chasing collections on that water heater job is killing me

been in the Chicago area my whole career, and dealing with late payments on plumbing jobs is the worst part of the gig. just finished installing a Rheem tankless unit for a commercial client last month, quoted $4500 all in with PEX-A runs and SharkBite fittings where needed, but now they're dragging their feet on the final invoice because 'budget issues.' i'm using Housecall Pro for invoicing, set it up with net 30 terms, but after two reminders they still ghosted me. saw a similar rant in Plumbers United group yesterday, guys saying to file a mechanics lien right away but that takes time i don't have. anyone got a better way to handle this crap without burning bridges? FML, this is eating into my profit on what shoulda been an easy job.

goddamn clients always find excuses after you bust your ass on a tankless swap.

same here man, every job site's a potential headache.

i hit 6 figures last year by only taking jobs from referrals, cuts the deadbeats.

switch to service titan, their collections reminders are automated and aggressive. saved my ass on a few commercial gigs.

watched a roger wakefield video on commercial contracts, he swears by 50% upfront.

housecall pro sucks for followups, go with jobber instead.

dude in the contractors network fb group said to add late fees automatically, 1.5% per month.

had a laugh when a client paid in pennies after i hounded them.

don't let em slide, hit em with small claims if under 5k.

proud of my system: invoice same day, call next, lien threat week 3. works 90%.

customer tried to pay with a bad check on my pex job, what a joke.

never trust commercial without a po number first.

funny how they call back begging when their next leak hits.

saw a post on r/plumbing about this, guy got paid after threatening to shut off water.

these cheap asses ruin the trade.

insurance companies are worse, deny claims on installs all the time.

same bs with homeowners too.

how do you track your aging reports in housecall?

out here we use stripe for payments, instant and no bs.

pe firms buying up plumbing shops just to screw collections.

yep, makes it harder for independents.

file the lien, it's your right after 30 days.

got screwed on a rheem install last year, took 90 days to collect.

man that sucks, hope you got it eventually.

i made bank switching to flat rate pricing with built in deposits.

feelin your pain, collections are 50% of the battle.

same, lost a whole week chasing one.

frustrated as hell with these delays.

what's your cutoff for dropping a client?

don't chase, let em flood and come crawling back.

every plumber's nightmare.

sharkbite jobs always lead to payment drama.

add a clause for interest, it's standard now.

controversial take: sometimes forgive to keep the relationship, long term it pays.

nah, sets a bad precedent.

we're all in this collection hell together.

yep, solidarity brothers.

goddamn clients always find excuses after you bust your ass on a tankless swap.

tell me about it, had one stiff me on $2k for a drain line replacement. never again without upfront deposit.

upfront is key, but they still bitch when the bill comes. plumbing life's rough.

lien em, it's worth the paperwork.

yeah but in chicago that means court dates and i aint got time for that bs.

just walk away from repeat offenders, life's too short.

same here man, every job site's a potential headache.

i hit 6 figures last year by only taking jobs from referrals, cuts the deadbeats.

switch to service titan, their collections reminders are automated and aggressive. saved my ass on a few commercial gigs.

tried that, but the subscription fee is steep for solo guys.

worth it tho, got paid 20% faster on average.

stick with quickbooks if you're small, integrates fine with jobber.

careful with liens, one wrong move and you're sued for defamation.

watched a roger wakefield video on commercial contracts, he swears by 50% upfront.

housecall pro sucks for followups, go with jobber instead.

dude in the contractors network fb group said to add late fees automatically, 1.5% per month.

tried that once, client threatened to report me to the board lol.

screw em, it's legal and they pay up quick.

had a laugh when a client paid in pennies after i hounded them.

don't let em slide, hit em with small claims if under 5k.

proud of my system: invoice same day, call next, lien threat week 3. works 90%.

customer tried to pay with a bad check on my pex job, what a joke.

never trust commercial without a po number first.

funny how they call back begging when their next leak hits.

saw a post on r/plumbing about this, guy got paid after threatening to shut off water.

these cheap asses ruin the trade.

insurance companies are worse, deny claims on installs all the time.

same bs with homeowners too.

how do you track your aging reports in housecall?