Proforma invoice?

[JCplumb]

What is one?
I had a call to change 4 w.c. syphons in a factory, but they want a proforma invoice before I do the job.
Never heard of one before, any of you guys familiar with these?

 

[villa_tom]

Proforma Invoice - What is a Proforma Invoice and Why Use One

Looks like they just want to know how much the job will be before you start.

 

[Ray Stafford]

It may be a good sign.

Are you expecting a cheque on completion?

If a contractor was working for us, and we had agreed to pay on completion, we would ask for a pro-forma invoice. Its just an invoice issued in advance.

The reason would be that our accounts department can't just write a cheque - there has to be a purchase order and a supplier invoice on the system before a cheque can be raised. So to avoid difficulties, if a trade wants to be paid on completion - get a proforma invoice into the system before work starts, and we can process the cheque.

I expect lots of businesses have similar processes.

 

[JCplumb]

Thanks for the responses, the guy didn't mention payment so I put it in 'terms' at the bottom of the proforma invoice, two birds with one stone methinks
When I made the invoice (quote) I used ''eml-0202(proforma - not agreed)'' as the invoice number to reserve 'eml-0202' in my invoice software and will just edit it back to 'eml-0202' and resend on completion of work.
Does that sound about right Ray?

 

[JCplumb]

Just opened the following email reply from them, so must have done it right

Thank you for that Joe

I have raised the requisition and you should receive the PO number via email tomorrow from our finance team.
Could we please go ahead with the work this Saturday, and if so can I have your full name and vehicle details to pass on to our security?

Many thanks


The security thing they mention, it turns out that this is the biggest bank note manufacturer in the world, who would of thought that was in Bolton, well Westhoughton actually but close enough

 

[rpm]

Just opened the following email reply from them, so must have done it right


The security thing they mention, it turns out that this is the biggest bank note manufacturer in the world, who would of thought that was in Bolton, well Westhoughton actually but close enough

Better have a shower Sat morning JC sounds like a strip search both on the way in and on the way out, just tell him to warm his hands first! lol

Did a job in a Diamond clearing warehouse a few months back, didn`t get searched but the "escort" was never more than 2ft away from me, luckily for him it was a clean basin only pump.

 

[Ray Stafford]

A million and one years ago (aka the mid 80s), I was working as a courier driver for the company that had the contract for onward delivery from Japanese Airlines freight services division. I was picking up from Heathrow and delivering to Sony UK HQ the very first Walkman prototypes. The security was like fort knox. Mirrors under the car, pat down search, full cavity (thats the vehicle, not me! ) searches etc.

It the only time in my life when someone has pointed a firearm at me and I believed they might pull the trigger.

 

[rpm]

Sounds the same as when we used to do work in Army barracks Ray and they had ruddy big dogs as well.

 

[Nostrum]

A full cavity (thats the vehicle, not me! ) searches etc.

You win some , you lose some Ray!

 

[Masood]

The security thing they mention, it turns out that this is the biggest bank note manufacturer in the world, who would of thought that was in Bolton, well Westhoughton actually but close enough

That's actually pretty shrewd planning. Most Boltonians have never seen paper money so they'd not even think of breaking in...

 

[JCplumb]

Who needs paper money, you can get a 3 bedroom house round here for 75p

 

[Masood]

Who needs paper money, you can get a 3 bedroom house round here for 75p

Blimey! Prices have gone up!


Disclaimer - the ex-Mrs Masood (Asmodeus) is a Boltonian, as is her mother (Belial) and her sister (a divorce lawyer. There is no demonic name for these, as even Beelzebub himself dares not speak of them).

I do not have fond memories of Bolton...

 

[Billy Bob Bob]

Blimey! Prices have gone up!


Disclaimer - the ex-Mrs Masood (Asmodeus) is a Boltonian, as is her mother (Belial) and her sister (a divorce lawyer. There is no demonic name for these, as even Beelzebub himself dares not speak of them).

I do not have fond memories of Bolton...

so your ex has a sister who,s a divorce lawyer........****,how do you fight that?

 

[Masood]

so your ex has a sister who,s a divorce lawyer........****,how do you fight that?

Using a stupidly expensive law firm. Whilst she got her advice free... My lawyer did, however have the mind of Pratchett's Patrician and the morals of a hungry weasel...

