Beat the Christmas Rush

I couldn’t bring myself to publish this until the start of December, despite the fact that for many retailers the Xmas run in seemed to start in August!

And now, the John Lewis Christmas advert has been released. I don’t know about you, but I’m not a huge fan of Elton John and found the whole thing distinctly underwhelming (bring back the trampolining dog!). For some, I’m sure, it has brought that that warm Christmas feeling.  Adverts don’t really do that for me, instead it drew my attention to the impending festive period.

December can be a frenetic time - all that shopping to be done, trees to decorate, parties to go to etc… The same is true for businesses – a shortened working month, year end approaching, parties to go to etc…

Over the years, I have been part of many last minute rushes to get business in and contracts signed off before the inevitable deadline. Sometimes it’s necessary as new deals come in all the time and people try to close things off before the New Year. This does not make it any less stressful.

I’ve found that the real problems can arise when things surface that haven’t been dealt with quickly and get stockpiled for dealing with at a later date – usually (financial) year end. Whether you work in sales or not, the thrill of the chase in converting a lead is generally more exciting than the mundane requirement to get contracts signed off.

We’ve looked at some of the issues that can be associated with implied terms when contracts don’t cover everything off in previous blogs. Clearly these can be amplified significantly if there is no written contract in place at all. Alternatively, you may end up inadvertently operating to a set of terms put forward by your client/supplier, when you meant to negotiate on various areas.

For that reason, we think there is no time like the present to give yourself a contract review and find out where you are up to. Take the time to work out where you are exposed and then work to close off as many as possible before the mad rush starts.

If you are worried about unsigned contracts or want to make a push to get paperwork signed off before the new financial year, get in touch with Punk Legal and see how we can help you get your house in order.

 

This note does not constitute legal advice and is for information only to highlight general issues.