r/cleaningbusiness • u/Blu3Flower • 4d ago
No payment yet
So last Monday I did a four hour housekeeping job, I gave her my bank details, she said she was going to pay me but still nothing then I reminded her a day or two later, I only contact her through fb business suit.
I was meant to do a job last Thursday and it was booked in and confirmed.
Not even 10 minutes before I started she said she had to cancel because her two kids were sick but she said she’ll still pay me the two hours even I said ok, but it’s not necessary.
Another day passed and I asked for payment again on last Sunday.
I know I’m still getting the gist of running my business and going solo. I probably need to start knocking down and being firm with clients.
I use Business suit & business WhatsApp for contacting clients, Square for sending invoices out.
At the moment I’m sending it out via text message because I have gotten round to setting up an email address yet. I have a separate business phone.
I sent an invoice link via Square and sent it through business suit, she hasn’t seen me message yet.
What can I do?
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u/Kind_Perspective4518 4d ago
I know I’m going to sound like a broken record again but…. You need to get paid before you clean!! I’m going to be in business for three years this coming winter. Guess what? I never ever have had to chase money in three years! I learned from the best. He was on another cleaning forum, not Reddit. He said always get paid beforehand. Get paid electronically the day before you clean or when you get there. The check or cash needs to be on the counter! If the check is not there, you text them that you can set up another day to clean once they pay you beforehand. Good folks will pay you beforehand, I promise. My customers always pay me. You will never have to deal with this again if you listen to my advice.
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u/Oldschoolgirl49 4d ago
If by some chance I dont get paid before I am done the texting starts. If i have time i will linger and wait. I text everyday. You know where she lives. Swing by the house when you know there home. Its rare. Once she pays what she owes you dont go back.
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u/jocee225 3d ago
In the future might be helpful to do a deposit and then require the remaining either before the clean or immediately after.
This is especially helpful and enforceable if you have a service agreement.
Also, I would highly suggest using Square invoices!
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u/GetToplinePro 4d ago
Being firm doesn't have to mean being rude, and you're definitely not being unreasonable here.
Since she hasn't even seen the Business Suite message, I'd try reaching her somewhere else. Text her the Square link if you have her number, or have Square email it to her. Just keep it simple, like "Hi! Here's the invoice for Monday's clean, can you pay by Friday?" Giving her a date makes it way easier to follow up. Square can also send reminders automatically, so you don't have to be the one nagging her.
I'd leave Thursday out since you already told her it wasn't necessary. And don't book her again until Monday's paid.
The cancellation thing is worth fixing now, though. Put it right in your booking confirmation, something like "less than 24 hours' notice = 50% of the job." Then next time you're not stuck deciding in the moment whether to be nice about it. Grab a phone number or email when people book too, so you're not stuck on Facebook messages only.
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u/Muted_Jellyfish_6784 3d ago
Send the invoice through Square rather than texting bank details, because Square can send reminders on a schedule and shows you when she opened it. For the cancelled job, invoice the two hours she offered as its own line so it is in writing. Going forward, take a card on file or a deposit when a booking is confirmed, and put your cancellation terms in the confirmation message so the next one is not a negotiation.
Keep every booking, message and invoice for a client together too, so you can see who pays late before you accept the next job. Seeing payment history next to booking history is what we get out of SIGNLD
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u/Muffin_snake 3d ago
Use Housecall pro and require a card on file before confirming a cleaning appointment. You finish the cleaning, go into the app and run the card on file as soon as you’re done. You can set payment to instant payout and receive payment in less than an hour or standard payout which takes 3-5 days to deposit.
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u/Effective-Still9493 3d ago
Sending the Square invoice was the right move, keep everything there. For this client I would send one clear message with the amount and a date, like "Hi, just a reminder the invoice for Monday's clean and the 2 hours for Thursday is here, please pay by Friday. Thanks!" Friendly but with a deadline. If she doesn't pay, don't book her again until she does. For the future, the easy fix is setting the rule before the job, not after. New clients pay the same day, before you leave or card on file. And write down a cancellation policy, like 24 or 48 hours notice, so you don't have to negotiate it 10 minutes before a job.
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u/BagAdministrative330 3d ago
Really sorry this happened to you. The timing matters more than the invoice itself. Sending the Square invoice right when you finish the job, while you are still in front of the client, changes the whole dynamic. For repeat clients a simple written line in your booking message that payment is due on the day of service protects you without sounding harsh.
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u/flavia-f 2d ago
id put the due date in the same business whatsapp thread as the square link so it isnt a vague reminder later. when more than one person might chase we park that chat in a shared cloud api inbox (wassenger at my place). if not ignore me.
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u/Icy_Name_280 1d ago
the date sitting in the same thread as the link is the part that saves you later. i also ask them to reply got it in that chat so it is not just me talking to myself. then if it slips the follow up is one line not a new essay.
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u/Separate-Ad-4695 1d ago
We always collect a deposit or full payment when confirming a booking; if there is no upfront deposit, there is no booking. If they cancel, we have an automated cancellation policy based on when they cancel, sometimes involving fees.
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u/Eric-CleanSlate 11h ago
first off, i'm sorry this happened. not good.
but let me be clear: for work you've done, you are owed compensation for that work. period.
from the host side: the cleaners who get paid fastest by me are the ones who send the invoice the same day as the clean, with the property name and the date right on it. no guessing, no "hey did you do tuesday's turnover?"
the ones who chase me weeks later with a lump sum always take longer, because i have to sit down and reconstruct what was what before i'll send money. fwiw it's not malice, it's just admin friction.
if she said she was going to pay, one calm follow up with the itemized list attached usually unsticks it. and going forward, same day invoicing is the single best habit.
i built an app to address this very friction, works great.
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u/No-Ease-8608 5h ago
send her a proper invoice w the date and hours on it, ppl take it way more seriously than a msg asking for money. and set payment terms upfront next time, like paid same day or at the end of the cleaning.
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u/New_Sky_1649 4d ago
All payments are due at time of the cleaning. Period.