Well like we said in the video you can't win them all! This was not fun BUT we did the right thing and are in the process of finishing the repair. I know this something like this may have happened to you and it sucks! It's all in how you handle it?
I hate to say it, but you may have to walk away from the refrigerator guy and try to be content with just blacklisting him from your company. However, you should be able to prevent this situation from occurring in the future, or at least put yourself into a position to have a much better recourse legally and financially. Since, a significant portion of customers these days are dishonorable in how they conduct business, I'd have an attorney compose a legal document that is specific to any maintenance situation, where you are attempting to repair/modify a system or component, rather than replace it. It should say something to the effect, that by signing the document, the customer recognizes that he/she has made a decision to attempt to repair/modify rather than replace, but there are no guarantees of success or warranties expressed or implied. They should also officially be made aware, that no matter the outcome, they will still be financially obligated for the expenses incurred in the attempt, which was done at their behest. It should also contain language explaining that if they try to renege on this contract, they will be subject to legal consequences. This would include but not be limited to, a mechanics lien and/or any other legal action necessary to recover expenses, damages, time lost and all legal expenses/fees incurred by you and/or your company in the course of recovery, as well as defending yourself, employees or your company's business interests, to include your professional reputation. Good luck!
@@lesb3481yes we have a 4 page legal contract but sometimes it’s just not worth continuing with the negativity that comes with it especially when customers can and will lie even when it’s all in writing. We’d rather just put them on our list!
@@WillFixThat Maybe, when you get them to sign the contract, video them having to say that they have fully read, understood and agree with all terms of the document. Sounds crazy, but these days, sometimes crazy can help pay the bills.🤪
I have owned an operated a successful business in South Florida for the last eight years. Before I started my business, I took the Mike Holt business management seminar. Prerequisite to the seminar was reading the slight edge by Jeff Olson. There’s a lot of good information in there. In your business model, you should list your failures and never repeat them… if you repeat the mistakes you’ve made prior than you will pay for it. A really important thing I learned at Mike Holt‘s business management seminar. Never let the customer run your business. Meaning never let them convince you to do something you don’t wanna do. Turn down the work tell them, thank you for the opportunity, but unfortunately, my business model does not allow me to do that end of conversation …
Those are the people who go ballistic when someone does not pay them but they don’t see the correlation between paying and being paid! I enjoy your channel! Conscientious well explained repairs and you care about the details. Your beautiful surroundings helps offset some of the problems…
6-8 years ago I had issues with unpaid or contested invoices. I have since stopped offering “patch jobs”, if they don't want to pay to fix it right, they will be the first for a callback when the patch fails even years down the road.
Agree but hard when people beg you! Someone said to get the deposit for the repair upfront on these kinds of jobs and that’s not a bad idea. Then your paid and you tried!
Matt and Karyann, I feel your pain with the customers not paying their bills. I own and operate a small trucking company. For some reason people think we as small business owners can continue to take the loss. What a joke. I wander how they would feel if someone came into their house and stole from them. Love the content. I hope to meet y'all one day. Matt tell the fridge customer sorry, but a new fridge is in order, and please PAY YOUR INVOICE, or no help.
We will never go to that fridge boat again! If you mess with us and don’t pay you get put on the list 😊 we will watch it sink and do nothing to save it I don’t mess around when it comes to paying your bills! ~ Karriann P.S. we’ve had Dockmasters call us to save a boat and we had to decline!
But your unfortunate deal with him could save the next guy tons of trouble if they know what they are getting into id like to know if a client didnt like to pay bills
Mechanics lien until they pay their bills. Stop being nice guys and worrying about your image or you'll go broke! Your customers know your trustworthiness or they wouldn't be your customers! Also, video ALL your repairs so you are covered when stuff like this comes up again. 👍
We do video a lot of our repairs but it’s not always easy when we have 5 guys running around the island! It’s not really about the $$ it’s about the integrity & lying mostly … you can’t win with those kind of people. But KARMA will get them. You know we don’t want to carry all the negativity.
I really think what is happening is the prices have gone up so much so quickly that people feel a sense of entitlement because the price is ridiculously high. Most it seem don’t realize your profits are still minimal and you’re not making that money. It was a time that when you paid today’s price you were getting the most stellar service you could ever possibly get. And our customers don’t realize or frankly don’t care anymore and expect you to take it in the shorts. Keep doing what you’re doing. You’re a dying breed and you come across is just good people. Hard to find today. Great job on the videos!
Wow what an opportunity to get that endorsement on your liscence. That's a blessing . Retired American Airlines 31 years , Omni Air , 7 years Western Global 1.5 years .
Ole retired furniture maker from Michigan who just ran across your utube channel - wow that would make me nervous working on big ticket items. I only didn't get paid once on big job but had gotten half the money down so loss was pretty minimal- really enjoy watching you two work together so well
We try and work together 🤣 like anything we sometimes get our feathers ruffled! We’ve been together a long time. We are blessed … I’m sure I drive him nuts cause I get anxious sometimes.
I'm a little late to the party on the refrigerator evaporator repair but when I was in the refrigerator repair business many moons ago I used this stuff called La-Co heat seal stick to repair evaporators that had holes poked in them. Previously I used the standard epoxy repair method that never worked for very long. But the La-Co heat seal stick worked every time and is super easy to use plus it sets up almost instantly. I checked online and surprisingly it's still available.
So being in the HVAC business for 40 plus years dealing with customers can be challenging and the pat on the backs always trumps the bad ones. I for one like challenges but not for the rerrigerator aluminum coils nor compressors with cap tubes like you said never can clean the system. Just let the refrigerator go and say thank you as its not worth loosing sleep over and when the next one comes up just say no.......I have learned over the years the stress on collecting on dead beats is not worth my health. You can write it off at tax time by making a copy of the invoice and deduct it at year end. On customers that did not pay or took months for them to pay I put a mark on the folder of the house address for future referance to not service them. You all do a great job and show care! Much appreciate your honesty :)
Yup it’s not worth it to us either having dead beats! We add them to our list and we will never go back … it’s simple ‘find someone else’ 🤣 and good luck with that.
Love watching your videos!! Following y’all’s journey everyday inspires me as I’m pushing thru marine technician school. Thanks for the insight for what it’s gonna be like working at the docks 🏝️
Client/ job selection is the most difficult part of any business. Unfortunately, having a mechanic idle at the shop is often better for your business and mental health than taking an awful no pay entitled client. Remember, you’re servicing luxury yachts in paradise. Let the difficult clients know they’ll welcome to pound sand and sail to the mainland for service. Also, don’t let them unload their problems onto you. Cheers and good luck out there!
