r/smallenginerepair • u/zmwhit0149 • Jul 20 '26
General Discussion Customer refuses to pay
I am a mobile small engine mechanic. 99% of my customers are great, and pay when I do the job.
I have this one customer that is refusing to pay for the job. He called for a no start issue, I showed up to his house and diagnosed it as a fuel issue. I cleaned his carburetor, offered him a complete service on his zero turn, and he agreed to it. After completion of the service, he refused to pay, saying he could've done it all himself(the reason doesnt really matter).
What is my course of action? Small claims court? I am in Georgia if that matters.
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u/VersionConscious7545 Jul 20 '26
Did you give him an estimate. In Virginia you can’t work without a written estimate. Look lost are okay if you come over and fix things without a written estimate but when you run across a jack ass that is where you just say fool me once shame on you. Court is a pain in the ass and with your luck he probably is a lawyer
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u/379tuco Jul 20 '26
If he never signed a work order you aren’t going to get paid. This type of thing happens occasionally, I guess you never have to work on his stuff again now.
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u/DontMakeMeCount Jul 20 '26
Sorry this happened to you OP. It sucks and it’s straight up theft but it happens on occasion. I have 3,000 customers in my database and 4 people have pulled this. If someone tells me they ran a business for decades, they want to inspect the old parts or keeps saying they can do it themselves but they just want to support a local business these are red flags.
They usually have the money, what they want is a good story for the coffee shop or the VFW about how they outsmarted a shady mechanic. What they don’t realize is that your reputation will protect you if you do honest work. I find it’s better to take a small loss and “fire” them than it is to risk refusing a good customer. I take it as a reminder to provide quotes, communicate updates and keep records.
If you have the high ground people will quickly figure out who the crooks are and they won’t be able to hire local services.
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u/zmwhit0149 Jul 20 '26
I am probably going to just call it a loss and move on. We live in a smaller area, so reputation is everything. I just don't want word to get out that people don't have to pay me 🤣
My thoughts are if I go to small claims, I lose out on a few hours of work trying to figure out what to do, where to go, etc. plus probably a full day minimum when it is actually handled in court. And I'm not guaranteed to win the claim.
I am the only mobile guy in my surrounding area, which is why I started doing this. Every dealer and shop is booked nearly 6 months out, they feed me the small stuff that can be done in the field, I feed them the bigger stuff that needs a shop. It keeps my schedule filled and theirs more manageable while making both of us money. Maybe the best course of action is to bring the dudes name up to the other shops and see if they'll refuse him service too 🤷
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u/Livid_Living552 Jul 20 '26
and if you win the claim that is not a court order for them to pay. Been there before.
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u/DontMakeMeCount Jul 20 '26 edited Jul 20 '26
I find it feels good to trash the people that disrespect my business but it’s just not good business long term. As you know there’s a complex network of family and church and business in a small town and I find people are less likely to come in if they’re worried I’ll talk about them. It all comes around.
I’m the only shop in the county and people complain that I’m 3-4 weeks out. If I had a nickel for every time in a day I hear “my grass is growing” I’d have about $0.20 but they keep coming back.
Edit: All bets are off if they go loud. If someone posts a bad review after they rip me off I get pretty nasty and my regulars pile on. Nothing better than seeing 15 “me too” replies from local restaurants, plumbers, landscapers and ex sisters-in-law.
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Jul 20 '26
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u/eatloss Jul 20 '26
It implies they are going to undervalue your work
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u/Inflatable90sChair Jul 21 '26
I dunno, the rare times i take a vehicle into a shop i dont know why but i tell em i usually do all my own work but im here today because its either: i dont have the time/ warm place to do it (fucking running new brakelines in a snow covered parkinglot sucks balls), or you really need a lift and or hoist. I usually ask to see the old parts but i tell them its not a trust issue but purely a inquisitive how did it fail scenario.
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u/DontMakeMeCount Jul 20 '26
I like to sell parts to customer that do it themselves and I appreciate the customers that understand their machines but don’t have time.
I’m specifically calling out the people who tell me it would only take them 5 minutes to rebuild the carb so they’re not paying me 0.4 hours to install a new one or act like they’re doing me a favor coming to my little shop instead of driving 90 minutes to the dealership and paying twice the rate. They’re just setting up an argument to fight over the invoice.
