Is accepting credit cards REALY necessary?!

[ruff]

I get a few thousands of them every year.

You complete 3000 jobs a year?
and here I thought you were a one truck show.

You are right, a Freudian wishful thinking, I meant about a thousand.
Do you feel better now?

I don't think it's as much "Rinky dink" as inconvenient and maybe odd for your customers. Nearly everyone accepts plastic, it's just how people handle purchases now days.

Ofer why wouldn't you want to make it as convenient as possible for the people that owe you to pay you?

Man you're stubborn, you don't have any Chavez's in your family do you?

:mrgreen:

None of my clients complain and I'd rather keep the money than Visa.

We are all Chavezes in my family!
And darn proud of it

If they cling to being credit card haters because they say they are "old school".

I wonder what else is too modern for them?

Cellphones? Websites? Flat screen TVs, Indoor toilets?

In one sentence Dave?
Free Marketing Forever is too modern for them.
But then they are all Chavezes, like me. So you better Expect The Best and it ain't coming in a purple truck.

I do not accept first time jobs if the owner or his/her representative is not present.

I get a few thousands of them every year.

You complete 3000 jobs a year?
and here I thought you were a one truck show.

Tsk, tsk, tsk.Don't be so unkind Mikey.
So what if he does eleven and a half jobs in a five day week and EVERY SINGLE ONE pays him by check.It's possible.

My great uncle drowned when he fell into a vat of Guinness.
But he got out twice for a pee.
shiteatinggrin

Dang Shorty!
I've read some of your previous posts. At first they seem like they come from a raving lunatic, but they seem to kind of grow on you later.
They do however have a unique fuzzy/wooly logic to them.
Whom have you been hanging out with lately, over there all alone in the farm?
It sure ain't great uncle Ramos, is it?

 

[Desk Jockey]

He's got a Chavez in his family and Art too! :mrgreen:

 

[ruff]

Yep.
All one needs is a little bit of Chavez, some Art and a dash of MeaT (sorry, Clark Van Fleet.)
And you've got all the necessary ingredients to run a successful little business.

 

[floorguy]

have a little chavez in you???????









































WANT ONE :!: :!: :!: :!: :!: :!: :!:

 

[Ross Buettner]

30 seconds, in your bank... and you know you've got it - Credit Cards
A trip to the bank, 1 business day for funds (if the people really had the money) - checks

Good luck on recovering a NSF check. I don't want that headache.

 

[ruff]

have a little chavez in you???????

WANT ONE :!: :!: :!: :!: :!: :!: :!:

Sorry Doug.
You either got it.
Or you don't

 

[ruff]

30 seconds, in your bank... and you know you've got it - Credit Cards
A trip to the bank, 1 business day for funds (if the people really had the money) - checks

Good luck on recovering a NSF check. I don't want that headache.

3 bounced checks in 22 years.
2 apologized and replaced + my bank fee.
1 never recovered- she was a law student :| !

Total loss $79.00 (it was when I just started.)
It's difficult but, I can live with that.

 

[Able 1]

I have had 3 bounce in 6 years here, but I don't think I would ever chase another in court... STRAIGHT BS!

 

[Royal Man]

I wonder about this statement:

I do not accept first time jobs if the owner or his/her representative is not present.

I do jobs almost every week where I never meet the client and I get in with an open door or garage code.

Usually these types of jobs are for entire houses and in the $500 range.

If I had the policy of actually seeing the client at every job. It would cost me a lot of money in loss work and inconvenience my clients. (Especially those that are living in an other state or want cleaning while they are at work.)

Is this a Chavez policy too? (To keep the Chavez want-to-be theme going)

 

[ruff]

I do stray from the fold every once in a long while, Dave.
So my policy may not be CHAVEZ approved.

I'll pm Richard for forgiveness.

I just don't like cleaning that way. It seems to work for you without any problems and that is great, you should do it.
I just do not feel comfortable cleaning a place without explaining to the owner or representative what they should or should not expect from the cleaning + signing on preexisting conditions.

