Invoice dispute

[Keith 66]

And that’s how that type of person get’s through life but they don’t care but always come out on top . I guess karma catches up with them eventually..

Funny you should say that, the bloke concerned started exporting tools & general stuff to west africa, he got sucked into believing in the ju ju thing & always carried a little leather bag to ward off evil spirits etc that he had bought from a witch doctor. At that time he sold a container full of machetes to a dealer who sold them straight into Rwanda, this was just before the genocide.
Fast forward a few years & the bloke was involved in a freak accident when his volvo estate (automatic) with his wife at the wheel crushed him against the wall of his house resulting in both legs having to be amputated below the knee. A few years after that he got lung cancer & died.
Coincidence? from our western viewpoint almost certainly, But one of his friends swears to this day that the ju ju thing was somehow involved.
Some things it is best not to mess with.

 

[Bingy man]

Funny you should say that, the bloke concerned started exporting tools & general stuff to west africa, he got sucked into believing in the ju ju thing & always carried a little leather bag to ward off evil spirits etc that he had bought from a witch doctor. At that time he sold a container full of machetes to a dealer who sold them straight into Rwanda, this was just before the genocide.
Fast forward a few years & the bloke was involved in a freak accident when his volvo estate (automatic) with his wife at the wheel crushed him against the wall of his house resulting in both legs having to be amputated below the knee. A few years after that he got lung cancer & died.
Coincidence? from our western viewpoint almost certainly, But one of his friends swears to this day that the ju ju thing was somehow involved.
Some things it is best not to mess with.

Either way when bad things happen to bad people I don’t loose any sleep, I’d no more want to not pay someone for work done than I would want to rob their house or con someone vulnerable etc . Yeah what goes around comes around , I’m not a devout religious person but I do believe that you reap what you sow.

 

[J-G]

The Travis Perkins store that I used to buy from had an unofficial list of non paying clients, which was updated on a regular basis. You were warned before you made the first order and started work, which was handy.

I was once a manager for Mander's Paints and during my 'induction' the accounts manager made it very clear that I should be vigilant as far as trade customers who were 'slow' payers were concerned. Every week I would receive a list of account holders current status with those who had exceeded their credit limit printed in red.

I recall one 'Good' customer who hadn't paid anything for over 3 months and owed >£6k (this was in 1980 ish) - I refused to allow him any further supply until some payment had been received. He proffered a cheque for ~£4k IIRC to secure his needed supply which brought his account in order. Naturally he wasn't a happy bunny and 'reported' me to the area sales manager whom he knew personally.

This provoked a dispute between the 'Commercial' and 'Sales' sides of the business and since my line manager (Sales side) wouldn't back me up I accepted 3 months salary in lieu of notice !!

You may be aware that 'Mander's' are no longer in business!

 

[Bingy man]

I was once a manager for Mander's Paints and during my 'induction' the accounts manager made it very clear that I should be vigilant as far as trade customers who were 'slow' payers were concerned. Every week I would receive a list of account holders current status with those who had exceeded their credit limit printed in red.

I recall one 'Good' customer who hadn't paid anything for over 3 months and owed >£6k (this was in 1975 ish) - I refused to allow him any further supply until some payment had been received. He proffered a cheque for ~£4k IIRC to secure his needed supply which brought his account in order. Naturally he wasn't a happy bunny and 'reported' me to the area sales manager whom he knew personally.

This provoked a dispute between the 'Commercial' and 'Sales' sides of the business and since my line manager (Sales side) wouldn't back me up I accepted 3 months salary in lieu of notice !!

You may be aware that 'Mander's' are no longer in business!

Interesting- there used to be a Manders paint factory near to I grew up and 2 minutes from where i now live - Wolverhampton ( there may of been other sites ). The smell on some mornings would make me feel sick . The site is an industrial estate now

 

[J-G]

Interesting- there used to be a Manders paint factory near to I grew up and 2 minutes from where i now live - Wolverhampton ( there may of been other sites ). The smell on some mornings would make me feel sick . The site is an industrial estate now

Yes, Manders was an old established company making vastly better paint than most at the time and there is still a 'Mander Centre' in Wolverhampton. (I've just checked Google Maps) As far as I'm aware, the Centre was simply named for the company who were a big employer but didn't actually own or have 'an interest in' it.

 

[Richard_C]

This provoked a dispute between the 'Commercial' and 'Sales' sides of the business

I was HR head of a big company, not in building trade, and there was often tension between technical sales and credit control. We solved it easily, next year the sales bonus was only calculated when the money was received, not when the order was placed. After that the sales team used to invite credit control to their meetings to discuss how best to get the money in. All of a sudden we were one organisation not two.

 

[deema]

A good customer is one that pays in full on time. Everyone else is a bad customer and one you hope trades frequently with your competitors

 

[artie]

With my suppliers, I can achieve almost 3 months interest free credit.

Mostly I can have the materials converted and sold within this period. I think most small operators could do the same.

So no real reason not to pay.

 

[Richard_C]

With my suppliers, I can achieve almost 3 months interest free credit.

That's fine, being organised and paying on monthly account or whatever can get you there legitimately. I am not being critical.

I think it will change though, either the suppliers practice or their pricing. After almost a decade of very low interest rates, money being 'virtually free', it was relatively inexpensive for supplier to run 30 or 60 days of credit, and any money they had in the bank didn't generate much return. Now its different, its easy to find flexible deposit accounts paying 4 or 5% and it costs businesses a lot more to run an overdraft - lets say 12% just for easy calculation. So you can allow 3 months free credit, but it costs you maybe 3% in financing costs, which you have to add to your prices. Now, a big busness can probably access money cheaper than a sole trader or one person business os 3 months to pay may well be a good deal, but expect businesses with proper Finance Directors to start paying more attention to cash management.

 

[Bingy man]

Yes, Manders was an old established company making vastly better paint than most at the time and there is still a 'Mander Centre' in Wolverhampton. (I've just checked Google Maps) As far as I'm aware, the Centre was simply named for the company who were a big employer but didn't actually own or have 'an interest in' it.

And I’ve lived in Wolverhampton all my life and the mander centre has always been there but I’ve never associated it with the paint company- we live and learn everyday

 

[Southdownswolf]

And I’ve lived in Wolverhampton all my life and the mander centre has always been there but I’ve never associated it with the paint company- we live and learn everyday

Manders also used to sponsor Wolves at the end of the 80's beginning of the 90's.

 

[J-G]

Manders also used to sponsor Wolves at the end of the 80's beginning of the 90's.

They were a sizable company and, notwithstanding my personal experience, I was surprised when I found that I couldn't buy their paint anymore. During the ownership of my two DIY shops I only stocked their product.