[KINGAKNAA]

Did a large job for a major company last October, despite numerous invoices and converstions with the finance director, we still have'nt been paid! Its 4 months now, I have emailed/called and sent a recorded letter saying the invoice has to be paid in  days. Still had nothing. Getting seriously annoyed about this. All I can see the next step being is a letter stating court proceedings will follow if not paid within 7 days.  I have never been in this situation before, what does a claim throught he small claims court involve? They are a major international company so no problems with cash flow!

What are my options? Anyone been in this situation?

Thanks in advance.

[Roy Harding]

Hi a claim from through the small claims court is quite easy.

It used to cost £80 to process the claim, you can do it all on line. You will need to enter the defendant’s details and the amount owed. The £80 fee will be added to the bill plus interest on the amount form the date you register.

This then will go through Northampton court and copies will be sent to you and the other party. They then have 14 days to pay or choose to defend the claim, if they choose to defend the claim they have up to 28 days to put there case forward and you will be given copies. If you are a company you will have to travel to a court near them. But if you are not then they will have to come to a court near yourself.

If after the first 14 days the have not responded you can ask for judgment by default and you will be awarded the case.

It is very easy to do, go for it.

Roy 

[Alex Gardiner]

You could try a late payment charge first of all.

Under the Late Payment Act of 1998 you are allowed to charge for any invoices that have not been paid after 31 days.

It works by allowing you to charge the base rate + 8% on a yearly basis divided into a daily rate for the invoice amount. i.e. The invoice is for £200, the base rate at the time of the invoice being issued was 5% (5+8 = 13% interest rate). Take the £200 and work out 13% of it (£26) now divide this amount by 365 days and multiply it by the amount of days the invoice has been unpaid (120 days approx), this amount is £8.55 which is what you are allowed to charge in interest.

You are then also allowed to charge a set administration fee per invoice. Invoices up to £499 are allowed a £40 per invoice charge.

The total you would now bill the company for is £48.55. when making this bill out I usually send a warning first saying that if the Invoice is not paid within 7 days I will be making a charge to them under the Late Payment Act of 1998. This usually is enough, but several times I have had to make a Late payment charge and they have always paid up!

If they do not pay this charge then a Small Claims Court claim as has been said will be the next step and you can add your late payment charge to the outstanding amount. I have never yet had to go to the Small Claims Court as they have always ended up paying the late payment charge. I had one company last year ended up paying about £190 in late payment charges for invoices totalling only £260! I have just issued one against a developer for a £240 invoice, they will pay as they are a large national company, they are just very tardy in paying. Once they have paid up I will cease doing business with them.

[Tosh]

I'm getting 'knocked' for £70 and can't really be bothered to go through all this hassle.

It's for a pub; the management changed hands (which seems to be common these days), so I explained what I did and charged to the new management and she was happy.

Then three cleans down the line she's saying she can't pay me without authorisation from head office; and other waffle.

I do one account that I start about 5.00 am, so I may just leave a bit earlier that morning and go and spray the leaded and georgian windows of the pub with cooking oil.  I'll phone again later this afternoon and if I get no joy, I'm going to jump in the car and give the manageress 'both barrels'.

What winds me up the most, is that it feels like she's saying, 'Ah, it's only the window cleaner; stuff him'.

For the local lads, I'd avoid quoting for The Piercefield pub for a while; it's not going to be nice to clean if I don't get paid.

[Tosh]

The Manager is not about; again!

It looks like I'll have to go down the cooking oil route!

[Alex Gardiner]

Guess what came through the post today - remittance advice for the developer's outstanding invoice of £240

[elite mike]

The Manager is not about; again!

It looks like I'll have to go down the cooking oil route!

cheers for the info tosh

was planning to take my mrs for a meal there next week

think i will go to the greek instead

[newbroom]

I dropped a beauty salon last week constant battles to get my  money always thowing up daft reasons for not paying the bill was only £12 every 4 weeks.

Last Saturday i booked the wife in for a haircut and manicure/ pedicure about £50 worth, when it came  to paying we walked out the door my last words to owner was now you know what its like to be knocked. The look on the owners face was a picture.