That is how we operate …. Once you’re on our list you don’t get service. Unfortunately even long time customers can end up on the list. Something shifts in the process and we say not again find another company!
Mat and Karyann. I have been watching your channel for some time. Job well done. I have been in business pretty much all my life. I have had businesses of all shapes and sizes and the same problem you are experiencing has reared its head in all of them. You will always get the ones that dont want to pay, that everything is everybody''s fault but theirs, and some of them are just plain jerks, as you Americans put it. I own a motel at the moment, and we will not accept a booking unless we have the guests Credit Card number. If they don"t show, we still get paid. Maybe that can work in your business. Either that or/and take a hefty deposit prior to starting the work. I am with you, as long as you can sleep with a clear conscience, that is the main thing. Jim, Australia.
You guys are still the greatest in my eyes, but maybe have an attorney write up the best “iron clad” paperwork so no ifs and or buts?!! Keep up the great videos!
I have my PPL too , I had a friend recently die in merlin at South Lakeland I dont know about flying rotax over large body of water Ideally you want something that's burning Jet A but the price of planes is even more out of control then boats, One really nice plane that I've done a factory tour of was Zenith it would be super cool to have a 750 on lotus anfib floats around your area
The world is getting MORE crazy . How much was the invoice on the refrigerant patch job. ? You guys keep up the great work and don't be detered by your surroundings. Just work with integrity as your team always has been
@@WillFixThat Toe to toe until you know he's a total piece of crap and doesn't care for anyone. There is also "choosing your battles", like y'all have done ... you guys are better tuned than I was.... also, doing business in Monroe and Dade. This is one of those inevitabilities that goes with doing a service business ...When you have a customer that does not care what you or any other boatowner in the marina thinks of them.
@@FloridaJackhappened again today only $380. Phew! Guy received excellent service & blocked us & I went to run his card today … no money … shaking my head!
Yes agree wourld is getting crazy as far as customers that don't want to pay a bill I just wouldn't even talk to them after all the time you put into helping them out.
On the ref. I learned long ago that if you dont feel good about a job or the person, just to walk away without getting involved, otherwise it always seems to cost you money
I used to say that I pick my customers as much as they pick me. That worked for quite a few years, and dodged some bullets doing it. Lately, since Jan. 2024, the rate of entitled and useless customers has gone up, and they are the ones I couldn't pick out of the background noise. I'm hanging it up in a few months, as I need at my age to not squander my time left. Many good people will be upset at the loss of my specific mechanical services, but I cannot be responsible for that. So yes I have seen first hand the decline in reasonable behaviour. I had a good run. No complaints, but I'm moving on now. My best wishes to you and your excellent team for the future. Great channel, subscribed.
Awesome thanks for watching your sharing your struggles too! We always figure we can serve those long time customers and no one else and just slow down a bit too. Guess we aren’t the only ones seeing the issues.
Even when I was a kid in the 60's I knew you didn't use a metal utensil to chip ice away from the evaporator coil. Although I didnt know what it was called at the time.
From my experience, the Dock Master will lower the boom on any deadbeats in his Marina to insure payment, just like any shipyard, it doesn't move until the check is cleared and is disabled until it does.
Matt make sure you have detailed repair work that is to be done signed by your customer……if it ever goes to court it will state the repair to be done and the cost……..make sure you state any comments to the repair that you recommended and the customer wanted done his way…….also get a signed copy of the total repair order when job is completed……no pay, no boat…..hold the boat until payment is paid
Use a collection service to get some of your money back. New Customers need a credit check and deposit before work is started. Don't let that guy walk away from this untouched.
Take the non bill payers to task and put a mechanics lien on their boat. The only thing is when you write up the repair order BEFORE servicing a component document fully if you say no and the customer insists yes. Then have the sign the documented recommendation.
Call Dewey, Cheatham and Howe and sue the bas%xxs! You should make sure we know the company/brand who declined the warranty and never use them again. Also let all of the other service companies know the names of those customers who stiffed you, they should think twice about servicing them. Also in our state you may be able put a “mechanics line” on the property/boat
Once yall did what we did with the motor,,, there is people that will think they can do that also,,, it may take some time,,, we had to work through this also
Hen I scheduled a safety inspection of my boats engine bay halon system, the company put a 400 dollar hold on my credit card before he'd send a crew out.
Have another guy not paying we’ve been following up for 1.5 months it’s only $380 and he has to wait for a check to clear so he says plus he’s blocked us! We called his wife and he finally got back to us. It’s scary….
@@WillFixThat For sure. Just retired after 30 years in automotive service business and don’t miss that part of it. Sad part is losing some good clients other wise. Hated cutting off long term clients for outstanding invoices. Good luck . Love the channel
@@doug2202I just posted a question/poll on our community tab tonight … wonder what people think? Our mechanic of 12yrs has had our truck for 7 months & hasn’t been able to fix it! Intermittent issue many parts replaced … we’ve been asking for an invoice! The guy is sick over it I’ve forced getting my truck back he doesn’t think he should charge if he can’t fix it! It just got delivered to us tonight & we still have no invoice. We have went in his garage the last 3 days very calmly and said we need to end the situation for both of us. The guy is sick over this the first day he was a bit standoffish I spoke quietly and said we need our invoice and to bill us. The second day same approach quiet and let him know he needs to be paid & I need my truck and he commented people attack him all day long. Today I went in again cause the truck was supposed to be delivered to us yesterday…. Each day his head has been down today it perked up a little bit and he said ‘why does this have to happen to my good customers and I reminded him that we are in business too and we can’t win them all! Yay our truck got delivered to our office tonight. What you think pay or no pay?
@@WillFixThat If he insist on not charging you and the truck is still not fixed I would offer him a reimbursement of his out of pocket costs. Hopefully some of the parts cannon he shot at it he can return the parts. We’ve all been there with mis diagnosis. 7 months to try and fix a running truck and not have it repaired is quite a long time. I would’ve loved to have a crack at a headache like that back in the day. Hope you still use the guy for all your other repairs so he can recoup with some gravy work. How do I access the community poll? Disregard, found it.
@@doug2202he told me he’d right up everything he replaced and what he has found to be the problem. Yes 7 months to long Matt got a little to easy so I took over this week. Mechanic gave Matt his word last Friday & failed so this week I have stopped in there every day since he needed to put it back together and deliver it to us. Yes I will still give him first opportunity to use him as long as he can get over his own feelings about it! On our page there are tabs and it says community or it might show up in your feed. Poll so far 46% say pay invoice & 46% partial payment then 8% don’t pay. I tell them what we did in the poll so they see our stance.
