How many of you accept cheques of domestic customers?ive tried to stop taking cheques due to the fact i had a few bounce etc so ive been asking for cash on completion (domestic only)anyway done a whole house in carpet and karndean other week customer offered me a cheque even though i said in beginning dont accept them anymore and he decided to do bank transfer while i was there and the money was in my account by the time i got home so thinking its better security than a cheque so may offer it to more customers if they do online banking etc.
only ever (in 30years) have had one bouncer (touch wood) and even then the customer was so embaressed they paid the bank charges. haven't had chq in ages until yesterday, what will happen when they phase them out? not everyone has access to on-line banking, I sometimes feel that asking for cash only seems a bit like fly by night and that you don't trust the customer
Just a word on this by the end of this year debt cards will no longer back up cheques not sure how people (tradesmen) will go on but cheques will be gone by 2018 may be by then there will be away of taking debt cards on the mobile phone!!!
hi ive had two go bouncing on me the first time i got the charges paid by the customer and the payment in cash apparently mix up with her money going in the second time i got stung took a cheque it bounced and i couldnt get hold of the customer tried for 3 months so gave up in the end but luckily it wasnt for alot and it was just for fitting so this is why i don accept cheques also rugrats right cheques will be gone by 2018 so it will either be cash payment or transfer of somekind.
I would say at the moment 75% of my invoices are paid by cheque , in the last 23 years trading I have had perhaps 3 or 4 cheques returned unpaid and only once did I struggle to collect payment. If a customer asks how I want paying I tell them it is entirely their choice , either cash or cheque is fine by me . I am sure there will be a simple way to get paid when cheques are phased out.
most of my customers pay by cheque, the firm i sub to pay by the Bacs,In other words directly into my account.
Do none of you use a PDQ machine (accepting debit cards)? We now also have a mobile one Ton takes with him when delivering materials and on the day the work finishes. If clients wants to pay with credit card we put a surcharge on it - which you are nowadays allowed to do, why pay the cost for the "pleasure" of using credit cards? These machines are very easy and no risk of bouncing cheques.
Works with mobile phone signal, sends details and authorisation almost immediately - compare it with using a PDQ machine connected to your land line or even broadband. You need a merchant account (normally through your bank you use for your business) of course to accept debit/credit cards, but you don't have to buy the hardware from you bank.
You pay a fixed amount per month for the hire/use of the mobile machine, not extra for "phone" calls. It works the same way as a fixed PDQ machine, in so far the client has to enter his/her pin (or with phone transactions you have to know loads of card details - which after the transaction has gone through successfully you have to destroy to prevent fraud). The machine checks all details and if there's enough balance in their account/on their card. If so, the transaction is authorised and voila, you're paid ;-) As said, if you have a merchant account - which you need anyway to be able to accept card payments as business - you are "free" to use any PDQ equipment from anyone, you don't have to have the one from the bank you have your merchant account with. Transaction costs are another matter, they will be charged by the bank/organisation you have your merchant account with and can vary (so shop around ;-)). Debit cards cost a fixed amount (say between £ 0.65 - 0.75 depending on your "status" with the bank/organisation) per transaction and credit cards a percentage of the transaction amount (roughly between 2.5 - 3%) which you now are allowed to add on to the amount payable. The transactions take between 2 - 3 days to arrive in your bank account, the transaction costs will be invoiced once a month by the bank/organisation you have the merchant account with. We have the equipment from Commidea, equipment is great - their admin not of this modern world I'm afraid. (Took them a year to sent us a credit note!). Hope this helps?
woody, you will soon realise that "bladerunner" has some sort of mental issue that promotes him to come out with bad jokes "tedmaced" is another forum nut case! :jokko