The very few problems that I've ever had through the years came from these kind of situations. People had unrealistic expectations that I could not set straight beforehand.
However, the few jobs that I did (I do those every once in a while) where the owners were not present, I had them send me a letter or an email authorizing the work and accepting all preexisting conditions as I find and note them. They never had a problem sending a check.

I am not that concerned about not being paid, as anyhow I give a 100% guarantee. So if they really do not want to pay, or possibly take advantage, all they have to say is that they are not 100% satisfied with the job and they will get their money back.

22 years and going with this guarantee, and not a single request for money back.

From my experience, most people are quite honest. All they want to see is that one works hard for their money and makes an effort to do the best cleaning possible.

 

[Royal Man]

When I get jobs where the owner is not present. I call them up before I do any work and after I inspect the job. Then I go over recommended cleaning/corrective procedures, possible problem areas/or concerns and their credit card number.

I have done this over 100 times with no problems.

 

[LisaWagnerCRS]

Holy mackerel ... raise your prices 5%, take credit cards, and you'll thank me - LOL.

We take credit cards because we are processing $400 - $3,000 invoices, and most professionals use cards to track their money and run their life. Then I can just take it by phone when deliveries are set, and you don't need to worry about not getting paid. We never carry more than $1,000 in receivables at any given time as a result.

I like the convenience of using my debit or charge card personally... and I assume my customers like that as well, and 80% of our orders use them. Plus, I like the miles I get on mine. =) (So do they.)

If you don't want to take plastic, that's do-able... but I agree with Brian (holy crap - hell has frozen over!), to grow your business, this is something you add to give value to your clients. And again, if the 2-3% fee is making you cringe, then you are not charging enough. Raise your prices 5% and keep the extra 2% for your next vacation.

=)

Lisa

 

[ruff]

All good points Lisa.
Though you did not specify where my vocation will be. You got to be more specific

In other words, since you add the 2% credit card commission to what you want to make (makes sense.)
That means that the people who pay by check or cash are, in a way, subsidizing the credit card users. Do you offer them a 2% discount?

In my particular business, I am well paid. It is not about what I charge. And I'd hate to give Visa or Master Card or any big conglomerate any money.

Though this thread name is about Credit Cards it is directed towards Owners Operators. And to be successful they do not HAVE TO: Accept credit card. Use an answering service. Pay monthly service to a software company. Buy flavor of the month gadget. That is not what is going to make them successful.

The smart ones will cater to their own strength and not try to be the do all / be all for everybody. They will run a lean operation with low overhead. They will apply their effort into what makes them special. They will differentiate themselves from, not be like all the others.
And if they feel that offering Credit cards or any of the other things mentioned above, adds to that unique value then by all means- Offer it.

I never felt that it does.
The moment it will, I'll do it. It is not a religious conviction, it's a business decision.

 

[sam miller]

Costco business service and any computer and you can offer as a payment option to your clients

It's easy and avoids checks in some situations.

If your willing to let some clients go by the wayside then limit what You take other then that it's a no brainer for me.


---
I am here: http://maps.google.com/maps?ll=34.703562,-118.287408

 

[chris1]

I am very new to the biz and wanted to see if someone could tell where I can find how to take credit cards. I don't have a smart phone(dumb one) so I was trying to find out how I could offer credit or debit cards to my customers. Thanks

 

[Mikey P]

talk to your bank about getting set up.


but

https://squareup.com/?gclid=CPywtYTso6wCFeoZQgodYF_jDg

or

http://intuit-gopayment.com/gp?cid=ppc_ ... 07055938:s


along with a smart phone is the way to go.

 

[GCP]

i think it is actually an accommodation to your clients to offer it, to actually give them a choice. method of payment should be there choice and as business owners we should provide all methods possible. :mrgreen:

 

[Desk Jockey]

We never carry more than $1,000 in receivables at any given time as a result.

:shock: BS!!! Ok, well maaaaybe it's true but it's just wrong!!!

Mine can easily climb to 200 or even more if we have large projects we're waiting on. I just got paid last week from a couple of large losses billed back in August. The cash flow pipeline has been constipated as of late.

 

[ruff]

Richard.
In one word:
Prunes!

They are organic and will take care of the problem.
Yes, if you must, you can add Tapatillo