lighting never goes to waste eh?
But seriously. We very rarely do over the phone pricing. Usually if it is a chipping job or something simple. We always provide the customer with a written work proposal and they usually either give us a go ahead on the spot or they call and say go ahead. I always make a note of when they called, etc at the bottom of the form where they are SUPPOSED to sign. I just wanted to get your opinions.

Last year we had a heavy snowfall after all the trees leafed out and we did three days of storm damage. We got so sick of people who called four or five companies and just let whoever showed up first complete the work. We showed up to a few of those but that is an entirely different situation. Ahh people really suck sometimes. At least have the courtersy to call up those other companies and let them know they do not need to come out anymore.

Thanks for the stories!

 

[okietreedude1]

Ihad it happen once...went out and the work was done. I sent them a bill w/a description: cancellation without notification = $35.

I expected a nasty phone call and instead, got a check for $35.

 

[ropensaddle]

Tell ya what happened to me last sat gave a guy a deal 45
minute drive 600 to take down 8 large trees effecting his tv
reception told him I would try to get it done on sat!
He calls me sat mourning asks me if I am gonna make it
I said yeah but it will be in a couple hours or so! I sharpen
the saws get diesel in the bucket and several other things
and had to go out on a bid! I call him back and tell him I am on
the way he says ok tv man is here how long I said around 40 minutes he calls me when I am ten minutes away and cancels and I told him, you cost me he gets into you cost me time etc. I never told him what time I was going to be there and kept communication. I figured what happened the tv man found another location for the dish and that should have been done before calling me I am going to have a contract
made for out of area callers at least, that states if canceled a fee
will be applied.

 

[Sunrise Guy]

Wow. Some of you guys are really trusting souls. My parents taught me when I was very young: GET IT IN WRITING! As such, I've been writing my own contracts since I was eleven. (I had a band that made me $40 per gig---Not too bad for an eleven year old in the 60's!) These days, if I don't have a signed bid, with my $100 cancellation clause, the gig is not going to happen. I've been messed over three times in my life on contracts. I've taken three people to court over the same. I've won all three times. Again, if you don't have a client's signature on a bid, you are leaving open too many possibilities that you will get :censored:

 

[ropensaddle]

Wow. Some of you guys are really trusting souls. My parents taught me when I was very young: GET IT IN WRITING! As such, I've been writing my own contracts since I was eleven. (I had a band that made me $40 per gig---Not too bad for an eleven year old in the 60's!) These days, if I don't have a signed bid, with my $100 cancellation clause, the gig is not going to happen. I've been messed over three times in my life on contracts. I've taken three people to court over the same. I've won all three times. Again, if you don't have a client's signature on a bid, you are leaving open too many possibilities that you will get :censored:

Hey sunrise the contract you write any lawyer can shred. It has got to say
all the stupid **** in it like whomever said parties of this agreement
breach it there after such agreement binding cost associated with
this contract heretoo shall be held liable the sum of 100.00 to said
parties On and on until ya go to sleep I like plain and simple
and if their were not bad lawyers it would work. Like if you break this agreement you forfeit 100.00 to contracted service for expense.

 

[treemandan]

Wow. Some of you guys are really trusting souls. My parents taught me when I was very young: GET IT IN WRITING! As such, I've been writing my own contracts since I was eleven. (I had a band that made me $40 per gig---Not too bad for an eleven year old in the 60's!) These days, if I don't have a signed bid, with my $100 cancellation clause, the gig is not going to happen. I've been messed over three times in my life on contracts. I've taken three people to court over the same. I've won all three times. Again, if you don't have a client's signature on a bid, you are leaving open too many possibilities that you will get :censored:

That signature is for court, I am not going to court.
Everything I do is written down. I did say that I don't take money for deposit, only for materials, but on really big jobs I do ask for money as we progress.
Thoughts of getting ripped off are always in my head so I look for it, do my best to avoid it and know that if I did your job like was said you are going to have to pay me.
Every once in a while someone will steal you parking spot right in front of you. They know they did and think it funny. I ask them as I stand there and they walk away" are you sure you want to leave your car there?"
Same thing with getting paid sometimes. Its just reasonable,even I know that.

 

[Sunrise Guy]

Hey sunrise the contract you write any lawyer can shred. It has got to say
all the stupid **** in it like whomever said parties of this agreement
breach it there after such agreement binding cost associated with
this contract heretoo shall be held liable the sum of 100.00 to said
parties On and on until ya go to sleep I like plain and simple
and if their were not bad lawyers it would work. Like if you break this agreement you forfeit 100.00 to contracted service for expense.

No lawyer can "shred" my contracts. On the subject, in court, I've had lawyers ask me if I taught contract law, since I've been writing them for so long and know more about them than many lawyers. I write: Waivers of Liability, Bills of Sale, Tenant Leases, Submission of Bids, Contractors Agreement to Terms, Contracts for Employment and on and on-----, and, they are "Plain English" legal documents. As for your "stupid ****," I absolutely abhor "legalese" and most contracts are purposely written using it to obfuscate, for the masses, just what they are getting into. Any agreement that you can formalize via a written document, where both parties agree to terms, in writing, will hold up in court, provided you do not agree to anything that is illegal, as determined by both statutes and laws in your area, country, etc.

 

[Sunrise Guy]

Oh yeah, I forgot, I also wrote all of my own divorce papers, the first time around, and I'm still on OK terms with ex#1. Given that the court was cool with everything I drew up and that ex#1 and I are still friends, I probably write better legal papers than many lawyers!

 

[ASD]

Our contracts have some "legalese" on them and say something along the line of " you have 72 hr. to cancel this contract from time of signing after that we will hold you to it as you would hold us to it"

 

[ASD]

Oh yeah, I forgot, I also wrote all of my own divorce papers, the first time around, and I'm still on OK terms with ex#1. Given that the court was cool with everything I drew up and that ex#1 and I are still friends, I probably write better legal papers than many lawyers!

Could you post some of the things that are in your contracts so that some of us could steel some of you idea's

 

[ropensaddle]

No lawyer can "shred" my contracts. On the subject, in court, I've had lawyers ask me if I taught contract law, since I've been writing them for so long and know more about them than many lawyers. I write: Waivers of Liability, Bills of Sale, Tenant Leases, Submission of Bids, Contractors Agreement to Terms, Contracts for Employment and on and on-----, and, they are "Plain English" legal documents. As for your "stupid ****," I absolutely abhor "legalese" and most contracts are purposely written using it to obfuscate, for the masses, just what they are getting into. Any agreement that you can formalize via a written document, where both parties agree to terms, in writing, will hold up in court, provided you do not agree to anything that is illegal, as determined by both statutes and laws in your area, country, etc.

I have wrote many types as well but never been to court with them.
I have always plainly stated the terms off both sides whats expected
time requirements,standard of quality etc.

 

[custom8726]

In N.Y that signed proposal does not mean squat if no work was performed. I have custom proposals with our buisness name and terms and conditions but even if the home owner agrees to the contract and signs it they are not obligated to honor the contract untill you start the job. Then the contract is legally binding and will hold up in a N.Y. court. Always put things in wrighting and try to get signed contracts it protects you and the home owner from descrepency's.