Just realized I've been sending invoices without payment terms for 4 years

I run a small cleaning business in Denver and always just put 'due upon receipt' at the bottom of my invoices. Last month a client sat on a $450 invoice for 6 weeks and when I called they said they thought net 90 was standard. Anyone else assume clients know what 'upon receipt' means and get burned?

3 comments

3 Comments

faithpatel3d ago

Honestly, "due upon receipt" and "net 90" are basically the same thing in some clients' minds apparently, just depends how bad you need that $450.

coleman.hannah3d ago

Oh man, I gotta push back on that a little, @faithpatel. "Due upon receipt" means I'm expecting payment within a few days at most, but net 90 feels like they're testing how long I can float their business on my dime (which is never good). I've had clients treat net 30 as a "suggestion" and then act surprised when I stop work, but due upon receipt usually gets a faster response since it's more clear cut.

kai8393d ago

Oh man, YES. I had a client treat "due upon receipt" like it was some kind of vague suggestion and then hit me with a "we'll get to it when we get to it" attitude. Meanwhile I'm sitting here wondering if that $450 is worth the headache of chasing them for two months. It's wild how some people just hear "pay me eventually" no matter what words you use.