Operating in the business scenario takes more than core skills to survive. Dealing with business owners can be a real hassle if you don’t possess the tact to read vital signs and signals. Many of these businesses may take to several tactics to delay paying invoices or avoid payment altogether. In most cases, the reasons presented for delayed or denied payment may seem quite viable to the untrained eye. However, this is where you need to know the tactics used by these businesses to avoid payment and play it smart.
The following are some of the most common excuses used by businesses to delay or avoid payment of invoices:
– One of the easiest ways for businesses to delay invoice payment is by entering wrong details on payment slips. This may lead to bounced checks or other reasons for delay. So if a business owner says he/she entered the wrong details “by mistake,” make sure you enquire into it. This can get even more complicated when you trying to collect debt from overseas.
– Many businesses resort to outright lying when looking to delay payments to suppliers. They may say that they haven’t received the invoice at all and this leads to an unavoidable delay in payments. Make sure you send the invoice to the right address and also confirm that the business has received it well in time so there is no chance for delays.
– Another common method of delay or denial of invoice payment includes businesses pointing out mistakes and disputes in the invoice. If this is an issue raised by the business, the supplier must ask for immediate clarification so that the so called dispute can be solved quickly without further delay. On the other hand, if the business is using this as a delay tactic, there is a good chance that they will not provide clear explanation for further procrastination. Some businesses may also point out trivial mistakes in the invoice which really don’t matter and this should be spotted as a delay tactic.
– Businesses may resort to frequent changes in their email address to create further confusion and delays with the invoice. These businesses may also resort to some lame excuses such inability to open the attachment with the invoice or the absence of a printer. Consequently, they may ask you to mail the invoice rather than email it and this is surely going to take longer.
– One more popular procrastination method used by businesses includes absence of the accountant or the authorized personnel to clear the check. They may state that this individual is out on vacation or is home sick. It is important to establish a strict timeline for payment to avoid these instances.
– Another lame yet popular excuse used is that the business has not been paid by customers or creditors so they cannot pay you as a result. This is quite a sticky situation to find yourself in so you must make sure that you get a clarification on the same. Post dated checks may be an answer to this problem.
