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So it only happens about 3 or so times a year, but every once in a while we get a bad check. Out of the 3 or 4 bad checks, 1 or 2 are an honest mistake and gets corrected immediately with cash or CC. How many shops out there are operating as a cash or CC only business? I've thought about it many of times, but it's hard to make that change when we have a lot of customers come in and write $1,000+ good checks. 

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We take checks all the time. If I hadn't looked, I would have said we take 3 or 4 NSF checks a year. But I just checked and we have taken only 1 in the last 4 years!! It seems like people just don't bounce checks as much as they used to. We do have a few restrictions though. Unless it's a customer we know, we don't take checks that are written on a bank out of our county. Secondly, we limit 1st time customers to $500. Thirdly, we don't take "starter" checks. Lastly, if it is a first time customer, we make a copy of the check and driver's license together and keep it until the check clears.

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We don’t take checks. No reason to nowadays unless they need to float it till Friday. It seems mostly elderly people want to use checks. I am sure they do bc it’s what they are used to it, but they are fine with debit cards when we ask for it instead of a check.


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Problems with checks were more common years ago when checks were more common. We still accept checks from customers that we know and because of that restriction we have not had a problem for many years. The expectations of the general public for us to accept a check has diminished over the years due to the overwhelming prevalence of credit cards. 

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We take checks regularly and don't get any coming back. We give a 2% discount for checks or cash so we're giving the credit card processing fees to the customer instead of the bank. Maybe the goodwill helps to make them think before they write it.

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  • 3 weeks later...

I only accepted checks my first 6 months in business. I got burned on some checks, then made payment policy NO checks. . . . Seven years later its been no problem.  I just inform customers of the payment policy and I have no trouble. And I always get paid with this policy.

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  • 2 months later...

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  • Have you checked out Joe's Latest Blog?

         3 comments
      Got your attention? Good. The truth is, there is no such thing as the perfect technician pay plan. There are countless ways to create any pay plan. I’ve heard all the claims and opinions, and to be honest, it’s getting a little frustrating. Claims that an hourly paid pay plan cannot motivate. That flat rate is the only way to truly get the most production from your technicians. And then there’s the hybrid performance-based pay plan that many claim is the best.
      At a recent industry event, a shop owner from the Midwest boasted about his flat-rate techs and insisted that this pay plan should be adopted by all shops across the country. When I informed him that in states like New York, you cannot pay flat-rate, he was shocked. “Then how do you motivate your techs” he asked me.
      I remember the day in 1986 when I hired the best technician who ever worked for me in my 41 years as an automotive shop owner. We’ll call him Hal. When Hal reviewed my pay plan for him, and the incentive bonus document, he stared at it for a minute, looked up, and said, “Joe, this looks good, but here’s what I want.” He then wrote on top of the document the weekly salary he wanted. It was a BIG number. He went on to say, “Joe, I need to take home a certain amount of money. I have a home, a wife, two kids, and my Harly Davidson. I will work hard and produce for you. I don’t need an incentive bonus to do my work.” And he did, for the next 30 years, until the day he retired.
      Everyone is entitled to their opinion. So, here’s mine. Money is a motivator, but not the only motivator, and not the best motivator either. We have all heard this scenario, “She quit ABC Auto Center, to get a job at XYZ Auto Repair, and she’s making less money now at XYZ!” We all know that people don’t leave companies, they leave the people they work for or work with.
      With all this said, I do believe that an incentive-based pay plan can work. However, I also believe that a technician must be paid a very good base wage that is commensurate with their ability, experience, and certifications. I also believe that in addition to money, there needs to be a great benefits package. But the icing on the cake in any pay plan is the culture, mission, and vision of the company, which takes strong leadership. And let’s not forget that motivation also comes from praise, recognition, respect, and when technicians know that their work matters.
      Rather than looking for that elusive perfect pay plan, sit down with your technician. Find out what motivates them. What their goals are. Why do they get out of bed in the morning? When you tie their goals with your goals, you will have one powerful pay plan.
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