This is to provide a little helpful information to stress the need for professional pressure washers to have a contract signed before performing any work.
I had a verbal agreement and a handshake to wash 2 trucks 25 miles away every week. Nothing major. Just $65 each. That was what we agreed on.
I had never washed both of them. Only one. Never even saw the second one. I kept quiet about it, thinking the other driver had decided not to go along with the agreement. ( I think it was done without the knowledge of his dispatch office.)
He called me one Saturday to say that his truck had blown a hydraulic hose, and had to go to the shop. Had to cancel. Still no problem, because as a former truck driver myself, I understand how those things can happen. But he told me DEFINITELY next weekend. Last weekend was that weekend. I called him twice during the week trying to verify anyway, but he never returned my calls. I was busy all day on the next Saturday on a remote job in the logging woods, so I called him once more to tell him after church on Sunday, I would be out there washing unless I heard from him. Still nothing. I went there on Sunday afternoon, and there was no truck on the premises. 50 miles round trip for nothing.
I left an invoice on the front door for $25 travel pay. Haven't heard from him all this week. I tried to call both his cell phones, and left messages, and still nothing. So, at the nearing of the business week, I looked the home office up on the internet, and called his dispatch to tell them my story.
Apparently, they called him and gave him a good chewing out. He just called about 10 minutes ago and told me what I could do with that $25 invoice. (I expected that.)
If we had started this thing with a contract agreement signed by both parties, this never would've happened.
I'm not out very much $$$. It was pretty much a waste of time truth be known. Unfortunately, the days of a man's word and a handshake are long gone.
This is not a whining post. I've taken my lumps and come away with a better understanding of the world of doing business. Hopefully some of you who are not using contracts will read this and avoid having the same problem.
Randy
I had a verbal agreement and a handshake to wash 2 trucks 25 miles away every week. Nothing major. Just $65 each. That was what we agreed on.
I had never washed both of them. Only one. Never even saw the second one. I kept quiet about it, thinking the other driver had decided not to go along with the agreement. ( I think it was done without the knowledge of his dispatch office.)
He called me one Saturday to say that his truck had blown a hydraulic hose, and had to go to the shop. Had to cancel. Still no problem, because as a former truck driver myself, I understand how those things can happen. But he told me DEFINITELY next weekend. Last weekend was that weekend. I called him twice during the week trying to verify anyway, but he never returned my calls. I was busy all day on the next Saturday on a remote job in the logging woods, so I called him once more to tell him after church on Sunday, I would be out there washing unless I heard from him. Still nothing. I went there on Sunday afternoon, and there was no truck on the premises. 50 miles round trip for nothing.
I left an invoice on the front door for $25 travel pay. Haven't heard from him all this week. I tried to call both his cell phones, and left messages, and still nothing. So, at the nearing of the business week, I looked the home office up on the internet, and called his dispatch to tell them my story.
Apparently, they called him and gave him a good chewing out. He just called about 10 minutes ago and told me what I could do with that $25 invoice. (I expected that.)
If we had started this thing with a contract agreement signed by both parties, this never would've happened.
I'm not out very much $$$. It was pretty much a waste of time truth be known. Unfortunately, the days of a man's word and a handshake are long gone.
This is not a whining post. I've taken my lumps and come away with a better understanding of the world of doing business. Hopefully some of you who are not using contracts will read this and avoid having the same problem.
Randy