[suffolkclean]

Can anyone recommend a good debt recovery agency please

Barbara

[Joe H]

Whats the problem Barbara?
and what steps have you already taken?

just tying to find a more effective way before you go down the road you looking at.

[suffolkclean]

Being messed about by a one off customer for payment, sent Invoice with date due, phonecalls - she hasn't got the money!!, next step is my payment within 7 days or it will be handed over to debt recovery agency. So getting info ready just incase its needed in 7 days time.

[Joe H]

Have a look at small claims thro the court system

http://www.hmcourts-service.gov.uk/infoabout/claims/index.htm

loads of leaflets you can download and the fees you need to pay for the service - the more you claiming the higher the fee. You can add the fee to the amount claiming.
If you can complete a form and send a copy to the person who owes you saying that this is the next stage - if you dont pay within 14 days (say) I will be sending it off. That has worked for me a couple of times.
All the way thro keep records of letters, conversations inc dates etc. and be reasonable at all times so that goes with you as good.

Dont know the fees of a debt collector but I reckon they will want a few bob.
I did debt collecting a few years ago and I got 10% - 12.5% so what the firm got I dont know.

Someone else may be able to help re debt collection agencies if you want to go down that road.

[clinton]

Barbara

Was it a large sum

Its something that starts to niggle in the back of your mind when someone does not pay.

Sometimes its beter to go and see them face to face..

Good luck anyway..

clinton

[suffolkclean]

Hi Clinton - no its not huge amounts, but it's the principle you don't ask for work to be done then dodge paying. Sent our letter today - pay within 7 days or we will hand your info to debt collector - so lets wait & see 

[Jim_77]

You don't need a recovery agent, they'll take a fee so not worth it I'd have thought.

https://www.moneyclaim.gov.uk/csmco2/index.jsp

Easy

[alan lewis]

Using the online county court system is ok, but bear in mind i issued a warrant through the courts in January of this year and still havent heard a thing ! apparently in my county there is 1 bailiff !!!!! so if you need the money pronto a debt collection agency might be the way to go.

Alan

[will01]

Barbara:

Whatever method you use if the customer really hasn'nt got the money then hiring a debt collection agency will not make the money magically appear.

Even if you take the custy to the scc the judge will more than likely (depending on her financial situation) order her to make a token payment of say £1.00 per month.

I've been down this road before with a customer and it wasn't a nice experience.

It's a chance you take....If you believe the custy that they don't have the money then I'd leave it, especially if they don't have any assets as then sending the Baliffs around will also be pointless.

believe me it's a minefield. Sorry if I sound so pessimistic but just had a bad experience with an not a very nice person of a custy bout 2 years ago

[John Rimmer Marshall & Rimmer Ltd]

I am having the same sort of trouble ie none payment for a job done. Amount wise not a lot only £40 to be presise but you are right Babarara it is the principle and it does get you going. I have been told i will be paid at the end of the month
but i would not put money on it. Hope all goes well for you with it. Just to add i did have problems geting paid off ajob i did a couple of years ago for a local estate agency which
lasted for over six months. Being in the FSB i spoke to one of there legal chaps and he told me what to do ie to right a letter threatoning legal action unless payment was made within 7 days. Guese what i had a cheque within 2 days just a thought best of luck with it.
                                             John Rimmer

[murky]

I use Thomas Higgins in Liverpool. Just google the name.

See my previous post on this, they send a 'Letter Before Action' it will cost about £2.80 it seems to scare the cr@p out of them, in nearly 20 years of this they have never failed me.

They are easy to talk and very helpful, they give you a password that you can use in future, its all done on line, I hadnt used them for 8 years or so, got my £350 or so straight away.

Dont know why they are based in Liverpool, perhaps its all the scallies up there (oops wheres my tin hat).

Murky

[Joe H]

Murky

That is VERY cheap, and actually cheaper then you state ie £2+vat = £2.30 for a letter and I reckon 9 times out of 10 a letter will work.

I will keep a note of their name.

[murky]

The 'Letter before action' is actually a Court appointment for the defendent to appear at your local County Court to answer the case/summons/charge.

It must scare them to death when it arrives, I suppose if they have no way out ie dodgy workmanship faulty etc etc they just have to pay and thats it.

I expect the further you go down the line it gets to a percentage of the amount owed etc etc and the chances of recovery, but to be honest I have never got that far, all my customers owed me and that was that.

Funnily enough a pal of mine is an undertaker and is owed 57k at the moment and has put the 'boys' onto it for a percentage.

Thing is if he supplies a memorial stone and thay dont pay he goes round and takes the stone back, but after a funeral there isnt much he can do.

I will put him onto them and see what happens.

Murky

[nevil]

I know how you feel. I have one that owes me £1200 and that's from last November. It really rankles with me. Especially as the van is in the garage today and the bill is going to be about £500.

As someone has said, if they reaaly don't have the money what can you do?

[Matt Lindus]

We once did a few camera installs and 4 vault/door sensors for a well known bank, the outstanding invoice was £16320.00. It was 1 year 3 months before they decided to pay!

Each invoice for carpet & upholstery cleaning never usually exceeds 1k. This in most cases can be covered by petty cash, so payment is never later than 30-60days.
You guys would really moan if you were submitting invoices over 20K. It’s around this figure when company’s start having cash flow problems and when you have to wait for their suppliers to pay them before they can release any collateral.

In the early years, on occasions we used Debtor Finance (Factoring). These firms will provide your business with a cash advance (Usually 80-85%) against the value of your invoice/s as soon as they are raised.
In return, you are charged interest on the advance, plus the service charge.
If you wanted you can ask factoring firms to take direct control of collecting payments from your customers, which can save the cost of using your own staff to manage this process.

Matt