Great mechanics are hard to find, and you have to treat them and pay well them to keep them. To do this you have to get paid for your services, even when customer chooses poorly. Find yourself a great collection agent you can work with and just hand them these bills. Be sure to pass the collection fees to the customer.
This kind of answer both questions I got married in 2019 Hever Castle all paid for before the event. Last year send a bill for £200, I paid it despite it everything as I don’t want an argument & I don’t do unpaid bills. What do you think the world is getting more unreal or pushing their luck!?!
I would suggest a mechanics lien and don't be afraid to show the stern/name of the boat...the marine community is very small there and word will get around. Especially if you are helping other specialty marine service contractors in your area by alerting them to bad customer experiences. Service businesses have no public voice when people trash their reputations. Keep up the great work!
Hmm I’m not really sure it would be wise to share all this info. We don’t show boat names cause it gives some privacy too for our customers. This world is Sue happy so we want to be careful!
I own a marine detailing and fiberglass/gelcoat company and the last 6-8 months I've had more difficulty collecting from customers than ever before. Even repeat customers that have previously been very quick at paying are taking weeks to pay and the go-to seems to be to just not answer phone calls and not text back. Sign of the economy I guess.
Well, what you said about the refrigerator and a body shop you have to give them your owner’s card and they look it up. You have to give them your insurance a down payment if you don’t have insurance and you sign. If they don’t pay, you keep the car, but if you would have them Sign documents pay some money upfront, especially on a guest job. But there is some work. We just will not take rest work. We take a pass on that. Usually they’re replacing panels and they want to pay.
Maritime law is different. Once it’s installed on vessel IN WATER its owners. On the hard is different. Rule #1. We use your money to put your parts on your boat.
Customers who do not pay know there is not much one can do except small claims court or other. Usually, it is not worth the time. Select your clients..there must be so much work that you can select those with positive attitudes and the ability to pay their bills. Key West has many "flakes" regardless of income. Spent five years at Boca Chica Naval Air Station marina and heard a thousand stories of boat dreams turned to nightmare.
If it were me the people that aren’t paying their bills to repair their boats, especially the refrigerator guy I would put a mechanics lean on their boat.
Whenever you do the epoxy service in AC make sure it’s paid upfront and explain why. People tend not to pay you when it doesn’t work… slap a mechanics lean and let him enjoy that later on.
@@WillFixThat I agree it’s not the best practice but when you’re dealing with a thing that has a 50% chance of working. Why would someone feel that they should pay if it didn’t work. It’s just sucks how people treat you.
In our world.. automotive, we started providing digital inspection report. with pictures or even a video and it help a lot with pain in the ass costumer. generally i wouldnt fix AC with some type of epoxy, either take the evaporator out and send it for repair or replacement..as much as we want to help the customer, this type of repair "saving customer money" does always bite you in the ass
Yes we have pics and videos of the hole that we found all sent to the owner but that still doesn’t make them pay the bill! Literally the guy lies and says he’ll blame us …. Really! People like this aren’t worth it.
id walk away but that sucks matt your just doing your job and you advise him the risk i for sure wouldn't of gave it as second try i would called it the first round
Believe me we do say no …. But you don’t always know that someone is going to turn into a slim ball. It will hurt him more if he ever has issues again cause we won’t go back
The economy is changing fast and ai are people’s financial situations. Big jobs now 50% upfront to cover material costs. Rest upon completion. Small repairs immediate payment. I can’t risk the commercial 30-90 days anymore I can’t be their zero interest bank anymore. Best of luck. Multiple digital pay may app options and credit card services for immediate payment.
Never not been paid, but have had some people who don’t want to pay full price so I take what I can. I also have a guy who can never pay in full or not what he said he would. I’m not to pressed on that guy but it can be annoying hunting payments down lol. Love to know how you guys deal with warranty issues on jobs you do. Since I’m dealing with one my self 🙄🙃
I don’t know if you can do this but ,,, we used to work on houses ,,, when people would get stupid,, we would put a lien on the house for just a little bit more than what we wanted in the first place
We had an outboard we took a deposit on an then couldn’t find a replacement for the heads ,,,so we had to give the guy what he wanted (what he thought the motor was worth),,, $10,000.00 we worked for months to try to catch up
The world is getting more crazy especially for money, I think it’s just because of the expense of things these days. You all to care out and stay safe.
I think it might be too late to get the money from the Refridgerator dude. The amount is probably not worth the aggravation. I know, easy to say on my end, but I don't think this guy is worth it. What I did at my business is have the customer sign a document that covered us from stuff that was out of our control before we started work on the job. Getting a deposit on the questionable jobs also helps a lot. If you have something in place already, you might want to expand the language to cover situations like this. This document, or pre contract, would have verified that the unit was damaged by him, and he was responsible for the repair. Having this in place would most likely have taken the guys leverage away, and he most likely would not have taken that stance. But if he refused to pay, a court claim would have been a slam dunk for you. It cuts the bs, and puts everything in black and white. Look at it this way, if this experience ends up you coming up with some kind of solution to prevent this from ever happening again, the money you lost with this A-hole will have been money well spent. Can you imagine if this happened on a huge job? Been there, done that lol!
Yup just happened to us with big corporation and we waited 6 month for warranty claim … told them next time they need service $5k up front then we will go to the boat. Will probably never work on this boat again cause owner didn’t care that we hadn’t been paid!
Yes. Thats why I don't service the general public any more. A few entitled people make it terrible to even think of working with the public. (My business allows me to only service car dealerships)
Keep up the great work !! Thought on customers that need to be fired. Check new customers reviews before you do work for them. Lost of bad reviews do do it !!
Boat is a luxury and they only what it they way if they have to pay out more that they had in a 0 budget so they don't like it there not make the money they used to are cost to own boating and cost of think to play cost it all suck I ask half up front are I don't care my time my time most people that ask you to work on anything think lik a employees mind
Usually, the people with the most money complain the most about spending money. One little scratch on gelcoat. I think it is getting worse out there. probably ashamed they cant do it themselves.
We don’t really give estimates because then you hold us to it and jobs take longer and go sideways because you haven’t maintained your boat! So our estimate is our hourly plus parts.
Sue the customer to pay his bill. You are in business because you make money. He should not keep you from making profit, which you need to pay your bills and your employees. Clearly, he broke the refrigerator in the first place, and you warned him that any repairs may or may not work. Don’t let him get away with it. I was a business owner myself
Thanks for your encouragement but sometimes it’s just not worth a few $100’s of dollars we’d rather just put him on our list! Hurts them more if they break down again if that makes sense.
