The dog ate the invoice. The cheque is in the post. The accountant is on holiday. The computer is down. Late payment excuses are many and varied, and these are just a few of them. As Richard Wilson, chairman of the Better Payment Practice Group, comments: 'There is no end to the lengths that some debtors will go to in order to wriggle out of paying what they owe on time.' Despite late payment legislation, it is very difficult to force habitual late-payers to cough up on time, particularly if you want to keep their business. But there are steps you can take to remove a little of the slack.'Don't give debtors any room for excuses or delays,'says Wilson/issue invoices promptly, narrow down the issues raised by the customer as quickly as possible, set strict deadlines for payment, and ensure all conversations and exchanges of correspondence are recorded properly.'
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