If someone owes you money, keeps promising that he'll pay but misses every deadline, the relationship is already damaged.
As a debt recovery lawyer, new prospects often tell me, "But I don't want to affect my relationship with my customer."
Bro, they did that first by not paying you.
And I assure you, the debt did not happen overnight. The warning signs already appeared much earlier:
1. A customer who used to pay in 14 days suddenly becomes 30, then 60, then “next week boss, next week boss”.
2. Random small payments with no commitment to a proper settlement plan. Small transfers that are just enough to calm your emotions but are far from enough to solve the debt.
3. They become harder to reach: missed calls, slow replies, they insist on calling instead of putting things in writing.
4. Excuses like "account problem, bank problem, approval problem, waiting for my customer to pay me first problem".
5. Suddenly raising counterclaims or disputes only after collection starts, e.g. "quality issues" only discovered after the invoice becomes overdue.
These debtors are not dumb. They are just constantly testing your tolerance level. If your follow-ups are soft, apologetic and inconsistent, you are indirectly signaling that your invoices are optional.
You don't necessarily have to be the loudest or most aggressive creditor, but you have to convey structure: clear credit terms, consistent follow-ups, document everything, escalate with no hesitation when red flags appear.
Rudi Cheu (rudi@rulecolaw.com) is a content creator under the Newswav Creator programme, where you get to express yourself, be a citizen journalist, and at the same time monetize your content & reach millions of users on Newswav. Log in to creator.newswav.com and become a Newswav Creator now!
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