How to

have a damn good contract for almost any job out there. maybe i've been doing it wrong this whole time, but i think every job is different, but someone, something, has to have a solution for having written out contracts ready to go for every or almost every job out there. blahblah

CP has some pretty good ones. I just make a few modifications...

soo, i guess and Vclim and I are the ones who are doing work by the contract? wtf?

I'm confused by your question. How are you doing it now? Preprinted forms or edited word document?

What tends to change is the scope of work and special conditions (I do this and you do that). What stays the same are the basic terms and conditions (I cover $xx for glass breakage. you don't pay on time, I don't warranty. this contract is covered by laws of the State of where I live, etc).

I'm sure I'm doing it all wrong, and I probably will get burnt one day. But no I don't have a customer sign a contract or put down a deposit on Res. or Comm. work. And before you even answer. Yes, your right. I know I should.

I either get a deposit, or a signed contract. Especially on "specialty films". I won't even order film for a job without either one. I bought a "Contractors Agreement" form at Office Depot. It's good for small residential up to large commercial projects. On commercial jobs I always get a contract, and outline the payment terms. They tend to pay ontime when you've got it spelled out in writing!!!

We have everthing on the back of our invoices; There is a back out period where you can get your deposit back, we have a 5% tolerance in our work......yada yada yada.

i do the same.

i dont do anything until they sign a contract i make out for them. Mischief is right, every job is different, but there has to be some type of "technical" terms that way youdont have to write everything out over and over..

You only need to be burnt once to learn to have it in writing from then on!

sounds like a Quality problem....not a Film problem...

sounds like the custy is not happy with the install.....

I believe that most customer complaints are from a 'failure to communicate'. They can confuse what you said with what the guy before you promised or what they think you should have promised. Define your terms I always say.

Your contract needs to make explicit what you do and do not cover and what they are responsible for. Years ago after my crew spent as much time moving the @#$% from the window sills as they did treating the two panes in an office, I started writing in that my customers have to move their stuff (especially commercial customers) or we charge $/hr to move it for them. (it also says if we move something that they left in the work area and it gets damaged, it's not my fault unless I say so on the contract). I've never actually had to charge anyone, but it helps keep them on their toes in preparing for us.

I've seen lots of posts on glass breakage. Your contract needs to limit your liability for that. and state your payment terms. If you don't say that you charge interest on overdue payments, and you ever end up in small claims court, you won't get much more than they owe.

The main thing that changes from job to job is the scope of work. Most of the other conditions are standard.

The proposal / contract is a vital piece of your image. Make it clear, concise but thorough and pretty. always pretty.

Before I settled on my final contract, I made one up (had my lawyer check out the small print) and photocopied samples. Thought I'd test for a month or two before I spent the money and made the committment to the three color three part forms. I'd fill out the customer's name, address, etc and write in the scope of work (and price) and have them sign it right in the house. I'd fill out two copies and have one for them and one for me. Four years later I printed my perfect contract .. and then the manufacturer added something. Oh well. They still work.

commercial quotes / proposal I do in a word based on a template that has all the basic stuff in it. Edit the scope and anything else that needs it and print it on our stationary. Easy.

How many of you are going to follow thru with taking a customer to court if they decide not to go thru with it after they sign a contract? I can understand on a big $20,000 + commercial job but what about that residential job costing less then $1500? Would it be worth it to take a homeowner to court for that? Just my 2 cent.

We had a residential job once that I sold to the husband. The wife decides to cancel because my installer was a little late (20 minutes outside of the hour window I gave him). I think she cancelled because she found someone cheaper to do the job. Not a very pleasant person.

The job was about 50 minutes away. They paid the deposit on a credit card which cost money to process. So, I'm out the processing fees, plus transportation costs plus the actual time my installer spent and the lost wages and profit for the day.

After that experience I added a cancelation clause in my contract that, after the 3 day cancellation period they have by law, allows me to charge them for those costs plus a 'restocking fee' which I would deduct from any refund I owe on the deposit. then it would be up to them to sue me if they dispute the contract they signed.

I don't have to enforce these clauses, just nice to have the option for people like that crazy lady.

People really don't have the right to sign contracts and just change their mind without consequences.

Again,
"In matters of style, swim with the current. In matters of principle, stand like a rock." -Thomas Jefferson