Disputes tribunal is very effective. Takes about 2 weeks once you lodge a complaint but only takes 10 minutes (ok maybe a bit longer) to fill in the form and it's done.
Got to agree with others here ... nothing works better than old school - much harder to ignore letters and phone calls. If you are serious draw up your escalation plan, document and diary step by step to the ultimate legal/ombudsman proceedings. You can't rush but you can be consistent and determined...
Letters are good when you receive no response send registered (as a pretty parcel works :-) .. the important thing is you need to diary and record the efforts you have made for later action.
Lots of people disagree with the law which is why the courts are so full. Your perspective is in this regard. I'd suggest you keep things legal or you could end up with a bit of a legal bill...
email for debt collection from someone who doesn't want (or is able to pay) is a waste of time.
Ph calls in the first instance.
- Get commitment to pay and if in doubt, clarify how they are going to get the money (IE, so John, you said you can pay me $200 on Tuesday, is that your payday?) sort of thing.
- If they break a promise to pay, follow up immediately, not a few days later, but as soon as the commitment is broken. Have an escalation plan and clearly outline it to the person on the phone - IE John, you didn't make the payment you promised me yesterday, I understand that you will get it done, but I need to advise you what will happen if you dont (go into details, debt collector who will also add costs to the debt, court/small claims court, statutory demand etc).
Don't give them anything that could be used to mitigate the debt or could cast you as a bully in the eyes of a potential court (don't use profanity, keep calm and polite) - has it been acknowledged or is it disputed?
If ph calls are ineffective, is a personal visit available? If you are uncomfortable with a visit, go with a friend (preferably someone like the guy from Mitre10 mega), 2 people is good both for your own security and so a witness could be available if harrasment is claimed.
Aaron-afk's case in that GP thread have been discussed in another thread recently, he probably pushed the boundaries a bit as to what can be done, but in saying that, the guy he collected from was a scum who tried to rip people off, so not much sypmathy from all but the hardened lefty treehuggers (I'm sure Sue Bradford would organise a protest march if asked, shes good at those).
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