c,

God bless you.

If the electric and phone company and the folks that put the fuel oil in 
the tank would extend me the same courtesy to tell me that I can pay 
them when I feel fully satisfied then I would not need to ask for an 
advance. It is not simply an issue of satisfaction with the quality of 
the work or the service. There can be a whole slew of misperceptions and 
unfounded expectations that result in nonpayment and they can have very 
little to do with if what was intended to be promised was delivered, or 
even if not more than that was delivered. And then there are simply 
those folks who practice thievery.

I met an architect recently who told me about his work on a golf club 
for Donald Trump and at the completion of the project with $100,000 
invoiced the Trump guys said, "Donald says he has paid you enough." That 
settled out $.20 on the dollar. Then Trump needed some work done on an 
outhouse at the golf course and called the architect and asked him for 
all the landscape contour data. The architect asked, "Hey, don't you 
need an architect?" Donald said he already had one. The architect, "What 
about me?" Donald, "You are too expensive."

I understand from someone else that Donald says in one of his books not 
to pay your suppliers.

I had a friend who did some really fine and honest work on Hudson River 
Park and when he went in to negotiate the change orders that he was 
stupid enough not to get the 'paperwork' nailed on they had a crew of 
like 20 people in a room that battered him down on every single request. 
It was a legalese paperwork nightmare with well skilled henchmen. He had 
flown all the way down from Canada at his own expense to get reamed. He 
won't work in NY now for anything. It was easier for him to rebuild the 
flying buttresses on the Canadian parliament library... leastways he got 
paid fair and honest.

I met a fellow just the other day who told me that after 18 years as a 
general contractor he quit because the churches put him under. His quip, 
"What do you say when you go to court... the church ripped me off?" His 
advice to me was to ask for an 80% advance on any residential or church 
work.

The lady that contracted us to do work on the front of her townhouse 
never told me that she needed it all done before the social party that 
she was going to have in 10 days until after we had started the work. 
She then refused to pay more than half of the cost of the work because 
the field superintendent rolled his eyes and that must of meant he was 
incompetent.

Despite my weariness over the issue of chasing for dollars I really like 
the customers that pay us before we do the work. Despite what anyone may 
think about it those are the ones that get the first attention.

][<
>
>     I am getting tired of a world that demands instant gratification
>     but can't pay the invoices.
>
>  I never, ever ask for an advance.  Our proposals say only: 
>  
> /Please >>>tell us how soon our invoice will be paid. Choose any 
> period perfectly convenient to you - but we would like to rely on 
> it.   Our principal goal is your absolute and unconditional 
> satisfaction with our work. It would be a privilege to serve you. Only 
> if you are happy to pay our invoice have we done our job./
> Christopher

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