Secure Payment Before or After??

[GLASSTIME]

Hey Fellow WSR Techs,

Just wanting to taKE A poll on how many of you secure payment before the sale
and how many secure payment after the sale?

Personally we take afterwards, However that will soon change as we have encountered several Bad Checks! In which we will be canceling taking any checks from here on out

[t4k]

I have always taken payment for retail customers after completion of the work and so far, I have had no bad checks. With that being said, only about 1% of my work is done for the general public.

[SGT]

We, verify payment method before work is started. Accept payment upon customer complete satisfaction. Unfortunately sometimes customers, will slip you a bad check. For me it has been rare. Just a couple over eight years. Yeah it sucks getting taken advantage of but you can minimize your risk some by checking the check number. If it is real low that is a sign the account is new and you may also want to get there drivers license info for back up. You know, it is hard to swallow but you may want to consider it part of doing business with "john q" public. Certainly persue the customer but is it really worth your time and effort to escalate it to the legal level over such a small fee. Time lost fighting could be worth a whole lot more than what you might recover. Good luck.

[just chippen away]

I have only had one bad check in all my years, only because a GI moved to Germany and closed the account before I could deposit the check..
I as most folks take payment after the work is completed. (this is not a fast food joint). I even float folks without cash I do not know only if I can verify their work place and know when the payment will be...
They may loose the windshield before they have the money or I may loose the job from them before then to another shop... (Still my money on the table, not the other shop). They appreciate that a lot that I will float their payment in their times of need. (good PR on my end).

[Clarity Glass]

I usually like to collect after the repair is performed. Over six years of business I've only had issues with 3 bad checks--2 nsf and 1 bankruptcy. The nsf's paid me after a follow-up call. I much prefer a check to credit card because there are no fees attached.

[candyman]

I have owned several business during the past 20 years and encountered less than 5 bad checks during that time. Even those were made good without legal action. I live in a rural area and most people, I know or know someone in there family. I collect afterward in all cases. I will have someone call to ask about WSR or HLR and I might get a coversation like; I won't have the money untill so & so time and I will call back. Depending on the person, I will schedule that appointment and tell them they can pay me when they get paid. That creates work for me then, rather than wait and hopew they call back or I might be busy. That has worked so far, except for one individual that works for a shop that referes clients to me. That individual ignored my phone calls, so I paid him a visit. He said he thought it was free, and the bill was a joke. I assured him it was no joke. His manager told me that he was behind in his bills due to a DUI & court cost. I sent him a letter telling him to send me 5 referals and I would cancel the bill. That was a few weeks ago. I would have torn the bill up if he had been honest and upfront with, and not made up a tale about being free etc...
If I worked in a big city I would collect after the work is completed (cash), unless prior arrangements were made. Too many transplants & more fluid, than a small city. Candyman

[the big welshman]

Hey Guys?? I would think a Credit Card payment is good security payment in these preasent times I

[crewskb]

I, too, accept payment after the repair. For the most part, people in general are quite fair, especially when you've done such a wonderful job for them. In the past 4 years, I've only had one "skip" (a guy that promised to send me a check but never did). Still, I don't anticipate changing my way of doing business anytime soon.

[Mr Bill]

After you finish the job.
It seems a bit flakey to me to ask for payment before you do the job.
I have never been burned by a bad check.