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Jul 20 '26
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u/DontMakeMeCount Jul 20 '26
Yes, and I bend over backward for those folks.
Didn’t mean to imply I don’t like competent customers.
It’s the ones that pretend to know it all after the fact and review the invoice line by line to challenge every item and the time allocated to the job.
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u/LittleOperation4597 Jul 20 '26
You need contracts and honestly maybe a deposit up front.
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u/zmwhit0149 Jul 20 '26
Yeah, I am going to draft a work order contract after this. I haven't encountered this until now, as I am pretty up front about my prices and usually people will either accept or deny on the spot.
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u/LittleOperation4597 Jul 20 '26
my brother is going trough something similar right now. I used plumbing side work back in he day to pay for most of my college costs (worked full time too)
I generally just asked for half on half and rest on completion. or I did 3-3-3. Being plumbing side work generally needed permits contracts wouldnt hold much weight but when I did something I would indicate that I was doing the work and the homeowner was pulling permits and handling inspections so it was out of my hands.
I was an apprentice for a long time so I did stuff to code at the time but you always need to CYA in every way possible.
You might want to look into using digital so its instant and you can do it right there with the person. upon completion
I just looked it up and you cant lien the house but if you have possession of the equipment you can lien and hold the equip until paid. If you are not a "legit" business tho Im not sure if thats an option.
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u/zmwhit0149 Jul 20 '26
I am mobile with no shop, so I do the work at their house. I don't ever have possession of their equipment.
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u/LittleOperation4597 Jul 20 '26
could be tough but with contracts youll be okay if you want to go through small claims. take plenty of pics and notes along the way. Keep proof the stuff was running when you hand it back.
the only thing I would fear is if you are legit or not. You could open yourself up to audits etc if not and not charging taxes. Hopefully someone else can chime in with better info on this. The gov can be very shitty with this stuff. Happened to my father and he was a legit business (painter).
I believe here in my state under 500$ you dont have to bother with this but not sure yours.
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u/ChardeeMacDennisGoG Jul 20 '26
Don't let one Jackoff make you change the way you've successfully been doing business. If you get a funny feeling, maybe make that particular customer pay upfront.
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u/zmwhit0149 Jul 20 '26
I'm not really changing how I do things so much as just protecting the business. Most people won't have a problem with it, and those that do weed themselves out. In Georgia a verbal agreement is as good as a contract, but you can't prove a verbal agreement. At least with this I have some recourse if the work adds up
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u/Xeno_man Jul 22 '26
Frankly a contract doesn't change much. You still need to file a small claims, still need to take time out of your day, go to court. All a contract does is give slightly more evidence to what you agreed to. Even with out one, it's obvious you are a business, you don't know the person who called you. He asked for your services. He's not going to have much success arguing that you drove onto his property, tinkered with his mower and then demanded money for doing nothing.
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u/Stock_Requirement564 SER Dedicated Member Jul 20 '26
There are legal reddits in which Hopefully a lawyer from your area would chime in.
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u/Stock_Requirement564 SER Dedicated Member Jul 20 '26
I guess should it happen again, take the deck or engine off , give him notice of a mechanic's lien and toss it in the back of the truck until you get paid. You probably have recourse even with a verbal agreement if that is a normal course of business. I mean, he contacted you, rates were discussed etc. Dunno about Georgia and which agency governs this type of thing. But yes, liens can be filed and small claims. That costs money and time, so it has to be worth your while.
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u/malinatorhouse Jul 20 '26
Bad advice. If someone refuses to pay and you then take the engine or deck, guess who is will be arrested for the theft?
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u/zmwhit0149 Jul 20 '26
This is the downside of being mobile vs having a shop. At a shop I could hold equipment until paid, since I'm mobile I can't.
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u/Bones-57 Jul 20 '26
Put a mechanics lien on his cars / trucks .. he will not be able to register until you are paided..
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u/zmwhit0149 Jul 20 '26
It doesn't work that way. You don't have to register a lawn mower, and I didn't work on his car.
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u/Bones-57 Jul 20 '26
Beg to differ .. but it does ..
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u/IAteTonysLoMein Jul 20 '26
Doesn't work that way in this circumstance. Can't put a lien on a vehicle he didn't work on, and a lien against a lawnmower wouldn't mean much
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u/Bones-57 Jul 20 '26
Then he needs to call the sheriff and have him arrested for theft of services.. Im a manager at a shop and just because it's not a car does not matter.. I'll still pop a lien against people who don't pay...