@@WillFixThat Well, that is the key isn't it? I would say 500.00. It maybe should vary on boat size, complexity of the issue? Just my two cents, good luck, I enjoy your content, I hope your clients appreciate your service.
When you have a job where the client wants you to do/re-do a repair that you feel is likely to fail, get it on video as you tell him you are doing this at HIS request.. When he welshes on the debt take him to small claims court or the full court. Do not work for free! Look at a mechanics lien against the title of the vehicle.
Yes you are right! Debit cards could limit the amount of work you do cause do the people really have cash in their acct. Big parts I require a wire transfer.
When a client stiffs you like that, do all the people in the service industry in the area warn each other? In any case time to slap a lien on the vessel. If for no other reason than if they are not taught a lesson they can (and probably WILL) do this to others. Including people not so well placed who cannot afford the loss. Edit: And I assume you will never sell another genset from that manufacturer?
Take customer credit card details first and small part payment to secure work, if all OK at completion of job and signed off by customer then payment taken by card or bank transfer. On larger jobs I use to take staged part payment for quoted work, final balance paid on sign off. Use to find this method showed how committed the client was. Why should you be out of pocket for them.
Your right BUT any ccard payment can be reversed and then your fighting with ccard company. Yes, bank transfer safest but so many people use cards probably cause these boats are expensive. But, they don’t want us to tell them that.
@@WillFixThat , I worked for myself most of my working life , I found almost all the clients I had the more money the client had , the less they wanted to pay , it was almost an entitlement they had to screw you down for every last penny and want every extra they added on for free .I consider I was lucky , in over forty years of self employment I met half a dozen very wealthy people , mostly self made , that appreciated quality work and were happy to pay the going rate for that work ..Even today , ten years into retirement I still keep in touch with those clients , whether they email me or I contact them just to touch base I think it shows the true worth of people ..
Well like we said in the video you can't win them all! This was not fun BUT we did the right thing and are in the process of finishing the repair. I know this something like this may have happened to you and it sucks! It's all in how you handle it?
I hate to say it, but you may have to walk away from the refrigerator guy and try to be content with just blacklisting him from your company. However, you should be able to prevent this situation from occurring in the future, or at least put yourself into a position to have a much better recourse legally and financially.
Since, a significant portion of customers these days are dishonorable in how they conduct business, I'd have an attorney compose a legal document that is specific to any maintenance situation, where you are attempting to repair/modify a system or component, rather than replace it. It should say something to the effect, that by signing the document, the customer recognizes that he/she has made a decision to attempt to repair/modify rather than replace, but there are no guarantees of success or warranties expressed or implied. They should also officially be made aware, that no matter the outcome, they will still be financially obligated for the expenses incurred in the attempt, which was done at their behest. It should also contain language explaining that if they try to renege on this contract, they will be subject to legal consequences. This would include but not be limited to, a mechanics lien and/or any other legal action necessary to recover expenses, damages, time lost and all legal expenses/fees incurred by you and/or your company in the course of recovery, as well as defending yourself, employees or your company's business interests, to include your professional reputation. Good luck!
@@lesb3481yes we have a 4 page legal contract but sometimes it’s just not worth continuing with the negativity that comes with it especially when customers can and will lie even when it’s all in writing. We’d rather just put them on our list!
@@WillFixThat Maybe, when you get them to sign the contract, video them having to say that they have fully read, understood and agree with all terms of the document. Sounds crazy, but these days, sometimes crazy can help pay the bills.🤪
@@lesb3481well then you have to tell them and tough when we are going to 20-30 boats a week.
@@WillFixThat Having as much or more business than you can handle, is a good problem for any business to have these days.😀💰
I have owned an operated a successful business in South Florida for the last eight years.
Before I started my business, I took the Mike Holt business management seminar. Prerequisite to the seminar was reading the slight edge by Jeff Olson.
There’s a lot of good information in there.
In your business model, you should list your failures and never repeat them… if you repeat the mistakes you’ve made prior than you will pay for it.
A really important thing I learned at Mike Holt‘s business management seminar. Never let the customer run your business. Meaning never let them convince you to do something you don’t wanna do.
Turn down the work tell them, thank you for the opportunity, but unfortunately, my business model does not allow me to do that end of conversation …
Love it …. I’ll be sure to share with Matt appreciate you sharing!
Those are the people who go ballistic when someone does not pay them but they don’t see the correlation between paying and being paid! I enjoy your channel! Conscientious well explained repairs and you care about the details. Your beautiful surroundings helps offset some of the problems…
Yeah people have gotten more crazy the last couple years. Thanks for watching us … 👍
6-8 years ago I had issues with unpaid or contested invoices. I have since stopped offering “patch jobs”, if they don't want to pay to fix it right, they will be the first for a callback when the patch fails even years down the road.
Agree but hard when people beg you! Someone said to get the deposit for the repair upfront on these kinds of jobs and that’s not a bad idea. Then your paid and you tried!
Matt and Karyann, I feel your pain with the customers not paying their bills. I own and operate a small trucking company. For some reason people think we as small business owners can continue to take the loss. What a joke. I wander how they would feel if someone came into their house and stole from them. Love the content. I hope to meet y'all one day. Matt tell the fridge customer sorry, but a new fridge is in order, and please PAY YOUR INVOICE, or no help.
We will never go to that fridge boat again! If you mess with us and don’t pay you get put on the list 😊 we will watch it sink and do nothing to save it I don’t mess around when it comes to paying your bills! ~ Karriann
P.S. we’ve had Dockmasters call us to save a boat and we had to decline!
@@CaptainJimNossnah it’s not the way we want to operate. It’s not worth it Jim …. But these experiences we all face in business or life.
But your unfortunate deal with him could save the next guy tons of trouble if they know what they are getting into id like to know if a client didnt like to pay bills
Mechanics lein. Problem solved
Mechanics lien until they pay their bills. Stop being nice guys and worrying about your image or you'll go broke! Your customers know your trustworthiness or they wouldn't be your customers! Also, video ALL your repairs so you are covered when stuff like this comes up again. 👍
We do video a lot of our repairs but it’s not always easy when we have 5 guys running around the island! It’s not really about the $$ it’s about the integrity & lying mostly … you can’t win with those kind of people. But KARMA will get them. You know we don’t want to carry all the negativity.
Kudo's to you both for staying so cool, working in the heat and dealing with people who are always looking for the easy way out.
Hey Paul we try to be cool & we have sleepless nights sometimes but most people are good! We’ve just had some sour apples.
