Late Payment From Clients
Discussion
Sorry - No more credit 
By the way: experience from the other side:
I recently had a broadband connection disconnected by my WDSL supplier. In some understandable - they hadn't been paid for nine months.
Problem was we believed they were recieving payment by Direct Debit - we'd submitted the form. But by some cock-up they'd never done it.
Their credit control department was so poor they didn't even have my phone number on file so they just ignored the problem until some manager spotted the account arrears, said enough is enough, and they disconnected me!
Fcukers!
If they had simple Google searched/ Yell.com'd the Company name they'd have got a phone number. They'd have spoken to someone. We'd have PAID! Months prior to them getting the money the way they went about it.
So..my point is...try calling up the Accounts department and asking for the cash. Say payment is overdue. There could be some cock-up somewhere and you never know - you might just get the money!
I recently had a broadband connection disconnected by my WDSL supplier. In some understandable - they hadn't been paid for nine months.
Problem was we believed they were recieving payment by Direct Debit - we'd submitted the form. But by some cock-up they'd never done it.
Their credit control department was so poor they didn't even have my phone number on file so they just ignored the problem until some manager spotted the account arrears, said enough is enough, and they disconnected me!
Fcukers!
If they had simple Google searched/ Yell.com'd the Company name they'd have got a phone number. They'd have spoken to someone. We'd have PAID! Months prior to them getting the money the way they went about it.
So..my point is...try calling up the Accounts department and asking for the cash. Say payment is overdue. There could be some cock-up somewhere and you never know - you might just get the money!
PetrolTed said:
I was speaking to someone the other day who mentioned another couple of techniques.
The other was to get county court judgement forms drawn up and fax them over (without necessarily filing them with the court).
Done that a few times with 100% success. It takes two minutes to plagiarise a statement of claim, insert the sum, the date of the contract, and Bob's your uncle.
Apologies for reviving this thread! 
In addition to my full-time job, occasionally I do consultancy work to medium or big size companies, schools and etc.. In this case, one of my "clients" has not made their payment yet, since August 2017. I had been in contact, seems like the person I was approached by is not there anymore and they keep giving me loads of bureaucratic process since new year. (You have to fill this form, that form, please more details about what and how you do bla bla bla).. The client is a very big institution, I do not think they have any shortage of money or cash-flow but it really started to piss me off. The person who is not working there anymore also(senior level) contacted the company to proceed my payment ASAP and not to delay anymore, but they seem to be taking their time in a very generous way.
Is there anything I could do to push this or do I have to look for my legal routes now?
Thanks!
In addition to my full-time job, occasionally I do consultancy work to medium or big size companies, schools and etc.. In this case, one of my "clients" has not made their payment yet, since August 2017. I had been in contact, seems like the person I was approached by is not there anymore and they keep giving me loads of bureaucratic process since new year. (You have to fill this form, that form, please more details about what and how you do bla bla bla).. The client is a very big institution, I do not think they have any shortage of money or cash-flow but it really started to piss me off. The person who is not working there anymore also(senior level) contacted the company to proceed my payment ASAP and not to delay anymore, but they seem to be taking their time in a very generous way.
Is there anything I could do to push this or do I have to look for my legal routes now?
Thanks!
As was mentioned in this (very) old thread, if you don't plan to work with the client again, the next steps are simple. You should write a letter sent recorded delivery summarising the details of the debt and state they have 7 days to make full payment else you will proceed to court action.
Then if no payment is forthcoming after 7 days, start a county court claim against them.
I know it doesn't help you much, but my industry is full of late payers. Hence why I make a point that we always pay our suppliers on time. Some people/companies just don't care about their reputation.
Then if no payment is forthcoming after 7 days, start a county court claim against them.
I know it doesn't help you much, but my industry is full of late payers. Hence why I make a point that we always pay our suppliers on time. Some people/companies just don't care about their reputation.
The following advice is not always erm advisable; however once the normal avenues of chasing money or exhausted, or have been made obtusely difficult due to your clients newly found levels of red tape etc i have found that where possible a "site" visit can generate a quick payment!
For instance you arrive at said customers premises, ask to speak to accounts for your hard earned. The receptionist will usually say something along the lines of accounts aren't available etc, or that if you do get to speak to a member of the accounts team they aren't authorised to settle your bill. Then I have found simply setting up camp and being exceptionally polite to your clients site visitors and asking them if they are there due to your clients slow payment seems to work. Or maybe I just have an uncanny ability of making the place look untidy.
