I'm an independent consultant who is having trouble collecting for work completed...?

Question

we had settled on a final amount, which to date has not been paid; what type of wording should I use in my email to him before turning it over to a lawyer or collection agency?

Answer 1

Just that! Be strong and firm, but be careful not to sound whiny. And say you will be handing it over to a lawyer. Try phrases like “Final Notice” & “Overdue Payment” and a very popular “Legal Action”.

Answer 2

Hello, "Payment is currently due for services that were rendered on ......... To settle the outstanding balance ................. If you need further assistance with anything kindly contact my office."

Send the person a memo, with the above information. I think "a memo" should be sent because a letter may send the message that you want to be too cooperative; it isn't stern enough; while in your writing you want to come across professional you also send the message that not paying a debt owed is not in any way professional.

This memo will also show that you have no hard feelings; the goal is to get your money and if it means that you have to be nice until the matter is resolved, then that is the chance you have to take; nice but not a pushover. Hopefully the customer will comply instead of risking this debt put on his/her credit record for over 5 years.

Hope this helps

Answer 3

Hi,

In my business, many of my customers pay late (but I have never been stiffed yet).

To protect yourself you should always get an order form signed by the customer before the product or service is delivered. An acceptable timeframe for payment delivery should also be stated in the order form. For example, "All invoices are considered due and payable immediately upon receipt; invoices not paid after 30 days will incur a late fee of 5%."

I don't want to upset my customers (I hope they will make another purchase in the future) so I send the following e-mail to customers who are late with a payment:

Subject: Late payment for

Hi ,

If you have not done so yet, could you please send the attached invoice for the to your accounting department? Let me know if you have any questions or if you need anything else.

Thanks for your order,

Answer 4

Where is my money? I am asking for the money you promised me. I had to work day and night for atleast a week for you. This is quite differenct from asking for a portion of the profit from a business or getting commission, brokerage etc.


I am sure I will be able to see you again desperately seeking consultancy in similar lines. I will also remember that you didnt even value $sososo for a good relationship with me. Life is quite long and what goes around comes around.

Enjoy
_____________________________________


English is not my first language. But I wrote a mail with the above lines and got a positive "reply". No money yet though.

Answer 5

Agreed with the comment above me. Also, don't handle it through email, it is too hard to prove that they read and received it. Send a certified Mail, it should cost you less than $5.00 at the post office, then you have proof of the invoice.

Answer 6

Stop emailing. Email is not legal notification. You need to be using regular mail, with proof of delivery.