Dealing with customer who won't pick up repairs

[jvm]

I have a customer who won't pick up his repairs. The completion date of the repairs was February 26th. I have called and emailed repeatedly. My messages are always polite and professional. He has said several times that he will pick them up but never shows. I even told him that I will begin charging storage on a specific date at $15 per day( 3 amps@ $5 per). Any ideas on how to motivate this individual?

[Enzo]

Check with the attorney general's office in your state, or whatever is the equivalent, to find out the specific cocnsumer protection laws. States are different. Here, we send a registered letter identifying the items, the money owed, and the notice that if not picked up and paid for by X date, the goods will be sold or discarded. 30 days is reasonable. if the guy is genuinely on tour and not in town, then I cut them slack, but the local who just doesn't want to deal with it gets that hard option.

DO a search, we have already had this discussion at length here. Other suggestions include a customer signature on a work order, having read the notice that all goods left over 90 days from repair notification may be sold.

[km6xz]

$5 per day is a little steep, most shops tack on $1 or so. I never charged anyone but it is a good thing to mention in the terms they sign when dropping off the unit. Also, your service work order must have some sort of assignment of Mechanic's Lien such as stating a unit after some specific period of time after notification, the item will be sold to recover the losses to the shop. Check with your state's agency that licenses repair services for the minimum period of time and notification requirements.

Another option I did when trying to get someone to act, not related to repair but storage of master tapes. I had a significant portion of shelf space devoted to one older project that used a ton of 2 inch tape, 385 reels in fact. The project had been completed and the record out for almost a decade but the label and the artist would not arrange for picking up the tapes. The problem was not just space but liability, if any were damaged, or deteriorated, I would have been sued for a million bucks. A typical album took 10 2 inch tapes and a few 1/2 inch. This artist insisted on having the 2inch machine rolling any time he was in on the other side of the glass, in case he had an inspiration....... Almost none were ever listened to, total waste of $150 a reel tape and valuable head wear. After dozens of attempts to get someone to arrange to pick it up I gave up.
Each time the tape librarian contacted Warner Bros, they said "we don't want them here but do not give them to the artist" and contacting the artist's management company, the reply was always "we can't take them but do not give them to the label" So I told the librarian to pack up 1/2 of them in crates and send them COD collect for shipping charges and send them to the artist and the other 1/2 to the label. Both paid and never said a word. The label and artist had a falling out years before and were sick of each other.

I keep that in mind when valuable repairs were sitting on the done racks for 6-12 months but never resorted to that.
I have a small 1 man shop now as a side business and have a mixing console taking up a lot of room that has been sitting here for 11 months, but generally don't have a problem with slow pickups from individual musicians but do from rehearsal halls that have a lot of gear so any one piece is easily forgotten or they don't have time to come over to pick things up. Rehearsal halls are an active part of the music scene here, since everyone lives in apartments, few can play loud at home.

[jvm]

Thanks for the input, gents. This is my first time having to deal with this sort of thing. I now have my policy posted. Sounds like this sort of thing comes with the territory. I have been lucky in that the vast majority of my customers are very reliable and treat me the way that I treat them. I'm sure we all have to "fire" a customer now and then.

[Jazz P Bass]

There are a number of 'reasons' customers fail to pick up there equipment.
Unfortunately, the reasons are usually not communicated.

[blindboybenton]

We all live in hard times. I run my own business back in the 1990's fixing tv/audio/vcr etc. It was always a problem them. Ive been lucky this time around. ( So Far). Here in the uk we have to keep the equipment for 3 months then we can sell. I use to email phone and send letters then I give a warning of payment by such a date or the equipment will be sold.

I dont think there is much we can do, we live in hard times and people aint got the cash to spend. The reason they dont pick up is aint got the money .. I think there is nothing you can do apart from take some money up front on who you may feel could be a bad payer. If com's are good from you what more can you do?

bbb

[big_teee]

We all live in hard times. I run my own business back in the 1990's fixing tv/audio/vcr etc. It was always a problem them. Ive been lucky this time around. ( So Far). Here in the uk we have to keep the equipment for 3 months then we can sell. I use to email phone and send letters then I give a warning of payment by such a date or the equipment will be sold.

