Got a $4,200 bill paid after 8 months of follow ups

I sent a final invoice for a commercial lease commission back in January. By March I was just getting automated replies from their AP department. I tried calling every two weeks, sending physical letters, even offered a 5% discount if they paid within 10 days. Nothing worked until I found the managing partner's direct email and cc'd him on a polite but firm note about turning it over to a collection agency. The check showed up 4 days later. Is it better to stay patient and preserve the relationship or get aggressive early and risk burning a bridge? I'm curious what others do after the 60 day mark.

3 comments

3 Comments

noraroberts2d ago

Start with the managing partner's assistant, not the AP department, since assistants actually read emails and can nudge things along. I usually give it 90 days before escalating, but I make sure each contact adds a little more pressure so they know I'm not going away. Keep the bridge intact by staying professional while making it clear you understand their business better than their accounts payable system does.

ray_burns1d ago

I mean, I get why people get worked up over money that's owed, but sometimes I wonder if we're making too big a deal out of it. You said "stay patient and preserve the relationship" like it's some huge dilemma, but honestly, eight months isn't that long in the grand scheme of things. I've had clients take nine or ten months to pay and then turn around and send me three more deals the next year. That relationship was worth way more than the stress I put myself through. Maybe it's just me, but I think some folks treat a late payment like a personal attack when really it's just a slow AP department. If you're constantly pushing and threatening collections, you might scare off future work that could pay you ten times that amount. Idk, I'd rather just send a polite nudge every 30 days and let the chips fall where they may.

wyattramirez1d ago

Wait, isn't that the same kind of mindset we use with everything else in life though? Like when a friend flakes on dinner plans or a contractor takes forever to finish a job, we usually give them the benefit of the doubt instead of blowing up at them right away. It just seems like people forget that business relationships are still relationships, and being too aggressive over a few months of late payments can burn a bridge that might have been worth keeping for years.