Payment plan issues

Need some advice please. I am dealing with a customer that did not complete the full payment on the date we had discussed (it was a 40 day plan). Gave them a 4 week extension which ended yesterday and the customer told me they do not have the money nor know when they will be able to make any payment. They still want the animals and want to make payments but I need the animals gone. Where do I stand I gave them the option of trying to sell the animals pay me off the balance owed and call it even. I also said that I needed this done with in 4 weeks if not then I needed to close the transaction and call it over. There would be no refund on any money given is this an unfair decision I have made. Please help me here. Thank you

Your thread is not in the proper format for the BOI...but it appears that your question is better suited to the General Business Discussion; so it has been moved.

Personally, I would refund their money & cut the tie...but that's me. When I was selling, my terms included a statement that defaulting on a payment plan would result in a forfeiture of monies paid...but I never stuck to that. IMO, it isn't worth it. Better PR to give the refund, even if you don't plan on doing business with them in the future (and if somebody defaulted on a payment plan, I wasn't going to be selling to them again - just the way I am).
If you want to let them try to sell the animals to pay you - that's fine; but I wouldn't count on that happening. (Think about it - why should they bother to sell your animals for you?) Let them try, if they're willing; but you should proceed with advertising them.
As far as refunding, while I wouldn't bother with it, you could withhold a portion of the funds for the care and maintenance of the animals...but there are issues to consider. First and foremost - you would have been caring for, and maintaining those animals anyway; so why try to charge for it.
Can you say, with confidence, that the animals would have already sold had you not entered into this deal with your buyer? If not, don't use that as an excuse to try to keep their money.
Consider the given reason that they failed to complete the purchase - they don't have the money. Do you want to be the person that takes away from somebody that could truly be in need? (Yeah - the explanation could just be words on a screen; but what if it isn't?)
If they paid via PayPal, in all likelihood, they can get their money back by filing a claim. You didn't ship, there's no reason for you to have their money. You can try to argue it, based on payment plans, incomplete payment, etc...but I doubt it would change the end result. All it would accomplish is a delay and some aggravation on both sides.

This is a tricky situation. Do you ever want them as a future customer, do you still have their money, how much did the animal cost you for upkeep after the agreement was made, can you sell the animal now for the same amount? There are a lot of variables that come into play here. If it were me and I still had their money, I would give back as much as I could. I would not keep more than a 10% deposit and what it cost to feed the animal for that time period. It may even be that an agreement is made that the money is given back once the animal sells. I don't think I would continue to hold the animal for them. Depending on the amount owed, is it easier to take the loss and let them have the animal(s)?

Every situation is different, why do we breed? Is it to make money, to make new creations or is it to make relationships?

Just my thoughts

I agree with Harald, give a refund. I would not hold back any fees or costs, just give the refund and go on, that way small held back amounts can't come back and bite you no matter how well you rationalize them.
Then, ask yourself if this sort of thing is worth the occasional aggravation. If it isn't, just don't do any more payment plans.
I would not, however, continue to hold the animals no matter how much your customer wants them. I think anyone looking at this situation would not think badly of you if you refunded and put them back up for sale, you are not under any obligation to hold animals just because someone wants them but can't afford them.

Originally Posted by madenmark

Need some advice please. I am dealing with a customer that did not complete the full payment on the date we had discussed (it was a 40 day plan). Gave them a 4 week extension which ended yesterday and the customer told me they do not have the money nor know when they will be able to make any payment. They still want the animals and want to make payments but I need the animals gone. Where do I stand I gave them the option of trying to sell the animals pay me off the balance owed and call it even. I also said that I needed this done with in 4 weeks if not then I needed to close the transaction and call it over. There would be no refund on any money given is this an unfair decision I have made. Please help me here. Thank you

Most payment plans include a non-refundable deposit but it is stated up front. This helps offset losses due to lost sales, having to feed and maintain the critters for a few extra months, any potential vet care needed by the animal, etc.

Unfortunately if there was no non-refundable deposit policy in place then IMO you owe all of the money back if the customer backs out.

Originally Posted by bcr229

Unfortunately if there was no non-refundable deposit policy in place then IMO you owe all of the money back if the customer backs out.

If it's not stipulated in writing/TOS and agreed upon beforehand, there's really no reason to hold any funds.

OP, you already gave them a 4 week extension which was very nice of you. Did this person say how much extra time they would need before they could pay it off? Might be best to refund and cut this deal off at this point.

Also, if they cannot complete a payment plan and already had a one full month courtesy extension... how will they have the funds to properly care for the animal(s)? just another thing to consider.

I hope it works out either way. Good luck!

Originally Posted by bcr229

Unfortunately if there was no non-refundable deposit policy in place then IMO you owe all of the money back if the customer backs out.

, I was assuming that there would have been a non refundable deposit.

Originally Posted by AbsoluteApril

Also, if they cannot complete a payment plan and already had a one full month courtesy extension... how will they have the funds to properly care for the animal(s)? just another thing to consider.

This, unless those payments are equivalent to a mortgage payment... but I doubt that's the case.