Payment terms

Hi All,

I'm currently chasing several overdue payments. Now, my T & C's state that payment must be made within 30 days of receipt. My Client says that they pay on the 30th of the month, following the month of invoice! Who's terms & conditions actually apply?

Grrr....I hate chasing payments!

Thanks,
Andrew

This is a classic "battle of contracts". The rule of law says that the "last terms" are the ones in force. Basically is a case of who had the last word? If you want to read more about this this article uses plain English :)
en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Offer_and_acceptance

here is an example: all our staff has the following "The use of any of our services indicates an agreement and full understanding of our terms and conditions: www.bostico.co.uk/terms-conditions.htm
If we are the last ones to email the customer, then it's our terms.
Since I just passed my Contract Law Exam, I feel knowlegeable.
The other way around it, is to get a booking/order form with payment terms on it and ask the client to sign it and tick number of days.
I always put:

30 days 0%
45 days 10% Surcharge
60 days 20% Surcharge
This way it's all black and white. No form, no order!

Many thanks for your reply Andreea, it's a great help. And congrats on your exam pass.