Y.O, do you have to ask your livery clients for money?

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henryhorn

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www.narramorehorses.blogspot.com
Most of my customers are brilliant, they pay by direct debit monthly or by cheque.
Two others aren't.
One I have chased for the last six months to pay me, and have been reasonably polite as I understand his circumstances are difficult. In this time however he has paid for a wedding and a honeymoon.. I have now received a quarter of what he owes (a four figure sum) and am currently reminding him he needs to send me another payment.
Another local DIY moved her horse in August having loaned it out, but already owed me from 1st July.
I have sent her an invoice, and then today two weeks' later have pushed a note through her door asking her to call in and discuss her bill.
I am starting to think being polite to people obviously doesn't work and if both these people don't cough up soon they will find themselves in the Small Clains Court.
The chap's horse is still here grazing rent free, if it was worth selling I might have gone down the tuit legal route, but as it would only go for meat I can't do that..
Do livery's have no sense of guilt when they owe yard owners money?
They would soon complain if I didn't pay my mortgage or contractor for haylage making, but they seem to think it's fine to owe me money!!
Much as it goes against the grain, it looks like I'm going to have to be unpleasant and take the legal route....
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As a livery both yards (previous one and current one) have required me to have a DD to pay my livery bill.

The only invoice I get is my monthly hay bill, which is to be paid within 5 days of receipt (of the receipt).
 
My last yard was DD one month in advance, my current yard is cash in advance on the 1st of the month. It is the arrangement that suits me best, we all know where we stand.
Yard owners have expenses too - I have fallen behind a month or so in the past when times were tight, but have kept up communication with the YO and sorted it at the first opportunity - as a client I wouldn't expect to get away with the kind of sums you are talking about!
 
I can't believe they owe you so much!!
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Do they still have the nerve to come to the yard and see you/the horse?
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Most of us here pay electronically/DD as it is more convenient for YO and most people these days. Mine is paid like that (basic fixed livery charges) the extras ie turn out, feeding etc and hay are billed monthly and I pay them asap in cash (usually around £30). As I live at the yard as well as keeping my horses here I couldn't not pay!
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I have the opposite problem, I have to ask my YO to do me an invoice as he is so forgetful!
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Mine is the same. I had to ask her the other day if I was due to pay.
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I have the opposite problem, I have to ask my YO to do me an invoice as he is so forgetful!
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Mine is the same. I had to ask her the other day if I was due to pay.
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Yep me too,my YO often forgets and with 2 horses the costs can mount up so I remind her.
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small claims court does work, but takes loads of time and photocopying!! for the one that owes for the month or so i would call at her house and ask her for a cheque or pref cash there and then, i presume you have invoiced her, sent a reminder, and still have a copy of her livery contract particularly the payment clause? take someone with you as a witness.
as for the one that has been on honeymoon wedding etc (unless it was his daughters) he is taking the p. legally you cant sell his horse off unless you have a lien in his contract. he has obviously had invoices for each month etc so i would copy all of thse and get a final balance, and give him 7 days to pay, then send a solicitors letter giving 7 dqays to pay or further action will be taken. ie court. if you threaten this you must carry it through. you can claim the court costs back and other expenses but it is a long stressy process. by the way he can collect his horse and leave even if he owes you and the police will do nothing and you have no legal right to hold onto his property!! good luck. no one needs clients like this!
 
i am a relatively new livery yard owner and a recent bulgary saw all our contracts destroyed...a livery with 2 horses has been struggling to pay and his horses are in need of vetanary care , i feel we have been extremely supportive but today he has turned nasty and abusive telling me to mind my own business about his horses...now feeling threatened and concerned about the welfare of his horse i have asked for payment and for him to find alternative livery..he laughed and walked off ..do i chuck him off and draw a line under it or can i take his horse and sell it for the payment currently standing at 950
 
Annegem sadly you can't hold his horse or sell it.
Years ago padlocking someone's horse in a stable was a very effective way to make them pay up, nowadays you would be in a police cell for doing it!
The only way you can obtain money is to do as I will probably have to, using the SCC system. I have taken someone there before and they paid up, it's not difficult but embarrassing sitting near them in the waiting room then round a table in the court. (especially when they then tell outright lies!)
He's likely to remove his horse owing you money..then you have to chase him for it as described.
I am afraid I am an old fashioned sort who trusts her clients to pay me and me to look after their horses in return. We don't have contracts just mutual respect.
If it gets to the stage where I have to provide them I would simply close down rather than have all the hassle.
The chap with the huge debt was due to a mix up over who was paying for his horse, the horse ownership changed and somehow it got overlooked that his payment had bounced then been cancelled by his bank until we realised , the awful thing is I've even paid tax on his livery income despite not receiving it! I do know he received various invoices for foot trims/worming etc so he must have known the money wasn't leaving his account when he added them to his direct debit.. More fool me for being so trusting..
We run four separate businesses from here plus had to deal with sorting out a very complicated estate after my Father in Law died, so by the time we clambered out from sorting literally hundreds of pieces of paperwork, it's easy to understand how he slipped past me.. I wouldn't mind we got investigated by the Inland Revenue a couple of years back (cost a bomb in accountancy fees) and they only found one thing wrong, a cheque for £12 someone had paid us twice by mistake..!
So my systems aren't that feeble usually.
Now the other businesses are running ok again I am turning my head to the livery one, and organising an invoicing system that will alert me if someone doesn't pay..
I may first try a little money collecting visit on my own, appearing on someone's doorstep often does the trick..though he lives two hours' drive away so a real pain to waste a day if he isn't in...
 
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