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advise to collect overdue bill, chicago area

updated thu 21 sep 00

 

Susan Fox Hirschmann on tue 19 sep 00


This email is both looking for advise (someone to collect an over due bill
for me at a gallery in a suburb of Chicago) as well as a warning:

Dazzle Gallery, in Arlington Heights, Illinois has told me they would pay me
for the last 3 months. Sometimes they say the check is in the mail, then
they say it is coming in a few days, etc.....but the bottom line is that when
they placed the order with me, they agreed to pay me within 30 days, and have
been dishonest in their dealings with me. Their invoice is now 90 days past
due.
Anyone that has any suggestions on collecting this over due bill (a BIG one,
of almost $1,000!) please let me hear from you.
Short of going to court and filing suit against them, which may be what i
have to do next. Any Chicago lawyers out there who would be willing to help
me, please email me offlist with your costs to sue this gallery.
Thanks.

Susan
Annandale, VA

Gary Elfring on wed 20 sep 00


>Dazzle Gallery, in Arlington Heights, Illinois has told me they would pay me
>for the last 3 months. Sometimes they say the check is in the mail, then
>they say it is coming in a few days, etc.....but the bottom line is that when
>they placed the order with me, they agreed to pay me within 30 days, and have
>been dishonest in their dealings with me. Their invoice is now 90 days past
>due.
>Anyone that has any suggestions on collecting this over due bill (a BIG one,
>of almost $1,000!) please let me hear from you.
>Short of going to court and filing suit against them, which may be what i
>have to do next. Any Chicago lawyers out there who would be willing to help
>me, please email me offlist with your costs to sue this gallery.


Assuming you have paperwork to back up the sale, and that you don't mind
giving away 18% - 25% of the money, hire a local DuPage county collection
agency (Arlington Heights is in DuPage county) that has it's own lawyer on
staff. Before you do that, send the gallery a certified letter stating
their current bill (with 2% interest per month tacked on) and that their
account will be turned over to a collection agency on such-and-such a date
unless payment is received before that date.

A local collection agency is able to deal with the local courts quite well.
They have to follow a set procedure, which can take quite a while (I think
it's 6 months), but they always get the money AND they file a damaging
report with the credit agencies for that gallery. All it takes to hire a
collection agency is a phone call and you will have to mail or fax copies
of your paper work. Then you never have to deal with the gallery again. You
lose 18% - 25% of the money, but get the satisfaction of wrecking their
credit rating.


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