Payment terms information.

[Excalibur]

I just had a bride inform me " I can't find how to pay you, or when".

Well dear, it was at the top of the contract you signed, in 14 point bold red letters!

Which leads me to the question, where and how many times do you folks put the terms? I'm wondering if adding them to the bottom of the invoice might be an idea. Would it be better in a separate email, or bombard them with it at every possible occasion?

Would be interesting to know how others do it, obviously I'm putting it in the wrong places.

EDIT: As I type this, I'm realising that you technocrats are all using automated software to give clients a running countdown to everything. Smartarses.

[DJWilson]

Page 1 is the booking confirmation with BACS details. Page 2 has all the terms on it.

No issues people paying/find payment info.

[Excalibur]

Page 1 is the booking confirmation with BACS details. Page 2 has all the terms on it.

No issues people paying/find payment info.

Page 1 of what? Invoice? Contract? Confirmation email?

[DJWilson]

Page 1 of what? Invoice? Contract? Confirmation email?

Sorry - Booking Confirmation/contract PDF. Once all the details have been confirmed I send over a booking confirmation which is the contract but sounds better as booking confirmation IMO.

Invoice also gets attached as a seperate PDF.

[Benny Smyth]

I'm wondering if adding them to the bottom of the invoice might be an idea.

Am I reading that right - your invoices don't have a payment due date?

[Jim - Scotland's Party DJ]

My quote mentions final payment 28 days prior to the wedding.

It's on my contract, confirmation e-mail and when the log in to the planner on DJEP. I've got a couple of automated reminders set up shortly before it's due.

Put it in as many places as possible, if it's not on your invoice, get it in there.

[ppentertainments]

Payment is mentioned on initial quote
T&C are attached to invoice, ‘thank you’ email, confirmation of booking email as well as an email sent out 8 weeks and another 4 weeks prior

On top of that it is on their DJI account whenever they sign in.

And I still get people who ‘did not realise it was due’ haha

[Excalibur]

Sorry - Booking Confirmation/contract PDF. Once all the details have been confirmed I send over a booking confirmation which is the contract but sounds better as booking confirmation IMO.

Invoice also gets attached as a seperate PDF.

Ta.

Am I reading that right - your invoices don't have a payment due date?

Your eyesight is absolutely perfect, young man. They do not. The contract states cheques ten days prior, BACS five days, or the good old " cash on the night", which is still the favoured method of most clients.

My quote mentions final payment 28 days prior to the wedding.

It's on my contract, confirmation e-mail and when the log in to the planner on DJEP. I've got a couple of automated reminders set up shortly before it's due.

Put it in as many places as possible, if it's not on your invoice, get it in there.

Payment is mentioned on initial quote
T&C are attached to invoice, ‘thank you’ email, confirmation of booking email as well as an email sent out 8 weeks and another 4 weeks prior

On top of that it is on their DJI account whenever they sign in.

Belt, braces, and gaffer tape, it appears. Thanks lads, food for thought.

And I still get people who ‘did not realise it was due’ haha

I once had a teacher who didn't pay on the night as agreed. " You didn't send me an invoice ". Perhaps the confirmation email saying " there should be an invoice attached " that she'd had a month earlier was a bit too subtle?

Thanks everyone, it appears that some form of rejig may be needed. As the quotes go:

"Nothing is foolproof to a sufficiently talented fool"
"If you make something idiot-proof, someone will just make a better idiot."
"A common mistake that people make when trying to design something completely foolproof is to underestimate the ingenuity of complete fools".

[Benny Smyth]

Your eyesight is absolutely perfect, young man. They do not. The contract states cheques ten days prior, BACS five days, or the good old " cash on the night", which is still the favoured method of most clients.

But not the document specifically designed to cover the payment aspect of your services?

For a seasoned veteran who's biggest gripe is clients not reading and/or understanding his correspondence, I'm honestly surprised that you cannot see the obvious solution to the 'my clients don't know when to pay me' problem. Whether it's on a contract or not, an invoice should have the amount due, how it should be paid and when it needs to be paid by.

William of Ockham would be proud of this solution.

[Excalibur]

But not the document specifically designed to cover the payment aspect of your services?

For a seasoned veteran who's biggest gripe is clients not reading and/or understanding his correspondence, I'm honestly surprised that you cannot see the obvious solution to the 'my clients don't know when to pay me' problem. Whether it's on a contract or not, an invoice should have the amount due, how it should be paid and when it needs to be paid by.

William of Ockham would be proud of this solution.

I hear what you say/see what you type, but- the invoice isn't a contract. ( As far as I'm aware). Without a contract, I could send a client an invoice with all those details on, yet they wouldn't owe me any money. I haven't given them a service yet.

When they sign my contract, I promise to give them something, and they promise to pay me at a certain point. Benny, it's just so simple. When you buy a mobile phone you sign a contract, and give the supplier money because of it. I've never had an invoice from them though.