What should you do if your company does work for another business (one of those national cake delivery corporations) and they don't pay. (Work done in September)

I have sent online invoices, letters, called and spoken with the accounts payable person and NOTHING! Just false promises.

What's the next step? Anyone have a clue?

TIA

Beat them up.

Is there a difference in how much you can actually get in your pocket when you compare turning them over to a collection agency or taking them to small claims court?

Lots of big businesses pay their bills quarterly. Could that be the problem?

Do you have a contract with them that stipulates the terms of their payment to you, just like any other client? If they are out of those terms let know they have X days to have funds to you or you will be sending their account to collections for non payment and/or contacting your lawyer. Maybe they just don't get in and need a fire lit under their bum.

I'm with melmar. Send them a certified letter telling them that they have 3 business days to pay you with a certified bank check or you will be forced to send their account to your attorney to pursue the matter legally.

Then I would no longer take orders from them unless you receive cash or certified check upon receipt of the order.

Find out who's the boss of the woman you've been dealing with and go directly to them.

Good luck. I hope you get paid.

im no help with the collections but also give them bad reviews when you come across there sites on line and there is an option to review them.

I would politely call every day. Ask the person you are talking to if they are authorized to write your check. If they are not ask who is. Ask for that person every day. Leave messages. Be consistent and not annoying--be patient but be firm.

Good Luck

I agree with sending the certified, return receipt letter and indicate a copy is being sent to your attorney. You can file in small claims court for up to $5,000.00. If you take it to collections, they will take up to 40% or more of what is owed to you. So I would rule out collections. Sounds like they have a cash flow problem and someone is picking and choosing who will get paid and who won't. I guess utilities come first. I'm sorry but nice doesn't work here. Good luck!!

Hmm, let me guess - Cakes Across America? They are notorious for non payment and extremely late payments to the bakeries that do work for them. I don't deal with them any more just for that reason. Not to mention, you have to deliver and 9 times out of 10 it is to a very bad part of town if you live in a big city. There are a couple other companies that are just like CAA and I have heard they are just as bad about paying too.

I mean get an attorney but bug the hell out of them first-professionally though. Getting the attorney means you just lost more money not to mention control.

Call call call call call call--it's the squeaky wheel as the saying goes.

Little drops of water
Little grains of sand
Make the mighty ocean
And the pleasant land

I also say send them a letter and tell them that if you don't get the money by such and such a date, that you're going to be turning the information over to your attorney. Also send a copy of the contract to remind them of the late penalties and such.

I have no idea...The only overhead they could possibly have is a website maintenance, maybe an office rent if they aren't doing it from a home, and an accountant if they too aren't doing that themselves. I don't get it either. Also their stock quarter sheets start at $79! or at least they did back when I was on their list of bakeries to call. And they charge tax & delivery on top of that. I always found it very odd that a person in a bad part of town living in govt. assisted housing could afford to order one of these cakes especially when there was a grocery store within walking distance! Only once did I do a delivery to an affluent part of town (River Oaks in Htown) for CAA. I handed the recipient a business card and told them to contact me directly next time, they gave me a tip that was the cost of what I charged for the cake! I was happy about that since I never received payment from CAA for that cake, so on that one I wasn't out any money thank goodness, and the person was an EXXON exec. and the main office started ordering cakes right & left from me. So in that respect it was a good deal but I had had so many bad experiences with CAA that it wasn't worth hoping for another diamond in the rough

You should first start with a certified letter reutn receipt requested. This way they know you are starting to mean business and it shows that you are keeping record of how and when you contact them. Also put in your letter if you can that on certain dates you spoke to XYZ rep and was told payment would be made that day.

FYI--

I was finally paid in full yesterday. I didn't have to send a certified letter, (although I will keep that in mind for the future). However, I did have to change my tone of voice and had to stop being so darn nice.

In addition, I refused to leave a message. This time, I just held on until the AP person got tired of avoiding me.

Just thought I'd let you guys know.

Thanks for your support.