What legal steps can I take if a customer does not pay my invoices?
January 15, 2023 | 80,00 EUR | answered by Yvonne Schmidt
Dear attorney specializing in business law,
I am contacting you with an urgent matter regarding unpaid invoices from customers. My name is Gertrud Schillinger and I operate a small business in the field of textile finishing. In recent months, I have been experiencing increasing problems with customers who do not settle my invoices.
The current situation is as follows: After providing my services, I send my customers an invoice with a payment deadline of 14 days. Unfortunately, it is becoming more common for customers to not meet this deadline and even after several reminders, no payment is made. As a result, my liquidity is increasingly under pressure, as my company relies on the timely payment of invoices.
I am concerned about the financial stability of my business and I am wondering what legal steps I can take to demand the outstanding payments from my customers. What options are available to me as a business owner to take action against delinquent payers, and what legal steps are advisable in such cases?
I would be very grateful if you could provide me with your expertise in this matter and inform me about the legal options available to collect the outstanding debts from my customers.
Thank you in advance for your support.
Sincerely,
Gertrud Schillinger
Dear Mrs. Schillinger,
Thank you for your inquiry regarding unpaid invoices from customers in your company. I am sorry to hear that you are struggling with this issue and are concerned about the financial stability of your company. As a lawyer specializing in business law, I am happy to offer my expertise and will now outline various legal options to pursue delinquent payers and collect outstanding payments.
First and foremost, it is important to mention that as a business owner, you are legally entitled to demand payment from delinquent customers. If your customers fail to meet the agreed payment deadline, you can take legal steps to protect your company from financial losses.
One option is to send a pre-legal reminder, which you have already sent to your customers unsuccessfully multiple times. It is recommended to set a reasonable payment deadline in the reminder and clearly indicate that further legal actions will be taken if the payment is not made. If payment is still not received after the pre-legal reminder, you can hire a lawyer to pursue the outstanding debts through legal means.
In a judicial reminder procedure, you can request a payment order that instructs your customers to pay within a specific deadline. If payment is still not made after the payment order is issued, you can obtain an enforcement order to enforce the collection of the outstanding debts.
Furthermore, you may also consider working with a debt collection agency that specializes in collecting outstanding debts. These companies can assist you in enforcing your claims and, if necessary, initiate legal actions.
In any case, I recommend seeking advice from an experienced lawyer who can assist you in enforcing your claims and inform you about your legal options.
I hope this information is helpful to you and wish you success in collecting your outstanding debts.
Best regards,
Yvonne Schmidt
Lawyer specializing in business law