I have only ever had to try this twice, both times were successful. It's a shame that such efforts are renquired on occasion. What surprises me is that more businesses do not go under due to cash flow. As mentioned earlier the bigger the organisation the bigger the problems in being paid in a timely fashion. The government are perhaps the worst!
Please do your self a favour, never work again for a poor paying client. Anyone can be a busy fool. If your chasing your money and the client threatens you over using your services in the future, then consider do you want them in your future. I'd rather not be busy than be a charity!
Sorry rambling post late payers boil my wee
For instance you arrive at said customers premises, ask to speak to accounts for your hard earned. The receptionist will usually say something along the lines of accounts aren't available etc, or that if you do get to speak to a member of the accounts team they aren't authorised to settle your bill. Then I have found simply setting up camp and being exceptionally polite to your clients site visitors and asking them if they are there due to your clients slow payment seems to work. Or maybe I just have an uncanny ability of making the place look untidy.
I have only ever had to try this twice, both times were successful. It's a shame that such efforts are renquired on occasion. What surprises me is that more businesses do not go under due to cash flow. As mentioned earlier the bigger the organisation the bigger the problems in being paid in a timely fashion. The government are perhaps the worst!
Please do your self a favour, never work again for a poor paying client. Anyone can be a busy fool. If your chasing your money and the client threatens you over using your services in the future, then consider do you want them in your future. I'd rather not be busy than be a charity!
Sorry rambling post late payers boil my wee
Also, read up on the Late Payment legislation - loads of info here - www.payontime.co.uk
Statutory fees & insterest.
Statutory fees & insterest.
The best thing about late payers that I did was get a bookeeper and task her with managing the debtors. She did the whole thing very dispassionately and treated it as part of reconciling the accounts and keeping everything in order. Customers accounts departments couldn't pull a fast one and she built up a professional relationship with the recalcitrant payers. As already mentioned by others we tried to understand how their payments runs were organised, got them to state when they planned to pay and held them to that. I've had the odd bad debt when a client went bust but generally debtors became very well managed.
EddieSteadyGo said:
As was mentioned in this (very) old thread, if you don't plan to work with the client again, the next steps are simple. You should write a letter sent recorded delivery summarising the details of the debt and state they have 7 days to make full payment else you will proceed to court action.
.
Should it be 14 days?.
2 sMoKiN bArReLs said:
EddieSteadyGo said:
As was mentioned in this (very) old thread, if you don't plan to work with the client again, the next steps are simple. You should write a letter sent recorded delivery summarising the details of the debt and state they have 7 days to make full payment else you will proceed to court action.
.
Should it be 14 days?.
(b) the defendant responding within a reasonable time - 14 days in a straight forward case and no more than 3 months in a very complex one.
Thanks for all the advices.
After a week of another useless emails between me and their payment department, their HR got involved and they want me to fill an employee form to get paid finally, due to IR35 legislation. (Off payroll working in the public sector). This ofcourse, is nothing we have agreed on previously, and later on would really cause me loads of admin-work to do for both tax-returns and claims. I simply rejected this and asked them my invoice again, as previously agreed.
I think I will have to go for legal action from now, which is very sad and exhausting.
After a week of another useless emails between me and their payment department, their HR got involved and they want me to fill an employee form to get paid finally, due to IR35 legislation. (Off payroll working in the public sector). This ofcourse, is nothing we have agreed on previously, and later on would really cause me loads of admin-work to do for both tax-returns and claims. I simply rejected this and asked them my invoice again, as previously agreed.
I think I will have to go for legal action from now, which is very sad and exhausting.
ooid said:
Thanks for all the advices.
After a week of another useless emails between me and their payment department, their HR got involved and they want me to fill an employee form to get paid finally, due to IR35 legislation. (Off payroll working in the public sector). This ofcourse, is nothing we have agreed on previously, and later on would really cause me loads of admin-work to do for both tax-returns and claims. I simply rejected this and asked them my invoice again, as previously agreed.
I think I will have to go for legal action from now, which is very sad and exhausting.
Letter before action, cc to the directors. Give em 14 days then issue proceedings via MCOL.After a week of another useless emails between me and their payment department, their HR got involved and they want me to fill an employee form to get paid finally, due to IR35 legislation. (Off payroll working in the public sector). This ofcourse, is nothing we have agreed on previously, and later on would really cause me loads of admin-work to do for both tax-returns and claims. I simply rejected this and asked them my invoice again, as previously agreed.
I think I will have to go for legal action from now, which is very sad and exhausting.
I do occasional work for a company and its the same game every time, they ask me to do something, I say fine payment terms is 14 days, they say OK. I do the work and submit the invoice, they then don't pay within the terms, just ignore it until I ask for it, but in the meantime one of the directors will ring me saying can I do this or do that and the answer is always no chance until you pay the last invoice. I then get tagged into various emails between the director and accounts department telling them to pay me.
