FAQ

DEBT COLLECTION

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When should I use a collection agency?

In debt collection, there is a golden rule: you must act quickly! The earlier the unpaid debt is entrusted to us, the higher the chances of recovery. In order to be able to entrust your unpaid debt to a collection agency such as ours, your debt must be certain, liquid and due. In other words, it must result from the sale of a product or a service, the amount of which is defined and the due date has passed.

What is the success rate and after how long?

Some cases are settled very quickly, others within a few weeks or months (especially in the case of legal proceedings against the debtor), and sometimes never. This depends mainly on the solvency of the debtor and the evidence you have about your debt that you will not fail to transmit to us via your customer account.

Can your firm be called upon to handle a single case?

Yes, there is no minimum number of cases to be handled by us. We can intervene occasionally to help you quickly defuse your disputes and accelerate the payment of your invoices. Our collection experts' main mission is to intervene in an amicable manner in order to preserve your commercial relationship with your debtor.

What is the minimum amount for a collection case?

We process all files without any high or low price limit. There is no minimum amount, but we advise you not to collect too little to avoid having to pay a higher cost! Our business model allows you to collect debts as low as 15 euros!

What are the statutes of limitations for intervention?

Depending on the profile of your debtor and the nature of the unpaid debt, you may be able to claim your unpaid debts several years after the start of the dispute.

What is the risk of losing my client by using your services?

Our firm pays particular attention to the respect of your debtors and therefore of the commercial relationship you have with them.

We favour the amicable way to preserve your customer relationship. Your client becomes our client. In fact, 90% of the collection cases entrusted to LEGALCITY are amicable cases. Contrary to certain indelicate colleagues, we try all possibilities allowing to keep healthy and respectful relations between you and your debtor.

How to proceed to entrust you a file in collection?

Simply go to our website and click on "retrieve your invoices" and follow the instructions. Don't forget to attach as much information as possible about your debtors. Once you have chosen your formula, you can access your customer area and complete your form by attaching additional documents that will allow us to carry out our mission (Scan of supporting documents: contract, purchase order, mail, etc...)

Can the debtor be charged additional fees?

You can claim late payment penalties from your debtors if these are mentioned in your general terms and conditions of sale accepted by your customer. Namely, the penalty rate corresponds to the ECB (European Central Bank) refinancing rate, increased by 10 points.

Can we entrust an unpaid debt to a bailiff after a judgment or intervention?

No, we do not take any files after a judgment and intervention of a bailiff or other collection agency.

Can you intervene without the debtor's address?

For individuals, we cannot intervene without an address. On the other hand, we can carry out an address search and then initiate a collection procedure.

To whom does the debtor pay?

Our firm informs your debtor of the terms of payment by e-mail and by post. The debtor can pay his debt by check, transfer or money order. Secure online payment is also possible. Just like you, he/she benefits from a specifically dedicated space as soon as your request is created, allowing him/her to make or justify his/her payment.

When do you pay me back the money you have collected?

Once the debtor has paid us on the escrow account, we are able to pay you, we make the statements at the end of the week and immediately transmit to you by check or transfer, all the collections even partial, deducted from our fees which are only 9% of the total amount collected. For your information, this percentage is, to date, the lowest on the market.

The debtor paid me directly, what should I do?

It happens that the debtor pays you directly. If this is the case, you must inform us directly in your customer interface! Be aware that he may have notified us beforehand!

As soon as we know about the payment we will send you our invoice, to be paid by check, transfer or money order or with your agreement it can be deducted from your credit card.

Can you bill the debtor for your fees?

Contrary to some of our European neighbors, the French legislation forbids us to charge our fees to private debtors (cf. article L111-8, code of civil enforcement procedures). For your professional debtors, we can in certain cases claim an additional indemnity for collection costs).

How do you calculate your fees?

We calculate our fees only on the amounts recovered, at the rates indicated in our general conditions. In case of failure on our part, our fees are never claimed.

How do you keep me informed of your actions?

We systematically send you a notification of all our actions that you will also find on your customer area.

What happens if I am not satisfied with your services?

In the event of non-recovery or if you are not satisfied with our services, you can discharge us from a file by registered letter, in order to ask for the stop of the procedure in progress and the return of the documents in our possession. You then owe us nothing.

What happens if the collection fails?

We do not charge you any fees and we issue you a certificate of irrecoverability when your contact considers that the collection operation is not successful. Your debt is thus classified as a loss and you recover the VAT.

Can we entrust an unpaid debt to another collection agency?

No, as long as a case is entrusted to us, you must leave the entire management to us and not involve any third party.