When you book the job
To lock in the date, I take a deposit that orders the equipment. The rest is due when the job is finished.
I need money upfront before anything happens.
The deposit comes off the final invoice, so it is not an extra charge.
It is company policy.
If you need to move the date, the deposit moves with it. If you cancel after the parts are ordered, here is what is refundable.
Deposits are non-refundable, no exceptions.
Decide these before anyone asks
- Which jobs need a deposit: special-order equipment, custom materials, long jobs, big blocks of the schedule.
- How much, written down, so every quote says the same thing.
- What it pays for, in one plain sentence.
- When it is refundable and when it is not, printed on the quote.
- How they can pay it: card over the phone, a payment link, or at signing.
When they push back
I understand. The deposit is what lets me order your unit this week, instead of waiting until the day of the job.
Everyone pays one.
If the full amount is hard right now, I can split it: part to order the parts, the rest before the install.
Then I cannot book you.
The three ways this goes wrong
- Asking for it separately, after the quote is agreed. It reads like a new condition.
- No reason attached. A deposit without a purpose sounds like distrust.
- Vague refund terms. The real argument about a deposit happens later, when plans change.
A deposit is a normal part of a real booking. Say what it is for, what happens to it and when it is due, and it sounds like a company that has its act together.
I answer the phones for contractors, and I explain the deposit and the refund terms on the booking call so nobody is surprised later. callbobai.com