Prying money from a client who won't pay

From BARRY R. GOLDMAN

As a judgment enforcement specialist, I was not surprised to see your recommendation for the writer to turn to a traditional collection agency. Unfortunately, most collection agencies are not familiar with judgment enforcement, per se. I, and many of my colleagues in the California Association of Judgment Professionals (www.cajp.org ) have been conducting judgment enforcement for several years. As an association, we are intimately familiar with the ins and outs of enforcing judgments, from small claims to civil, family law, and bankruptcy. Traditional collection agencies which spend their time and efforts collecting medical bills and credit card debts by making telephone calls and sending letters do not have the experience, expertise, nor structure to pursue judgment enforcement.

From Michael, Chicago

In the five years I have been in business, I have had only one client who has not paid his bills. The delinquency came at the worst time–when my wife just gave birth to twins.

The one thing that needs to be added about small claims court is that even if you get a judgment in your favor, you still need to be able to collect from the person who owes you; in other words, does the customer have the money? You have to think about whether the time and effort of collecting is worth it to you in your business operations.

Personally, I have taken an alternative approach that hurts my client more than any attorney or court could do–I have done everything possible to funnel business away from this person, and to tell anyone who knows of the expertise of this person about how this person operates (www.sidneymaxwell.blogspot.com). I have worked a long time with this client and have told many a journalist about my situation; it's nice when they tell me they won't work with him anymore because of this.

Your pocketbook has already been affected; it's time for your customer to see how it feels. Good luck.