I really think what is happening is the prices have gone up so much so quickly that people feel a sense of entitlement because the price is ridiculously high. Most it seem don’t realize your profits are still minimal and you’re not making that money. It was a time that when you paid today’s price you were getting the most stellar service you could ever possibly get. And our customers don’t realize or frankly don’t care anymore and expect you to take it in the shorts. Keep doing what you’re doing. You’re a dying breed and you come across is just good people. Hard to find today. Great job on the videos!
Thanks for choosing to watch us Mitch! Something has changed in the last few years … might just mean our days are numbered!
Wow what an opportunity to get that endorsement on your liscence. That's a blessing .
Retired American Airlines 31 years , Omni Air , 7 years Western Global 1.5 years .
lol I don’t think Matt needs another project or license 🤣
Ole retired furniture maker from Michigan who just ran across your utube channel - wow that would make me nervous working on big ticket items. I only didn't get paid once on big job but had gotten half the money down so loss was pretty minimal- really enjoy watching you two work together so well
We try and work together 🤣 like anything we sometimes get our feathers ruffled! We’ve been together a long time. We are blessed … I’m sure I drive him nuts cause I get anxious sometimes.
You do inspire confidence. My respect.
We try 👍 thanks for watching us!
Great episode! Keep rolling WillFixThat team! 👍👍
Thanks for watching us again 🤣
@@WillFixThat 👍👍
I'm a little late to the party on the refrigerator evaporator repair but when I was in the refrigerator repair business many moons ago I used this stuff called La-Co heat seal stick to repair evaporators that had holes poked in them. Previously I used the standard epoxy repair method that never worked for very long. But the La-Co heat seal stick worked every time and is super easy to use plus it sets up almost instantly. I checked online and surprisingly it's still available.
Haven’t found that yet
@@WillFixThat I haven't done a general search for it on Google, but it's readily available on eBay.
So being in the HVAC business for 40 plus years dealing with customers can be challenging and the pat on the backs always trumps the bad ones. I for one like challenges but not for the rerrigerator aluminum coils nor compressors with cap tubes like you said never can clean the system. Just let the refrigerator go and say thank you as its not worth loosing sleep over and when the next one comes up just say no.......I have learned over the years the stress on collecting on dead beats is not worth my health. You can write it off at tax time by making a copy of the invoice and deduct it at year end. On customers that did not pay or took months for them to pay I put a mark on the folder of the house address for future referance to not service them.
You all do a great job and show care! Much appreciate your honesty :)
Yup it’s not worth it to us either having dead beats! We add them to our list and we will never go back … it’s simple ‘find someone else’ 🤣 and good luck with that.
Send him a 1099c - legitimate loss and let him explain it to the IRS
Sounds like you went above and beyond with the generator and that will be good for your reputation!!
Definitely …. Small town!
Love watching your videos!! Following y’all’s journey everyday inspires me as I’m pushing thru marine technician school. Thanks for the insight for what it’s gonna be like working at the docks 🏝️
Thanks so much for watching Rob.
Had my tubing silver soldered and refrigerant refilled. Worked.
Yup sometimes it can work 👍
Hello from Siesta Key Florida
Hi Bill thanks for watching us again & again.
Client/ job selection is the most difficult part of any business. Unfortunately, having a mechanic idle at the shop is often better for your business and mental health than taking an awful no pay entitled client.
Remember, you’re servicing luxury yachts in paradise. Let the difficult clients know they’ll welcome to pound sand and sail to the mainland for service. Also, don’t let them unload their problems onto you.
Cheers and good luck out there!
That is how we operate …. Once you’re on our list you don’t get service. Unfortunately even long time customers can end up on the list. Something shifts in the process and we say not again find another company!
Mat and Karyann. I have been watching your channel for some time.
Job well done. I have been in business pretty much all my life. I have had businesses of all shapes and sizes and the same problem you are experiencing has reared its head in all of them. You will always get the ones that dont want to pay, that everything is everybody''s fault but theirs, and some of them are just plain jerks, as you Americans put it. I own a motel at the moment, and we will not accept a booking unless we have the guests Credit Card number. If they don"t show, we still get paid. Maybe that can work in your business. Either that or/and take a hefty deposit prior to starting the work.
I am with you, as long as you can sleep with a clear conscience, that is the main thing. Jim, Australia.
Thanks for watching us Jim we got a card and today we ran it NO funds. Guy blocked our calls thankfully was only $380. And he got excellent service.
You guys are still the greatest in my eyes, but maybe have an attorney write up the best “iron clad” paperwork so no ifs and or buts?!! Keep up the great videos!
Great suggestion! Thanks for the encouragement! Business is a tough thing … sometimes!
I have my PPL too , I had a friend recently die in merlin at South Lakeland I dont know about flying rotax over large body of water Ideally you want something that's burning Jet A but the price of planes is even more out of control then boats, One really nice plane that I've done a factory tour of was Zenith it would be super cool to have a 750 on lotus anfib floats around your area
I love Dark Areo. I need a plane like I need another wife🤣
The world is getting MORE crazy .
How much was the invoice on the refrigerant patch job. ?
You guys keep up the great work and don't
be detered by your surroundings. Just work with integrity as your team always has been
We went there 3 days in a row thinking it was about $1k with parts maybe a little more. Not much thankfully.
Make 'em pay ... he knows what he has to do.
How you going to make him pay?
@@WillFixThat Toe to toe until you know he's a total piece of crap and doesn't care for anyone. There is also "choosing your battles", like y'all have done ... you guys are better tuned than I was.... also, doing business in Monroe and Dade. This is one of those inevitabilities that goes with doing a service business ...When you have a customer that does not care what you or any other boatowner in the marina thinks of them.
@@FloridaJackhappened again today only $380. Phew! Guy received excellent service & blocked us & I went to run his card today … no money … shaking my head!
Yes agree wourld is getting crazy as far as customers that don't want to pay a bill I just wouldn't even talk to them after all the time you put into helping them out.
Yes tired of chasing payments! It’s happened about 5-7x in the last 1.5 months.
If they can not afford a new refrigerator and have to rig it, They should not own a boat.
Exactly….. story of our life! There’s no rigging that should be done on a boat!
On the ref. I learned long ago that if you dont feel good about a job or the person, just to walk away without getting involved, otherwise it always seems to cost you money
You are exactly right but sometimes people are able to cover up their real personalities.
I used to say that I pick my customers as much as they pick me. That worked for quite a few years, and dodged some bullets doing it. Lately, since Jan. 2024, the rate of entitled and useless customers has gone up, and they are the ones I couldn't pick out of the background noise. I'm hanging it up in a few months, as I need at my age to not squander my time left. Many good people will be upset at the loss of my specific mechanical services, but I cannot be responsible for that. So yes I have seen first hand the decline in reasonable behaviour.
