Client Question
Client Question
(OP)
I was asked by an occasional client to look at some floor joists that his plumber notched. I went to the job and told him i would have a repair drawing in a day or two. The drawing apparently got stuck in my outbox and was never sent. Instead of calling me to ask where the drawing was, he hired another engineer.
Does he technically still owe me for a) The Site Visit and b) The Drawing?
Is there a statute of limitations on the time a drawing is required to be sent?
We are only talking about $250 +$175 = $425 so it is not a huge deal.
I also would not mind if i let go of him as he is not a great contractor and has been a pain in the butt in the past. Maybe this was my sign that I held on too long.
What is irritating is the lack of courtesy he showed. My suspicion is that he was not going to be happy with the fix I was describing and he was really finding an any excuse to hire a strip mall engineer to sign off on the ridiculous repair he had already attempted.
Does he technically still owe me for a) The Site Visit and b) The Drawing?
Is there a statute of limitations on the time a drawing is required to be sent?
We are only talking about $250 +$175 = $425 so it is not a huge deal.
I also would not mind if i let go of him as he is not a great contractor and has been a pain in the butt in the past. Maybe this was my sign that I held on too long.
What is irritating is the lack of courtesy he showed. My suspicion is that he was not going to be happy with the fix I was describing and he was really finding an any excuse to hire a strip mall engineer to sign off on the ridiculous repair he had already attempted.





RE: Client Question
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Cheers
Greg Locock
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RE: Client Question
And if you are hurting for work, billing him for a service you failed to provide isn't exactly going to encourage him to call you again.
Lose loss situation, unfortunately.
RE: Client Question
I am not hurting for work so I am happy to let this guy go.
I just feel it is odd for someone not to call to check in.
RE: Client Question
Dan - Owner
http://www.Hi-TecDesigns.com
RE: Client Question
I expect that he did not "want" a real answer from me. He had already spent $400 on material for some 14ga flat steel that he installed to sister the joists. He was expecting I was going to bless it - which I was not.
RE: Client Question
RE: Client Question
My latest no-pay was on retrofitting a wood framed building to accommodate a small elevator. The contractor told me as I arrived on site to carry out the inspections "I didn't have a chance to look at the plans too closely but I like to think I've got a good eye for structure"
Place was a disaster.
RE: Client Question
Pamela K. Quillin, P.E.
Quillin Engineering, LLC
NSPE-CO, Central Chapter
Dinner program: http://nspe-co.org/events.php
RE: Client Question
Hi,
I hope that you are well.
Last year you did an awesome job for me designing foundation support and signing off that my LVL was up to code.
I am getting old but I do not believe that I ever received a bill. Could you please check your records and make sure that I was billed and let me know if I paid.
Thanks,
David
I sent him a bill over a year late and he paid it immediately.
RE: Client Question
Sounds like he was happy to let you go also.
I have to agree with Pamela on this one. Consulting is a client service business. Failing to deliver and failing to invoice on time are both a big deal. Sounds like you may need to change up a few things also.
RE: Client Question
This happens about once a month and it usually the client who misses the email. When it is not, they always call or email wondering where things are. I do over 500 jobs a year and have been in business since 1997 so that is about 10,000 jobs in that timeframe. This is the first time I have had a client not call. Probably not worth my time to change my policy.
I do, however, go thru my timesheets regularly now to make sure everyone has been invoiced.
RE: Client Question
RE: Client Question
RE: Client Question
Exactly my thoughts.
RE: Client Question
When you send an email like that , put a " Read receipt " on it or a " delivery receipt " so that you know, when it was received or opened. Then you have two choices , If the email is not read, you can call and ask him if he got it, and if he says he did not get it, and you have, a delivery receipt to prove he did , you can call him on it, if you want to that is.
B.E.
You are judged not by what you know, but by what you can do.
RE: Client Question
Also doesn't work that well because it only works when I view on my Outlook desktop application (not phone/tablet), and I can and do decline to send the receipt back.
RE: Client Question
After doing some research it seems I am reaching the same conclusion - especially given the number of jobs I do in a given year and the amount of associated e-mail. I'll take an occasional $425 hit in order to not have to mess with it.
RE: Client Question
RE: Client Question
Dan - Owner
http://www.Hi-TecDesigns.com
RE: Client Question
Pamela K. Quillin, P.E.
Quillin Engineering, LLC
NSPE-CO, Central Chapter
Dinner program: http://nspe-co.org/events.php
RE: Client Question
RE: Client Question
This is the reason that most email clients indicate 'has blocked download of email content for your safety', and as a result, render most email functions useless for the original intent of tracking receipt.
EDMS Australia
RE: Client Question