This is one issue that really bothers me, and it seems to be happening more lately. Call comes in for a survey, and client claims it needs to be completed with 7 days (example) to meet a buyer contingency, town approval or such. I drop what I'm doing, complete the job and send an invoice. 2 months later and the property has not closed or the project has not been approved, and I'm still without payment. I feel deceived and taken advantage of.
I'm thinking of instituting a surcharge for rush jobs. For example, if needed within 7 days then 50% higher, within 14 days then 25% higher, on my terms then 20% discount.
Thanks for listening to me vent.
"Rush jobs" ALWAYS cost more here.
We’ve experienced this as well. What we have found is the deadline is written into the sales contract, not necessarily for a closing.
I don't think it's at all unreasonable to apply a surcharge on for rush jobs, as you have to do a lot of logistical reshuffling of existing task assignments, you have to go back and manage expectations and schedules for jobs already in the queue. You should be compensated for that additional burden.
>send an invoice. 2 months later and the property has not closed or the project has not been approved, and I'm still without payment.
This sounds like the agreement was for your payment at closing. Can't your contract give them a 30-day due date for your bill regardless of closing?
> I'm thinking of instituting a surcharge for rush jobs....
How about getting at least part payment in advance. When the non-serious client has to put cash on the barrelhead he gets serious real fast.
Rush jobs always cost extra.
You aren't looking at this right. The job is a rush because someone has to meet a planning commission deadline, a refinance deadline, or something of the sort. The client is not going to let a few extra hundred dollars on a survey mess up a deal that will cost them thousands and thousands. How much will it cost them to miss this months planning commission deadline? How much will it cost them to miss the deadline to get the locked in interest rate? The survey cost in these deals is inconsequential. So charge a premium price for premium service and go fishing after you get the job done.
One more thing. If I don't know the client, they don't get the plat without paying. I will certainly not allow people that I don't know to hold my fee out of closing.
> This sounds like the agreement was for your payment at closing.
There may be no agreement about payment at closing, but life is life, and bills get paid at closing.
> Rush jobs always cost extra.
Sure. But you probably don't say as much to the client in so many words. They ask you for job X by date Y. Knowing what you will have to do to get it done you give them a price, which is more than it would be with a more relaxed schedule.
Tommy has it right on every count. Charge for premium service, and demand payment ON DELIVERY.. There are too many sharks in the water these days to just hand over information for FREE. They need data, we collect it and provide it in a format that they understand. We sell information, they should pay for it to use it. end of story.
I've had that happen several times over the years. If it's a truly 'rush' job, payment arrangements need to be determined prior to the work being performed. The first thing I explain (especially to title companies) is that my fees ARE NOT contingent on closing.
Everybody's in a hurry nowadays. You'd be suprised how accomodating people can be if you explain to them that you have an agenda also. I haven't lost a bit work, either.
I guess I've mellowed in my old age. Slow down, and take time to smell the flagged lath, you'll live longer.
PS - I never lost a penny on a job I didn't get.
Yes, I have a contract to pay within 30 days. But what I get is that they were expecting to close with that time frame, and because it doesn't they say they dont have the $ yet. I'm definately going to change my ways as far as issuing plats before payment.
Were on a checking system here, you get a map when I get a check . There are exceptions like long term clients . But for the average person I get paid when they get the plat.
Their deadlines don't necessary match mine.
One of my favorite sayings is:
Lack of planning on your part does not constitute an emergency on mine.
If the client is balking at your premium fee for a rush job, than it really isn't a rush job.
> Tommy has it right on every count. Charge for premium service, and demand payment ON DELIVERY.. There are too many sharks in the water these days to just hand over information for FREE. They need data, we collect it and provide it in a format that they understand. We sell information, they should pay for it to use it. end of story.
Someone has to trust someone. Either the client is going to pay us and trust that we will do the work, or we're going to do the work and trust the client to pay us. We're the professionals here, so I think we're most trustworthy.
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> Lack of planning on your part does not constitute an emergency on mine.
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I was about to post this same comment...
no tickie no washie.
Yeah but you look like a crazy guy with a white beard. Of course they immediately write the check just to get the crazy guy out of their office LOL.
a surveyor i know brings this up in one of his seminars. He gave an example of a surveyor he knows doing only "emergency surveys." He used this in a billing seminar, saying that you should include the value of your survey to your client. He then gave an example of an "emergency survey" he recently ran across. A guy was building a large house and the timber was on the truck in route to his 1 acre piece of property. Apparently this was some kind of specialized outfit or something because it was going to cost the guy a lot of money if the truck had to sit on site and wait to be unloaded. This guy couldn't start construction because of some issue with the bank that involved a survey. Basically this surveyor had surveyed this property or some adjoining property (I can't remember which) before, went to the field, verified his pins were still in, put a plat/map together and sent a bill for about $14k for about a half days worth of work.
The client was happy to pay it.
