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Customer backs out of purchase, should I return the deposit?
- Thread starter CrackPot
- Start date
AHM
NES Member
If I may ask,
did you ultimately get at least as good a price as he was gonna pay?
Give the money back. Next time write "30 day hold" on the receipt (or some time frame you are ok with). You should not have let it drag on for 2 months. If you set the time limit and he does not make the buy then keep the deposit.
Maybe so, but you have an old soul
CrackPot
NES Member
CrackPot
NES Member
My gun business I do for enjoyment. I consider it my future retirement job. For now I try and limit the level of effort to keep it solidly in the enjoyment realm. I have a day job that pays the bills.
I advertise VERY little relative to my inventory level. 95%+ of my sales are to regular customer and half of that is ordering to demand. Half of what I buy on spec is committed to within a couple hours of purchase to one of my regulars. Only when I get a really good deal on something and buy a couple do I end up advertising it.
With all of this the chances of a deposit going wrong are slim. I did not lose financially on this deal overall. I also ended up with a new good customer in the end.
I also got plenty of enjoyment after he asked for his deposit back through this thread and being as responsive to him as he had been to me.
I could over think it and write lots of words on deposits in the future but I won’t. Most deposits I take have no receipt. They come hand me cash or PayPal me friends and family and everything goes without a hitch. It’s a handshake deal between two people who know what making a deal/commitment means. I don’t want to change that because of one millennial that was not brought up right. I deal with too many good people to change that.
You did the right thing, I used to hang out at Four Seasons weekly looking at their used revolvers and the amount of time that Carl swallowed his pride and made the customer happy was shocking. You could not even imagine what some folks would ask for. He always did it with a smile and just quickly moved on.
Hetzer
NES Member
Congratulations!
greencobra
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I've lived by theory "a deals a deal." if I left a deposit, I have never asked for it back if I need to back out. it doesn't happen often, usually I've just been laid off and halt all large purchases right then. I will not go to a shop and cry about my financial situation or whatever, i'm generally a private person. if I've ever gotten it back it's only because the guy handed it to me, as I said, I've never asked...or expected it back.
Dennis in MA
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OK, I've got an opposite story.
A client of mine has a landscaping business. I was talking to him yesterday about lack-of-snow and how that will affect his bottom line.
"TBH, I would prefer not to see that much more snow after February. Once it snows late, people are notoriously late in paying for removal. They know they can string me along until they need me next season."
He went on to say that end-of-cycle billing is ALWAYS late. Worst was fall cleanups because people knew they really didn't have to pay until they needed him back in the Spring. And then with Christmas coming up, they always "run short." People that can afford to have their lawn mowed are "short" money.
I told him I'd go Tony Soprano on the worst offenders every year. I'd save 2-3 truckloads of leaves. Wait 60 days. Send 3 notices. Then drop the leaves back on the guy's lawn. It's now January 1 and he's F'd.
Best would be when he called. "What? The leaves? Well, you didn't pay so I assumed you wanted them back. The check is in the mail? Thanks so much. What? Oh pick them up? Sure, just send me 2 of those checks: one for services already rendered and one to pay my guys again to do work. Thank you for your patronage."
So despite me telling the OP to return the $100 and do it in a timely fashion, I'm also a HUGE proponent of getting rid of your bottom 5% of customers. They aren't worth it. While I'd probably not F with them Tony Soprano style, I'd send them a nice note telling them that I no longer needed their business and take it elsewhere. And if I knew several guys in my AO that did what I did, I'd email/mail/fax a list of the folks I just fired for cause. Just to give them a friendly business heads-up.
A client of mine has a landscaping business. I was talking to him yesterday about lack-of-snow and how that will affect his bottom line.
"TBH, I would prefer not to see that much more snow after February. Once it snows late, people are notoriously late in paying for removal. They know they can string me along until they need me next season."
He went on to say that end-of-cycle billing is ALWAYS late. Worst was fall cleanups because people knew they really didn't have to pay until they needed him back in the Spring. And then with Christmas coming up, they always "run short." People that can afford to have their lawn mowed are "short" money.
I told him I'd go Tony Soprano on the worst offenders every year. I'd save 2-3 truckloads of leaves. Wait 60 days. Send 3 notices. Then drop the leaves back on the guy's lawn. It's now January 1 and he's F'd.
Best would be when he called. "What? The leaves? Well, you didn't pay so I assumed you wanted them back. The check is in the mail? Thanks so much. What? Oh pick them up? Sure, just send me 2 of those checks: one for services already rendered and one to pay my guys again to do work. Thank you for your patronage."
So despite me telling the OP to return the $100 and do it in a timely fashion, I'm also a HUGE proponent of getting rid of your bottom 5% of customers. They aren't worth it. While I'd probably not F with them Tony Soprano style, I'd send them a nice note telling them that I no longer needed their business and take it elsewhere. And if I knew several guys in my AO that did what I did, I'd email/mail/fax a list of the folks I just fired for cause. Just to give them a friendly business heads-up.
NHCraigT
NES Member
Put writing into the contracts that will penalize late payments (based on what MA legally allows).
He could also offer a discount for early payments (to the stragglers only).
I also agree 100% with this ^
Dennis in MA
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I'd just fire them. Forget teh penalties and such. He's got workers to pay in November and he doesn't collect that $ until April. Hell, I'd assume that I'd be doing their Spring whatever and then wait until the last possible second. . . . THEN fire them. "Oh sorry, too busy with clients that pay."
Now the customer is double F'd. Sure, they don't have to pay you, but you've already lost that $. Good luck getting a decent landscaper in there on short notice. You'll get the one with the crap crew who doesn't know a rake from a snowblower instead and have to go searching for NEXT year.
Inconvenience me? I'll inconvenience you.
Now the customer is double F'd. Sure, they don't have to pay you, but you've already lost that $. Good luck getting a decent landscaper in there on short notice. You'll get the one with the crap crew who doesn't know a rake from a snowblower instead and have to go searching for NEXT year.
Inconvenience me? I'll inconvenience you.
AHM
NES Member
Now you've got me wondering whether the few small businessmen we hire haven't raised prices on us in 3+ years because when we get a bill in the mail, my head doesn't hit the pillow until the check is in the curbside mailbox, if not down at the post office.
greencobra
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landscapers have it tough as far as collecting payment. I got a great guy, doesn't rape me, does good work. I don't want to loose him. I pay him before he leaves the property each time. if i'm not around I make sure I leave it in the mail box. after reading dennis', post I figure he appreciates it more than I thought.
