Most probably all of us have already met the problem of bad payers. This is the case when an agency or a client delays payment of the work that has been ordered and delivered.. Certainly first it is preferable to send reminders and recalls of overdue payment yourself and in most cases this solves the problem, the other party sooner or later pays. However, if all these fail, before taking legal action there is another possibility. Trusting the debt collection to an agency.

Things to Watch out for:

„h Make sure the collection agency is long established, financially stable and creditworthy. By transferring your collections task to an agency you are in effect extending credit to the agency. You must be certain to receive payment from them. Beware of the less reputable collection agencies. Some of their methods are unprofessional and unethical.

„h Make sure the agency is a member of the Credit Services Association (CSA). These agencies have to work within specific guidelines.

„h "No collection, no fee policy". You should not have to pay if your debt is not collected.

„h Minimum charges and handling charges. Look out for minimum charges per invoice and handling charges that become due if you withdraw the invoice collection from the agency

„h Reputation and references. The debt collection agency will be a critical interface with your customers. Make no compromises. Work with a reputable firm to eliminate all risk of negatively influencing your customer relationship. Ask for references. Check if the collection agency is a member of the Credit Services Association.

„h Chose the debt collection agency according to your customer profile. Whether your customers are other businesses or individuals is an important criteria in choosing your collection agency. Some agencies, for example, do not collect against individuals.

„h Transfer restrictions on your outstanding invoices. Make sure there are no existing contractual arrangements that do not allow you to transfer your outstanding invoices to a debt collection agency. (For example, a loan that is secured by your outstanding invoices).



Here I have collected a list of reputable debt collection agencies and their contacts. Hopefully you will not need them, but if so, such a list could be handy.

Only for for the US:

National Credit Systems, Inc.
NCS is an Accounts Receivable Management firm, with over 25,000 companies, institutions, and medical practices as clients. NCS does not charge a percentage of the money collected, only a flat fee - always less than 10%; and also unlike other agencies, the recovered money is sent directly to you, not to the collection agency. You supply only the debtor's name, address and balances due, in lists, on computer tape, on NCS Claim Forms, or on-line through their web site.
http://www.nationalcredit.com/

n ninety (90) days past due

Special rates are available for any account (90) days pa
Also for other countries:

JMS Associates, Inc.

The JMS team of specialists has over 25 years of combined experience within this very unique industry. They handle every possible situation from major international corporate debt, deficiency balances for nationwide banking institutions, and of course, honest to goodness family owned and operated American businesses. They also do extensive research on every aspect of the debtor¡¦s financial status. If no money is collected, no fees are charged. There are no contracts to sign and no upfront cost such as listing fees or membership fees.

http://www.jms-associates.net/rates.html



Transworld Systems
Transworld Systems collection agency has been offering collection agency services to businesses, medical practices and facilities since 1970.
Three stage process including Early demands, Verbal demands and finally legal action. Fixed fee averaging less than 10$ per account.

http://www.transworldsystems.com/





For Canada:

Credit Bureau Collections
The leading collection agency in Canada for debt collection and recovery. They have a Pre-Collection Letter service The result of the debtor receiving a letter from Credit Bureau Collections is most often positive due to the reference to the Credit Bureau credit history file. They provide a return envelope for payment directly back to you with every Pre-Collection letter. Letter programs can be completely customized to your specifications. They will send as many letters as you wish with such frequency as you deem necessary.

For the UK:

Daniels Silvermann
„h "No win ¡X no fee" debt recovery
„h Dedicated Client Manager
„h Proactive effective collection methods
„h Immediate ¡X same day action
„h Regular informative status reports
„h Audited Client Account
„h Quick results and turnaround
„h UK and International recovery action
„h Professional advice on T & C's
„h Full range of credit management services
http://www.danielssilverman.co.uk/