Vermeulen Attorneys can assist with your Debt Collection
Ever found yourself rolling your eyes at the excuses made by debtors that was supposed to pay their account ages ago? Working with debtors daily we found that there are a few trending excuses. Let’s have a look at the most common excuses made by debtors.
- The “I never got the invoice, please re-send it”.
This excuse is normally paired with a telecoms issue they are having. Internet was off, emails aren’t working, phones are offline. The usual. When a debtor says they didn’t receive the invoices. Make a point of putting in a ‘read receipt’ on the email.
- The ‘month end, month end’ excuse.
So, month end has come and gone, but the payment still wasn’t made. Its important to set a date when a debtor says they will be paying month end. Month end could be anything from the 25th to the 1st. when you call them back, they will say they haven’t gotten paid yet because their month end and your month end is different. Nib this issue in the bud and set a proper date. Last day of the month? Great, this is Monday for example, now when you call them on Tuesday, they can’t use the same excuse. This bring us to the next big one:
- “I have paid, isn’t it reflecting on your side? “
No, it isn’t reflecting because it was never done. Don’t assume they have paid if they say so. Wait for the proof of payment and until it shows in your account. Normally if they make this excuse, they will avoid all correspondence from you until the actual payment was made. They will be quick to inform you if it was really paid.
- “My client owes me, I will pay you when they pay me”
This is a difficult one because there is no way of saying the following in a nice way “your client is none of my business” the agreement is between me and you, not your client- pay my account.
- “Please call me back, I’m in a meeting”
How would you feel if someone took a call during a meeting? Its unlikely and probably untrue. Set a time to call them back and strictly call back then.
- “I’m unemployed, I can’t pay”
This too is a tricky one- if the debt arose after they lost their job, they shouldn’t have used your services. But they did, so the account is due. If they seriously can’t pay the account, have them pay off monthly and add interest should your contract make provision.
These are the most common excuses made by debtors that we have found. If your debtor just refuses to pay or uses these excuses, hand them over! Why go through all the trouble on a monthly basis when you can get a professional to do it for you? Sometimes it just takes a different voice or approach that gets the payment in. Your debtor knows you and sometimes you might be too soft and forgiving. What it comes down to is you gave them something in exchange for payment. This is fair. This was the agreement. People will take chances to save a quick buck.