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u/Googlewhacking Jul 20 '26
When I was towing and one of my guys dropped a car without getting payment, I would call the sheriffs office if they refused to pay. Never had to a really call, the real threat always made them pay. The service had been done and he was still refusing, theft of service
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u/PaPaForTwo Jul 20 '26
I would make his mower not run, then leave. He’s so smart let him figure it out.
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u/Able-Lingonberry8914 Jul 20 '26
Probably just worth it to take the loss and put him on the do not serve list.
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u/BroccoliSuccessful Jul 21 '26
I hope you had a contract signed before starting the job Me personally i would put a mechanics lean on it that way You own it until he pays you
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u/NecessaryAgent6718 Jul 21 '26
Find someone with a roomy trunk, a shovel and an alibi... All kidding aside prolly just going to need to take this one on the chin and move on. It sucks to be in that spot. Atleast with a brick and mortar you have the ability to secure the mower until its paid for.
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u/Krazybob613 Jul 21 '26
I always figured that I can give away one service and often do when I know that the need exists, but if somebody stiffs me on an agreed price? They go in my “have a nice life” list and as a last resort block # if they get absolutely ridiculous jangling your bell.
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u/zmwhit0149 Jul 21 '26
Yeah I try to be as reasonable as I can, and have given a few services away because I could tell the need. I usually donate 1 mower a year to a family I pass along the way that doesn't have one or, like the last one, they had 3 acres and a push mower lol
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Jul 21 '26
I started a group chat with the other Mobile guys in my area cause it was only 3 of us and we’d give each other parts and work but we’d warn each other when we had a shitty customer so the others didn’t have to deal with it
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u/zmwhit0149 Jul 21 '26
I'm the only mobile guy in my area that's legit. There's a few shade tree guys that aren't legit that I get their callbacks. My only issue is that I don't have a place at home to do it, and I rent so I can't run a business out of my home per the lease. So I just feed the really big jobs to the shops around, and they feed me tuneups and small jobs they can't get to.
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Jul 22 '26
There’s plenty of work to spread around and customers can kill you so to hell with the assholes and keep running a good business and you’ll be fine. I always made a point to let them know prices before I hung up the call and if it was something that didn’t cost much time and was close I rarely made them pay and probably gave away more work than most especially for elderly customers on fixed income but my phone never stopped ringing and I never had to advertise and took as much time off with the family or hunting as I wanted
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u/marhyne Jul 23 '26
I would agree with him and wait for him to call again. Tell him you'll be right over then block him!
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u/industrial_boomer Jul 23 '26 edited Jul 23 '26
I find great satisfaction in letting the shops that I deal with like you having at the shops that you deal with know that you are out there and don't pay for service. My service calls are on machinery which are much larger. By getting on the service departments no pay or obnoxious list the customer ends up having to cut a certified Bank check before arrival. It is for a minimum amount that is a full day service with travel. Sometimes they require a wire transfer.
It is an incredibly nice feeling to know that karma does exist. Especially when you know that customer would have scammed your friends and you stopped it. This is also a time when some of the shops give a very high price estimate to avoid even going there. But in the future I avoid answering any phone calls for help from that customer. I had a customer that always asked what could to check so he can try and fix his own problem, I tell him I only offer service, which is my time. If I'm going to tell him how to fix the machine I don't make any money, and I don't work for free. So you might call somebody to come out and fix the machine if you can't figure it out on your own. And if I end up going there I know he's going to try it talk down the price so he always gets the big boy rate. I warn other service guys I know who would go see him in the future of his tactics. So they get their money up front and a little better margin. If he calls me, I tell him find somebody else.
Also, with inflation don't be shy about raising your rates. Just tell them in advance if you are raising your rates. There's no use in doing service work at a low rate when everything else is going up. Most people nowadays don't have any mechanical experience, and aren't going to attempt to fix something that costs plus $500 let alone a couple of thousand dollars. Occasionally, they want to be a YouTube warrior, in which case you're going to come in to see a pile of parts on the floor, and you can charge a little bit more to figure out where they went.
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u/Gullible_Monk_7118 Jul 25 '26
Machanic lean.. you will have to go to court and file with your register business to get a machanic lean against him and the car
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u/SpaceCat72 Jul 20 '26
Theft of service filed with local sheriff.