Credit card, over the phone

[billdeserthills]

I got burned out on taking credit cards over the phone today,
guy called and wanted his dry cleaning company rekeyed, which I did, with instructions to call him when I was done,
which I did--Of course when I called him to get paid, nobody was home??
I thought the guy was being a jerk, so I went back in the business, told the girl there I was all done, just needed to get
paid so I could give her the keys. She called the boss, several times, no answer--She calls him from her cell phone, Aha
now he answers, he wanted to discuss the bill, said it seemed a bit high,
I got mad and told him I was on wait time currently and the time to discuss my charges was Before the work was finished, not afterwards
He gave me the card info and I got paid, I definately didn't bother leaving a card I also added the guy's phone number to my BS list
with clients like this, I don't need enemys

[Silverado]

I will never understand why people do this. I have done tech support work for years, and I do a lot of side work for personal clients whether it be upgrading hardware, reinstalling operating systems, basic troubleshooting and cleaning...I've had several who I thoroughly discussed what I would need to do, how much it would cost, and how long it would take. After all is said and done I get "That's kind of expensive, isn't it? I think the Geek Squad is cheaper than that!" To which I usually tell them good luck because the Geek Squad will itemize every keystroke and mouse click and they'll end up with a $400 bill for someone to install Google Chrome.

It's just ridiculous how people want the work done before they let the cost of work sink in...

[cledry]

I've had a few over the years like this. One of my pet peeves.

For any car or house openings now I get a credit card up front before going out. It stops people in their tracks and I lose a few jobs but I do get paid.

[Tyler J. Thomas]

I've had a few over the years like this. One of my pet peeves.

For any car or house openings now I get a credit card up front before going out. It stops people in their tracks and I lose a few jobs but I do get paid.

We used to do that to NSPs that were notoriously nitpicking/late on payments.

We once had an NSP refuse to pay a bill because we didn't have a store stamp on the invoice. Problem was, it was a brand new store and they hadn't even received their store stamp - much less opened. They didn't seem to understand that concept. Flash forward 2 months, they had a safe emergency and we were the only guys in town that could handle it. Magically, that policy was forgotten, the past due invoice paid, and they became a "Credit card upfront" account.

One tech even had an app on his phone that would partially validate a CC. It wouldn't check funds but it would at least tell you if the number/expiration date/CVV code all were valid (I guess based on an algorithm). He wouldn't even leave his driveway for an overtime call without a CC up front and validated.

I guess it's a judgement call but I think we all have a knack for determining if we're going need payment up front. Your rules are definitely ones that every locksmith should abide by. I think we all have at least one story of showing up for a car lockout and finding a competitor there or shortly behind.

Alright, I'm off my soap box.

[cledry]

We have a few NSPs that are a pain and others that are wonderful to work with. We know the game we even do before and after photos on a rekey! No store stamp then the manager writes "no store stamp" and initials in the box. One NSP even wants before photos sent while on site before doing any work. This slows our job down a great deal but I guess they get burned by crooked locksmiths occasionally so I somewhat understand.