{"id":93550,"date":"2024-09-19T10:19:02","date_gmt":"2024-09-19T08:19:02","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/dexxter.be\/your-customer-refuses-to-pay-your-invoice\/"},"modified":"2026-05-15T13:18:01","modified_gmt":"2026-05-15T11:18:01","slug":"your-customer-refuses-to-pay-your-invoice","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/dexxter.be\/en\/blog\/your-customer-refuses-to-pay-your-invoice\/","title":{"rendered":"Customer refuses to pay your invoice: what can you do?"},"content":{"rendered":"\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">You\u2019ve sent your sales invoice by the book. Now you\u2019re waiting for payment\u2026 but what if that invoice goes unpaid?<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">It can happen that your customer hasn\u2019t paid an invoice and the due date has passed. Every business owner has their own approach to this problem, but let\u2019s go over the most obvious options.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<h2 class=\"wp-block-heading\">Send a payment reminder \ud83d\udce9<\/h2>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\"><strong>A friendly payment reminder<\/strong> is often the first step. Simply send a letter, email, or WhatsApp message asking your customer to pay the outstanding invoice as soon as possible.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">It\u2019s always possible that the customer has simply lost track of your invoice. In such cases, a quick reminder will ensure payment.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\"><\/p>\n\n\n<style>.kb-row-layout-id54991_5ac164-d9 > .kt-row-column-wrap{align-content:center;}:where(.kb-row-layout-id54991_5ac164-d9 > .kt-row-column-wrap) > .wp-block-kadence-column{justify-content:center;}.kb-row-layout-id54991_5ac164-d9 > .kt-row-column-wrap{column-gap:var(--global-kb-gap-md, 2rem);row-gap:var(--global-kb-gap-md, 2rem);max-width:826px;margin-left:auto;margin-right:auto;padding-top:var(--global-kb-spacing-sm, 1.5rem);padding-right:var(--global-kb-spacing-md, 2rem);padding-bottom:var(--global-kb-spacing-sm, 1.5rem);padding-left:var(--global-kb-spacing-md, 2rem);grid-template-columns:minmax(0, calc(30% - ((var(--global-kb-gap-md, 2rem) * 1 )\/2)))minmax(0, calc(70% - ((var(--global-kb-gap-md, 2rem) * 1 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kt-mobile-layout-row kt-row-valign-middle\">\n<style>.kadence-column54991_460934-da > .kt-inside-inner-col{display:flex;}.kadence-column54991_460934-da > .kt-inside-inner-col,.kadence-column54991_460934-da > .kt-inside-inner-col:before{border-top-left-radius:0px;border-top-right-radius:0px;border-bottom-right-radius:0px;border-bottom-left-radius:0px;}.kadence-column54991_460934-da > .kt-inside-inner-col{column-gap:var(--global-kb-gap-sm, 1rem);}.kadence-column54991_460934-da > .kt-inside-inner-col{flex-direction:column;justify-content:center;}.kadence-column54991_460934-da > .kt-inside-inner-col > .aligncenter{width:100%;}.kt-row-column-wrap > .kadence-column54991_460934-da{align-self:center;}.kt-inner-column-height-full:not(.kt-has-1-columns) > .wp-block-kadence-column.kadence-column54991_460934-da{align-self:auto;}.kt-inner-column-height-full:not(.kt-has-1-columns) > .wp-block-kadence-column.kadence-column54991_460934-da > .kt-inside-inner-col{flex-direction:column;justify-content:center;}.kadence-column54991_460934-da > .kt-inside-inner-col:before{opacity:0.3;}.kadence-column54991_460934-da{position:relative;}@media all and (max-width: 1024px){.kt-row-column-wrap > .kadence-column54991_460934-da{align-self:center;}}@media all and (max-width: 1024px){.kt-inner-column-height-full:not(.kt-has-1-columns) > .wp-block-kadence-column.kadence-column54991_460934-da{align-self:auto;}}@media all and (max-width: 1024px){.kt-inner-column-height-full:not(.kt-has-1-columns) > .wp-block-kadence-column.kadence-column54991_460934-da > .kt-inside-inner-col{flex-direction:column;justify-content:center;}}@media all and (max-width: 1024px){.kadence-column54991_460934-da > .kt-inside-inner-col{flex-direction:column;justify-content:center;}}@media all and (max-width: 767px){.kt-row-column-wrap > .kadence-column54991_460934-da{align-self:center;}.kt-inner-column-height-full:not(.kt-has-1-columns) > .wp-block-kadence-column.kadence-column54991_460934-da{align-self:auto;}.kt-inner-column-height-full:not(.kt-has-1-columns) > .wp-block-kadence-column.kadence-column54991_460934-da > .kt-inside-inner-col{flex-direction:column;justify-content:center;}.kadence-column54991_460934-da > .kt-inside-inner-col{flex-direction:column;justify-content:center;}}<\/style>\n<div class=\"wp-block-kadence-column kadence-column54991_460934-da\"><div class=\"kt-inside-inner-col\">\n<figure class=\"wp-block-image size-full\"><img fetchpriority=\"high\" decoding=\"async\" width=\"300\" height=\"300\" src=\"https:\/\/dexxter.be\/wp-content\/uploads\/2024\/02\/Tips-template-21.png\" alt=\"\" class=\"wp-image-28040\" srcset=\"https:\/\/dexxter.be\/wp-content\/uploads\/2024\/02\/Tips-template-21.png 300w, https:\/\/dexxter.be\/wp-content\/uploads\/2024\/02\/Tips-template-21-150x150.png 150w\" sizes=\"(max-width: 300px) 100vw, 300px\" \/><\/figure>\n<\/div><\/div>\n\n\n<style>.kadence-column54991_7993fc-d9 > .kt-inside-inner-col,.kadence-column54991_7993fc-d9 > .kt-inside-inner-col:before{border-top-left-radius:0px;border-top-right-radius:0px;border-bottom-right-radius:0px;border-bottom-left-radius:0px;}.kadence-column54991_7993fc-d9 > .kt-inside-inner-col{column-gap:var(--global-kb-gap-sm, 1rem);}.kadence-column54991_7993fc-d9 > .kt-inside-inner-col{flex-direction:column;}.kadence-column54991_7993fc-d9 > .kt-inside-inner-col > .aligncenter{width:100%;}.kadence-column54991_7993fc-d9 > .kt-inside-inner-col:before{opacity:0.3;}.kadence-column54991_7993fc-d9{position:relative;}@media all and (max-width: 1024px){.kadence-column54991_7993fc-d9 > .kt-inside-inner-col{flex-direction:column;justify-content:center;}}@media all and (max-width: 767px){.kadence-column54991_7993fc-d9 > .kt-inside-inner-col{flex-direction:column;justify-content:center;}}<\/style>\n<div class=\"wp-block-kadence-column kadence-column54991_7993fc-d9\"><div class=\"kt-inside-inner-col\">\n<p class=\"has-text-align-left wp-block-paragraph\"><strong>When should you send a payment reminder?