Client relationship question
 

Let's say that you use a particular service on a regular basis. You pay this service over $1000 a month, sometimes more. You find out from the individual employees of this service that they are getting the runaround when it comes to paycheck time. Paycheck is always "in the mail," or some other excuse.

As the client, what would you do? Would you do anything?

Keep in mind that you like and depend on these individual employees.

I would do nothing but make plans for this service provider to be gone suddenly.

Take care of yourself and your business first, then if you feel the need to, mention that you've heard there are problems to the company. You should protect the people who have confided in you, so that may be difficult to do without pointing back to them.

Wow. Late payroll sure is a big warning sign. I'd certainly be preparing a "plan B". I'm wondering if there is any way to subtly let employees know that you appreciate them and might be interested in continuing to work with them if their employer goes belly up. (But not before that, it wouldn't be right for an employee to "steal" you away as a customer as long as the company continues to operate.)

Hopefully the executives see that now is the time to sell their operations to another more stable company or otherwise arrange for an orderly end of operations. Once you get to the point of being late on payroll, the odds of pulling out of the slump are mighty thin.

Late Payroll - doesn't sound good. There are business risks about employer going out of business. What will customers do - good question. Client relationships are important to maintain. These kinds of operations have to be managed perfectly every day. They just can't handle long periods of distraction about other problems.

Does he do what you pay him to do and you are happy with giving $1000 for it? That should be your only concern. When he doesn't do what you pay him to do move on to someone who will. Maybe offer his employees to do the job you want for less on the side now.

I'd be looking for a new provider and recommend the reps you work with to them.

:2 cents:

I would pause and consider for a moment that these could either be employees disgruntled for another reason or employees planning on setting up on their own and stealing their company's customers.

Without details of the service offered and how their cashflow problems would affect their ability to provide the services that they offer their customers it is difficult to know.

As others have stated though, you should always have a plan b just in case.

Oh and paying your bills on time will help !!

This sounds like your paying a hooker and the boss is not paying ?