I just don't get why they don't pay in the first place, we have been through this many times, I already have work lined up, they would be a call out so it doen't affect me but they end up with a site shut down for the day because a sump pump has stopped working or other similar scenario, strange.
I just don't get why they don't pay in the first place, we have been through this many times, I already have work lined up, they would be a call out so it doen't affect me but they end up with a site shut down for the day because a sump pump has stopped working or other similar scenario, strange.
ooid said:
In addition to my full-time job, occasionally I do consultancy work to medium or big size companies, schools and etc.. In this case, one of my "clients" has not made their payment yet, since August 2017. I had been in contact, seems like the person I was approached by is not there anymore and they keep giving me loads of bureaucratic process since new year. (You have to fill this form, that form, please more details about what and how you do bla bla bla)..
By any chance has this big company outsourced their accounts payable? I have had some issues on the customer side of this once, having to guide a supplier through all the hoops to get paid (which I didn't even know myself), after the job was complete. Was deeply embarrassing. Real "computer says no" stuff mixed with poor communication. If the company you are talking about are anything like my employer, you'll save yourself a lot of grief if you insist on a Purchase Order before you do anything. That takes care of a lot of the hoops for you and should protect against situations like the person you doing the work for leaving the company.
That company I've mentioned above have failed to pay again, the payment was due this Friday and despite promises nothing has gone into the bank yet again. The directors are fine but its the idiots in accounts that must say to the bosses "haven't I done well" Well we'll see how well they've done when I tell them to shove any future work up their arse.
For people wondering why payments are always late..
In my Farthers last year before retirement from the NHS, the hospital contracted an external consultancy to look at the way the hospital was run from a financial side and suggest improvements. After 3 month's the only suggestion they could make was in paying invoices. The Hospital used a number of local firms for jobs, the hospital always paid within 7 days of the invoice, the consultancy company showed how they could save money by not paying until final demand and then offer less then agreed.
My father suggested they start this new system by trying it on the consutancly firm, the guy doing the presentation thought he was joking and reminded him that they expected to be paid on time. By the time he left they had changed their payment terms.
In my Farthers last year before retirement from the NHS, the hospital contracted an external consultancy to look at the way the hospital was run from a financial side and suggest improvements. After 3 month's the only suggestion they could make was in paying invoices. The Hospital used a number of local firms for jobs, the hospital always paid within 7 days of the invoice, the consultancy company showed how they could save money by not paying until final demand and then offer less then agreed.
My father suggested they start this new system by trying it on the consutancly firm, the guy doing the presentation thought he was joking and reminded him that they expected to be paid on time. By the time he left they had changed their payment terms.
mickmcpaddy said:
That company I've mentioned above have failed to pay again, the payment was due this Friday and despite promises nothing has gone into the bank yet again. The directors are fine but its the idiots in accounts that must say to the bosses "haven't I done well" Well we'll see how well they've done when I tell them to shove any future work up their arse.
The “idiots in accounts” are only doing what the Directors tell them to. If the “idiots in accounts” have a “Creditor days” KPI it will have been the directors who decided what it should be. So it’s the Directors who are taking you for a fool.KrazyIvan said:
For people wondering why payments are always late..
In my Farthers last year before retirement from the NHS, the hospital contracted an external consultancy to look at the way the hospital was run from a financial side and suggest improvements. After 3 month's the only suggestion they could make was in paying invoices. The Hospital used a number of local firms for jobs, the hospital always paid within 7 days of the invoice, the consultancy company showed how they could save money by not paying until final demand and then offer less then agreed.
My father suggested they start this new system by trying it on the consutancly firm, the guy doing the presentation thought he was joking and reminded him that they expected to be paid on time. By the time he left they had changed their payment terms.
In my Farthers last year before retirement from the NHS, the hospital contracted an external consultancy to look at the way the hospital was run from a financial side and suggest improvements. After 3 month's the only suggestion they could make was in paying invoices. The Hospital used a number of local firms for jobs, the hospital always paid within 7 days of the invoice, the consultancy company showed how they could save money by not paying until final demand and then offer less then agreed.
My father suggested they start this new system by trying it on the consutancly firm, the guy doing the presentation thought he was joking and reminded him that they expected to be paid on time. By the time he left they had changed their payment terms.
Bit of a crap Consultancy if they weren’t aware of the NHS “prompt payment” requirement.
http://www.info.doh.gov.uk/doh/finman.nsf/181c702d...
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