Getting paid

[Tom Cole]

Clyde,

Sounds like you have a good method of keeping track of your accounts.
I'm getting better at keeping after late-payers and would probably be
more on top of it if there were huge bills to pay. Another point is that
I'd rather not trouble people about an unpaid bill, that a tuning fee
paid late with embarrassment is better than one paid promptly with a
tight jaw (although a friendly reminder sounds like a good compromise).
It certainly was a kick to get that 100 bucks voluntarily from someone
whom I had written off as a non-payer. 

Since this is such a miniscule fraction of my clientele, one person
skipping out on the check in 10 or 15 years is a very small price to pay
for being in business.

Tom

PS: I'll repond privately to your last paragraph when I get the time.

Clyde Hollinger wrote:
> 
> I agree, Tom, that our clients are usually conscientious in paying for our
> services.  I was part-time 1980-1992 and fulltime since then.  I think in
> all that time I lost only about $75.
> 
> But I try to track down the money a little more aggressively than you do.
> After I fill up an invoice book I let a month or more go by, then leaf
> through it and see if I got paid from all clients.  (I have a line on the
> invoice which says, "Please pay from this invoice.  Net 15 days.")  For any
> who haven't paid, I send a friendly reminder letter, which nearly always
> works.  If I don't get any response from that I will probably call on the
> telephone.
> 
> I'd be interested in your thoughts on judgement and forgiveness, but that
> subject might be a little far removed for the pianotech list.  You should
> probably email me privately if you feel so moved.
> 
> Regards,
> Clyde Hollinger
> 

-- 
Thomas A. Cole, RPT
Santa Cruz, CA
mailto:tcole@cruzio.com