I had a good run. No complaints, but I'm moving on now. My best wishes to you and your excellent team for the future. Great channel, subscribed.
Awesome thanks for watching your sharing your struggles too! We always figure we can serve those long time customers and no one else and just slow down a bit too. Guess we aren’t the only ones seeing the issues.
love the videos
Hey thanks for watching us!
Even when I was a kid in the 60's I knew you didn't use a metal utensil to chip ice away from the evaporator coil. Although I didnt know what it was called at the time.
Yup and we went there 3 days in a row because he kept wanting us to try …. On the list now!
Would this fridge be on a sailboat?
I’m replacing an ac/dc 7cu fridge currently on my boat - unit will cost $1500 with the door
Yes it’s on a sailing vessel 😊
From my experience, the Dock Master will lower the boom on any deadbeats in his Marina to insure payment, just like any shipyard, it doesn't move until the check is cleared and is disabled until it does.
Wish it were that way here but it’s not. At the boatyard it’s a little easier to put pressure but they have to splash a boat.
Matt make sure you have detailed repair work that is to be done signed by your customer……if it ever goes to court it will state the repair to be done and the cost……..make sure you state any comments to the repair that you recommended and the customer wanted done his way…….also get a signed copy of the total repair order when job is completed……no pay, no boat…..hold the boat until payment is paid
You know we don’t have problems with most people…but there a some of them that make our **** list.
@@WillFixThat you always need to protect your business, your self and employees
@@marlin6084you are sooo right!
This channel is 1% boat repair and 99% walking around parking lots. Theres a channel with shopping cart collectors who do more boat repair.
Hey Jordan you don’t have to watch so just move along!
Use a collection service to get some of your money back. New Customers need a credit check and deposit before work is started. Don't let that guy walk away from this untouched.
Actually Mike …. It’s more harmful that we will never go back! This is a small town and few have the talent that our team does!
@@CaptainJimNossI’m definitely booked if they call again 🤣
And thats why I use a hairdryer to defrost fridge ..no scrapping
@@Mechone11heat gun or a fan 👍
Loses her ring down the sink then drops phone over board sounds like a keeper😮
I know poor thing right and she calls Matt to solve her problem 🤣
Y'all need a Moose and Rocko to help people find their checkbook..
I want the cash 💵 or credit cause check can bounce.
Dont patch tge refridgerators i think👍 In that case you better have informed the customer of the cost to try vacum it.
Yes customer was completely informed on cost & the success rate but he didn’t want to hear that it may not work!
I was self employed for a long time. As a licensed home inspector I required payment before I worked. No one car afford to work for free.
You are exactly right … 👍
Take the non bill payers to task and put a mechanics lien on their boat. The only thing is when you write up the repair order BEFORE servicing a component document fully if you say no and the customer insists yes. Then have the sign the documented recommendation.
SOME POPLE. 🙄
Sometimes you just have to take a quietes (vacation) away,,,to get that mind right again,,, could be 1 day,,, could be 2 days
Exactly cause the sleepless nights can catch up to you even though we try to manage it!
I now know why the boat AC service here on Long Island wants to get paid for the service call before they even begin working
Exactly we might need to start that …. 👍 depending on the customer & situation.
Call Dewey, Cheatham and Howe and sue the bas%xxs! You should make sure we know the company/brand who declined the warranty and never use them again. Also let all of the other service companies know the names of those customers who stiffed you, they should think twice about servicing them. Also in our state you may be able put a “mechanics line” on the property/boat
Thanks for watching and sharing your thoughts 😊
Once yall did what we did with the motor,,, there is people that will think they can do that also,,, it may take some time,,, we had to work through this also
People should never try to do what we do …. At home! 😆 that’s my disclaimer.
Hen I scheduled a safety inspection of my boats engine bay halon system, the company put a 400 dollar hold on my credit card before he'd send a crew out.
This is great we may need to start doing this….. thanks for sharing.
Tell everyone you know that the guy doesn’t pay. Good luck finding a mechanic after that. Start asking for credit card details in advance.
We get ccard details but no good if they don’t have funds 🤣 like today’s boat. Guy has even blocked our calls. Glad it’s only $380.
Can you put a lien on the boat? Some people take advantage of good will!!
Yup it can happen sometimes karma is better than creating more drama!
I think the financial crunch on individuals is finally starting to set in. Definitely a different environment than the past few years.
Have another guy not paying we’ve been following up for 1.5 months it’s only $380 and he has to wait for a check to clear so he says plus he’s blocked us! We called his wife and he finally got back to us. It’s scary….
@@WillFixThat
For sure. Just retired after 30 years in automotive service business and don’t miss that part of it. Sad part is losing some good clients other wise. Hated cutting off long term clients for outstanding invoices. Good luck . Love the channel
@@doug2202I just posted a question/poll on our community tab tonight … wonder what people think? Our mechanic of 12yrs has had our truck for 7 months & hasn’t been able to fix it! Intermittent issue many parts replaced … we’ve been asking for an invoice! The guy is sick over it I’ve forced getting my truck back he doesn’t think he should charge if he can’t fix it! It just got delivered to us tonight & we still have no invoice. We have went in his garage the last 3 days very calmly and said we need to end the situation for both of us. The guy is sick over this the first day he was a bit standoffish I spoke quietly and said we need our invoice and to bill us. The second day same approach quiet and let him know he needs to be paid & I need my truck and he commented people attack him all day long. Today I went in again cause the truck was supposed to be delivered to us yesterday…. Each day his head has been down today it perked up a little bit and he said ‘why does this have to happen to my good customers and I reminded him that we are in business too and we can’t win them all!
Yay our truck got delivered to our office tonight. What you think pay or no pay?
@@WillFixThat
If he insist on not charging you and the truck is still not fixed I would offer him a reimbursement of his out of pocket costs. Hopefully some of the parts cannon he shot at it he can return the parts. We’ve all been there with mis diagnosis. 7 months to try and fix a running truck and not have it repaired is quite a long time. I would’ve loved to have a crack at a headache like that back in the day.
Hope you still use the guy for all your other repairs so he can recoup with some gravy work.
How do I access the community poll? Disregard, found it.
@@doug2202he told me he’d right up everything he replaced and what he has found to be the problem. Yes 7 months to long Matt got a little to easy so I took over this week. Mechanic gave Matt his word last Friday & failed so this week I have stopped in there every day since he needed to put it back together and deliver it to us. Yes I will still give him first opportunity to use him as long as he can get over his own feelings about it! On our page there are tabs and it says community or it might show up in your feed. Poll so far 46% say pay invoice & 46% partial payment then 8% don’t pay. I tell them what we did in the poll so they see our stance.
