A Poll

How do you do business

  • With a contract only

    Votes: 3 16.7%

  • Contract only with large customers

    Votes: 3 16.7%

  • Service agreement

    Votes: 0 0.0%

  • No contract

    Votes: 12 66.7%
  • Total voters
    18
Hello Scott,

Have never really found the need for contracts. Sometimes for larger projects we may get a PO, but even then we do not have a contract.

We have had most of our customers for 10-15 years.

How about you, do you have contracts on all your accounts?

Dave Olson
 
POLL

NO CONTRACT FOR "1 TIME JOBS".WE USE A CONTRACT FOR ONGOING SERVICE ie MONTHLY ,QUARTERLY,SEMI ANNUAL, ETC.THE CONTRACT BASICALLY GUARANTEES THE PRICE FOR 1 YEAR,HOWEREVER THERE IS A "30 DAY" CLAUSE THAT ALLOWS EITHER PARTY TO BAIL AFTER NOTICE OF CANCELLATION. DAN COSGROVE
 
The only ones that are under contract are my government accounts. It is their contract, not mine. I have found that most have so many loop holes in them they are basically worthless for my type of business.

Scott
 
Mine works similiar to Dans. I used the handshake for years myself. i was lucky that at the time i had good people to work for. Times change and things become more complicated. to many of there key people in businesses come and go.
 
No contracts. But then again I'm basically residential with a commercial job every now and then. I would probably go for the handshake in repeat commercial if I had it.

I could see how valuable contracts could be if you had them especially if you were to sell your business but it seems that handshakes would be sufficient for your com[pany if you had no plans to sell.

John
 
When I started in this business, I did everything with a handshake and smile. Until I got burned. JUST ONCE was all it took for me. I write up a contract for regular accounts, or for one time jobs, I use a carbon copy work order, with a signature. That one work order has insured my getting paid for a job more than once. I had a General Manager that wasn't happy with my price AFTER I had done the work that the Service Manager authorized. The only reason I got the price I originally quote was because I had the Serice Manager's signature. They tried to convince me to change he price after I had done the work because he thought it was too high.

From then on out I NEVER work without getting it all in writing. In one form or another.
 
No contract, handsake and word of mouth but I have given thought to a monthly agreement that can be changed by either party.

The contract Kendra has would work for certain accounts in the future but need to have my attorney work it up for me. Does not mean there is anything wrong with it but each of our businesses is a little different.

Even Kendra recommands you have an attorney check it over for the state your in, ok so we are both in Calif. Still I like to CYA.
 
It has been a good thirteen years. I opened the poll back up. Let's see what has happened in how people operate their businesses.
 
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