 

[Dotty]

A million and one years ago (aka the mid 80s), I was working as a courier driver for the company that had the contract for onward delivery from Japanese Airlines freight services division. I was picking up from Heathrow and delivering to Sony UK HQ the very first Walkman prototypes. The security was like fort knox. Mirrors under the car, pat down search, full cavity (thats the vehicle, not me! ) searches etc.

It the only time in my life when someone has pointed a firearm at me and I believed they might pull the trigger.

Sounds the same as when we used to do work in Army barracks Ray and they had ruddy big dogs as well.

Still happens over here. Never ever thought I'd become blasé about having a gun pointed at me.

 

[Dotty]

Using a stupidly expensive law firm. Whilst she got her advice free... My lawyer did, however have the mind of Pratchett's Patrician and the morals of a hungry weasel...

And the ripples spread.

 

[Masood]

And the ripples spread.

Well, she still got a majority of the equity in the house that I'd paid 80% of. And over a grand a month support for 2.5 years, plus child support.

In return I got exactly the only thing that mattered to me, which was 50% custody of my daughter. So yeah, I fought nastiness with nastiness but only because I had to, and my motivation was pure...

 

[Dotty]

Well, she still got a majority of the equity in the house that I'd paid 80% of. And over a grand a month support for 2.5 years, plus child support.

In return I got exactly the only thing that mattered to me, which was 50% custody of my daughter. So yeah, I fought nastiness with nastiness but only because I had to, and my motivation was pure...

I was meaning Pratchett's ripples!


'No one is actually dead until the ripples they cause in the world die away...'

 

[lame plumber]

showed my id card to the german sheperd and not his handler as I was going into cincfleet at northwood years ago. the royal marine on the end of the lead asked me what I was upto, I replied that I thought the dog could read out of the 2 of them (been down the pub had I). So everytime me and my car entered or left for the next month I underwent a complete search of the car which can take a while!!! Only stopped when I handed over some beers to the guardhouse, my own fault

 

[Masood]

I was meaning Pratchett's ripples!


'No one is actually dead until the ripples they cause in the world die away...'

Ah got it! Yes that is also true. The truly great never die...

 

[Ch4 plumbing]

Still happens over here. Never ever thought I'd become blasé about having a gun pointed at me.

Once you've been around guns a while it's very easy to forget there purpose and what they are capable of doing.

 

[JCplumb]

Better have a shower Sat morning JC sounds like a strip search both on the way in and on the way out, just tell him to warm his hands first! lol

I had to sign a non disclosure statement, sign something else saying I authorise a full body search if security deemed it necessary, had to leave my mobile at reception and had to be chaparoned everywhere I went.
Nobody was allowed to talk about the nature of the business and I was restricted to where I could go.

Only ended up doing 2 of the 4 syphons, as their own 'engineers' had siliconed the crap out of each loo which made a 30 minute job into a 2 hour job, literally every connection, including pan to cistern had about half a tube of silicone to cut through before I could undo it.
Luckily the two I didn't do had the Macdee syphons that come apart without removing the cistern, so I advised that they should keep those in there because they were as easy to replace as the fluidmasters I had put in the first two

 

[rpm]

All sounds pretty average for these type of place`s then JC, you sign your life away then find the maintenance man has siliconed everything coz he didn`t want to say he hadn`t a clue.

 

[jtsplumbing]

When I Lived in Bracknell used to do some jobs in the Waitrose distribution centre , There maintenance guy only had a silicone gun, was his answer to everything

 

[JCplumb]

While I remember..
Ray, you have knowledge of these proforma things.
How do you think I should go about the revised invoice, only did 2 of the 4 quoted for. Do I send a final(revised) invoice with the same invoice number, send a new invoice with new number, or a new proforma invoice?
Cheers

 

[rpm]

Consider it as a quote, from what your saying you didn`t see the job before today and your quote was time and parts based. Think I`m right in saying it took you roughly what you thought to do 4 but due to circumstances you only completed 2 so deduct cost of parts but leave hours as. Leave invoice number as because you will only confuse the accounts office resulting in a delay.

 

[JCplumb]

Cheers RPM
Will do that pal.

 

[rpm]

If you think you will get more work from them then I would play clever and come in under the proforma invoice this time otherwise do it bang on the nail but don`t go over. One thing to consider with these people is once your in with them it makes their life easier to deal with you next time. Your the carrot and their the Donkey this time. lol