I dont think there is much we can do, we live in hard times and people aint got the cash to spend. The reason they dont pick up is aint got the money .. I think there is nothing you can do apart from take some money up front on who you may feel could be a bad payer. If com's are good from you what more can you do?

bbb

I hear you, but that is no excuse.
Don't take it to the shop if you Don't have the money to pay.
I get stood up on my new pickups I make, but I just resell them.
Done it several times.
It weeds out those customers, because they won't bother you again knowing how they did the first time.
T

[Mark Hammer]

It's dismaying how many more things these days are considered consummables, rather than repairables. I would imagine there are a great many instances where a musician, strapped for cash, starts to ponder whether they should simply "cut bait" on something left for repair, if they feel they can buy a replacement for less, somehow. In some instances (and I'm not ascribing any great wisdom in those instances), mounting storage fees may even provoke the customer into leaving the item unclaimed, rather than paying the tab to spring the item.

But yeah, Enzo, I had to doublecheck the date on the post, because it sounded so familiar.

[big_teee]

Here's the thread I remember started by Bruce.
http://music-electronics-forum.com/t27338/
T

[Bruce / Mission Amps]

Here's the thread I remember started by Bruce.
http://music-electronics-forum.com/t27338/
T

And here it is May of 2013 and this guy still has not come over to pick up the Gibson amp... It is still sitting here.

[big_teee]

And here it is May of 2013 and this guy still has not come over to pick up the Gibson amp... It is still sitting here.

I'll Give you $20 for it if you give me free shipping.
So Bruce, what is your policy now to keep that from happening again?

[Steve A.]

... it is a good thing to mention in the terms they sign when dropping off the unit. Also, your service work order must have some sort of assignment of Mechanic's Lien such as stating a unit after some specific period of time after notification, the item will be sold to recover the losses to the shop. Check with your state's agency that licenses repair services for the minimum period of time and notification requirements.

I agree! If the policy is not clearly stated on the repair receipt that the customer signs you may risk legal repercussions if you sell the equipment.

Steve

P.S. I liked your solution to the tape dilemma! Very much in the spirit of Solomon.

[Enzo]

And sometimes they no longer need it, and don't want to spend the cash until....

I one time had a guy's fancy foot cotroller for something - I think it was a Line6. It had some name for itself too.
"Floorboard" maybe? My old memory sucks. I fixed it, it had needed new tactile switches under the stomps and I forget what else. I'd call and he'd promise to come get it. He wouldn't, and then some time later I'd call, and he'd promise to come in...but didn't. Finally I called and said, "Look man, if you want it, come in and get it, and if you don;t want it, just say so. I'm OK with either choice, but make it." The guy tells me he really doesn;t need it anymore since he already sold the amp it went with. OK, fine, I now have a fancy footcontroller that only works with the one brand/model amp. Not too long later someone comes in and long story short, he needs one, so I sold it to him. Then a few months later the original guy calls me up, wants to come pick up his controller. I told him he told me he didn;t want it. He starts in on a "you never told me it was done..." rant, and I just cut him off and said, give it a rest, we talked on the phone every month for a year until you told me you no longer wanted it. "Yeah, but I found a guy wants to buy one..."

[eschertron]

I'll Give you $20 for it if you give me free shipping.
So Bruce, what is your policy now to keep that from happening again?

Are you backing off from your earlier bid??

I would like to take this to Time to Submit A Silent Bid of $75!
B_T

[Mick Bailey]

Non-collection has a big impact on cash flow for me, particularly if I've laid out cash for expensive spares and spent a lot of time. I always agree a price before commencing work but very often this makes no difference. I used to think that the problem was no cash, but then people turn up after months and tell me how much they've spent on new effects/amps/guitars or whatever.

I've now re-thought the position; someone has a busted piece of gear they're anxious about getting repaired. I fix it and let them know. They then relax, knowing it's fixed, knowing how much it will cost, where it is, and it's in safe storage. Often they have a spare. So why rush to collect?

In my terms I have a non-collection clause, but no-one ever asks for terms and conditions. I rely on word of mouth in a pretty tight network of musicians/studios and managers, so getting uptight and quoting contracts and the law doesn't do me any favours. Sometimes opportunities crop up for people and picking up equipment falls way down the list for them. The flip side is that if I get stuck I hope customers will bear with me to get a problem sorted if I over-promise on delivery and can't get the parts needed. Can't have it both ways.