Great mechanics are hard to find, and you have to treat them and pay well them to keep them. To do this you have to get paid for your services, even when customer chooses poorly. Find yourself a great collection agent you can work with and just hand them these bills. Be sure to pass the collection fees to the customer.
Might need to find an agency …. People have gotten crazy!
This kind of answer both questions I got married in 2019 Hever Castle all paid for before the event. Last year send a bill for £200, I paid it despite it everything as I don’t want an argument & I don’t do unpaid bills. What do you think the world is getting more unreal or pushing their luck!?!
Yes people have gotten more demanding and not realistic we’ve been talking about it more in our videos lately. The expectation is just not good.
I would suggest a mechanics lien and don't be afraid to show the stern/name of the boat...the marine community is very small there and word will get around. Especially if you are helping other specialty marine service contractors in your area by alerting them to bad customer experiences. Service businesses have no public voice when people trash their reputations. Keep up the great work!
Hmm I’m not really sure it would be wise to share all this info. We don’t show boat names cause it gives some privacy too for our customers. This world is Sue happy so we want to be careful!
I own a marine detailing and fiberglass/gelcoat company and the last 6-8 months I've had more difficulty collecting from customers than ever before. Even repeat customers that have previously been very quick at paying are taking weeks to pay and the go-to seems to be to just not answer phone calls and not text back. Sign of the economy I guess.
Sorry you’re saving the same issue … what’s the answer for us service providers? We’ve been shorted or stiffed 5-7x in last 1.5 months.
Can you put a mechanics lean in the boat when people doesn’t pay you?
Yup maybe if it’s worth it ….
Register a mechanics lien on the boat if they won’t pay up.
Thanks for watching us 👍
Why do diesels have so many filters??
Paul gas engines have plenty too!
Well, what you said about the refrigerator and a body shop you have to give them your owner’s card and they look it up. You have to give them your insurance a down payment if you don’t have insurance and you sign. If they don’t pay, you keep the car, but if you would have them Sign documents pay some money upfront, especially on a guest job. But there is some work. We just will not take rest work. We take a pass on that. Usually they’re replacing panels and they want to pay.
Boats are a little different than cars cause you have possession… we don’t we are in good faith traveling to you at a dock.
"All goods shall remain the contractors until paid for in full." As others have posted you have a lien on all of the goods you have supplied.
Maritime law is different. Once it’s installed on vessel IN WATER its owners. On the hard is different. Rule #1. We use your money to put your parts on your boat.
Gotta make hay while the sun is shining.
Yup Matt’s hauled plenty of hay when he grew up!
👍👍
Thanks fatcat … all this excitement 🤣
Customers who do not pay know there is not much one can do except small claims court or other. Usually, it is not worth the time. Select your clients..there must be so much work that you can select those with positive attitudes and the ability to pay their bills. Key West has many "flakes" regardless of income. Spent five years at Boca Chica Naval Air Station marina and heard a thousand stories of boat dreams turned to nightmare.
Boy we hear those boat nightmares every day and people still buy these money pits and they can’t afford them!
If it were me the people that aren’t paying their bills to repair their boats, especially the refrigerator guy I would put a mechanics lean on their boat.
These don’t seem to easy to do & no one doing them … attorney doesn’t want to waste time on these.
Whenever you do the epoxy service in AC make sure it’s paid upfront and explain why. People tend not to pay you when it doesn’t work… slap a mechanics lean and let him enjoy that later on.
I’ll share your idea with Matt about getting paid first for that service. We never charge for service upfront just parts!
@@WillFixThat I agree it’s not the best practice but when you’re dealing with a thing that has a 50% chance of working. Why would someone feel that they should pay if it didn’t work. It’s just sucks how people treat you.
In our world.. automotive, we started providing digital inspection report. with pictures or even a video and it help a lot with pain in the ass costumer. generally i wouldnt fix AC with some type of epoxy, either take the evaporator out and send it for repair or replacement..as much as we want to help the customer, this type of repair "saving customer money" does always bite you in the ass
Yes we have pics and videos of the hole that we found all sent to the owner but that still doesn’t make them pay the bill! Literally the guy lies and says he’ll blame us …. Really! People like this aren’t worth it.
id walk away but that sucks matt your just doing your job and you advise him the risk i for sure wouldn't of gave it as second try i would called it the first round
Guy begged Matt and he even went and bought his own epoxy… apparently he shouldn’t own a boat if he can’t afford a new fridge.
@@WillFixThat Matts a good dude , and there's a old saying no good deed
@@zackriden79goes unpunished…. We say this sometimes when we get screwed! 😢
Start saying no because their is no one else down there
Believe me we do say no …. But you don’t always know that someone is going to turn into a slim ball. It will hurt him more if he ever has issues again cause we won’t go back
The economy is changing fast and ai are people’s financial situations. Big jobs now 50% upfront to cover material costs. Rest upon completion. Small repairs immediate payment. I can’t risk the commercial 30-90 days anymore I can’t be their zero interest bank anymore. Best of luck. Multiple digital pay may app options and credit card services for immediate payment.
You’re right about payments! Just hard to find a good mix on how to do it. Can you Explain more about ai people financial situations?
Never not been paid, but have had some people who don’t want to pay full price so I take what I can. I also have a guy who can never pay in full or not what he said he would. I’m not to pressed on that guy but it can be annoying hunting payments down lol. Love to know how you guys deal with warranty issues on jobs you do. Since I’m dealing with one my self 🙄🙃
Rarely to we have warranty issues with our own work but we just make it right if we do.
I don’t know if you can do this but ,,, we used to work on houses ,,, when people would get stupid,, we would put a lien on the house for just a little bit more than what we wanted in the first place
Yes you can put liens when it’s worth it different laws apply for boats on the water compared to out of the water.
Always take a deposit for the service call prior to going out. At least you get something…
Yes but it also can create a lot of bookkeeping …. Most people are great but then you have those bad apples.
Make him pay!!
Sometimes it’s not worth it 👍
Put a mechanic lien on their boats.
Yes but that has down sides too unfortunately.
Money is getting tight! People stop a paying bills first before they stop doing fun stuff! It’s always someone else’s fault!.
We get it … they will be the ones to hurt more in the end! We just have to move forward 😊
You have to get that money you earned. Its a slippery slope and people talk.
I'm sure you know a lawyer, take him to court
You might be right … thanks for watching!
