The Email Before the Collection Agency
This video explains how to prepare a final payment email before referring an unpaid invoice to a collection agency. It covers the required details, the importance of following through, and the situations where immediate professional referral is more appropriate.
Key takeaways
- Identify the invoice, amount owed and original payment date, then show how long payment has been overdue and the accrued interest.
- Give a specific deadline 14 calendar days after sending, explain the planned referral, and include payment instructions and legal business identification.
- Keep the wording factual and composed; avoid apologies, emotional appeals, unfamiliar legal terminology and consequences you will not enforce.
- If the deadline passes without payment, carry out the promised referral on day 15.
- Bypass the email for debts older than 90 days, silence lasting more than 30 days, amounts exceeding €50,000, or cases where a lawyer has already issued a formal demand.
What this video covers
The video presents a final payment notice as a distinct escalation step rather than another routine reminder. Its purpose is to make the next action explicit: either the debtor pays, potentially avoiding an agency contingency fee, or the creditor has a clearer file to pass to a recovery firm. It walks through six components in sequence: invoice identification, the amount and original due date; days overdue and calculated late-payment interest; a deadline set 14 calendar days after the email; a statement that non-payment will trigger referral; bank details; and a signature identifying the creditor’s legal entity and registration number. The lesson also addresses tone and credibility. The notice should remain composed and businesslike, without emotional appeals, apologies or legal references the sender cannot explain. A promised referral must happen on day 15 if payment has not arrived. The change from requesting payment to specifying a procedural consequence is what distinguishes this message from earlier reminders. Finally, the video identifies when this step should be omitted. Debts beyond 90 days, debtor silence exceeding 30 days, balances above €50,000 and cases already involving a lawyer’s formal demand should go straight to an agency rather than through another email.
