The Framers Forum

I don't mind giving an appropiate discount if a customer is willing to pay 100% up front, but the slightest suggestion that I might be willing to not put something through the books and I will ask them to take their work elsewhere and not come back. They are scum!

Frankly to suggest that I would do anything like that, is as good as calling me dishonest, which is why I take offence and will not have them or their work in my shop. End of story!

Other peoples taxes paid my benefits while I was unemployed after being made redundant during the Nortel crash. I may well have died when I had my heart attack, except that there was a hospital to treat me. I am more than happy to pay what is right, so that others in similar situations can afford to live too!

Maybe I should be putting my contribution on the Estlite section, but it sort of ties in with the discount theme. I cannot grumble with my profit margin, we all have varying fixed overheads and to a certain degree our location dictates our prices.
I take umbrage at those customers that expect discount, but have no problem giving a few pounds off when it suits me, goodwill goes a long way. Plus "other" for Estlite users is a wonderful place, that is rarely left alone.
My only quibble is I would love some way for Estlite to round down, or better still round up to the nearest pound. I never take the exact amount that is on the docket- unless someone offers the 35p or whatever. Obviously from an accounting perspective this all adds up over weeks, months etc.
I guess there are those reading this, that will be screaming "mug." Maybe I should wait for the silver- It's probably a bad habit I've gotten into, rather I'd sqaure the books more effectively.

I pretty much share NYAF and Hoops view on this one:

Not your average framer wrote:I don't mind giving an appropiate discount if a customer is willing to pay 100% up front, but the slightest suggestion that I might be willing to not put something through the books and I will ask them to take their work elsewhere and not come back. They are scum!

Ah, you mean they might work for HMRC and they are trying to entrap you

Our policy when asked, is to tell people that we put everything through the books, take it or leave it.

On a big order I can afford to give an extra 3 percent, as I figure thats approx what it costs me to process an electronic payment, not factoring in the days the plastic money is in the ether (5 days or so).
Yesterday I had a £70 postage bill, and thats not counting the carrier collection which is on account, so it does halp to have cash in the till for expenses like that. If someone is kind enough to pay by cash, they are helping make my life a bit easier.

I cant help the feeling that as people tighten their belts a bit, they seem to be paying more by cash than they were a few months ago.

prospero wrote: Couldn't agree more Robo. I like to work hungry. Pity the bank manager don't

Yeah, well - touch wood and all that - we're pretty consistent - regular flow of orders and collection of. Money through the till would be no different if everyone paid up front.

30 days credit, one week turnaround - frames are paid for before my invoices are due - I've always worked in arrears - I pay my staff in arrears, everyone does.

No deposit - the new payment up front

what do you estimate your "uncollected" orders stand at? -ie. ones which you know in your bones will never get collected?

Been here before - I've been stiffed very very few times - at present I have two uncollected orders - one since Nov 05 and one since Sept 07.

Been stiffed more times on the dry cleaning (we have an agency) but still not enough to cause concern.

I say again - this is not advice - just how I like things.

Most people ask me if I want payment up front or a deposit too.

Being almost totally dependant on framing, deposits are important, especially when lots of customers are slow coming in to pay and collect their framing. At times like this, deposits make a real difference to our cash flow.

And so say all of us!

I'm happy just being different

If you had a pretty consistent amount coming in each week it wouldn't matter, (after a while) if it - or some of it - came in in advance or in arrears.

That's us that is!

I'm just lucky that the way I like it works for me - late payment and collection has never been an issue. At present I'm on my usual 7 day turnaround - I know fine well that whatever day I say something will be ready for collection, 80% of the stuff will be collected the following Saturday.

I also do most stuff in far less than 7 days and always less than 7 days if eveything is in stock - then I ring the customer and 6 out of 10 are in that day or the next to collect early.

If and when I run out of luck I'll change the way I do things.

If that hotel job comes off - 30 or so large frames with museum glass - Yep, deposit please - I pay Glass and Mirror COD!! (For an additional 2.5% discount - so - back on topic - some do give a discount for cash!!)

A few months ago I had in an unknown couple with a framing job that priced out at £67.58. The gentleman ( I use the term losely) said 'how about rounding it down to £60?' I retorted with the words 'How about rounding it up to £70'. His wife was embarassed and he paid £67.58.
By the way,I have no trouble asking for the exact price dished up by the computor; 90% of my transactions are paid for electronically and I'm keying the numbers into the card machine.

prospero wrote:If anyone asks me what I'll take off for cash, I reply: ""Everything but my earings".

I can’t decide whether that is an intriguing or a disturbing image.

Since we have neither a sales tax nor VAT in our state, it never occurred to me that people offering to pay cash for a slight discount are trying to slip under the gum’mint radar. I never considered that they are trying to get me to accept money “off the books”. I guess I’m just naive.

When people suggest a cash “discount”, I figure they know that I’d have to pay a “penalty” for accepting a credit card and so want me to pass that savings on to them.

I'm sure no one on this forum would dream of defrauding the government. (cough!). Besides, tax evasion attracts bigger penaltities than mugging old ladies.

Anyone remember the Lester Piggot trial? His defense lawyer really worked hard. One of the points he put forward in mitigation was that his client was not very intelligent to start off with and during his racing career he had been kicked by various horses several times on the head.

up- you can't beat the system.
you can hold it in contempt, but you cant't beat it.

I am finding more have a debit or credit card out before the ' ink is dry on the invoice'. So keen are they to pay up front. Have no problem with that.

Cash over card; well the public have little or no idea how much our transaction charges are. They vary business to business depending on your bargaining skills. So trying to slice say at least 10% off the invoice is a pastime for some folk and a large chunk off your profit.

Anything off for cash - no sorry - makes no difference to me, although they think it does. Be firm but polite.

Best to never be tempted by what could be an entrapment by R&C; they have random sorties and you never know until it's too late.

Foxy

Main advantage of the *Nelsons for me is that until recently the nearest cash machine was 8 miles away. I always like to have a bit 'on the hip'.




* Nelson Eddies - readies.