Asking for payment - Page 2

Ntertayneme....... Why didn't you just get some pecans when you were at my house for the DOS??? We have 4 pecan trees on our land. I have plenty of pecans in the shed!! You could have gotten all you wanted!! NEXT TIME!!! Italian Creme OHHHH my favorite!!! I'm making German Choc. groom's cakes on the 6th! Plus the wedding cake~

Shame on you, those pecans should be fed to squirrels, haha, where is my shipment?
Hugs Squirrelly

ntertayneme... would you be willing to share that Italian Cream cake recipe?? my email is Gingoodies@aol.com

I require payment for a big cake in advance.... with at least a 30% non refundable deposit just to hold the date. All other cakes are "No Pay, No Cake" due upon delivery or pickup.

Hi there guys ( it's been awhile since i've been on this site .. busy busy)
OK as for the dilema at hand you guys know my personal motto:

MY BUSINESS DOES NOT RUN ON YOUR GOOD CREDIT!!!!
.. well with that out of the way let's address her payment issue,
As for payment the best advice I've ever received regarding business is this.. If it's not in writing then it didn't happen( simple)
As far as calling the police well...even if she does or don't have a contract the police will tell her she has to file a claim in small claims court before any action can be taken,
The advice about hounding the person until they pay can backfire into some form of harassment from the customer and that person will still have a free cake at the end of the day.
I agree with everyone else run your business as you would if you were taking an order at say any bakery in town.
When you order a cake at the bakery you have to fill an order form out specifying what you like and also in the future I'd suggest you have the customer sign and initial the form so it makes it all legal.
Put the clauses in fine print like they do every where else and honey as long as you have a lawyer sign off on your business agreements you have on paper then it all becomes legally binding and when your customers forfeit payment well you have the right to make a small claim.
I learned that when the date was due on a final payment and the customer never showed I had my ducks in a row and let me tell you I had one steaming customer telling me she was going to pay ..( honey not after the due date she wasn't)
she had to pay me and court costs so who lost.. NOT ME!!
I hope this helps you in the furture.

Lemon!!!!

I would at the very least make a phone call to the customer and say " I just wanted to let you know that I have not gotten that check in the mail as yet." Let it seem like you are under the assumtion that the check was mailed and the postal service is just slow This way the customer knows you are not just letting this slide. See if you get a response. Maybe, just maybe, it has slipped her mind It doesnt hurt to pick up the phone! Good Luck!

Oh my tcturtleshell!! Had I known, I'd of taken you up on that offer!! I'm sugaring the pecans right now!! Next DOS, if the pecans are falling, can I pick some up?? lol

Gingoodies, I sent you the Italian Cream Cake recipe to the email address you requested. Enjoy!!

Cheryl, send me tha Italian Cream Cheese recipe too please!! On the pecans.. Last year was the year that didn't produce many pecans so for the next 3 years we'll have a great crop! Come on up again & you can pick all you want!! Bob can help you!! I hate picking pecans! Even with that cool spring picker thingy

Squirrelly... do you know how much pecans weigh?? You'll have to come for a visit you & Cheryl can pick them together~

ha funny there should be a thread about this. my close friend that was supposed to be a bridesmaid at our wedding. did this to me. she begged my to make her son some chocolates and what not for easter. her total came to 40 dollars. i felt bad she said she would pay me.. never did and still hasnt i just saw her today at walmart she came me this big long story. i know i wont see that money..

so from now on i get paid up front.. and if they cancel i keep half of what the cake is.. if they dont like it then they can go to the store and get it.. ive been burned to many times.. i know my cake arnt that great but it still cost money to do them.

Re: Hounding. May be different where I live, but the proper term is called collection and you have the right to go after unpaid bills when folks don't follow the terms of the agreement. So if you don't pay your bills on time a collector calls or someone from a collection agency calls. When you deal with a small business, someone from the business will call you until you make good your payment. Harassment is when you pester someone for something relentlessly without any legal grounds not for payment of an unpaid bill. Whether a contact is verbal or written, it is a contract. When you make a contract you have two people agreeing to terms of some form of exchange with limitations to when the exchange will take place and sometimes with penalties for not meeting the terms of agreement. So if a person asks for a cake, receives a cake and is to pay for that cake at some point that they have agreed to and they do not, you have the right to collect or you have the right to not deliver the goods as they are not living up to the terms of the contract. In some areas licensed busnesses and government agencies can garnishee wages and get folks in trouble with their employees. If the person in question works in a public place, you can try to collect from them at this place of employment if you have legal rights to enter their employment area. If you show up everyday where they work and the management sees this as an issue, they may ask you to leave. Of course you have to behave in a professional manner.
Hugs Squirrelly

Gosh you sound like me, I really hate having to be put in the position of getting mad to get folks to live up to their side of an agreement, any agreement. Haha, I should take my own advice. I have been waiting for this landscaper to come out to do work at my house and he keeps changing the date or not showing up. Hhhmn, stayed home all day today waiting and today was a holiday where I could have been doing other things. So kiddo, I will follow you example tomorrow and give him a call and not be so nice and forgiving as I have been.
Ggrh, I hate being put in this position.
Hugs Squirrelly

I probably would have sent an invoice, as a reminder. I've had to do this for people who don't pay dh when he does heating & air service calls...usually once they're reminded gently, they get the hint, and if they don't, I start adding late penalties to the invoices.

I'm curious to see if you get your payments now!

Just curious...how much money do they owe you? What was the event? How long is it overdue?

Don't be mad at yourself, just learn from the experience!