TOPIC: Client on roof

Do any of you get payed before the inspection?  Did any of you ever have a guy walk away on you without paying?  I talked to a lawyer.  She said not worth the trouble getting your money.  Small claims court would still be two appearances so quite a bit of time involved. 

While I've never had someone follow me around during an inspection and then jump in their car and sneak away  ....

I have only been paid in advance by out of area buyers. I ask for payment at completion of inspection. I DO want them to review the agreement in advance and sign/return in advance when possible. If someone was not happy with the way I performed my inspection and prior to completing their report they were not happy... I DON'T want their money anyway. What starts bad, usually ends bad. I try to really communicate with people and get a feel for whether or not they've understood what I'm talking about.

If you've explained 20 times and ways that the roof is in poor condition, needing evaluation for repair/replacement/whatever...... and in 30 minutes  ;D ;D you've never gotten away from that 1 topic... that's a red flag about who or whom you're dealing with. You're likely to hear from them quite a few times after the inspection.

If they played 20 questions with me and tried to get something for nothing, that's another story.

In almost 13 years... yes I've been stiffed a few times, I think given enough opportunity, all business's have unpaid debts. I agree with your attorney, if they hadn't signed an agreement and I never received payment.. I'd leave it alone as it may not be worth it (maybe a small town has a different view). Bad checks and so on... that's another story, I'll at least try.

I'd leave it alone as it may not be worth it (maybe a small town has a different view). Bad checks and so on... that's another story, I'll at least try.

Good idea, he could get their face put up at cash registers at the local supermarket hehe.

I'd mail them a letter with a copy of the signed contract stating that you expect your fee to be paid within 7 days or you're reporting them to  the local county attorney's office for theft. You might get lucky and he just pays. If not, it's up to you whether to proceed.

His reply was basically:  If you want to go to the trouble, go ahead and sue me.  (I'm from a small town but he isn't.)  He works for McAfee antivirus.  Probably very good at his job;  it takes a crook to think like a crook.

File a police report for theft and let it sit in his name. I'm sure he'll love that sitting there.

No one goes on my ladder whether to get on the roof or into the attic. I explain its for insurance reasons and they usually back off. I've had clients bring their own ladders though (mainly the contractors etc...they understand the rule.)

With regards to getting stiffed, it's happened twice: 1. the deal was a fraud from the start. The buyer never transferred $ into the escrow account, bought his fiance a fake $20K ring, put an offer on the house then skipped on everyone after the inspection. The good news is that the seller's agent called me a week later and said there was another buyer. He gave the buyer's agent my number and I gave them the report for the original fee. 2. Bad check for $750. This was fraud too. I wound up pressing charges but at the end of the day they owed so much money for all the fraud committed I was way down on the totem pole. I now due my best to get them to pay by cc up front and if the inspection is over a certain amount, I'll only accept cc or certified funds.