Admittedly, I was a bit flustered when typing this out. So I appreciate your patient response. 😅 sorry about that...
But these are good suggestions... The only issue, at times, is that due to the nature of my service, there are some vehicles that I will see without ever meeting the client face to face. I provide a convenience in that regard, as it relates to being a mobile service. Given that, this allows customers to call for services while they're away, working, or otherwise. I may stop providing service of that nature... at least by giving a requirement of their presence for their first service.
I typically have photos and a diagnostic scan tool PDF report with a time stamp, the vehicle's tag number, the VIN number, mileage, and a date that is both manually inputted and auto-filled based on what the scan tool pulls from the vehicle PCM and IPC modules (in the cases where the vehicle has the capability of providing that info. Otherwise, it's always manually filled in.)
The photos are taken during the multipoint inspection phase of my process. I take photos of the Tag, the VIN, and any issues I found on the vehicle and attach them to the section where it's appropriate for what's mentioned as a problem.
My contract does not state what you describe, to the letter, but it does state that failure to pay invoice = "blah blah" you know the shpiel.... warnings of mechanic's lien, small claims, collections etc...
There's also a clause for card authorization that requires an initial before they're able to proceed.
And for good measure, just before inputting a signature, the clients must answer "Yes" to "I have read and understood ALL clauses contained within this service agreement" with a side note "(It's strongly recommended that you read and understand this document)". (surprise, barely anyone reads it as it is, anyhow... they sign it and send it as if it were a terms & conditions for a phone app or something.)
I was also unaware that the manual card entry was unsafe... The only other method I have for people to enter payment for services would be to use my Square Invoices app on my iPhone, and if they have it, allow them to use the tap to pay feature on equipped cards or from their phone's mobile wallet.
Otherwise, people just pay in cash, which, prevents this situation from occurring at all, in those cases, thankfully. But everyone receives a receipt none-the-less.
I worked hard on trying to make sure that I was OK in an event like this, and I still can't fathom their banking institution rejecting my response, given the vast amount of information that I had on said client, and her vehicle. I wish I could've had a reason for their rejection at least so I could've known what the heck I'm supposed to do other than what I did.
I provided a very detailed description of what was done and what wasn't done.
I know why this client did what they did... They did this out of spite. I'll explain.
She works out of town. Her vehicle was parked, unable to start and run, at her mother's place of residence. We talked it over, in excruciating detail over the phone. I concluded that we should probably verify what she needed was a starter (Which she already purchased, but I tend to avoid just installing a part that I'm provided, since there's too much liability in doing so.. customers like to blame us even if we didn't diagnose their problem, but simply did what they asked us to do.)
So, I told her, for me to visit the vehicle and run tests to verify that a starter was indeed the cause of her concern, it would cost the amount mentioned above. She accepted, quickly, like, within 5 minutes of me sending her the estimate.
So I scheduled it for the next day, went out, and didn't make it until the evening. I looked the car over, determined the cause was indeed the starter, having figured out that all circuitry and the battery were in working order. So, I quoted replacement cost. I show up the next day with an accepted estimate, around noon or so, prepared to install the starter. The vehicle was parked at the base of a hill, in grass, and I was without any assistance. I noticed, since it was daylight outside, that there were at least 6-7 Fire ant hills around the vehicle, which were not visibly active the night before. I get there and they're swarming the ground and the vehicle itself. So, I call the client and request that the Fire Ants be removed before I continue with the repairs as I was unable to push the vehicle without assistance, I don't have a tow truck, and I did not want to lay my back in a swarm of ants, on the ground, to install the starter for her.
Her response was... rude, for lack of a better set of words... I advised her on some cheap/quick/easy methods of removing them, at least temporarily, so that I could safely and efficiently install her starter for her.
I did not hear back from her, for two weeks, until I received that dispute of payment. I never said I wouldn't do the work, I just stated that the ants should be removed before I proceed. I suppose that upset her enough to take away from what I already completed on it...
