It isn't always easy to convince someone to pay what they owe. They may have what they think is a legitimate reason for not paying. So how do you resolve the problem?
Most collection matters start with a good hard look at the situation. Do you have a signed contract, did you perform services that weren't paid for, do you have a "hot check", etc. The first step is to determine if you have a "legal" claim.
Generally, a collection matter starts with a demand for repayment. But it isn't as easy as it sounds. The government has set certain standards for collecting debts - those can be found in the Fair Debt Collection Practices Act. There are things you must say and things you cannot say.
Once the demand has been made and you still haven't been paid - now what? You can either sue them in court or try to mediate the situation or sometimes both. Many collection matters can be handled in small claims court (depends on the size of the debt) and a lot of people have been successful in handling small claims actions on their own. However, if you need to involve an attorney, the best time to do that is at the beginning - not in the middle of a situation. Quite often the mistakes that have been made before you bring in an attorney, either cannot be undone or have so limited your positition as to make it hard to get the "most" return for your efforts.
Mediation is a good alternative to going to court. We handle a large number of collection matters through discussions between the debtor and our clients. Sitting down and talking about the matter can allow parties to answer questions and resolve disputes that have been stading in the way of completing the deal.
But what if they won't talk and still won't pay? You may have to take the matter to court and hopefully get a judgment. But once you have the judgment, how do you get them to pay now - and how much? You can garnish wages, attach to real estate, bank accounts, personal property such as cars, etc. But there are specific processes you must follow to do each of these things.
Our firm has had significant success in collecting debts for our clients. We work very diligently to resolve the matter without going to court. But when that is jsut not possible, getting a judgment is usually the next step. But our service goes beyond just getting you a judgment. We have experience in collecting judgments and know the processes to turn your "judgment" into cash.