"How long is too long for claiming payment for a job." Topic

I have got myself into a mess.

I have done a series of jobs for a University from 2009 to 2011. Because of the overlapping nature of the tasks I could never figured out how to split up the claims. Along the way my wife was taken into hospital and subsequently died.

Starting December 2011 I tried to sort out this mess. I would get so far and the person at the other end would leave. They claimed they could not find things. Today I have been told it is so long ago they are not going to pay. They say their financial rules say I should have claimed ithin 30 days of the task.

All this happened in the UK.

Any advice welcome.

Tell them that YOUR financial rules say they have to pay.
Services were provided. Payment is due.
Wasn't there a contract or PO that you were working off of?

It sure would be nice to be able to adopt a pesonal policy that I didn't have to pay someone if they didn't bill me fast enough. Somehow I don't think it would fly though.

Stop talking to people who might leave. Just submit an invoice. Accountant types like that sort of paperwork routine. If they don't pay, you'll have to file a claim.
Or… call your local Sicilian and offer to let him buy the debt. They sometimes have more efficient ways of collecting.

All that said…. you really should have been a bit more dilligent in your billing. It is now almost 2013.

Send them a "Copy" bill – itemised, as accurate as you can.

(sometimes offering an incentive to pay promptly works… such as a 5% late payment surcharge if not settled within 25 working days.)

If they respond to your invoice for payment for services rendered – and if there was no written contract, make sure you have documentation to support your claim, with a refusal to pay… then take it to your local CAB or Law Centre, or if you have access to funds find a solicitor who will write a letter "asking" for payment.

If that does not work, – then it is a drag through the courts – and that does not make you any better off than you are now, unless you have good legal insurance?

Why do you need to split up the claims if they were to one customer?

Itemise the work and send a bill marked 'Overdue' and specify that, if payment is not made within 30 days you will issue proceedings against them.

Get your legal advice from an attorney, not from an internet message board.

They claimed they could not find things. Today I have been told it is so long ago they are not going to pay. They say their financial rules say I should have claimed ithin 30 days of the task.

That definitely looks like a "seek proper advice" job, but debts only become statute-barred (ie. largely unenforceable, although the debt still exists) after 6 years. Really the issue is more likely to be establishing that the debt does exist, so will probably boil down to what paperwork, invoices, contracts or whatever you actually have. It does sound like something that needs properly examining, though; casual internet opinions are likely to be even less helpful than usual…. ;-)

Their 30-days rule should have no bearing on anything, *unless* you signed a contract with them that included that as a term. If so, then you could well be on a sticky wicket. But again, this really is a "sort out the paperwork as far as you can, and probably speak to a solicitor" job – it sounds likely to be, umm, complicated.

Dom.

Thank you all for your advice.

I will let you know how I get on.

John