Chasing Payment

How long do you wait before you start asking?

"I told myself to quit you; but I don't listen to drunks." -Chris Stapleton

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Not long

Seriously, it depends on the company, their terms, and the projected pay date. A company I've worked with a lot who pays consistently I wouldn't bother contacting until a week beyond the expected payment date. That allows for anything odd like holidays or a pay date falling on the weekend. A newer to me company or one who tends to pay late might get an email prior to the due date. An example would be Instant Replays. They became a late payer long before becoming a no payer. I reached the point I would email several days ahead to verify my payment would be remitted on such and such date. It was a successful strategy for over a year.

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Thanks Lisa.

Details: one company pays in 3 weeks. The invoice I sent them had the wrong location. I fixed that when the scheduler contacted me. I've been paid for later shops.

Another MSC pays on the 15th and the 30th. I was paid on 7/29 for a 7/19 shop, but not for a 7/12 shop. I have done many shops for this company. This is the first time there has been an issue.

One company is new to me. The shop was performed in June.

As you can see, all of the situations are different.

"I told myself to quit you; but I don't listen to drunks." -Chris Stapleton

Whenever there is an issue with a shop or invoice, I take it into consideration. It may have missed the cut off. I forgot to add, how quickly I contact them also depends on their payment method since checks can take forever some months.

Your late invoice most likely delayed that payment. I would be contacting the company now for the 7/12 shop because it would look to be an error. I can't answer for the June shop without knowing their terms. There are MSCs out there who might not pay a June shop until September. It also depends on whether it made the June cutoff. I rarely expect a shop performed the last two to three days of the month to be included in that month even though most companies get everything done quickly at the end of the month. It just saves me some headaches if I assume it will end up with the following month's payments then get surprised.

If I haven't received payment from an out of state shop within 4 months, I start chasing. If I have to chase again the next time I shop for them, I put them on the bottom of my preferred companies to shop for. If a company consistently makes me chase payment, I lose faith in that company's solvency.

I keep in my spreadsheet date payment expected and date payment received. This easily lets me see what shops are still owed and if they are past due for payment. I can also look at other shops for that msp and see if there are any patterns of late payments. Any payment that is late more than a day or two gets a note next to the payment date on my spreadsheet that it was late. As for chasing payments it depends on history with the company and how late they are. One day is different than one week. IMHO a week late is time for a polite email inquiring about payment.

Shopping Western NY, Northeast and Central PA, and parts of Ohio and West Virginia. Have car will travel anywhere if the monies right.

Thanks Lisa!

"I told myself to quit you; but I don't listen to drunks." -Chris Stapleton

Thanks AZ. Just curious, what's the significance of an out of state shop?

"I told myself to quit you; but I don't listen to drunks." -Chris Stapleton

Thanks Buffalo.

"I told myself to quit you; but I don't listen to drunks." -Chris Stapleton

@HonnyBrown wrote:

Thanks AZ. Just curious, what's the significance of an out of state shop?

Shops I do in my state pay me bi-weekly and are never late. Payments that I receive for out-of-state shops vary widely from bi-monthly to a few months.

I did about half a dozen shops for Service Intelligence a few years ago and never got paid and never received a response to my efforts at contacting them. I can only assume they are no longer in business.

In state and out of state sounds somewhat irrelevant since MSCs pay according to set terms regardless of where they or the shopper is located. The only conceivable difference might be if payment was made by check. If so, it would only speed up the process by a day or two. Service Excellence was only a few miles from my home, yet I never got my payment, which could be rather quick, any sooner than anyone else.

@AZwolfman wrote:

@HonnyBrown wrote:

Thanks AZ. Just curious, what's the significance of an out of state shop?

Shops I do in my state pay me bi-weekly and are never late. Payments that I receive for out-of-state shops vary widely from bi-monthly to a few months.

I did about half a dozen shops for Service Intelligence a few years ago and never got paid and never received a response to my efforts at contacting them. I can only assume they are no longer in business.

Service Intelligence is still in business, I've done a lot of work for them. They generally pay me within three weeks (1 week for the shop to get approved, 2 weeks to receive payment), one time I had a payment problem (a shop was pending for a month because I requested additional reimbursement for something), so I emailed the scheduler (she's like a district coordinator or something, I'm not sure), and she immediately responded back apologize, approved the shop, and I got paid in 2 weeks.

You should log into their website - [shop4.intouchshoppers.com] - and email the scheduler in your area about it.

Edited 2 time(s). Last edit at 08/05/2016 02:29AM by JohnieQ.

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