60 day notice of cancellation

[Shepherd]

<rant>

I'm always amazed when service providers try to contract revenue instead of earning business. Talked to a service provider today that wanted a contract signed forcing a 60 day notice to terminate agreement. Really? Is your service so crappy that the only way you can keep someone paying is by contracting it? Imagine if the service was bad the first month, and you cancel, image how bad the service for the next two months is going to be... yes please, maybe I'd rather just set a big pile of cash on fire.

</rant>

[LifeinAsia]

Of course THEY get to cancel YOU without any notice whatsoever, correct?

[Shepherd]

THEY get to cancel YOU without any notice whatsoever, correct?

of course...

I have a new policy, if you can't work month-to-month we will not be working together.

[lucy24]

Wait, wait. What do you-- the customer-- get in return? Demanding an extra-long notice is a perfectly reasonable tradeoff if the customer gets a lower monthly rate, like apartments that offer a slightly lower monthly rent if you sign a year's lease, or some other fee waiver. I think my host has a one-time setup fee if you don't sign on for the first year in advance.

If you want to go really beyond-the-pale, try demanding a cancellation fee on month-to-month contracts, so it's cheaper for the customer to keep paying each month than to pack up and leave. (I lived in a state where this had only just become illegal for a particular type of service. Naturally the providers were outraged.)

[Shepherd]

All valid points Lucy, specifically though I'm talking about a service provider, for example: a dog walker. This dog walker, and most dog walkers for that matter, promise the world and then require a three month minimum contract (1st month plus 60 day notice to quit). So let's say you decide to go with that dog walker and after the first couple of weeks you find that this is a really crappy dog walker. Now, not only do you have to pay them for the next 10 weeks, you also have to know that they could care less about the quality of their service over those 10 weeks because you are quitting them anyway.

What ever happened to good old earning someone's business? now it's all about how much can we get them for in the initial contract.

[lucy24]

Sometimes it's because they know in advance that you're not going to stick with the service. (Gym memberships come to mind. Wow, look at how much I can save by paying 12 months in advance vs. Wow, look at how much money I can make by collecting the equivalent of six months' payment for a few weeks of service.)

Admittedly, there are not many people who only require one month's dog walking because they've already planned to give the dog away after a month (struggling heroically to stick with the proposed analogy here). Normally you're in it for the duration and your dog will sulk if you change walkers every few weeks.

Yeah, a trial period would be nice.

[tangor]

I tend to avoid services such as described. Rather, I do the homework, vet the service, get testimonials, look at their track record and make the commitment for a year because that truly is the best rate possible. That said, certain levels of business require different levels of participation in time/funds (talking BIG STUFF).

If I don't like the deal offered I go elsewhere. There will be somebody out there that can meet my requirements at the price I am willing to pay, and are capable of providing the service in timely and courteous manner.

[Kendo]

We don't use contracts but we get a similar effect by requiring that the service be paid in advance without refunds.

Clients get plenty of opportunity to trial online demos and download trial software before committing. In fact we require that they confirm that they have in fact trialled/evaluated before committing.

No mess no fuss.

[LifeinAsia]

Agree- if there is a benefit (like an annual rate being cheaper than 12 monthly payments) to paying for the extended termination notice, that's one thing. Otherwise, to me, requiring something like this is akin to telling me, "I know my service is crappy and I expect you to want to cancel after a month, so I'm going to force you to pay for at least 3 months."

[Kendo]

No spiel. I fact I doubt if it has ever been discussed online before because we don't have a problem with it. The only people you may have questioned it did not become a client. The policy is also part of our screening process and it works.

[edited by: lawman at 9:45 am (utc) on Aug 20, 2015]