pay you later (even worse)

[johndelmore at suddenlink.net]

I had an 85-year-old landlady once who did things like this regularly.  She WAS a sweet old lady, and didn't do it on purpose...she was just...old.  So the rent was NEVER paid in cash, and every other month or so, when she'd say it hadn't been paid for such and such month, usually 3 or 4 back, I'd have to schlep all the documentation over...thankfully, she lived next door...and all would be fine.  Until the next time.  So maybe your little old lady wasn't trying to cheat you--could be that her afghan is just unravelling a bit...and once she gets something in her head...

Regardless, your final advice is correct...don't make 'provisional' invoices.

John 
---- Robin Stevens <pianobee at bigpond.com> wrote: 
> Don’t fall the trap that happened to me recently. After presenting the bill
> to the customer she informed me that she only had ¾ of the total in cash.
> She then said she would pay me with a check and went into another room.
> Assuming she was going to write out the cheque  I proceeded to mark the
> account as paid. When she came back she said she would post me the
> cheque....OK...she looked a honest old lady. When nothing arrived in the
> mail I sent her a reminder and then gave her a call where she informed me
> she DID pay the ¾ amount in cash and that the balance was only $xx ( I am
> positive no cash was paid to me). I sent another reminder for the small
> amount owing according to her but a month has passed without the final
> payment ;-((   I do not have a leg to stand on as she has a piece of paper
> saying that the account is fully paid #$%^#  Moral of the story.....DONT
> write a receipt until you have the money or cheque in your hot hands!!
> 
> Robin Stevens ARPT
> 
> South Australia 
> 
> PS I might play the last card I have in my hand with this situation, here in
> south Australia we can go to the local court house and issue a small claim
> summons for $15. The debtor is mailed a official court summons document for
> the amount and the summons cost where it says unless fully paid in 28 days
> the debtor will have to appear in court and explain. I know I won’t
> win...but...she will have to do a 14 hour drive to appear in the court where
> the summons was issued...more than one way to skin a cat ;-)) 
>