<WBR>Matthew<br> <br> All my tuning orders, (Tuning ticket, as I call it), are 3 part carbonless invoices. (white, yellow, pink, available at most office supply stores or print shops). 95% of the time, I leave the pink with the amount paid, and the other two copies are taken home. But when there is a need to leave a bill, I leave both the yellow and the pink copy with the balance due. I then have a self inking stamp which reads. "Keep pink copy for your records. Return yellow copy with check."  About 40% of the time I get the yellow copy, about 30% of the time I get the pink copy. and the rest of the time I don't get a copy at all, especially when it comes from a  school. If at all possible I have someone sign at the X at the bottom of the tuning ticket. That proves I was there. <br> <br> I keep a pile of the invoices due on my desk. I also have a line in my computer where it asks if there is a balance due. I kind of keep a mental note of who owes me, and about once every two weeks I look through the pile to see if anyone is more than a month overdue, and I call them.  In all my 31 years in the business, I think I've only been stiffed twice, and one of those was a church. <br> <br> <div style="CLEAR: both">Willem (Wim) Blees, RPT<br> Piano Tuner/Technician<br> Honolulu, HI<br> Author of <br> The Business of Piano Tuning<br> available from Potter Press<br> www.pianotuning.com</div> <br> <br> -----Original Message-----<br> From: Matthew Todd <toddpianoworks@att.net><br> To: pianotech@ptg.org<br> Sent: Sat, 31 May 2008 9:42 am<br> Subject: Balance Due!!<br> <br> <div id=AOLMsgPart_2_f40c36ef-21a8-4b2b-92f4-5af93b4358e4> <div>I had a client today who had to leave for an appointment so her brother was there to make sure I got paid.  Besides tuning I had to fix two notes.  She left for my tuning fee with her brother and that was it, so when I gave her brother the bill, he was short on the cash.  She didn't plan on my extra work or the tax.  So I took the bill and wrote what was paid, and the balance due.</div> <div> </div> <div>Is that the right way to do it, or next time should I have the party present sign it?  Should there also be a due date?  Then there's the situation where there is no one home and a check is left on the table.  I did have one client leave me a blank check!!  I was like "hmmm, let's see, I need new tires on my car, maybe a new tuning hammer...."</div> <div> </div> <div> </div> <div>Matthew</div> </div> <div id='u8CA919D96C09AE6-914-1E4F' class='aol_ad_footer'><FONT style="color: black; font: normal 10pt ARIAL, SAN-SERIF;"><HR style="MARGIN-TOP: 10px">Stay informed, get connected and more <A title="http://mobile.aol.com/productOverview.jsp?productOverview=aol-mobile-overview&?&ncid=aolmbd00030000000139" href="http://mobile.aol.com/productOverview.jsp?productOverview=aol-mobile-overview&?&ncid=aolmbd00030000000139" target="_blank">with AOL on your phone</A>.</FONT> </div>