AIBU to feel annoyed by a payment reminder after 36 hours?

[SixtySomething]

We have a weekly service at our house. The company sends us a bill a few hours after finishing the work and we pay by bank transfer. The cost can vary so we don't pay by direct debit.
Recently, we received the regular bill but didn't pay immediately. The bill was followed up with a reminder 36 hours later. We are longstanding customers.This left me feeling really narked. AIBU?
YABU: They did the work, so you should pay them straight away.
YANBU: They should give you a week to pay. This is pushy behaviour.

The main point is - What do the payment terms on the invoice say? Mine are 14 days so I wouldn't chase before that. Some people have 7 days, or ask for pay same day.

YABVVVVU. CF behaviour making people chase up payments.

Good job they didn't 'forget' to come and do the work.
Please tell me how you can forget you owe money to someone!!
How would you like it if one month your wages weren't in the bank on pay day, and your company just shrugged it off 'we forgot!'??
Treat as you wish to be treated!

You might pay what you owe but acknowledge that you have had to be reminded more than once, including today.

I don't see the issue. You owed them, you've paid them.

It’s a weekly service. A reminder after three days is the halfway point until the next engagement. Just set up a standing order so you don’t have to remember to pay as you clearly forget.

OP, it's a common courtesy to pay promptly, regardless of T&Cs.
To eek out paying as long as possible just shows a complete lack of respect for the person doing the work.
I'm shocked that you think it's unreasonable for someone to send you a payment reminder when you're lax with payment.

Why is that so funny?

The government has just said that it is going to deal with business-to-business late payments. Businesses will have to pay invoices within 60 days.

60 days.

Yet traders think consumers should pay them immediately. Actually as long as they say in advance I don't have an issue with it. But they should give long standing customers a bit of leeway. I have one freelance client and they usually pay me within 2-3 days. But my payment terms are 14 days so I wouldn't remind them until day 14 if they were late (for them).

And it's not the same as being an employee. People always try to conflate being a service user or provider with being an employer or employee and they are not the same. Yes as an employee I expect to be paid on payday. As a self-employed freelancer, I expect to be paid within a reasonable time/my payment terms.

Good job they reminded you, if they hadn't, you might not have paid them… YABU

36 hours not 3 days!

Hi op I think you are forgetting not all business run the same and most of us wait a month for our wages. Op you forgot and they reminded you. I don’t see why you expected longer to forget. Do you know how frustrating it is to be constantly reminding people for things especially money. Why should they keep reminding you. Next time don’t forget then you won’t get narked.

You paid. They were out money for 36 hours

might of needed to buy food or anything

there shouldn’t be more than a 24 hap and that’s a huge deal for me.

you don’t go into Tesco and go I’ll pay you next week love ok?

36 hours is a bit quick for a reminder. It's because new ways have become the norm since businesses started using the online systems like quickbooks etc.

i pay my cleaning lady a different amount each week depending on how many hours she’s done.

She texts me when she leaves to tell me, I give her a thumbs up and make the transfer immediately.

I would be mortified if she had to text me 36 hours later to remind me to pay her, not annoyed!

You are completely wrong on this OP.

And they reminded you……I don’t see the issue!

It wasn’t the next day. It was 36 hours later.

That could easily be the next day still.

“I still think their greed is making them act foolishly”

Greed? For wanting to get paid for a job they’d done for you?

Would never dream of owing someone money and paying a week after, or even the week after that (which I think I read in one of your previous responses?) for a job done.
Unless it’s a company you have an account with on 30 day credit terms, just pay people straight away. 🤷🏼‍♀️

This, exactly.
What is greedy about being paid for a service you’ve provided?
OP - you forgot to pay like you normally do, and your guilt is causing you to deflect.

Different industries have different payment norms. I run two businesses - one with payment terms of 30 days and one in which I do not perform the work without payment in advance. The former is because I'm dealing with quite big companies and their accounts departments, and payment runs are made once or twice a month and a small- fry supplier me can like it or lump it; the latter is because I am dealing with individuals and I really resent spending my time chasing payments for work that I've already done.

You're dealing with a couple whose salary you are directly responsible for paying (in part). The money you pay really is going to pay their Tesco shop this week, or the unwelcome big bill for fixing the car that's just come up. If a self-employed person is chasing you for payment, it's often because they really do need that money in their bank account for their own expenses, and no it can't really wait until you remember to get around to it next week. Please just pay them promptly.

Gotta be an April Fool.

If anyone ever has to ask you to pay, you have already been unreasonable and rude, OP.

I take it you’re not a small business owner!
Of course you should pay asap. You do not wait 36 hours to pay for a service that has been completed.

So 96% of posters have stated that you’re unreasonable, but you’ve decided to ignore them because MN “isn’t real life”.

Just out of interest, if 96% of posters agreed with you, would you consider that to be real life?

According to AI , the average length of time in the UK is 51 days to settle invoices, with small businesses being hit hardest by late payments.
This illustrates my point that 1 1/2 days is not exactly slow.
Just to repeat , the business doesn’t have costs, they are certainly not struggling to survive and I would almost certainly have paid them that day anyway.
so theses attacks on my character, supposed attempts to dodge payment, possible senility, are a little off centre!

@SixtySomething
So let me check, you honestly believe that you are reasonable for being narked that they chased you for payment after 36 hours but they are not allowed to be narked that you didn't pay them for 36 hours and felt they needed to send you a reminder? Even though they had actually done their part and provided whatever service it is they do?

Okay then. How can you not see you are being so unreasonable?

Are you finding yourself forgetting things more and more @SixtySomething ? And it’s becoming something you feel quite sensitive and defensive about?