Does anyone have any advice on how to handle a customer who has gone radio silent without paying their bill?
We finished the project and had a few punch list items to finish. The homeowner is not returning my calls to schedule the return date and they have an outstanding balance.
This is a new issue for us so we feel a little unsure how to proceed. We'd love some ideas!
This hasn't been an issue for me in years, and it's because of how I structured payments from the start — every client either prepays or has a card on file that gets charged after each visit. No invoice chasing, no awkward follow-up calls.
I'm in lawn care, so I chose the industry partly because the model works cleanly this way. Service is done, card gets charged, done. Occasionally a card expires or gets cancelled — I send a notice and it gets resolved quickly. But the exposure on any single treatment is small enough that it's never a real problem.
If you're in a trade where larger project balances are normal, I get that this is harder to enforce. But if there's any way to move toward deposits or card-on-file, it eliminates the problem entirely rather than managing it after the fact.
I would give some time out of respect and compassion. You never know what people are dealing with in their lives.
After about a week or so of no contact it may be time to knock on their door in the evening one day when you think they would be home. Start with being respectful and understanding that times could be tough, but also stern in that you would like to be paid for the work you have completed.
Great reminder! Patience, compassion and respect are all things that will bring about the best outcome!