We had an outboard we took a deposit on an then couldn’t find a replacement for the heads ,,,so we had to give the guy what he wanted (what he thought the motor was worth),,, $10,000.00 we worked for months to try to catch up
Ugh that sucks man …. Sorry to hear for sure. (lol what he thought it was worth) 😂
The world is getting more crazy especially for money, I think it’s just because of the expense of things these days. You all to care out and stay safe.
Agree with you! Look at the cost of groceries from 4 years ago compared to today. It’s crazy.
Haven't seen epoxy work on a evaporator in over 50 years. Won't attempt that repair for a customer
I ave had pretty good luck with it. I have some units out there still running after 5 years. 👍
A weather Man is wrong he still gets paid
I know that’s what we say every day …. We need that job!
Add the customer to the Deadbeat List and tell other repair companies they don't pay. The word will get out.
Yes added to the list but we can’t tell other companies that can get you in trouble.
I think it might be too late to get the money from the Refridgerator dude. The amount is probably not worth the aggravation. I know, easy to say on my end, but I don't think this guy is worth it. What I did at my business is have the customer sign a document that covered us from stuff that was out of our control before we started work on the job. Getting a deposit on the questionable jobs also helps a lot. If you have something in place already, you might want to expand the language to cover situations like this. This document, or pre contract, would have verified that the unit was damaged by him, and he was responsible for the repair. Having this in place would most likely have taken the guys leverage away, and he most likely would not have taken that stance. But if he refused to pay, a court claim would have been a slam dunk for you. It cuts the bs, and puts everything in black and white. Look at it this way, if this experience ends up you coming up with some kind of solution to prevent this from ever happening again, the money you lost with this A-hole will have been money well spent. Can you imagine if this happened on a huge job? Been there, done that lol!
Yes been there done that not laughing 😭 it sucks for service providers when we have the best intentions to get them fixed. Appreciate you sharing. 🙏
I would let everyone know he didn’t pay. Sometimes I have to wait 70 to 100 days , from Municipalities are my biggest Offenders.
Yup just happened to us with big corporation and we waited 6 month for warranty claim … told them next time they need service $5k up front then we will go to the boat. Will probably never work on this boat again cause owner didn’t care that we hadn’t been paid!
Yes. Thats why I don't service the general public any more. A few entitled people make it terrible to even think of working with the public. (My business allows me to only service car dealerships)
Good for you probably less stress!
Keep up the great work !! Thought on customers that need to be fired. Check new customers reviews before you do work for them. Lost of bad reviews do do it !!
You got it ... You know how it goes you can't please everyone! Just fired another yesterday 😢
life is expensive these days. HOA up, insurance up, boat repairs up, car payments up, kids schools up..
Agree with you.
Boat is a luxury and they only what it they way if they have to pay out more that they had in a 0 budget so they don't like it there not make the money they used to are cost to own boating and cost of think to play cost it all suck I ask half up front are I don't care my time my time most people that ask you to work on anything think lik a employees mind
Many boat owners have no idea! You’re right about the mindset boats are an expensive luxury!
People these days just want it done cheap and don’t like to pay.
Maybe and in that case we aren’t the mechanic for you!
Usually, the people with the most money complain the most about spending money. One little scratch on gelcoat. I think it is getting worse out there. probably ashamed they cant do it themselves.
It is definitely getting worse it’s happened to us 5-7x in the last 1.5 months.
New clients 50% of estimate
We don’t really give estimates because then you hold us to it and jobs take longer and go sideways because you haven’t maintained your boat! So our estimate is our hourly plus parts.
Time to Put a Deposit towards Repairs, or Put Mechanic Lien on the Boat
We get lots of parts deposits!
Sue the customer to pay his bill. You are in business because you make money. He should not keep you from making profit, which you need to pay your bills and your employees. Clearly, he broke the refrigerator in the first place, and you warned him that any repairs may or may not work. Don’t let him get away with it. I was a business owner myself
Thanks for your encouragement but sometimes it’s just not worth a few $100’s of dollars we’d rather just put him on our list! Hurts them more if they break down again if that makes sense.
Just a thought, I think I would need to take a deposit, to go see a new client, to guard against no payments.
It's not a bad idea ... how much would you get in advance without making people nervous?
@@WillFixThat Well, that is the key isn't it? I would say 500.00. It maybe should vary on boat size, complexity of the issue? Just my two cents, good luck, I enjoy your content, I hope your clients appreciate your service.
sue the guy
Not that easy….
Chalk it up to a loss. NEVER service him again! My 2 cents 😊
Yes on our list … it’s hurts them more than us at this point!
When you have a job where the client wants you to do/re-do a repair that you feel is likely to fail, get it on video as you tell him you are doing this at HIS request.. When he welshes on the debt take him to small claims court or the full court. Do not work for free! Look at a mechanics lien against the title of the vehicle.
Boat liens just not that easy.
Credit cards can be disputed, how about a up front payment with a debit card?
Yes you are right! Debit cards could limit the amount of work you do cause do the people really have cash in their acct. Big parts I require a wire transfer.
Mechanics lean on the boat that'll get them to pay it
Yup that could work.
When a client stiffs you like that, do all the people in the service industry in the area warn each other? In any case time to slap a lien on the vessel. If for no other reason than if they are not taught a lesson they can (and probably WILL) do this to others. Including people not so well placed who cannot afford the loss.
Edit: And I assume you will never sell another genset from that manufacturer?
Agree on the above … but time to move forward! Help the next thankful boat owner!
Take customer credit card details first and small part payment to secure work, if all OK at completion of job and signed off by customer then payment taken by card or bank transfer. On larger jobs I use to take staged part payment for quoted work, final balance paid on sign off. Use to find this method showed how committed the client was. Why should you be out of pocket for them.
Your right BUT any ccard payment can be reversed and then your fighting with ccard company. Yes, bank transfer safest but so many people use cards probably cause these boats are expensive. But, they don’t want us to tell them that.
As a Auto mechanic we can put a mechanics lean on a vehicle for unpaid bill. I there anything like that on a boat.
There is but it’s not easy to do when boat isn’t in our possession.
Unfortunately I think there are a lot of arrogant people who think their time and money are more important than others
Yes it does and can happen. The good thing is Matt isn’t that way!
The trouble is five star service doesn’t help if you have two star clients …
True .... that!
@@WillFixThat , I worked for myself most of my working life , I found almost all the clients I had the more money the client had , the less they wanted to pay , it was almost an entitlement they had to screw you down for every last penny and want every extra they added on for free .I consider I was lucky , in over forty years of self employment I met half a dozen very wealthy people , mostly self made , that appreciated quality work and were happy to pay the going rate for that work ..Even today , ten years into retirement I still keep in touch with those clients , whether they email me or I contact them just to touch base I think it shows the true worth of people ..