customer bounced check, how much to charge for fee and giving me the run around!

Q

quamen

New member
Well pros, I dont even feel like calling myself a professinal right now because of what I LET HAPPEN TO ME. I did a few jobs for a customer who is quite well to do and owns a few small businesses. I finished the jobs and now went to recieve payment. He gives me a check for well over 500 dollars and it boucnes. I called and he apoligized and said he would give me cash. how much do you guys charge for bounce checks? The run around part was when i kept trying to get the check or come by, he was never there or could never get paid. From now on I learned my lesson. No matter if he or she has a million dollars, well off or average, always take the payment the same way. AFter each job is completed that day, or half up front and half after. Something where your getting paid right away and not having to chase money around. Im thinking to charge 35 dollars, does this seem reasonable for a bounced check?
 
quamen said:
Well pros, I dont even feel like calling myself a professinal right now because of what I LET HAPPEN TO ME. I did a few jobs for a customer who is quite well to do and owns a few small businesses. I finished the jobs and now went to recieve payment. He gives me a check for well over 500 dollars and it boucnes. I called and he apoligized and said he would give me cash. how much do you guys charge for bounce checks? The run around part was when i kept trying to get the check or come by, he was never there or could never get paid. From now on I learned my lesson. No matter if he or she has a million dollars, well off or average, always take the payment the same way. AFter each job is completed that day, or half up front and half after. Something where your getting paid right away and not having to chase money around. Im thinking to charge 35 dollars, does this seem reasonable for a bounced check?
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sure it does....charge ATLEAST what your bank is going to charge you than charge what your gas bill is to find him......or just say in his case....10% which would be $50.oo

it happens sometimes and theres nothing u can do to prevent this except dont accept checks......your choice.
 
quamen said:
Well pros, I dont even feel like calling myself a professinal right now because of what I LET HAPPEN TO ME. I did a few jobs for a customer who is quite well to do and owns a few small businesses. I finished the jobs and now went to recieve payment. He gives me a check for well over 500 dollars and it boucnes. I called and he apoligized and said he would give me cash. how much do you guys charge for bounce checks? The run around part was when i kept trying to get the check or come by, he was never there or could never get paid. From now on I learned my lesson. No matter if he or she has a million dollars, well off or average, always take the payment the same way. AFter each job is completed that day, or half up front and half after. Something where your getting paid right away and not having to chase money around. Im thinking to charge 35 dollars, does this seem reasonable for a bounced check?
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Charge what ever you banks charges you plus a little extra for all your trouble. Don't give him back the check until you get paid it full . My bank charges me $10 , inturn I charge $15 or $20 depending on how I feel . ;)
 
I too, recommend charging what your bank charges you plus a little more to use as a deterent for those customers who choose to pass a rubber check in exchange for your hard work!. It's also a good idea to have a written policy attached to a contract that is signed by both you & your client that outlines, in detail, ( pun intended) the work that is too be done, price & method of payment.
 
quamen said:
Im thinking to charge 35 dollars, does this seem reasonable for a bounced check?
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Personally, I don't think it's a good idea to try to charge him anything more than you agreed to when you setup the original detailing appointments. Then, after you finally get your money, you may want to consider avoiding him and never doing any work for that customer again.



That's just my thoughts on the subject and yes, I have been there and done that, almost exactly the way it was explained in the original post. Now-a-days I'm a lot more careful when it comes to trusting new customers. The pay-as-you-go plan is always a good idea when it comes to a new customer setting up a number of cars to be detailed.
 
mirrorfinishman said:
Personally, I don't think it's a good idea to try to charge him anything more than you agreed to when you setup the original detailing appointments. .
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well you have to charge a non sufficient funds fee and people that write checks know how that works so they will be expecting a fee for this error.......





mirrorfinishman said:
Then, after you finally get your money, you may want to consider avoiding him and never doing any work for that customer again.
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also heres a funny story to this.....

i once had a GOOD regular customer write me a check once that bounced and lol.....heres why......

she had new checks made and i was one of the very first ones to get a check of the new batch and the problem was this: when the check company MADE her checks it looked like this (EXAMPLE) :123456789...................1234567:

well it should look like this :123456789..1234567: well the problem was that the MAKER of the check pushed the routing number to far to the right and EVERY check that she wrote processed as a $30,000 check (reading as the amount instead of the routing #) because of this puting her near $100,000 :scared: in the NEGITIVE due to that error!!!!! so i only charged her what my bank charged and no other fee but my point is, sometimes the customer does not do this intentionally so not always do u want to "ditch" the customer due to this..........

so pretty much use YOUR own judgement on this after taking in all this input. :D
 
Rollman said:
Charge what ever you banks charges you plus a little extra for all your trouble. Don't give him back the check until you get paid it full . My bank charges me $10 , inturn I charge $15 or $20 depending on how I feel . ;)
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Agreed. In addition, since he seems to be giving you the runaround, I would seriously consider sending him a certified letter stating he has 10 days to make good on the check or it will be turned over to the state's attorney general's office-then follow through if he doesn't make good.
 
I'm not a professional detailer... But have had 1 experience with a bounced check. It was a wedding gift from one of my wifes former coworkers. Not only did we feed and liquor him up at our party, but we paid a $25 bounce fee from the bank!! I think I would've been fine if he didn't even give us a "gift". :grrr
 
I would say 10%. But why pay with checks? What is the big deal with checks, what is the advantages? I am just curious.
 
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