<\/strong><br><\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">Our accountant explains <a href=\"https:\/\/dexxter.be\/en\/when-do-you-send-a-payment-reminder\/\">when it\u2019s best to send a reminder<\/a>.<\/p>\n<\/div><\/div>\n\n<\/div><\/div>\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\"><\/p>\n\n\n\n<h2 class=\"wp-block-heading\">The customer disputes the invoice<\/h2>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\"><strong>Your customer may disagree with your sales invoice due to the hours billed or the services provided.<\/strong> \u274c In such cases, you can always try to negotiate a compromise with your customer. The goal is to reach an agreement that both parties can accept.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">Have you reached a verbal compromise with your customer? Be sure to have that solution confirmed in writing or via email.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<h2 class=\"wp-block-heading\">Send a formal notice \ud83d\udcec<\/h2>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">If you don\u2019t receive a response to your payment reminders or can\u2019t reach a settlement with your customer, you can then <strong>proceed to send a formal notice<\/strong> (also known as a notice of default). It\u2019s best to send such a notice by registered mail and <strong>keep the proof of mailing in a safe place<\/strong>. This way, you\u2019ll have the necessary proof later that you actually sent something.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">Such a formal notice is actually very similar to a payment reminder. You state that you expect the full invoice amount (plus any interest or reminder fees in accordance with your terms and conditions) to be deposited into your bank account within, for example, 5 business days.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">To reinforce your claim, you can also state that, otherwise, you will hand over the outstanding invoice to a collection agency, bailiff, or lawyer, and that your customer will be responsible for the resulting additional costs. \ud83e\uddd1\u200d\u2696\ufe0f<\/p>\n\n\n\n<h2 class=\"wp-block-heading\">Call in a collection agency<\/h2>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\"><strong>Has all your previous communication failed to make an impression?<\/strong> Then you can turn to a <strong>collection agency<\/strong>. The advantage of collection agencies is that they usually operate on a \u201cno cure, no pay\u201d basis. In other words, the agency\u2019s fees are passed on to your customer. This makes it a good solution for business owners.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\"><strong>When your delinquent customer receives a demand letter from a collection agency, it makes quite an impression<\/strong>, which usually results in prompt payment. \ud83d\udcb6<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">But hopefully, you won&#8217;t have to go that far!<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\"><\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<p>You\u2019ve sent your sales invoice by the book. Now you\u2019re waiting for payment\u2026 but what if that invoice goes unpaid? It can happen that your customer hasn\u2019t paid an invoice and the due date has passed. Every business owner has their own approach to this problem, but let\u2019s go over the most obvious options. Send [&hellip;]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":29,"featured_media":77529,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[47],"tags":[69,67,65,66,68],"class_list":["post-93550","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-invoices-and-quotations","tag-all","tag-landlord","tag-self-employed-in-main-occupation","tag-self-employed-in-secondary-occupation","tag-self-employed-student"],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/dexxter.be\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/93550","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/dexxter.be\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/dexxter.be\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/dexxter.be\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/29"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/dexxter.be\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=93550"}],"version-history":[{"count":1,"href":"https:\/\/dexxter.be\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/93550\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":93551,"href":"https:\/\/dexxter.be\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/93550\/revisions\/93551"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/dexxter.be\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/77529"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/dexxter.be\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=93550"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/dexxter.be\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=93550"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/dexxter.be\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=93550"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}