[newbroom]

On he small claim court, its really easey to do online cost about £60

[WCE]

I dropped a beauty salon last week constant battles to get my  money always thowing up daft reasons for not paying the bill was only £12 every 4 weeks.

Last Saturday i booked the wife in for a haircut and manicure/ pedicure about £50 worth, when it came  to paying we walked out the door my last words to owner was now you know what its like to be knocked. The look on the owners face was a picture.

Lol thats a great way of teaching them Just wait for the small claims court to come through now

[Steve B]

I dropped a beauty salon last week constant battles to get my  money always thowing up daft reasons for not paying the bill was only £12 every 4 weeks.

Last Saturday i booked the wife in for a haircut and manicure/ pedicure about £50 worth, when it came  to paying we walked out the door my last words to owner was now you know what its like to be knocked. The look on the owners face was a picture.

I like it but be careful as I believe that is an offence and could have the Police on your doorstep if she reports it.

[AuRavelling79]

I dropped a beauty salon last week constant battles to get my  money always thowing up daft reasons for not paying the bill was only £12 every 4 weeks.

Last Saturday i booked the wife in for a haircut and manicure/ pedicure about £50 worth, when it came  to paying we walked out the door my last words to owner was now you know what its like to be knocked. The look on the owners face was a picture.

Lol thats a great way of teaching them Just wait for the small claims court to come through now

I dunno - if she owes him the same amount of money he can offset her debt to him against his debt to her. If there is a difference then perhaps he should settle that difference or it really would be theft.

[KINGAKNAA]

Thanks for all the responses.  Very informative as usual!

I added late payment charges to the account and spoke to the director again today, he said he would chase it up, again! I have told him I will have no option but to put a claim in through the court.

They are actually a property management company (part of a bigger global company) and the director said that they get paid their rents etc from their customers at the beginning of the month and there was only £98 left in the paying companies account, now I'm not sure what that has to do with me as the job was commissioned by the management company!

I will call him on Monday (start of the month) and see what his crack is and take it from there! 

[Tosh]

was planning to take my mrs for a meal there next week

think i will go to the greek instead

I recommend the Ferry Inn at the bottom of Beachley.  The food isn't spectacular, but it's good honest pub fayre, but the location and views are fantastic; good service too.

Sorry for being off-topic.

[weetot]

Plus you dont have to stare at cookin oil on the glass.....ahem

[Tosh]

Plus you dont have to stare at cookin oil on the glass.....ahem

He'd be alright this week; that's going to happen mid March.  I may even take some pics.

I don't think it's a criminal offense; it could be argued that since they haven't formally 'sacked me', that I'm just a daft Geordie and thought cooking oil would be a good cleaning agent for Georgian and Leaded windows in really old rotten frames!

[sparklebright]

I dropped a beauty salon last week constant battles to get my  money always thowing up daft reasons for not paying the bill was only £12 every 4 weeks.

Last Saturday i booked the wife in for a haircut and manicure/ pedicure about £50 worth, when it came  to paying we walked out the door my last words to owner was now you know what its like to be knocked. The look on the owners face was a picture.

I like it but be careful as I believe that is an offence and could have the Police on your doorstep if she reports it.

Nah it's civil case, the police won't be interested

[sparklebright]

The Manager is not about; again!

It looks like I'll have to go down the cooking oil route!

I would highly reccommend the use of WD40, which comes in a convenient spray can
 

[Tosh]

The Manager is not about; again!

It looks like I'll have to go down the cooking oil route!

I would highly reccommend the use of WD40, which comes in a convenient spray can
 

Cheers; that's a class top tip.

 

[Steve B]

I dropped a beauty salon last week constant battles to get my  money always thowing up daft reasons for not paying the bill was only £12 every 4 weeks.

Last Saturday i booked the wife in for a haircut and manicure/ pedicure about £50 worth, when it came  to paying we walked out the door my last words to owner was now you know what its like to be knocked. The look on the owners face was a picture.

I like it but be careful as I believe that is an offence and could have the Police on your doorstep if she reports it.

Nah it's civil case, the police won't be interested

It would be Fraud "something intended to deceive; deliberate trickery intended to gain an advantage"