Late Payment from French Client

Hi

I have a client who is based in France and I am invoicing in Euro's. I'm still trying to get payment for an invoice issued to cover work for May and June. I have a July invoice due for payment in early september and one still to submit.

They keep saying payment is going through etc but it hasn't arrived. I can stop working for them but I don't know how to go about getting the outstanding invoices paid as they are based in France. The total amount is in the multple 000's

Does anyone have any idea of the best route to follow on this?

TIA

Hi David

Thanks for those links - I didn't really know where to start so I'll take a look.

Thanks again

Don't forget as you are UK based, you are entitled to add the UK late payment charges to this account on any overdue invoices...

I assume your contract is under UK law. If so you can start by serving a freezing order over the assets of the French Company. This will cost around £5k - £10k. French Banks do not like this and this may be all that you need to do to get the money. It will also afford you the opportunity of finding out if the French Company has the ability to pay relatively cheaply and quickly, it also ensures that once you go through the legal process of debt collection you know you will get something back at the end of it. On the granting of the order by the French court you then have a period of time to serve it ( your choice). Once served you must commence action, assuming your contract is under English Law you can commence proceedings in the UK.

A debt collection agency may be slightly cheaper if the debt is uncontested and for goods especially if your contract has a Reservation of Title clause. but if it's services then it will undoubtably mean the use of a solicitor. Here you MUST use one with international experience and or local representatives in France.

Contact me privately If you need further assistance and I can pass you the details of a solicitor in the UK I am using in what sounds to be a similar case.

Ashley Smith wrote:

If so you can start by serving a freezing order over the assets of the French Company. This will cost around £5k - £10k.

Ouch! £5-£10K before you even find out if they have the money to pay seems like overkill to us...

A credit report would be cheaper and would give you some idea as to the finances of your late payer...

If the company is in financial difficulty (as opposed to just being slow/non payers) spending a significant sum may well be a case of throwing good money after bad!