Frequently Asked Questions

Rather than rave on about how good we think we are, why not look at our testimonials to see what our real clients have to say about us, both large and small.

Oh, and by the way, since we have been doing this since 1976, I guess we have learnt a trick or two along the way on how to best recover your debt(s).

Still not convinced, how about that we are local to you… rather than tucked away in some distant capital city, we don’t charge you account loading fees, annual fees or membership fees, we don’t charge you commission unless we collect, we don’t charge you Solicitors Professional fees where legal action becomes necessary… but we do give you your own dedicated paralegal Account Manager, we do give you 24/7 internet access to view the real time progress of your debt(s) and we do commence action the very same day your debt is received.

With over 35 years of senior management experience in debt collection, we have the know-how and the experience.

Our Account Managers are trained paralegals, who personally manage your debt from day one, right through the legal process where necessary.

Pro-Collect is a Master licence holder for Debt Collection and other associated industry activities with 35 years experience and debt collection know how. We specialise in providing quality, assertive Debt Collection services.

You obviously have a debtor whom has not paid despite your persistent attempts at demanding payment.

When your debtor receives the Pro-Collect letter of demand it puts your debtor on notice that you are no longer prepared to wait for payment and this is their last opportunity to attend to payment to avoid further action being taken.

All too often your debtor is not paying you because they are receiving pressure from other creditors. The letter from Pro-Collect is the first step to having your debt moved up the debtors’ list of priorities for payment.

Pro-Collect provides a No Collection, No Commission debt collection service. We do not charge joining fees, account loading fees or ongoing contracts. No solicitor professional fees are charged to you on the issue of most legal process. These are funded by us and are recoverable from your debtor. They are only ever payable by you should you withdraw an account from collection. Costs payable by you are limited to those disbursements actually incurred by us in lodging Business or Company searches, the filing, service or re-service at a new address, of your Court documents, our attendance at an Examination or Instalment Order Hearing, or time actually spent in location of your debtors, should they vacate their address. These costs only come into existence should legal action become necessary.

All court filing fees and the first court recoverable service fee as reimbursed by you, are added to the amount claimed and are legally recoverable from your debtor. They are fully reimbursed to you after collection of any Solicitors professional fees.

No!… we collect debts of any size from $50.00 to $500,000.00 and more. The collection process and techniques used by Pro-Collect in each instance will depend on the value and circumstances of your debt(s) referred for collection.

Our Cashflow Management Services are specifically designed for the collection of debts under $1,000.00, whilst our various Debt Collection Services products are individually tailored for debts over $1,000.00.

Further products have been specifically developed for use by our corporate, financial services and insolvency industry clients.

Generally for trade or commercial debts, we recommend you commence collection action at no more than 2½ times your standard terms of trade. For instance, if your terms of trade are for payment within 30 days from invoice date and your debtor has not since adequately responded to your reminder letters and/or telephone calls, has broken promises to pay or bounced a cheque, recovery action should be pursued via Pro-Collect at no more than 75 days.

Alternatively, where you have a contract that requires the payment of money by a certain date, your debtor has since failed to adequately respond to your reminder letters and/or telephone calls within 30 days of your payment being due, or else any notices you have issued as required under the contract have expired without full payment, you should immediately instruct Pro-Collect to commence recovery action on your behalf.

Prompt referral of your overdue accounts increases the chance of recovery and a reduction in your accounts receivable days.

Contact us for free advice on the timing of your overdue debts and the ideal action you should have internally pursued before referral to Pro-Collect.

Within 24 hours of receiving your debt and commencing recovery action that same day, we will send you a Welcome Email. This email provides you with your client specific log-on code and numerical password, which enable you to securely access and view the real time progress of your account(s), on-line at any time, 7 days a week, via our website.

Our Welcome Email will additionally provide you with the name and contact details of your personal Pro-Collect paralegal Account Manager. Your Pro-Collect Account Manager is dedicated to you and has been trained to manage the entire collection process on your debt from day one through to ultimate recovery. Your Account Manager is available to you via direct line telephone or email every business day, to personally discuss the progress and/or options for recovery of your debt.

At the end of every month in which a transaction or payment is recorded against your debt, we will account to you via our Invoice and accompanying Statement. Each Invoice incorporates a succinct summary of every transaction or payment as the case may be and will attach our Trust Cheque where payments exceed the reimbursement to Pro-Collect of any costs or commission we have incurred on your behalf.

Where you have multiple debts, you may at any time request Pro-Collect to provide you with a variety of reports, analysing the collection process over a period of time or providing you with current or historical collection data. You can also download a variety of reports via your client access on our website.

Pro-Collect consistently collects in excess of 86% of the commercial and trade debts referred to it for recovery, where the value of the debt exceeds $1,000.00.

The remaining small percentage of uncollected debts are generally not recoverable, because the debtor (whether an individual or a company) has no appreciable assets of value or provable income to seize or garnishee, is placed into liquidation or bankruptcy or simply disappears or becomes de-registered as a company.

Once a debt is placed for collection with Pro-Collect, any direct contact from your debtor should always be referred debtor back to your personal Pro-Collect Account Manager. Explain to your debtor that the matter in now out of your hands! After all, it is likely the debtor is only now contacting you due to receiving correspondence from Pro-Collect.

Beware!… If you endeavour to negotiate repayment of the debt on your own behalf, you may be missing out on collecting costs, overdue interest and/or court fees which have accrued since the debt was referred for collection and that you are now legally entitled to be paid. Just as importantly, you may omit to account for any commission which is payable or extend inadequate repayment terms to the debtor.

Debtors often try to take advantage of the creditors, by claiming not to have any funds or inducing creditors into doing deals or accepting amounts which are substantially less than what you are entitled to recover.

If your debtor has a dispute, again refer your debtor back to Pro-Collect in the first instance. We will address the issues on your behalf, carefully weigh up the bona fides of your debtor’s claim and then contact you if we need a your response, input or further information.

We will do all the work at no additional cost to you.

Depending on your agreement with the debtor, the amount you are entitled to recover will vary. Does your agreement include interest? If yes, that can be added to your debt. Does your agreement allow you to claim all collection costs? If yes, they can be added. Regardless of what your agreement includes, you are entitled to recover most solicitors’ costs, court fees and interest (at the Court rate on debts over $1,000.00 in NSW).

Generally in New South Wales a debt is not recoverable if it is in excess of 6 years old from the date it was incurred.

However, there are exceptions to this rule, such as if your debtor has acknowledged the debt to you in writing within six years of when the debt was incurred, or the debtor has made a partial payment of the debt within six years of when the debt was incurred. Either of these actions can serve to recommence the 6 year period.

Your debt may also remain recoverable if you commenced legal action within six years of when the debt was incurred and obtained a court Judgment against the debtor for the debt. A court Judgment has the potential of extending the life of your debt by up to a further 12 years.

If you are unsure, you should contact Pro-Collect for a free assessment of the ongoing validity of your debt.